Monday, August 14, 2006

Commercial Point Grand Prix - August 5-6, 2006

Originally sent: Monday, August 14, 2006 4:58 PM

NEWS – Bruce Brothers Racing had an awesome time last weekend on the streets of Commercial Point Ohio at our first non-club race – the Commercial Point Grand Prix. I remember this race from when I was a kid. It has been held on and off for years, but hadn't been held since 1999. The format for this event involved two practice sessions and a 10 lap 'merchandise race' on Saturday, which set the field for the 'trophy race' on Sunday, was held after another brief practice session. There were a total of 10 classes, including classes for Conor and Henry, but none for Peter. There was also an opportunity for four of these classes, including Henry's, to participate in a 15 lap 'pro race' with cash prizes. I had pre-registered Conor and Henry for the merchandise and trophy races. Henry didn't make up his mind about the pro race until Sunday morning.

PRACTICE – Conor's class was the first to take to the track on Saturday for practice. The course was composed of 10 turns and included some elevation change. The front straight was a bit longer than the back straight at Circleville Raceway Park, so we had dropped a couple of teeth from Conor's rear sprocket. The course was lined with hay bales, which I had been led to believe were unforgiving in the event of an incident. The course was also relatively bumpy, which was to be expected for a street race. We were disappointed by how few karts showed up for Conor's class (Jr. Restricted). I was expecting at least a half dozen or so, but only three had registered and one didn't show up. During both of his practice sessions, Conor ran in lock step with his classmate, who has extensive experience at the national level in this class. Henry's class consisted of 14 karts, including most of the Mid State of Ohio Kart Club regulars and a few others. Henry went out for his first practice towards the end of the pack and took his time working up to speed. We decided to send him out towards the front in his second practice session. With no slower karts to contend with and the additional rubber that had been laid down, he dropped from the 53 second range down to the mid 49s.

JR. RESTRICTED – Conor ran with the other junior driver on Saturday in a class by themselves. The start was ' Le Mans' style, with the karts lined up along the edge of the track at a 45 degree angle. Conor drew the pole and got away first at the drop of the green flag. Unlike CRP, it was impossible to see the whole track at Commercial Point. Laura and Peter were stationed on the other side of town and were equipped with a walkie-talkie so that we could communicate. The other kart came around Turn 10 first, and it was a good 20 seconds or so before Conor made it around. I later learned that, while leading, Conor clipped a hay bale on the exit of Turn 5 after hitting the big bump at the apex. These two circulated the course at about a half a lap apart for the entire 10 laps. I'm not sure that Conor could have held the other driver off for 10 laps, but I was disappointed that he didn't get a chance to try. The age of the other driver (just turned 16) was such that he could have competed in either the junior class or one of the adult classes. For the Trophy race on Sunday, they decided to try an adult class, which consisted of 10 karts, even though they would have to start from the rear. Instead of having Conor run by himself on Sunday, the organizer had him run on the tail of the adult Animal Medium class, which consisted of three other karts. After the start, the pole sitter disappeared into the distance. On Lap 2, Conor came around in third with the kart that had been in front of him nowhere to be seen (into the hay bales hard). On Lap 4, Conor came around in second after the kart that had been running second was delayed by a hay bale. He quickly caught up and passed Conor. Conor finished third overall but first in his class. The junior class turn-out was disappointing, but a first place trophy is a first place trophy.

80cc SHIFTER – The Commercial Point Grand Prix was Henry's best outing to date in a shifter kart. It helped that he drew the pole position for the qualifying race on Saturday. The shifter karts had a conventional standing start – staggered rows of two lined up in the middle of the track. At the driver's meeting, the flagman had explained the starting procedure, which was a little different than everyone was used to. While Henry was waiting for the signal that all of the karts were in position, which never came, the green flag was dropped. It was like 'go' instead of 'on your mark – get set – go'. This caught several drivers off-guard, but Henry managed to get into gear and get away with only a minor delay. He went through the first corner side by-side with the kart that had started behind him. They disappeared to the back side of the track and when they reappeared onto the front straightaway, Henry was third. He ran there until about Lap 5 (of 10) when another kart managed to get around him going into Turn 1. He ran in a comfortable fourth position to the finish, but was promoted to third when the kart in front of him was disqualified for being under weight. On Sunday, starting from the third position, he was able to back-up his third place finish from the day before. He got an excellent start, maintained his position, and began to reel off a series of laps in the 47 second range, including his best of the weekend – a 47.44 on Lap 5. One of the faster karts who had qualified poorly because of a mechanical failure on Saturday caught and passed Henry. A lap later, one of the karts in front clipped a hay bale coming out of Turn 10, promoting Henry back to third, which is where he finished. Henry left the decision about the pro race until the final minute of registration. There was another random draw for starting position, and this time he drew the last position (11th of 11). When it came time to line up, only eight karts made it to the grid. We decided that his best strategy for the 15 lap pro race was to be patient. He followed the field through Turn 1 and began waiting for opportunities to pass. The first one came early – on Lap 1. He made another pass and inherited another position, and was up to fifth by Lap 4. At this point, he quickly caught up to the next kart in line but had difficulty finding a way to pass. He followed this kart for the next nine laps until the leader appeared behind them. Henry let the leader pass in Turn 1. The kart in front of Henry caused the leader to have to take evasive action on his first attempt to pass. This let Henry un-lap himself. When the kart in front of Henry finally did move over, it was Henry who was immediately behind him. After getting past the slower kart, Henry let the leader through again. He quickly pulled away from the slower kart and finished fourth while catching the third place kart.

NEXT RACE – There were two awards ceremonies at Commercial Point – one on Saturday for the merchandise races and one on Sunday for the trophy and pro races. Both boys collected some nice merchandise on Saturday. The driver who won the merchandise race in Conor's class didn't show up for the ceremony, so Conor was given his merchandise, too, including a new set of front tires. On Sunday, Conor and Henry collected their first and third place trophies. Henry also collected a $50 check for his fourth place finish in the pro race (we paid the entry fee, he kept the winnings!). We have a bit of repair work to do to prepare for our next race, which is another night race at Circleville Raceway Park on Saturday August 19, 2006. In addition to Conor's hay-bale incident, Henry had one of his own in Turn 5 during practice on Sunday. The ironic thing is, the way each of them described their incident, they must have hit the same hay bale!

Bill