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CHAMPIONSHIP COUNTDOWN; Hank Hall: Bandolero Bandit West Champion

Friday, November 22, 2019

By: Kelly Giddings

Our 2019 Bandolero Bandit West Champion set out on a mission this year and came out on top. Hank Hall, who is from Bakersfield California, has been racing since he was five years old. He started off in a JR1 Trophy Kart with Lucas Oil off Road Racing Series.

For six years, Hall has been determined to win a Championship. Hall expresses his excitement by saying, "this is the first championship I have ever won, so this is very exciting for me. I have been close in other race cars that I've raced, but have never won one.

We committed this year with a goal in mind, and we came out on top." Hall and his family were determined to finish up the season with a West Coast National Championship. For them to accomplish this, they had to fly back and forth from North Carolina to California after moving from California in June. "We had to fly out every Friday to race on Saturdays and then fly home on Sundays, so I would not miss school." During those five weekends, Hall raced at The Bullring in Las Vegas, NV and Kern County Raceway in Bakersfield, CA. "With having so many races left on the west coast, we committed to flying back and forth to try and secure the championship. As I started a new school in August, not knowing anyone was hard enough, and the first five weeks of school, my family and I flew back to the west coast."

Hall says that his most memorable racing moment this season was winning the Pennzoil 400 after being out of his car for four months. "Last year, two days after Thanksgiving, I broke my femur and had rods put in my leg. Winning felt like an accomplishment as I had no seat time for about four months. It wasn't easy because there was some awesome competition there, but it was fun." If Hall could do any race over this season, he would go back to his first race at The Bullring last year. "It was my very first time racing at The Bullring, and I qualified P1. Then when it came time to race, I led every lap but two. With two laps to go, my car was getting tight, and I let the bottom open for the 2nd place car to sneak in for the win. I would have won that race, and it would have put me 100% undefeated at The Bullring."

After winning the 2019 Bandolero Bandit West Championship, Hall would like to thank many people. First, he would like to thank his parents. "They have been so supportive of me and allowing me to chase this crazy dream of mine. I want to thank them for all their hard work." He would also like to thank John Vargas for, "taking a chance on me. He has coached me, wrenched on my car, and traveled many miles to help me out."

He would also like to thank Ryan Vargas, who coached him in North Carolina and the Pennzoil race. Hall would like to thank JR McClenny, "thank you for your help and friendship from the beginning." He would also like to thank his sponsors and supporters, Maxima Racing Oils, SPARCO, Raceline Wheels, Race to Erase 22, FORCE Offroad VSSL, and Pro Eagle. "Last but not least, I would like to thank Scott Lynch for all the awesome race reports to keep everyone up to date on my races. "Congratulations to our 2019 Bandolero Bandit West Champion Hank Hall.

Congratulations to Hank Hall, our 2019 Bandolero Bandit West Champion!

Click here to see full 2019 INEX Championship Point Results 

Registration for our 2019 Championship Banquet has now opened!

Click here to sign up! 


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