For Immediate Release
Contact person: Bill Dailey (501) 315-7373
Email: purplehull@juno.com
Web site: www.purplehull.com
World records fell Saturday, June 28, at the 2003 Weyerhaeuser 200 World Championship Rotary Tiller Race in Emerson, Arkansas.
The race of souped-up garden tillers saw Wayne Waller of Three Creeks, Arkansas, win the super-modified “Dirt Slanger” division.
Waller, two months shy of his 40th birthday, piloted his tiller “Wild Thang” down the 200-foot track of plowed ground in a world record time of 6.12 seconds – an average speed of over 22 miles-per-hour.
Dubbed “The old man of tiller racing” by track announcer Troy Alphin – who also happens to be his brother-in-law - Waller had built winning tillers in the past, but had never actually raced one in competition until this year.
Shane Waller of Parkers Chapel finished second for the second year in a row, this year racing the tiller “Radio Flyer.” In the next-to-last heat of the double elimination competition, Shane defeated second cousin Wayne, with a time of 6.14 seconds – only 2 hundredths of a second off the world record time set earlier by Wayne Waller. This gave each racer one defeat. In the final heat of the competition, Shane’s tiller died about 50 feet down the track, allowing Wayne to coast to an overall victory.
Kenneth Frazier of Stephens placed third in the category, piloting “Golden Package.”
In the Ladies’ Modified tiller division, Lauri Waller of Parkers Chapel, Arkansas – whose husband Shane is a second cousin to Wayne Waller - successfully defended her title. She also broke her old world record, with a time of 7.11 seconds, or an average speed of over 19 miles-per-hour.
Trish Cottrell of El Dorado was second, and Juli Morris of Emerson placed third.
In the “Rip Roaring” tiller division – a category where the tiller must have some parts that were originally from a real tiller - Steve Paul of Rolla took top honors with a time of 7.96 seconds. Jeremy Mitchell of Magnolia was second, and Seth Hawkins from Benton was third.
In the Men’s Stock division, Ronnie Hughey was first with a time of 19.09 seconds. Jordan Emerson of Emerson came in second.
The Ladies’ Stock category saw Angel Brown of Benton taking top honors.
In the Boys Youth Stock Division, due to scoring confusion, two racers were awarded first place – Adam Waller of Three Creeks and Jordan Baker of Emerson. Second was Dustin Morris of Emerson, while Jonathan Brown of Benton took third.
The Powder Puff Youth Stock division saw Courtney Waller of Three Creeks taking the title, while Tarrassa Savoie of Emerson came in second.
And finally, there was the “Flower Bed” tiller division – a category for racers aged 10 and under using tillers of 2-horsepower or less. In the boys division, Travell Todd of Stephens won with a time of 19.45 seconds. Matt Johnson of Emerson was second and R.J. Hughey of Stephens placed third.
In the Girls “Flower Bed” tiller division, Nakenya Frazier of Stephens was first with a time of 18.09 seconds. Catie Cunningham of Emerson was second and Britni Bailey from Junction City placed third.
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