Photo credit: Don SimpsonAn unexpected return for Luke Whitteker!
Luke Whitteker returns to the 49th edition of the Brockville Speedway season
The version française ici With lots of cars in the pits, crowded grandstands and great weather, what better way to kick off the 49th season at Brockville Ontario Speedway. For Luke Whitteker, the first race night at Brockville Speedway also tested his comeback after a horrific skiing accident that required hospitalization just weeks before the start of the racing season. A few days before the race, Luke tested the car hours after being given the green light by doctors to return to normal activity and get rid of his orthopedic corset. Luke found during testing that his injury did not prevent him from driving. The team continued to prepare for the first 50-lap race of Ogilvie's Triple Crown series at the BullRing.
- With 25 Mods in the pits, Luke's job was defiantly done for race night.
Photo credit: Don SimpsonAll went well for the team in timed and qualifying times, putting Luke second for the start in the final. For the main event, Whitteker will face 25 Modified 358s that also compete for the Ogilvie Triple Crown Series. For the final, Luke Whitteker emerged victorious from a very tight race. On lap 40, Luke made his way alongside race leader Danny O'Brien, who had been dominating the race until then. The two riders raced the final ten laps side by side when Luke, in the 38 special, took the lead on the final lap to claim the checkered flag. Quite an accomplishment if you consider that less than fifteen weeks ago Luke was in hospital with five fractured vertebrae, nine broken ribs, broken shoulder, scapula, 
Photo credit: Don SimpsonI asked Luke what he thought of his race and his chance to race, given the severity of his accident a few weeks earlier. “My skiing accident happened on January 26 and after the operation I was lying in bed. I had my parents and Taya next to me. Pretty much the first thing I said was "probably I couldn't race anymore, right?" “I really didn't think I would recover so quickly. It's just crazy. Friends and family came to visit me to cheer me up and give me hope. I even had a visit from Yves Lafrance who came to see me several times to talk about racing and compare injuries. It was a very good thing. “Around mid-February, I decided that I was going to do everything I could to make a comeback. I started going out and walking five kilometers a day with my grandfather. I was pretty limited with my back so it wasn't a pretty sight. I continued to feel a little better each day. I sat in the garage and watched the guys put the new car together. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to drive it again, but we did everything we could to make it possible. “Last night was a storybook throwback. That's what you read in fiction novels or in movies. It's an incredible feeling. I wouldn't be here to continue racing if it wasn't for the great support of my mom and dad, Taya, my grandparents, my team, my friends and my family. While Luke will be racing primarily this year at his home circuit at Brockville Ontario Speedway, but for a few special events he has set the bar high to achieve his goals and the rest of the regular rider field can expect a lot from of this talented young driver. It's been a really good start to the season at Brockville Speedway and just the first of many races planned for 2018. For Luke, it's a relief knowing he's still able to do the sport he loves. really. he has set the bar high to achieve his goals and the rest of the regular rider field can expect a lot from this talented young rider. It's been a really good start to the season at Brockville Speedway and just the first of many races planned for 2018. For Luke, it's a relief knowing he's still able to do the sport he loves. really. he has set the bar high to achieve his goals and the rest of the regular rider field can expect a lot from this talented young rider. It's been a really good start to the season at Brockville Speedway and just the first of many races planned for 2018. For Luke, it's a relief knowing he's still able to do the sport he loves. really. 
Photo credit: Don Simpson
- With 25 Mods in the pits, Luke's job was defiantly done for race night.
Photo credit: Don SimpsonAll went well for the team in timed and qualifying times, putting Luke second for the start in the final. For the main event, Whitteker will face 25 Modified 358s that also compete for the Ogilvie Triple Crown Series. For the final, Luke Whitteker emerged victorious from a very tight race. On lap 40, Luke made his way alongside race leader Danny O'Brien, who had been dominating the race until then. The two riders raced the final ten laps side by side when Luke, in the 38 special, took the lead on the final lap to claim the checkered flag. Quite an accomplishment if you consider that less than fifteen weeks ago Luke was in hospital with five fractured vertebrae, nine broken ribs, broken shoulder, scapula, Photo credit: Don SimpsonI asked Luke what he thought of his race and his chance to race, given the severity of his accident a few weeks earlier. “My skiing accident happened on January 26 and after the operation I was lying in bed. I had my parents and Taya next to me. Pretty much the first thing I said was "probably I couldn't race anymore, right?" “I really didn't think I would recover so quickly. It's just crazy. Friends and family came to visit me to cheer me up and give me hope. I even had a visit from Yves Lafrance who came to see me several times to talk about racing and compare injuries. It was a very good thing. “Around mid-February, I decided that I was going to do everything I could to make a comeback. I started going out and walking five kilometers a day with my grandfather. I was pretty limited with my back so it wasn't a pretty sight. I continued to feel a little better each day. I sat in the garage and watched the guys put the new car together. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to drive it again, but we did everything we could to make it possible. “Last night was a storybook throwback. That's what you read in fiction novels or in movies. It's an incredible feeling. I wouldn't be here to continue racing if it wasn't for the great support of my mom and dad, Taya, my grandparents, my team, my friends and my family. While Luke will be racing primarily this year at his home circuit at Brockville Ontario Speedway, but for a few special events he has set the bar high to achieve his goals and the rest of the regular rider field can expect a lot from of this talented young driver. It's been a really good start to the season at Brockville Speedway and just the first of many races planned for 2018. For Luke, it's a relief knowing he's still able to do the sport he loves. really. he has set the bar high to achieve his goals and the rest of the regular rider field can expect a lot from this talented young rider. It's been a really good start to the season at Brockville Speedway and just the first of many races planned for 2018. For Luke, it's a relief knowing he's still able to do the sport he loves. really. he has set the bar high to achieve his goals and the rest of the regular rider field can expect a lot from this talented young rider. It's been a really good start to the season at Brockville Speedway and just the first of many races planned for 2018. For Luke, it's a relief knowing he's still able to do the sport he loves. really. Photo credit: Don Simpson
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