Bandoleros raced Wednesday, August 14, at Riverhead Raceway in New York. Winning features were Cillian Tennant in Outlaws, Reid Halpin in Bandits, and Mackenzie Ulmet in Beginners. Story by Bob Finan and results below, as provided by the track (Bandolero portion extracted for posting on LN).
Cillian Tennant of Manorville returned to his Bock Auto INEX Bandolero Outlaw racing roots in a big way Wednesday when he took a hotly contested 15-lap win over defending champion Ben Morabito of Miller Place. Tennant, who is a freshman in the Super Pro Trucks this year took the early race lead over Giavanna Agugliaro at the drop of the green. Agugliaro was passed to the inside off turn four on lap 3 by Ben Morabito for second and the Tennant/Morabito battle was on. On lap 7 Morabito took over the race lead with Tennant now draped all over him as the challenger. The race would come down to a double file restart on lap 17, there Tennant was able to put his MC-11 prepared machine out front over Morabito in his Benimax Trucking for the lead and his first career win. Morabito was second, Will Sipala of Manorville placed third in the Riteway Auto mount.
The 15-lap Bock Auto INEX Bandolero Bandit race was also a thriller with defending champion Reid Halpin of Wading River scoring his third consecutive win. Layla Quilliam paced the first circuit of the race before being passed by another second-generation talent Tyler Oxee. The Grattan brothers drew a caution just before starting the second lap with their tangle off turn four. On the restart John Alaimo races his way to second behind Oxee but another quick yellow waved. On that restart Reid Halpin got by Alaimo for second behind leader Oxee. For the remainder of the race Oxee, who was back in action after a heavy crash Saturday and Halpin raced side by side for the lead. Right up until the final turn. Oxee, running the low to middle groove looked as though he’d score a career first win. However, Hapin was having none of it as Reid rode the outside lane to a last turn victory, the 7th of his career in the Florida Connection Bandit. Tyler Oxee, knocking on the door of that first win was a close runner-up in the North Fork Sanitation entry, Aria Ligon of Center Moriches was third in the Chesterfield Associates Bandit.
After coming close to taking her first win two races ago, Mackenzie Ulmet of Riverhead made her own last lap pass to take her first career Bock Auto INEX Bandolero Beginner win in a 10-lap thriller. Emily Gatz led the first lap of the race that was slowed by a first lap yellow when Leighton Van Houten and Ulmet got together, Van Houten was finished for the race. Ulmet continued. On the restart, Daxx Halpin powered his way to the lead seeking his third win of 2024 with Gatz now second. As the laps clicked off Halpin ran away and his from the field, or so it seemed. Mackenzie Ulmet, who after her early race tangle worked her way back to second was shaving time off Halpin’s lead, lap after lap. With the white flag waving in the summer breeze Ulmet closed in on Halpin for the lead and win. By the time the tandem raced towards the checker flag Ulmet, the granddaughter of former racer Wes Zaleski, drove her Mark Davis Builders machine to victory. Afterwards she proclaimed, “I had the time of my life”. Daxx Halpin of Wading River brought the Baldwin Automotive racer home second while Alexis Gatz of Riverhead scored an impressive third place tally in the TS Haulers machine.
Bandolero Outlaws: 1. Cillian Tennant 2. Ben Morabito 3. Will Sipala 4. Thomas Grattan 5. Madison White 6. Madison Tomaszewski 7. Grace Cheslak 8. Michael Barry 9. Giavanna Agugliaro 10. Jordan Ryan
Bandolero Bandits: 1. Reid Halpin 2. Tyler Oxee 3. Aria Ligon 4. Blake Grattan 5. Brooke Meyer 6. Antonio D’Alonzo 7. Christian Ryan 8. Layla Quilliam 9. John Alaimo 10. Emmett Grattan
Bandolero Beginners: 1. Mackenzie Ulmet 2. Daxx Halpin 3. Alexis Gatz 4. Emily Gatz 5. Leighton Van Houten
Photo credits: track photos
