Thursday, October 18, 2012

MSOKC Race No. 12 – October 7, 2012 –Double Champions!

NEWS – For Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club Race No. 12 a week ago Sunday, all Conor had to do to clinch the championship in his class was to show up.  Peter however, had work to do to win the championship in his class.  Race No. 12 was a reverse-direction (clockwise) event at Circleville Raceway Park that featured qualifying instead of the normal heat race format.  While chilly mornings have become the norm here in Central Ohio, it was downright cold that morning.

PRACTICE – The first practice session for everyone was a bit of a comedy.  There was so little grip from the cold tires/cold track combination that more karts had spins than not – some as they were leaving the grid area.  Peter started on the tires he raced on last time with the intention of switching to a slightly better set that we had in the trailer for his second session.  We had one last set of new tires in the trailer, which Conor would race on after practicing on old tires.  We didn’t learn much in the first session other than nobody was breaking any lap records.  In the second session, Peter pulled into the pits after only one lap with what he reported as a bad vibration.  We checked a few things, including the tire balance, made a few changes, and sent him back out to practice with Conor’s class.   The problem seemed to be fixed, but he was still a bit off the pace, so we decided to make a gear change for the qualifying session,

SPEC 100 PIPE – There were again only four karts in Peter’s class.  During his qualifying session, Peter’s first lap was again off the pace.  His second lap (of three) was almost a second and a half faster.  He must have dug deep for the third lap, because it was another half second faster and good enough for pole position.  Everyone else had improvements during their three laps, but none as dramatic as Peter’s.  Peter knew that the start of the heat race would be important.  He got a bit of a jump on the kart on the outside of the front row (his main rival in the championship), but the flagman waived off the start.  On the second attempt, it was Peter’s rival who got the jump and the start was waived off again.  There is a little-used rule that says, if the start is waived off twice, the front two rows are inverted for the next attempt.  For whatever reason, the race director decided to invoke this rule.  The green flag waived the next time around and, after qualifying on pole, Peter ended up going around the first turn (Turn 10 in the reverse direction) in fourth place.  His main rival tried unsuccessfully to make a pass in Turn 9, which let Peter slip by into third.  Peter got a good run out of Turn 5 and made a pass for second going into Turn 4 on the first lap.  He duplicated that maneuver on Lap 3 to move into the lead.  On the same lap, Peter’s main rival tangled with the third place kart while attempting a pass and lost five seconds or so in the process.   They ran in that order to the finish.  The results up to that point meant that all Peter had to do to win the championship was to not finish last in the feature.  At the start, Peter held the lead and his rival made a pass into second (after starting third).  The first three were nose to tail for the first few laps before Peter began to edge away.  Peter set the fastest lap on Lap 9 on his way to his sixth feature race win of the season in this class and clinching the season championship.

80cc SHIFTER – While it would have been nice to send Conor out with a win to go with his second consecutive season championship in this class, one of the younger guys did not cooperate.  He also had a new set of tires, which he used to out-qualify Conor by several tenths of a second (45.133 to 45.506).  Conor responded in his heat race by turning his fastest lap of the season (44.895), only to be outdone by the younger guy (44.807).  These two were in a class of their own and finished first and second (out of nine).  Conor was once again in the 44s during his feature race, but the young guy lowered the bar once again with a 44.694 – easily the fastest lap of the year in this class – in spite of the conditions.  These two once again finished first and second.  Like Peter, Conor also finished the season with six feature race wins – five of those in his class and one in Peter’s class when he doubled up for MSOKC Race No. 3.

NEXT RACE – That’s it for the 2012 season for Bruce Brothers Racing.  Twelve wins, two championships, and a clean sweep at the Commercial Point Karting Classic – you can’t ask for a whole lot more than that.  Thanks to everyone who has supported us this season.  Conor is beavering away at his second year in the Mechanical Engineering program at The Ohio State University and continues to be involved as a member of the Buckeye Bullet electric-powered land speed record vehicle team.  Peter is focusing on his studies as a Junior at Upper Arlington High School and is a key member of the Varsity Crew team.  His boat will race in the Head of the Charles in Boston this weekend, which is largest two-day regatta in the world.  Laura and I will meet there to watch Peter row and spend some time with Henry, who lives and works downtown just minutes from the Charles River.  Life is good...

