Third generation Ramona racer continues to impress

Fifteen-year-old Kyle Morris of Ramona continues to impress his dirt oval competitors.

It was about two years ago that Kyle, at age 13, won the 2007 Sportsman Dwarf Car Division Track Championship at Barona Speedway. Grandson of Charles and Sara Morris and son of Eddie and Karen Morris, Kyle has continued to move up the ladder, with this year being his first in International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) Modified competition.

Choosing to race away from San Diego 50 percent of the year by testing his skills against racers in El Centro, Victorville and at Perris Auto Speedway has been a good test for Kyle. And racing on bigger, faster tracks against cars from Arizona and Nevada has proven he has the talent to win.

His most recent win was at Perris Auto Speedway, a half-mile dirt track north of Temecula, on Oct. 3. It was a full moon and there was a full field of modifieds.

After winning his heat race, Kyle started in the middle of the field for the main event. Moving high or low on the track, he passed car after car, including the track’s current point leader, until he took the lead with about three laps to go in the 20-lap battle. The track announcer appeared to enjoy calling a race in which a 15-year-old without a driver’s license was driving around 20-, 30-, 40- and 50-year-olds to the front of the field and on his way to the victory circle.

This most recent victory was Kyle’s second victory this year in an IMCA Modified. There is one bigger test in mid-November at the half-mile dirt track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 12th annual Duel in the Desert, which has become one of the biggest IMCA Modified events in the country.

The Las Vegas event last year attracted a record field of 218 IMCA modifieds, 30 more than the previous record set in 2007. Racers from 17 states and four Canadian provinces traveled to LVMS’ oval for the autumn classic. This young Ramona racer will be there with his crew chief grandfather and mentor father to continue his climb to notoriety in the Southwestern states.

After the Duel in the Desert, Kyle’s plans for 2010 are to race in the EQ Cylinder Heads Wild West Modified Southern Tour across California, Arizona and Nevada, sponsorship permitting. Anyone interested in helping this local racer is asked to call 1-760- 788-7802.