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December 13, 2011
PENTICTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA – The 2011 racing season may have ended long ago, but Sarah Cornett-Ching has remained very active within the racing community, attending the final classes of the RACE 101 program in North Carolina, which also included a test session at the famous Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina. Sarah’s most recent racing adventure extended past the usual trip to North Carolina, as several Race 101 classmates attended the annual P.R.I. (Performance Racing Industry) Trade Show in Orlando, Florida last weekend.
Sarah and her father left Kelowna, British Columbia to embark on their journey to Charlotte, North Carolina a couple weeks ago. On Tuesday November 29th Sarah took to the track despite a gloomy forecast, and the rain held off long enough for Sarah to complete her test session.
“I had a blast driving the Race 101 test car”, says Cornett-Ching. “Hickory Motor Speedway is such a historic place, and it was just a great experience to get on the track here”.
After completing the test session, Sarah, her father, and fellow RACE 101 student Brandon Atkinson took to the local Go Kart track for some fun. It was an early evening for Cornett-Ching as Wednesday was going to be a long day of travel for both Sarah and her father, Joe was flying back home, and Sarah, along with Race 101 representative Anna Marie Strawhand were driving from Charlotte, North Carolina to Orlando, Florida for the PRI Trade Show.
Sarah and Anna Marie arrived in Orlando early Wednesday evening and got settled in before the trade show got underway the next morning. The PRI Trade Show hosts over 1000 vendors from the racing industry and takes in many sellers from Canada, USA and several other countries.
“The first day of the PRI show was overwhelming”, admits Cornett-Ching. “There were so many people and vendors. I didn’t know where to start. It was a long day, but well worth it, as I was able to meet so many people and talk about different racing products”.
The rest of the PRI show was also a great experience for Cornett-Ching. Meeting new people in the racing community and making some great contacts. One of the highlights of the PRI show for Sarah was meeting up with her friend Tyler Case, who was with NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion Scott Steckley.
“It was pretty cool to go to dinner and get a chance to talk racing with the champion of the series that I want to race in next year”, says Cornett-Ching.
After a long week of travel, Sarah was looking forward to getting back home to British Columbia and thinking about the experience that she has had over the past week. The travel back to British Columbia did not go according to plan. Her original flight was scheduled for 6am, but was later canceled, and postponed to 6pm. After 12 hours of waiting in the airport for her flight she was finally able get on the plane. She arrived back in British Columbia at 1am local time after a grueling 26-hour day.
Despite the travel issues, the rest of the week was a fantastic experience for Cornett-Ching. After a short break over the holidays, Sarah will make one last trip early in the New Year to graduate from the program.
“I really can’t thank the entire RACE 101 staff enough for everything they have done for me this year”, says Cornett-Ching. “It was such a great experience for myself and the other students. It has been a great year all around, and I just have to thank everyone that helped me this year. I want to wish everyone a very happy holiday season, and I look forward to getting back on the track in 2012”.
In 2012, Cornett Ching is hoping to put together a marketing program that will allow her to run a limited schedule in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. She also plans to battle for the OK Tire ARCA West Series championship.
Since 2005, Sarah Cornett-Ching has racked up a pile of awards, including Most Aspiring driver as well as Champion in her division that year. Two years later, after moving up a class, she claimed the championship again. In 2008 she claimed her first ever top five finish in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series, and the following year she finished third overall in the series points standings. In addition to her third place in points, she also claimed awards for Most Improved driver, Most Dedicated to the Sport and West Coast Sportsman Rookie of the Year Award. In 2010 she claimed fifth place in points in both the Okanagen Street Stock Series and the West Coast Sportsman Series. She was also named Most Improved Driver and Most Dedicated Driver of the West Coast Sportsman Series. In 2011, Sarah again won Most Improved Driver in the West Coast Sportsman Series, finishing fourth in points, and won Rookie of the Year, and Most Improved driver in the OK Tire ARCA West Series, finishing eighth in points.
For more information on Sarah Cornett-Ching and to follow her racing accomplishments, please visit her newly revamped website, www.sccracing.com or visit her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sccracing.