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 11 can be found here.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

MSOKC Race No. 11 – September 23, 2012 – Another Double Win

NEWS – Although we had a few difficulties a week ago Sunday for Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club Race No. 11 at Circleville Raceway Park, the end result could not have been a whole lot better.  One of the difficulties was, of all things, a tire that would not hold air.  All had gone well during the previous race, so the only major preparation for this event was a partial clutch rebuild for Peter.

PRACTICE – Race No. 11 was the penultimate event of the year.  Peter had two decent sets of used tires to choose from and Conor had a set of one-race-old tires that had been flipped around on the rims to race on.  Peter split his two practice sessions deciding on which set to use and fine tuning his clutch.  Conor practiced on a well-used set of tires initially and then switched to the better set.  During his second session, he slowed on his second lap and then crept around to the pit entrance with a flat right rear tire.  Submerging it in a bucket of water resulted in no bubbles, so we assumed the leak was the result of the tire spinning on the rim under acceleration.  It seemed to be holding air after we re-inflated it, so we decided to use it.

SPEC 100 PIPE – The field in Peter’s class has thinned out toward the end of the season – only four karts for Race No. 11.  Peter started his heat races from the third and second positions, respectively.  At the start of his first heat, the two karts on the front row banged wheels going through Turn 10, which caused Peter to have to back off a bit.  He lost a position as the result, but gained it back on Lap 3 (of eight).  He caught the leaders but was not able to make any further progress.  In his second heat, he timed the start perfectly and went through Turns 1 and 2 side-by-side with the pole sitter, which put him on the inside for Turn 3.  He took the lead and held on for a heat race win.  A third and a first earned Peter pole position for his feature race.  Peter put on another display of how to perfectly time a rolling start at CRP, even though pole position is not necessarily the best place to start.  Videos of Peter grabbing the lead from both the second position and pole position can be found here and here.  With Peter setting the pace, the first three ran in lock step for 10 long laps.  Peter prevailed in the end for his fifth feature race win of the season.  The gap between the top three was less than 0.6 seconds.

80cc SHIFTER – There were 11 karts in Conor’s class for Race No. 11, including one new competitor.  Conor started his heat races from the second and eighth positions, respectively.  The start of his first heat race went well for Conor – he was in the lead by nearly three kart lengths by the exit of Turn1 – but didn’t go so well for several karts towards the rear.  A mid-pack kart spun/got turned around and was hit by the new guy, which caused him to go briefly up-side down – see video here.  Five karts were involved in some way, so the race was red flagged.  After a brief delay, engines were restarted for the second attempt, which didn’t go very well for Conor.  When he dropped the clutch as the green flag fell, he discovered he was in neutral!  He somehow managed to get going without causing a melee or loosing too many positions.  If he would have sat there for another split second, he would have been engulfed by the entire field (see video here).  What could have been a disaster turned out to be third position by Turn 3 on the first lap.  Conor made a pass for second on the second on Lap 2 and another for the lead on 5.  One of the non-regular competitors, who was on brand new, super-sticky, non-spec tires and would be disqualified at the end of the day, reeled Conor in on the last lap and piped him at the line by 0.001 seconds.  In the pits, we noticed that his right rear tire was nearly flat again, so we replaced it with a well-used one.  With championship points in mind, Conor took it easy at the start of his second heat.  He finished Lap 1 in eighth place.  He worked his way to fifth on Lap 2, gained another position on Lap 4, and stayed there to the end.  A second and a fourth was good enough for the second starting position for the feature.  The first two got away well and Conor settled in behind the leader.  On Lap 4, the leader made a mistake in Turn 6 and Conor was able to get by for the lead.  He went on to win – also his fifth feature race win of the season in this class – by 2.3 seconds.

NEXT RACE – For the third time in 2012, Bruce Brothers Racing scored feature race wins in both of our karts.  Conor’s win consolidated his firm lead in the season championship and Peter’s win took him from two points behind to three points ahead with one event remaining.  The final event of the season is MSOKC Race No. 12 on Sunday, October 7, 2012.  Both boys are looking forward to this, as it’s another reverse-direction (clockwise) event at CRP that will feature qualifying instead of the normal heat race format.

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 11 can be found here.

Monday, September 17, 2012

MSOKC Race No. 10 – September 9, 2012 – Peter’s Record-Setting Day

NEWS – We finally had a race day go just about as planned a week ago Sunday for Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club Race No. 10 at Circleville Raceway Park.  This was a qualifying format event, which avoids the need for faster karts to make their way past slower karts in the heat races, which tends to minimize damage.  Except for one gear change and a planned tire change, I didn’t have to dig a single spare part out of the trailer all day.  To make things even better, the weather was awesome as the result of high pressure that had followed a cold front into the region the day before.

