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07/21/2008 07:48 AM

 

Local Go-Kart Racers Has a Dream Come True July 16, 2008 ECO Staff -- Laure Cioffi, senior journalist WAMPUM – Blaise Haynes is living his dream. Come Thursday the 15-year-old boy who doesn’t even have his driver’s license will be behind the wheel of a Formula One racecar. The Lincoln High School ninth grader won the opportunity to participate in a day of Formula One racecar driving at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex at a banquet for Go Kart Racing which he also participates in at BeaveRun. Blaise, the son of Danny and Maria Haynes who live on Ellwood City’s north side, said he one day wants to be a professional Formula One or Nascar driver. His experience on Thursday is one that can cost thousands of dollars. The John Walko Racing group, who managed the winning 2006 Star Mazda Team, will train him. Danny Haynes says he was nervous when he first learned that his son had won the opportunity to drive racecars. “He’s never driven a real car before and now he’s going to jump into a Mazda 6,” Haynes said. But Haynes said he spoke to Walko’s racing team and learned that cars have extra safety features, far more than the Go Karts Blaise has been racing for the last five years. He competes in the Yamaha Junior Can division at BeaveRun and has traveled as far away as Indianapolis to race go karts. On Thursday, Blaise will first take a safety course then get to take laps in the Mazda 6 with an instructor around the 1.6 mile North Course at BeaveRun. Then he will get in a Spec Miata racecar for full-speed laps that can exceed 100 mph. The last part of the experience is driving four laps in a Star Mazda racecar, similar to ones driven by Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal and Scott Speed early in their careers. “I’m not really nervous, I’m just excited,” Blaise said.