In the first of a three-part series on South County drivers, the
Times profiles Brandon Leonard and Anthony Lewis
GILROY — Anthony Lewis stands just taller than his car. At 7 years old, he is part of the newest generation of race car drivers.
“When I was racing this one, I almost flipped it,” Lewis says, pointing to the newer of two quarter-midget cars in the family’s garage in Gilroy.
“It was cool, but I had to stop it.”
Randy Lewis, Anthony’s father, stands by his two sons — Jacob, 5, is the younger sibling — smirking as the two youngsters mill around the cars.
“He caused somebody else to flip over,” Randy says.
The rough and tumble world of racing is all brand new to the family. Noticing his older son had talent on wheels — Anthony taught himself to ride a bike at age four — Randy purchased the first car, which has a 5-horsepower engine, for $2,500.
“I got it from another family. I guess the kid got scared,” Randy says.
“He got scared? I didn’t get scared when I raced it,” Anthony says.
A lack of fear is the first requirement to race cars; time and money are the second and third and they go hand-in-hand. Randy, a heavy equipment mechanic for CalTrans, spent roughly $5,000 on the second quarter midget, which goes a little faster than the first and looks sharper. Restrictions are placed on the quarter-midgets Anthony races — made safe with an installed roll cage — but the cars can be made to go much faster.
The father and son have an agreement.
“He basically puts his foot down on the floor and I take care of the rest,” Randy says.
The “rest” includes buying plenty of new tools in addition to the hundreds Randy already owned, and shuttling the family to races throughout the year — anywhere from San Jose to Madera to Sacramento, and sometimes even farther.
The races are competitive, but the idea is to give his kids — Jacob will start racing in the next year — something fun to do.
“It’s a family thing,” Randy says.
“He’ll come off the track and not even know where he placed. It’s just about having fun.”
Since moving up to the Junior Honda level, though, Anthony’s races have become a little more intense. Taking on kids as much as three years older than him, he now competes for points when he circles the track. In time, he may move on to the four-banger class, which currently features Brandon Leonard, another driver from Gilroy.
Leonard, 15, moved over to four-bangers in March after racing quads (All-Terrain Vehicles) the last six years. Despite only having a few months under his belt, Leonard, who just got his driving permit, is currently in third place in the season point standings for four-bangers at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville.
“I just did it because the quads were kind of failing,” Leonard says. “It’s something I really love now.”
With less competition in the ATV circuits, Leonard’s move to four-bangers has been a success to start. He won his first-career race in Madera, and on June 26 he won his first race at Ocean Speedway. Like Anthony Lewis, Leonard races for enjoyment more than anything.
“I don’t do sports really. I just kind of focus on racing because I’ve never really been good at any other sports except racing,” he says.
“I know I can’t win every race. … There’s a lot of competition out there. I try not to get my hopes up and just go out there and do my best.”
The main difference between Anthony Lewis’ car, which goes about 30 miles per hour on the straight-aways, and Leonard’s car, which generally tops out at about 65 mph, isn’t so much about speed as it is size. Leonard’s car looks like a compact sedan while the Lewis’ quarter-midgets look more like go-carts.
Quarter-midgets are often the launching pad, though, and several premiere teenage racers around the area honed their skills in such cars. Morgan Hill’s Devon Ostheimer, Gilroy’s Mike Hill and Hollister’s Ryan Bernal are all hoping to make the highest levels of racing, and they have picked up sponsors along the way — a monetary symbol of their talent.
While these three racers started from humble beginnings, such as those of Anthony Lewis and Leonard, a few years in the saddle is sometimes all that is needed to know the next step is possible.
NOTE: See an article in next Tuesday’s edition about Ostheimer, Hill and Bernal, and what it’s like in the ultra-competitive circuits of racing.