PRACTICE – A race day such as the one described above begins with an appropriate amount of preparation.  In the break leading up to this race, Peter’s carburetor was rebuilt and his ignition unit was replaced, and Conor got a new exhaust gas temperature probe and a new set of tires for the qualifying format event.  Peter used his lightly used race tires in both of his practice sessions.  In the second, he followed his main rival in this class and they ran together in lock step and a very brisk pace – right around 46 seconds flat.  With the ideal weather conditions, I could tell that there was the potential for something special to happen.  Conor used lightly used practice tires in both of his practice sessions and was easily the fastest kart in his class.

SPEC 100 PIPE – Having his rival in front of him in the second practice session seemed to work well for Peter, so that’s how we sent him out for the qualifying session.  Both were hoping to break into the 45 second range for the first time.  Peter’s lap times were 46.521, 46.214, and 45.979.  His rival’s first two laps were faster than Peter’s, but his third was a 45.981 – just 0.002 seconds slower than Peter’s best.  Peter’s pole position winning time was a new personal best for him and the new fastest lap of the season so far for this class.  The outside of the front row is sometimes the better place to be for a rolling start at CRP and that turned out to be the case in Peter’s heat race.  After taking the lead at the start, his rival made a small mistake on the exit of Turn 4 on Lap 2, which is all it took for Peter to regain the lead.  The front two stayed close together but Peter went on to win by less than half a second.  Peter timed the start a little better in the feature race and made pole position work for him.  With his rival pursuing him closely on Lap 2, Peter went a bit too deep into Turn 5 and got a bit crossed up on the exit.  He was able to catch it, but his rival had to take evasive action and lost a position.  It’s not often that you benefit from your own mistake, but that’s what happened to Peter.  It took his rival a lap and a half to regain second place, but by that time, Peter had amassed a several second advantage.  Peter held on to win by just over a second.  This was Peter’s fourth feature race win of the season.

80cc SHIFTER – With new tires, Conor was hoping to break into the 44 second range in his qualifying session.  He didn’t quite make it (no one in this class has this season), but his 45.190 was fastest by almost three tenths of a second.  Conor made a good standing start from pole position in his heat race, but not a great start.  The second place starter made a great start.  These two went side-by-side through Turns 1 and 2, which left Conor on the outside for the right-hand Turn 3.  Conor settled into second and was never less than a kart-length or two off the rear bumper of the leading kart.  Conor pulled alongside the other kart at the end of the long straightaway several times but could not make the pass cleanly.  This late in the season, Conor has his mind on his position in the championship and settled for second.  A first and a second earned Conor the second starting position for his feature race.  Conor made another good start, but this time both the pole sitter and the third place starter made great starts.  Conor settled into third and spent the next few laps working on getting past the second place kart while the leader put distance between himself and these two.  Conor got a good run through Turn 4 on Lap 5, made the pass in Turn 5, and set out after the leader.  The gap was just over two seconds at that point and it took Conor just three laps to reduce that to less than a kart length.  He set the fastest lap of the race (45.268) in the process.  Conor once again pulled alongside the other kart at the end of the long straightaway on Lap 9.  He decided that discretion was the better part of valor and settled for second.  A full-length on-board video of Conor’s feature race can be found here.  This was the first win in this class for the other kart, which was nice to see.

NEXT RACE – Conor had the biggest gap on the field in his class for Race No. 10, but it was Peter who managed to pull off the perfect result for the day – including a record-setting lap.  Conor has a fairly comfortable lead in the season championship and just needs to have some reasonable results in the last two races to repeat as champion in this class.  With Peter’s recent mechanical problems, he had fallen behind in the championship, but this win brought him back to within just two points of his rival.  Peter’s chassis works well in cooler weather conditions, which is what we hope to have for MCOKC Race No. 11, which is Sunday, September 23, 2012, at CRP.

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 10 can be found here.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Video from MSOKC Race No. 10

A video of Conor's feature race in the 80cc Shifter kart can be found here.

Bill

Thursday, August 30, 2012

MSOKC Race No. 9 – August 19, 2012 – Back on the Top Step


NEWS – After a very enjoyable and rewarding one-off Commercial Point Karting Classic, Bruce Brothers Racing managed to regain some of the form we showed in club racing during the beginning of the 2012 Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club season.  Both boys had some difficulties during MSOKC Race No. 9, which was a reverse direction event at Circleville Raceway Park, but the end result was much more satisfying than other recent club racing results.

