Sponsorship award humbles Windham auto racer

By Ed Pierce

There are special moments in life we never forget and Saturday, Jan. 7 was one of those memorable occasions for auto racer Bobby Timmons of Windham. In a special ceremony during the 34th Northeast Motorsports Expo at the August Civic Center, Timmons was honored with the 2023 GNG’s Gift Award, a valuable sponsorship presented by the family of the late New England racing legend “Grand National Greg” Peters.

Auto racer Bobby Timmons of Windham is the recipient
of the 2023 GNG's Gift Award, a valuable sponsorship
presented by the family of the late New England racing
legend 'Grand National Greg' Peters.
PHOTO BY JEFF BROWN 

The award is given annually to a New England auto racer who best exemplifies the qualities of “Grand National Greg” Peters of Westbrook, who won many races over the years at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and the Oxford Plains Speedway before passing away in July 2021. The sponsorship is $5,000.09, with the .09 symbolic of the number that Peters used on his racecar over years of competing as a driver and crew chief in Maine.

“It means the world to me to have won the 2023 GNG's gift sponsorship. Greg and his son John have been friends of mine for as long as I can remember,” Timmons said. “Racing cars was Greg's passion in life and for them to choose me as the one who embodies what he stood for is truly an honor. My girlfriend, Abby, and my sister, Nicole, were with me during the presentation as well as many other of my friends in the racing community. The room was standing room only for the presentation and that was a cool sight.”

Timmons says that he’ll use the sponsorship this season to continue his racing career.

“This year we plan to race around 25 to 30 times this upcoming season, anywhere from Maine to Michigan,” he said. “The funds from GNG's gift will go toward all the expenses we have in racing. Tires, fuel, parts for the car, traveling expenses, and more.”

A third-generation racer, Timmons, who turned 30 on Monday, launched his career while competing in go-karts at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough after watching his father, Bobby Timmons, Jr. and his grandfather, Bobby Timmons, race super modified automobiles at racetrack in both Maine and New Hampshire. His devotion to living up to their legacy has led to numerous racing victories.

He won four races this past season. two at Star Speedway in Epping, New Hampshire where he races weekly. He also won two races on the 350 SMAC touring series in 2022, including one at the Hudson Speedway in Hudson, New Hampshire.

“That one was cool because I am sponsored by Hudson Speedway. The second one on the tour was at Wiscasset Speedway in Wiscasset,” Timmons said. “That one was special to me in the sense that it was the first time I had won a race in the state of Maine since 2014.”

Star Speedway is a one quarter-mile banked track and races there are typically 35 to 60-laps in length.

The racecar that Timmons drives most often is a 350-super modified. It has a 350-cubic inch Chevrolet small block engine that produces a little over 400 horsepower and has 10-inch-wide tires. He’s also competed in the past in an ISMA (International Super Modified Association) super modified car with a 468-cubic inch Chevrolet big block that generates about 800 horsepower and considered to be the fastest short track racecars in America.

"The challenge of trying to make a car go faster than everyone else in the garage and on the track, the friends I've made along the way, and the shear aspect of driving a car that fast are the best things about the sport for me,” Timmons said. “At the last ISMA race I competed in, we were reaching speeds of 150 mph.”

A 2011 graduate of Windham High School, Timmons says that the worst part of auto racing for drivers is the amount of money it takes just to be there, let alone to be competitive, so he said the GNG’s sponsorship is a blessing.

“We are very fortunate to be able to build a lot of the things we need to race in-house, but the costs of everything that we can't build or the things that we have to have continue to go up in price every year,” he said. “We have a couple of small sponsors that help us out with the weekly costs of new tires or fuel, but my dad and I fund the majority of it out of our own pockets.”

He’s worked for his father since he was 12 and is a machinist and a welder at his father’s shop, Timmons Machine & Fabrication Inc. of Windham, when not racing super modified cars.

For the 2023 season, Timmons says he plans to continue racing at the Star Speedway in New Hampshire and on the 350 SMAC Tour with his small block super modified car.

“We have races in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York planned with that car,” Timmons said. “My dad and I built a brand-new big block super modified last season. We plan on racing part time in the New England Super Modified Series and the International Super Modified Association with that car in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and a trip to Berlin, Michigan in July for a special two-day race event.” <

Plummer to seek return to Maine State Senate

By Ed Pierce

A familiar face has thrown his hat in the ring to succeed Bill Diamond in representing Windham in the Maine State Senate.

Republican Gary Plummer has announced his intention to campaign for Windham’s District 26 Senate seat this fall to replace incumbent Democrat Sen. Bill Diamond, who is term limited. Plummer has extensive experience serving in the Maine Legislature, including as a state representative and a state senator.

Former State Rep. and State Sen. Gary Plummer, a Republican,
will seek Windham's District 26 State Senate seat this fall, in
an election to replace Sen. Bill Diamond, who is term limited.
SUBMITTED PHOTO   

“A year ago, I didn’t want to run, I’m retired,” Plummer said. “My wife told me I needed to run for Maine Senate. I can bring something there, which is experience. I know the system and I know the people. Deciding to run has been a slow process for me, but I can do it and I’m in it to win.”

A 1964 graduate of Windham High School, Plummer says he first became interested in politics while attending Dirigo Boys State as a high school junior in 1963. After graduation, he went on to earn a degree in education from Gorham State Teachers College and spent 13 years teaching in Standish before joining Manchester School as an elementary school teacher in 1982.

