LONDON, ON - London’s Mark Sammut’s fortunes are turning around for the 2010 season which started with a few rough patches and until last weekend, not one top-5 finish. Sammut is in his 12th year of racing in the International Super Modified Association’s series which comes to Delaware Speedway August 6th and 7th, its only Canadian stop this year. His first series win came in 2009 and this past weekend he had a win and a top-10 finish at Sandusky Speedway in Ohio.
“Well, we wrecked a couple of times this year. Had engine trouble one time, too. But last weekend we won the 100 lap feature and came seventh in the 40 lapper so it was a good weekend for us. We were 8th in points going into the weekend so we should have notched up a couple of spots.” (At the time of this interview, ISMA points standings had not yet been updated to reflect the July 23/24 weekend.)
ISMA cars are unlike virtually anything else on a racetrack. They’re small, need a push-start and have wings on the front and the back. Each tire is also a different size. Sammut says the big thrill is that they pack more than 800 horsepower in their low-slung bodies.
“They’re the fastest short track cars on asphalt. They’re loud and they’re fast.”
In his previous career racing in Canadian Midgets, Sammut won many features and championships. Last year he finished second at the ISMA event at Delaware Speedway and a win this year would be sweet.
“Delaware is a lot like the other short tracks we stop at on the tour but of course it means a lot more with more local people there, people we know.’
The ISMA racing season is brief – between 12 and 18 races, with competitors from all over the Northeastern U.S.
“Oh there’ll be guys from New Hampshire, Maine, Michigan, Ohio”, says Sammut. “There’s nothing else like it out there.”
For more information on ISMA: www.ismasupers.com. Tickets are now on sale for the Delaware Classic presented by PATCO Transportation. Purchase weekend passes online before August 1st at 25% off. Single-day tickets are discounted as well at www.delawarespeedway.com.
From Lisa Brandt, Delaware Speedway // PHOTO: Mark Sammut, Sandusky Ohio. Credit: ISMA
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