PRACTICE – After the CPKC, the setup on both karts had to be changed back to suit CRP – mainly gear ratio changes, a return to club-spec tires, and an axle change for Peter’s kart.  The intermittent ignition problem on Peter’s kart seemed to have been resolved during the CPKC by using a borrowed, used ignition unit.  I was subsequently told that these units either work or they don’t, and since Peter’s old one still worked, we elected to stick with it instead of buying a new one.  During practice, it worked just fine.  Both boys enjoy reverse direction events at CRP and both recorded competitive lap times during their practice sessions.

SPEC 100 PIPE – There were only four karts in Peter’s class for Race No. 9, and only three of those were regular competitors.  The random draw for starting positions had Peter starting from fourth in the first heat and first in the second heat.  In his first heat, Peter made a pass for third on Lap 2 and a pass for second on Lap 6.  He was not quite as fast as the eventual winner and finished second.  In his second heat, Peter maintained his position at the start and drove a very smart race for a heat race win.  He was not quite as fast as the second place kart (the winner of the first heat) but managed to keep the lead without blocking.  A second and a first earned Peter pole position for his feature race.  During the break, we made a few changes to the rear axle to improve on what Peter described as “binding up” in the corners.  Peter maintained the lead at the start of his feature, but it became immediately apparent that the problem was not resolved.  He managed to hang on to the lead for the first few laps, but then had to surrender it on Lap 4.  The other two karts passed Peter as the problem continued to worsen, and Peter pulled into the pits before the checkered flag.  The non-regular competitor waived post-race tech inspection, so Peter was credited with a third place finish.

80cc SHIFTER – Similar to Peter, Conor started from the rear in the first heat and towards the front in the second, but there were 12 karts in his class for Race No. 9.  A lot can go wrong during a standing start with 12 karts, so Conor took it easy at the start of his first heat.  He dropped a position at the start (from 10th to 11th) in the first corner (Turn 10 for reverse direction events), but was able to gain three in the next corner when three karts tangled.  He made a good run onto the back straightaway on the first lap and picked off another kart in Turn 4 for seventh.  In the same corner on the next lap, two other karts tangled in front of him.  This time, Conor had no place to go and had to come to a complete stop and get out and push before he could continue.  This dropped him to 11th.  It took him five laps, but he caught up and passed one kart on Lap 7 and another on Lap 8 for a ninth place finish.  He set the fastest lap of the race (45.281 seconds) in the process.  From the third starting position in his second heat race, Conor maintained his position at the start, made a pass for second on Lap3, and another for the lead on Lap 6.  A ninth and a first somehow managed to be good enough for pole position for the feature.  Conor made a great start, led every lap, and recorded the fastest lap in the process.  This was our first MSOKC feature race win since Race No. 5 on June 17, 2012.

NEXT RACE – It sure was refreshing to get at least one kart back on the top step of the podium (see picture in an earlier post here).  After the feature races were over for the day, we reverted to the previous rear axle set-up we had on Peter’s kart and sent him out for a few test laps.  From the sound of the engine, you could tell that the problem was still there.  We then changed the ignition unit to the one we used for the CPKC and sent him out again – and it worked just fine.  What Peter thought was the rear axle binding up in the corners was a slight misfire when the engine was under heavy load.  Unfortunately, the information I got about the ignition unit was apparently incorrect.   We will be buying a new one for MCOKC Race No. 10, which is Sunday, September 9, 2012, at CRP.  This event will feature qualifying instead of the normal heat race format to allow time in the afternoon/evening for the annual MSOKC Hog Roast.  There will be plenty of food for everyone, a variety of games, and a Powder Puff race in the rental karts for wives, girlfriends, and mothers of the regular racers.

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 9 can be found here.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Podium Picture from MSOKC Race No. 9

Here is a picture of the post-race podium ceremony from MSOKC Race No. 9 (click to enlarge):
The trophies are impressive, but they're actually props.  One of the club members used to race sprint cars and began bringing these old trophies to improve the appearance of the podium ceremony.

Bill

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Three Additional Pictures from 2012 CPKC

Here are three additional pictures of Conor during his pro race courtesy of Chad Gilsinger (click to enlarge).




