Clayton Campbell was pleasantly surprised about being the recipient of the Bobbi Wilson Young Driver’s Award.
“I was like, wow, nice,” said Campbell of his reaction. “I was really excited.”
Campbell, who raced in the Hornet class at Penticton Speedway this season, is happy to win the award his brother Matthew won two years ago.
Johnny Aantjes, owner of Penticton Speedway, said the Bobbi Wilson Award is for the young driver that best demonstrates enthusiasm, a willingness to learn, and is an overall good person in character and attitude.
“Clayton is all of these,” said Aantjes.
Campbell finished fifth overall with 646 points, two spots behind his brother, in the overall standings. Aantjes described Campbell as a good driver, who possesses patience and doesn’t try to over-drive the car.
“This is always difficult for new drivers to learn,” he said. “This kid is a good driver now and will only get better with age.”
Campbell said his season went well as he didn't have any major problems with his car. While the B class in the Hornets wasn’t overly challenging for the 15-year-old, it was different in the A class.
“A class was really good,” said Campbell, adding that competing against A drivers helped him improve. “Some of them give you tips.”
Campbell, who just finished his second season, was lured to the track by his family. They would go to watch the races, which included his grandfather. Then Campbell’s brother started racing. One day Campbell’s father asked him if he wanted to race and found him a car. Campbell is competitive with his brother, but was at a disadvantage because his car wasn’t as fast.
What Campbell enjoyed most of the season was simply racing.
“It’s fun, good adrenaline,” said Campbell.