James White Jr. Relishing Racing Opportunities at Rainier Flat Track

rainier flat track
James White Jr. will be joined by fresh competition at the races on Saturday, July 12.
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By Tom Rohrer

dairy queenWhen James White Jr. first put his bike on the starting line three years ago, a rush of fear overtook him.

The close quarters between riders on the Rainier Flat Track can be intimidating and constricting to new riders, and White Jr. was no exception.

“I was a little scared at first,” said White Jr., a 15-year-old soon to be sophomore at Rainier High School.  “Being that close to other riders going as fast as you are on the track, it made feel jumpy.”

rainier flat track
Rounding a corner in first place is nothing new for Rainier racer James White Jr. (Bike #107)  

Once the racing actually started for the then 12-year-old White Jr., the fear turned into excitement and has since developed into a passion.

Racing within three different divisions of D and W Racing at the Rainier Flat Track, White Jr. sits atop the Mad Dog Division (including bikes 70cc-150cc) while competing in the 150cc and 150cc-250cc groupings.

This weekend, White Jr. will be one of many racing in the annual Dixie Cup, the biggest event and day of competition at the Rainier Flat Track.  The Dixie Cup will be held on Saturday, July 12 starting at 11:30 a.m. The event runs deep into the evening.

Born and raised in Rainier, White Jr. enjoys the camaraderie and unity between racers, spectators, officials and volunteers who make up the flat track’s support system.

His mother, Tami Stancil, volunteers at the track while Terry Thorsell, Stancil’s boyfriend, provides a variety of services for D and W Racing.

rainier flat track
James White Jr. currently leads the Rainier Flat Track summer series in the Mad Dog division and has had high finishes in two other classifications.  Photo credit: Tom Stein

”It actually does mean lot to me that she is cheering me on because it means she doesn’t have a problem with me racing. She enjoys it and wants me to do it,” said White Jr. “(Thorsell) helps put a lot of things together at the track.  He was just out there for four hours mowing the other day.  He’s a huge part of all this.”

White Jr. witnessed the support the racing community could provide this summer when the track held a fundraiser for the family of Drake Ostenson, a five-year-old track competitor who passed away in May after a riding incident in Lewis County.  Thorsell, the manager at Dirty Dave’s Pizza, helped organize the event and various other fundraising efforts.

“Everyone steps up to help others and it’s cool to be a part of that,” White Jr. said. “I don’t even remember the last time I heard an argument at the track.  We’re all one family. If one person has a flat tube in a tire, a (competitor) will give them an extra tube just so they can be in the race.”

White Jr.’s transition from novice to contender has been helped through his interactions with more experienced racers.  By observing these riders and picking their brains afterward, White Jr. has learned tricks of the trade he had no idea existed.

“Watching people like Brad Baker (the reigning flat track national champion) and his brother Scott, that’s awesome.  Scooter Vernon is one of my favorite racers and he’s a role model,” said White Jr.  “They’ll come talk to me and they’ll tell me stuff where I don’t know what they’re talking about. But when someone like Brad comes up to you and says, ‘good job but try something like this,’ it’s very cool to hear.”

The advice passed down by the Baker brothers and Vernon should help White Jr. this weekend as he will likely race against new competition.

rainier flat track
James White Jr. will be joined by fresh competition at the races on Saturday, July 12.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge and the new people. The Dixie Cup is the biggest race of year and people I’ve never seen before show up,” said White Jr. “New racers, experienced racers, it’s just fun to go up against new competition.”

Events such as the Dixie Cup are made possible through the volunteer efforts of White Jr. and the countless other volunteers associated with the track.

“Before the season started I was still in school, but after I got out of class I would head to the track just to work there for two or three hours,” he said.  “This is my home and place I care about.”

While there is certainly strong unity within the Thurston County racing community, White Jr., like the other racers, is driven by his will to win and defeat the competition, which many times includes close friends.

“My buddy Isaac and I are great friends. He and his dad are some of the nicest people I know.  But when we’re on the track, we’re competing for position,” said White Jr. “We both want to win.  After the race, we’re back to joking around.  On the track, it’s a competition and we both want to win.”

Humbleness and competiveness can take someone a long way in motorsports, and it’s clear James White Jr. is on the right track – literally.

For more information on the Dixie Cup, D and W Racing and the Rainier Flat Track, visit https://www.facebook.com/dandwracing or http://www.dandwracing.com/.

All photos courtesy Terry Thorsell.

 

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