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Verge siblings dominating Saskatoon drag racing circuit

Aug 19, 2011 | 6:18 AM

With a name like “Blayz,” it should be no surprise that he’s fast.

But that skill and passion for speed doesn’t just belong to the aptly-named Blayz Verge, the 15-year-old drag racer from Prince Albert, but also to his younger sister Lexi.

Blayz and Lexi are currently ranked first and second respectively in the Junior Dragster age division with only three races remaining in the Saskatoon International Raceway (SIR) circuit. Most recently on Aug. 7 in Saskatoon, Blayz finished first while Lexi was runner-up at the SIR ninth points race.

“I like the adrenaline and all the speed of going fast—I also like the winning part,” said Blayz with a grin.

“I just like to have fun doing it,” Lexi chimed in.

The Verge siblings picked up the sport of drag racing from their father John, who would bring the two to the races when he would get behind the wheel.

After seeing all the fun his father was having, Blayz picked up the sport in 2004 when he was eight and was hooked shortly after. Lexi then picked it up two years later and both have dominated the drag scene since.

Although both have had similar successes, Blayz and Lexi have very different approaches to driving.

Blayz said he takes a “calm-before-the-storm” approach moments before a race, but Lexi embraces her nervous energy and positively transfers it to getting a better “reaction time,” – how quickly a driver reacts to the green light.

“I get really nervous and my heart beats really fast,” said Lexi. “It helps your reaction time because you get anxious.”

“I used to get nervous when I first started, but now I’m so used to it that it just kind of goes,” said Blayz. “I don’t like to talk to anyone, I just like to sit there (in the car) in quiet.”

Both are so dedicated to the sport, Lexi said they even practice their green light reaction times in the comfort of their own homes, using a handheld contraption they plug in the wall to help increase their starts.

Blayz said there is one very important ingredient to being successful in drag racing – consistency.

“The main ingredient is definitely consistency and basically how consistent you can do everything,” said Blayz. “It basically comes down to reaction time and if you can get a consistent and good reaction time and do everything the exactly the same way, you have a good chance of winning.”

On the SIR circuit, there are three races remaining, with the last two on Sept. 11-12 in Saskatoon.

jdandrea@panow.com