Bill

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Videos from 2012 CPKC

Links to some videos from the 2012 Commercial Point Karting Classic are shown below:

On-board of Peter's qualifying race on Saturday - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dahimzl0bz8

Start and first lap of Peter's feature race on Sunday - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zIUm7PST8Y

On-board of Peter's feature race on Sunday - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UNMUl1xvTA

Start and first lap of Conor's feature race on Sunday (with victory lap from pro race) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT2R9n2KxQU

Bill

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Commercial Point Karting Classic – August 4-5, 2012 – Five Wins and a Huge Loss

NEWS – The outcome of the 2012 Commercial Point Karting Classic (formerly the Commercial Point Grand Prix) last weekend  was nothing but spectacular for Bruce Brothers Racing.  Between Conor and Peter, they were entered in five races during the two-day event – and they won all five of them.  There is no doubt in my mind that they were guided by the spirit of my mom, Martha Bruce, who passed away Saturday morning.  She was their inspiration and she kept them safe throughout the weekend.  She was one of the biggest supporters of our racing endeavors since we began.  As her health deteriorated over the past few years, her ability to attend the races diminished.  She had become extremely ill in the months and weeks leading up to the CPKC, and in the days leading up to the event, the projections for the end of her time here on Earth went from days to hours.  She would not have wanted her condition to prevent us from participating, so we loaded up on Friday and headed to Commercial Point on Saturday morning.  It was not long after we unloaded the trailer that we got the telephone call that she had passed.  We called upon some of the many good friends we have in the racing community to look after our equipment while we went to pay our last respects.  It was good to see her body resting peacefully after such a long and painful illness.  Even when you know it’s coming, it’s a huge loss when it does.

PRACTICE – The CPKC, like the CPGP before it, is a street race through the village of Commercial Point, Ohio.  The track layout changed significantly since last year’s event, so the practice sessions were extremely important – not just in terms of the drivers learning the new layout, but also for finding the optimum gear ratio, chassis setup, etc.  The new configuration features a longer front straightaway, a chicane through a church parking lot, quite a bit of new asphalt, and a new system of track-side barriers (a combination of water-filled plastic containers and straw bales).  We returned to the track just in time for the boys to attend the driver’s meeting prior to the first of two practice sessions.  The best times from the second session were supposed to determine starting positions for the qualifying races later on Saturday, but timing and scoring system was not working properly, so the organizers reverted to a random draw for qualifying race starting positions.  During practice, both boys ran well and we had to make very few changes to the setup that we determined to be necessary for the new configuration.  I was confident that both boys would have qualified up front based on practice times, but I was concerned about where they would end up in the random draw.  Finishing positions from the qualifying races determined starting positions for the feature races on Sunday, so it was important to start the weekend near the front.  Martha must have been looking out for them, because, of the eight karts in Peter’s class and the 12 in Conor’s, they drew the second and third starting positions, respectively.

SPEC 100 PIPE – There was a lot of discussion about gear ratio among the competitors in Peter’s class.  A ratio that was too high would mean slower starts and less acceleration out of the corners.  A ratio that was too low would result in less top speed down the long straightaway.  We opted for a ratio at the high end of the range and it worked perfectly.  The 12-lap qualifying races were held on Saturday.  From the outside of the front row, Peter grabbed the lead at the start.  There is a great on-board video that can be found here.  The pole-sitting kart (with the camera) dropped to third and caught a great battle between Peter (the No. 2 kart) and the kart in second until the latter caught a wheel on one of the barriers, which resulted in a deflating tire.  Peter set the fastest lap on Lap 6 (40.866 seconds) and went on to win comfortably.  A win on Saturday meant that Peter would start his 15-lap feature race on Sunday from pole position.  When the field came around for the green flag, Peter was nowhere to be found.  I would later learn that, on the warm-up lap, it was Peter’s turn to catch a wheel on one of the barrier, which caused him to spin.  Because the field wasn’t lined up, the starter gave them another lap, which allowed Peter to resume his position.  When the green flag did fly, Peter once again grabbed the lead and began to pull away.  An on-board video of Peter’s race on Sunday (including his warm-up lap spin) can be found here.  Once the camera kart made a pass for second, he began to reel Peter in.  The camera kart stopped just past half distance with a loose carburetor. When that happened, I gave Peter the ‘big lead’ signal and he backed off – a lot.  So much so that the next kart in line, which had been behind him by the entire length of the front straightway, began to reel him in.  Peter held onto the slimmest of leads at the end for his second win of the weekend.  I would later learn that he had clipped the barrier on the outside of Turn 1, which bent his rear axle.  We also found a big crack in his exhaust, which caused him to be down on power.  With so many things that could have gone wrong but didn’t, it was apparent that someone was watching over Peter.

