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Coniam confident entering
second weekend with Holbrook’s WoO team
Burlington, Ontario - 10/24 - Ryan Coniam crammed a lot of learning into his
World of Outlaw debut last Sunday at State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City. This
weekend the Burlington, Ontario, racer hopes to apply some of that knowledge as
Junior Holbrook’s 8h team heads to the Fall Classic at Pike County Speedway in
Mississippi and the Lone Star Classic at Houston Raceway Park in Texas.
The Empire Super Sprint standout achieved his main goal last weekend by virtue
of qualifying for the A main. His luck ran out in the opening laps however, as
the VSM Abrasives/Jones Neon-sponsored driver was knocked out of the feature
under bizarre circumstances.
“I started in the back of the pack for the feature,” says Coniam. “As soon
as the race started I got hit in the head with a huge clump of mud. It took all
my tear-offs right off my helmet.
“I ran for a little while, but when it got to the point where I just
couldn’t see anymore I pulled off.”
Despite the obvious setback, Coniam is optimistic heading into his second week
with Holbrook’s team.
“The goal was to make the feature, and we did that,” says Coniam. “It’s
a steep learning curve running with these racers, but the guys on my crew are
great. I know I have a really good race car, and I know where I have to
improve.”
Coniam believes not running the car hard enough in practice set the team back
heading into qualifying.
“You have to drive the car hard to make it work,” he says. “I didn’t run
hard enough in practice, and it took us a little too long to figure out what the
car needed.”
After only missing the inversion by about a tenth of a second, Coniam was
relegated to the B main after finishing out of a transfer spot in his heat. He
started and finished fourth in the B, and only ran a few laps in the feature.
“I realize now how important it is to time trial well,” says the determined
Coniam. “I have to look at that as the most important thing to work on. “The
tempo of the racing is absolutely intense, too. I definitely have to keep my
game up and stay focused. These guys are amazing, but I know that Junior’s
team is more than capable of running at the front. It will make me a better
driver running with these guys.”
Coniam will pilot Holbrook’s Eagle sprinter for the remainder of the 2002
season.
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Canadian Coniam to debut at
Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals
Burlington, Ontario - 10/17 - Canadian sprint car sensation Ryan Coniam’s
dream season just got better. The 22-year-old Burlington, Ontario, Canada,
native hardly had time to celebrate his third place finish in the 2002 Empire
Super Sprint (ESS) points standings when a dream opportunity came his way.
Coniam approached Ohio sprint car owner Junior Holbrook recently about possibly
renting a ride for the Las Vegas races. The resonse was more than he’d
bargained for. Holbrook offered Coniam the ride in his 8H Eagle sprint car for
the remainder of the World of Outlaws season.
“I can’t thank Junior enough,” says Coniam. “He’s taking a real chance
on me, but I know the car is capable. I just have to learn quickly. The guys
have been great so far.
“The Texas and Oklahoma races will be tough. There’s a lot of great
competition, and the goal is really just to qualify.”
In 360 sprint car competition this year, Coniam notched three ESS victories, one
Southern Ontario Sprint Car win and a championship in the ESS Canadian Invasion
series. The young hot-shoe also won the hard charger award at the Bully Hill
Nationals. Combine Coniam’s driving talent with Holbrooks race cars, and it
should be a great combination.
Holbrook’s cars, with Shane Stewart behind the wheel, won a number of Gumout
Series races en route to a second place finish in the points behind Tyler
Walker. The team is definitely equipped to win.
“Devil’s Bowl will be a great experience,” adds Coniam. “I don’t know
what to expect from the racing surface, but if I listen to the crew and do my
best I’m sure we’ll do well.”
Coniam comes to Holbrook’s Red Line Oil-backed sprinter with a few sponsors of
his own. The Canadian’s ESS team sponsors VSM Abrasives, Nicholson Roll
Forming, and Patco Transportation are providing support along with Ryan’s
parents Warren and Linda.
“When my sponsors heard what I’d been offered, we all agreed it was an
opportunity that couldn’t be passed up. The biggest thing now is just getting
into the remaining shows.”
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