Perth County teen Levi Dill continues winning ways on the drag racing circuit

Fifteen-year-old drag racer Levi Dill, centre, displays his winning cheques alongside his family and racing team at their country home southeast of Hampstead. Pictured from left are his twin sister, Lexi, father, Mike, Levi Dill, mother, Kirsten, and older sister, Jade. Gary West photo

By Gary West

A young drag-racing phenom from Perth County continues to make his mark on the track, bringing home trophies, prize money and impressive finishes at competitions across Ontario and beyond.

Fifteen-year-old Levi Dill, who lives with his family on a country property near Hampstead in North Easthope Township, has been racing since he was seven years old.

Now a Grade 10 student at Stratford District Secondary School, Dill continues to excel in the sport, competing in the Junior Dragster Points Bracket Racing program at Grand Bend Motorplex, where he finished second overall in the standings for the third consecutive year.

Licensed through the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), Dill races a 2011 Mike Bos chassis junior dragster powered by a Craw's Racing ZR4 single-cylinder, four-stroke engine.

His dragster can cover the eighth-mile track in 7.99 seconds, reaching speeds of approximately 81 miles per hour, or 130 kilometres per hour.

In his age category, Dill is not permitted to run faster than 7.90 seconds and must follow strict safety requirements, including wearing fire-retardant pants, a jacket, gloves, a helmet with a protective skirt, a head-and-neck restraint system, arm restraints, and a five-point safety harness.

His dragster is also equipped with three engine kill switches, two inside the vehicle and one outside.

Unlike traditional drag racing, where the fastest vehicle wins, bracket racing challenges drivers to finish as close as possible to a predetermined time, known as their dial-in time, without going faster.

Slower vehicles are given a head start, allowing racers with different vehicle capabilities to compete on a more even playing field.

Dill regularly competes at Grand Bend Motorplex, St. Thomas Dragway and Toronto Motorsports Park, and has recently raced at Darana Dragway in Milan, Mich.

Speaking about his racing season, Dill said one of his highlights came July 11 at the Motorsports Mayhem event at Toronto Motorsports Park, where he captured first place.

He followed that success with another first-place finish July 25 at a junior dragster fundraiser at St. Thomas Dragway. Entry fees from the event supported Kids Country Club in London, an organization providing respite care for medically fragile children.

Dill continued his winning streak Sept. 27 at Grand Bend Motorplex during the Fall Fast Big Money Weekend, taking first place in his race.

That same weekend, he also helped his 10-member racing team capture first place in a team competition, where racers accumulated points by winning rounds. The victory earned the team a trophy, prize money, jackets and bragging rights.

At the 660 Sportsman Nationals, held Oct. 2-4 at Grand Bend Motorplex, Dill once again demonstrated his racing abilities.

He won the Friday night junior dragster warm-up race before capturing the junior dragster shootout title on Saturday. The event was organized by Drew and Vicki Buchner of St. Thomas.

Most recently, Dill competed at the Turkey Nationals over Thanksgiving weekend at St. Thomas Dragway, where he finished a close second.

His continued success is supported by sponsors W.C. Dill and Company of Stratford and Fox's Auto Sound of Dorchester.

For Dill, racing is also a family affair.

His racing team includes his father, Mike, mother, Kirsten, twin sister, Lexi, and older sister, Jade, 19.

Together, the family travels to competitions, supporting Dill as he continues to develop his skills and add to his growing collection of racing accomplishments.

With another successful season behind him, the young North Easthope racer has plenty of reasons to be proud of what he has accomplished on the drag strip.