Plummer was asked by his former biology teacher at Windham High, Bob Hunt, to help serve on a committee examining if Windham should establish its own police force in the mid-1970s and it gave him insight into the workings of town government.

That knowledge expanded further when a referendum converting Windham government to the Council-Town Manager system was passed by voters. Hunt suggested to Plummer that he should run for town council, and he was elected to a council seat in November 1974.

“I loved being a town councilor,” Plummer said. “I liked building and creating the town government we know today. I cast the deciding vote breaking a 3-3 tie to create the Windham Police Department. But after serving eight years on the council things became more routine and the excitement of doing something new started to go away.”

He then ran for Cumberland County Commission and was elected for several four-year terms as a county commissioner.

“It was an enjoyable experience, and I learned a great deal about public safety,” Plummer said. “During my time as a commissioner, we helped transition the position of corrections officer to a career rather than just be a stepping stone to other law enforcement positions.”

His friend, State Rep. David Tobin of Windham, informed Plummer that he would not be running for re-election and Plummer, who had retired as a teacher by then, campaigned and won election as State Representative for Windham in 2004, serving eight years in that role before running and serving one term as Windham’s state senator from 2012 to 2014.

“It was an honor I never took lightly,” Plummer said. “It was a steep learning curve at first. Going from dealing with issues in town government to the politics in Augusta was challenging. My first term was an eye-opening experience. I didn’t expect everything to be so political. But I learned to work with people to get things done.”

Plummer says his willingness to work with others to accomplish legislation that benefits the residents of Windham and everyone in Maine is needed in Augusta and having someone with experience is critical right now.

“I can work with just about everyone,” Plummer said.

District 26 has been redrawn by the Maine Legislature and now encompasses Casco, Frye Island, Windham, Raymond, and now a portion of Westbrook. Currently no other challengers have stepped forward to run for the Republican nomination for the state senate seat, but if there is, a primary election will be conducted in June.

He lives in Windham with his wife Betty in a home his grandparents built on land they bought in 1910. His first wife died and between them, he and Betty have four children, five grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

His interests include antique automobiles and Plummer is the proud owner of 1965 Ford Mustang and a 1949 Ford F-150 pickup truck, close to the one he learned to drive on as a teen in his father’s hayfield.

“I like just about anything regarding history,” he said. “I volunteer with the Windham Historical Society and helped to establish the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Program.”

Plummer said that he has spoken with Diamond about continuing to champion child welfare issues in the state and if elected, he would also focus on resolving domestic violence issues in Maine.

“A lot needs to be done,” he said. “I am also looking to help address the drug issues in our state and making sure the right individuals are chosen to serve as school resource officers.” <  

Windham clothing drive assists victims of Enso Recovery fire

By Daniel Gray 

Windham area residents donated more
than 15 bags of clothing during an
effort to assist victims who lost
everything in a fire on Jan. 25 at Enso
Recovery in Augusta.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

In the last couple of months, there have been quite a few highlights of positive stories in our community and those who’ve lent a helping hand to others. However, sometimes there needs to be stories of loss and heartbreak that turn out to be their own happy stories in the end.

On the evening of Jan. 25 soon after the sun went down, a fire damaged Enso Recovery in Augusta. Partnered with the Maine Association of Recovery Residences (MARR), Enso Recovery is a rehabilitation program to help Mainers who have problems with substance abuse.

The Enso Recovery house is a safe place for people to be, along with having others in the same situation to help each other and lean against. There had been 12 men living there and going through their rehabilitation process, only to have it halted suddenly by the fire. No one was injured in the fire and there is no suspicion of foul play, but the residents on the top floor of the Enso Recovery home tragically lost everything they had.

Brittany Reichmann, the Assistant Program Manager at MARR, instantly sought help from the Windham community. She grew up here and knew the people in town would help her mission as well. Reichmann was also determined to help these men because she knew what it was like to be on the path to a better, sober life.

On Feb. 5, Reichmann reached out to the community and led a clothing drive for the men that lost their possessions in the fire.

According to Reichmann, the response to her appeal for help and the turn-out of those wanting to donate clothing was incredible. Not only did many Windham residents give back, but Enso Recovery also received a large donation from Maine Needs in Portland, an organization that helps Mainers meet their basic needs.

By the end of the collection effort, Reichmann accumulated more than 15 bags of clothing items from the Windham-area community to give to those who had lost items in the fire at Enso Recovery. Not only did people donate lightly used items, but they also donated more than that.

"People who didn’t have things to donate even went out and bought things, it was really something special." Reichmann said.

The people at Enso Recovery and MARR were more than amazed with the swiftness of the Windham and Portland communities in donating so much in such a short amount of time.

Reichmann said she was astounded by the amount of clothing items received, and more than thankful to Windham residents who reached out with their donations.

“If you have the means, whether that is time, physical capabilities, finances, etc., there is always a way to give back,” she said. “Find something you are passionate about and contribute."

Although the collection drive has ended, if anyone still would like to donate to help the victims of the Enso Recovery fire, Reichmann said they can either drop items off at the Augusta Enso Recovery offices or at Maine Needs in Portland.

For further information about Maine Needs, what they are accepting in donations, and what they do to help the communities of Maine, please visit maineneeds.org <