MSOKC Race No. 8 (2003)

Originally sent: Friday, August 08, 2003 2:50 PM

For those of you who were not able to make it to the race, here's a synopsis:

Conor's third race was Sunday, July 27, at Circleville Raceway Park - Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club (MOSKC) Race No. 8. Laura and the other boys had already headed for California for our summer vacation, but Conor wanted to delay our departure so that he could participate (frequent flyer tickets - no penalties for changes!). Conor drew the fourth starting position for the first of his two heat races. He dropped a position at the start, then patiently began picking off the competition. By the fourth lap, he had worked his way up to second, but by that time the eventual winner had developed a substantial lead. Conor was able to close the gap a bit, but had to settle for second. Starting second in the second heat race, Conor and the pole sitter were both passed in the first turn by the winner of the first heat race, who got a 'flyer' of a start. Conor found himself in second by the end of the first lap and set out in pursuit of the leader. He was able to apply a substantial amount of pressure - even puling up along side on the entry to Turn 5 at one point - but again had to settle for second. This heat race was a big confidence boost for Conor, as he was able to prove to himself that he can keep pace with the run-away series leader in his class. Starting from the second position again in the feature race, it was Conor's turn to get a flyer of a start. He was able to take the third place starter with him around the pole sitter (the winner of the first two heat races). His rival was able to make his way into second place by the second lap, however, and he caught up with Conor on the third lap. The next five laps were the longest in the history of motorsports - at least it seemed that way to me! Conor was the recipient of the same medicine he was able to dish out in the second heat race, with his rival applying a substantial amount of pressure and getting a nose under him going into Turn 1 on the final lap. Conor closed the door and led the majority of the final lap comfortably. His rival was able to close the gap again in the last few corners and dove to the inside on the Start/Finish straight, but came up a few feet short. Conor earned his second win in three events by less than a kart-length! Way to go Conor!

Conor's next race is Sunday, August 17, at Circleville Raceway Park. We hope to see you there...

Bill

p.s., Many thanks to Tim Kellogg for taking Conor and me to the airport at 4:45 AM(!) on Monday for our 6:00 AM departure.

p.p.s., There are some pictures of Conor on the MOSKC website from Race No. 7. Go to http://www.msokc.org/, click on 'Action!', then click on 'Pics from July 13, 2003'. Conor is in the No. 7 kart, which is black with the red stripe around the bottom.