Local motor notes: Roseville racer's next outing is tribute to mom

It will be an emotional ride for Roseville's Zane Lovelace at his home track Saturday. Lovelace lost his biggest supporter, his mother, Cheryl Camilleri of Cool, to a horseback riding accident in August.

Lovelace has found comfort in that his mother was a corneal transplant donor and in death she gave two strangers the gift of sight.

"My mom was my biggest fan and she was at all my races," said Lovelace, who owns West Coast Transmissions in Sacramento. "It will be nice to race back in Roseville knowing that she is with me in spirit. I'll be racing to win for her and doing what she loved to watch."

Lovelace, 30, is the title sponsor of Saturday's West Coast Transmissions 125 presented by AmeriPride Services, a SPEARS Supermodified Racing League Southwest Tour Series event Saturday at Roseville's All American Speedway.

It's part of a packed racing card as the SRL main event is a prelude to the K&N Pro Series West Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150. Also appearing is the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series with a race tonight, as well as the Legends of the Pacific series.

Lovelace is joined by Scott Sanchez of Livermore, whose father, Marty Sanchez, lost his sight to corneal blindness but is now able to watch his son race and better enjoy life thanks to two cornea transplants.

Both drivers are working with Donate Life California, Sierra Donor Services and SightLife to host a donor registration drive at the track.

"My mom was always an organ donor," Lovelace said. "This is a good cause and I'll be involved in upcoming seasons as well. I'm going to do all I can to support them."

Cross it off – Some bucket lists are bound to attract more attention than others.

Take the one of 81-year-old Oakdale resident Laverne Everett. Everett wanted to skydive, so last year she strapped herself into a tandem parachute – and almost fell out of the harness as she floated to earth.

The video of the harrowing event went viral, and Everett made an appearance on NBC's "Today Show." With skydiving crossed off the list, she now says that she'd love to ride in a NASCAR race car.

Team owner Bill McAnally helped her cross that one off her bucket list.

Everett took a few hot laps Thursday at Roseville's All American Speedway in a NASCAR Late Model car that has two seats. She will serve as grand marshal of Saturday's Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150.

King of the West – The 2012 season of the King of the West Sprint Car Series ends Saturday with the running of the 27th annual Cotton Classic at Hanford's Kings Speedway.

Through 16 King of the West Series events this season, there have been eight winners, including Elk Grove native Kyle Larson, Sacramento's Kyle Hirst and Chico's Jonathan Allard. All three will race Saturday.

Allard holds a 97-point lead in the season-long standings and all he has to do is start to win his first KWS title. Allard has four main-event victories and nine top-five finishes.

Also competing are Sacramento's Willie Croft, Elk Grove's Bobby McMahan and son Sean McMahan, Placerville's Andy Gregg, Chico's Stephen Allard and Kenny Allen, Fair Oaks' Chad Compton, Grass Valley's Jason Statler and Pat Harvey, and Rio Vista's Danielle Simpson.

For more information, go to www.kwssprints.com.

Order Reprint