Adams Motorsports Park Cookoff
Having a cookoff at a gocart track is unique to say the least. The gocart hobby has a large and enthusiastic following. The fans turned out for the day last Saturday to have fun racing and to embrace the chili cookoff. Their enthusiasm for tasting chili equaled their need for speed on the track. An admission fee of $5 included chili tasting, and a fee of $15 included chili tasting and all day racing.
It rained on Friday and rain was predicted for Monday. But the weather on Saturday for the event did not disappoint. Temperatures were in the low 70s and made for a jackets on, jackets off day. The cookoff was small but a very tough neighborhood. Almost all of the eleven contestants have World-class credentials, so the winner could have been any one of them. The only relatively new cook was Richard Trejo, who has won or placed for People’s Choice chili every time he has competed. He is also very serious about improving his competition chili. We will certainly hear more about Richard in the coming months.
A free race was held for any of the cooks and judges who wanted to try it. Most of the cooks jumped into a gocart to take their laps around the track. While somewhat lacking in expertise, they were not lacking in their interest in trying something new. After elimination laps and a trophy lap, prizes were awarded to the top three finishers.
First, Tim Chapman “Chappy” who shared emcee duties with Claude Covington.
Second, Dennis Macklin
Third, Steve Crawford
Steve Crawford was the real winner though, as both Chappy and Dennis are experienced gocarters!
Our hostess for the cookoff, Timel Sebastian, organized an excellent event with something for everyone, including good food and many quality vendors. Although Dennis and Allene Macklin have recently moved to Lake Havasu, they returned to officiate as Chief Judge and Chief Scorekeeper for the day and did an excellent job. Chili judges included Steve Wright, Mike and Pam O’Sullivan, Glenn Tunnero, Darlene Taylor and “Dr” Dave Eiser. The only contest held was Traditional Red Chili, and the winners were:
First - Sachiko Brecke
Second - Mike Stewart
Third - Richard Martinez
We’re looking forward to next year!
