Jeff Champagne, of Westfield races his #36 car at Twin State Speedway in Claremont, N.H., last fall. (Submitted photo)
Jeff Champagne, 14, of Westfield stands alongside his "007" go-kart. (Submitted photo)
Local racer keeps moving forward
By JOHN CUNNINGHAM
Intern
WESTFIELD – Whip City Speedway may be closed to future stars of racing, but that has not put the brakes on a young, local racer’s dreams.
Go-kart race driver Jeff Champagne, 14, of Westfield continues to follow his passion.
Champagne’s said his interest in cars began at age 2, and “caught the bug” while watching NASCAR years later. He began his go-kart career at Whip City in 2008.
From his trial-and-error of racing locally and a driver-school, “F1-Boston,” Champagne gained experience necessary to fuel his competitive side.
After winning eight victories with his red #36 at Whip City, Champagne was almost forced to quit when the track was closed.
But he overcame the odds.
Champagne converted his car to drive in asphalt terrain, and began racing at Twin State Speedway in Claremont, NH, where he won the Junior Outlaw and Stock Heavy Oval Championships last October.
The teen driver from Westfield Vocational-Technical High School stated that he uses a mixture of strategy and luck during his races.
During his victory at Stafford Motor Speedway (Conn.), Champagne was neck and neck with one other driver. He recounted the maneuver.
“I did not want to pass too early,” Champagne said. “So I waited until the other driver made a mistake before I pulled ahead.”
Champagne’s recent victory at Twin State also required him to use his wits.
Despite the overwhelming heat and his car leaking fuel, Champagne pulled in front of his opponents and stayed in the middle lane, preventing anyone from passing him.
Champagne will continue to race in his new green #007 kart, and hopefully move on to further victories. He said he wants to become a NASCAR, Indy, or Sprint Cup driver – those goals will begin to take shape at his next race when he plans to outrace the competition.