80cc SHIFTER – We also seemed to have picked a good gear ratio for Conor – one that allowed him to make good starts and have plenty of speed down the front straightaway (just over 70 mph).  Conor got away well from the third starting position in his qualifying race on Saturday.  He followed the pole sitter through to second in Turn 1 of the opening lap.  On Lap 3, the leader pushed too hard going into Turn 1 and spun backwards into the barriers.  Now in the lead, Conor was pursued by the new second place kart until the latter suffered a broken gear shift lever.  Conor went on to win comfortably.  Several of the karts in Conor’s class showed up on Sunday with new tires.  We had opted to put new tires on Conor’s kart on Saturday and hoped that they would last the distance.  One of the karts with new tires dropped out on the warm-up lap with a loose wheel.  From pole position, Conor made another great start and led into Turn 1.  He extended his lead over the next few laps, setting the fastest lap in the process (38.257), and then managed the gap for another comfortable win.    Four classes, including Conor’s, also had the option of entering a 20-lap pro race on Sunday.  Six karts in Conor’s class, including Conor, lined up for the 80cc Shifter pro race.  As the result of his earlier win on Sunday, Conor again started from pole position.   By this time, Conor’s tires were well used.  The kart that had dropped out on the warm-up lap in the previous race had tires that were still new, but would be starting from the rear.  Fortunately, the battle that was shaping up never materialized.  Conor made another great start, led comfortably, and then began to pull away.  The kart with the new tires put in a few fast lap times, but pushed too hard and spun on two occasions.  Conor once again managed the gap for a comfortable win – his third of the weekend.  Someone was also looking out for Conor, as after post-race tech inspection, we also discovered a big crack in Conor’s exhaust.

NEXT RACE – So, the weekend brought a total of five wins along with one huge loss.  For the adult classes, the organizers elected to go with cash prizes instead of trophies this year.  Both Peter and Conor won $125 for their feature race wins, and Conor won another $250 for his pro race win.  Martha would have certainly been proud of her boys.  Next up for Bruce Brothers Racing is Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club Race No. 9 at Circleville Raceway Park, which is Sunday, August 19, 2012.  In the meantime, the memorial service for Martha is tomorrow, Sunday, August 12, 2012, at Powell United Methodist Church.  Rest in peace, Mom…

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results can be found here.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Additional Pictures from 2012 CPKC

Here are some additional pictures of Peter that I found on Facebook (thanks to Jim Kusan).



Bill 

Pictures from 2012 Commercial Point Karting Classic

Here are a few pictures from this past weekend (click to enlarge).  A full race report will follow.









Bill

Thursday, August 2, 2012

MSOKC Race No. 8 – July 29, 2012 – More DNFs


NEWS – After an awesome start to the 2012 Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club season, Bruce Brothers Racing has struggled mightily during the past few events.  Between Conor and Peter in the first five events, we scored seven feature race wins.  Since then, we have scored none.  Our string of misfortune continued during MSOKC Race No. 8 at Circleville Raceway Park last Sunday.  While both boys were fast, both had mechanical issues that resulted in a DNF (did not finish) – Peter during a heat race while leading and Conor during his feature race.

PRACTICE – We had quite a bit of preparation to do after Race No. 7, especially to Peter’s kart which seemed to be down on power and then took a pretty heavy hit in the feature race.  His engine went in for a rebuild, his clutch was replaced, and various bits and pieces were straightened out.  Conor’s kart got new brake pads and both karts got new noses.  Peter had a chance to break in his engine on the Friday before the race, which allowed him to focus on race pace during practice on Sunday morning.  Conor elected to break in his brake pads on Sunday morning.

SPEC 100 PIPE – Peter started his first heat race from the fourth position (of five).  He gained a position at the start and another entering Turn 5 on the first lap.  He ran in second until Lap 5, when he dropped a position while challenging for the lead.  His pace seemed to slow a bit and he lost another position on Lap 7 and eventually finished fourth.  Back in the pits, Peter discovered that his brake disk was not lined up between the brake pads.  As a result, his brakes were dragging in the right-hand corners.  With this fixed, he lined up for his second heat in the second starting position, made a great start and led easily – until Lap 7.  With just over a lap to go, his engine died and he had to pull into the grass.  It was apparently an electrical problem, because when we replaced the spark plug and the ignition unit, it ran fine.  A pair of fourths (another kart had dropped out before Peter in the second heat) resulted in a fourth place starting position for Peter in the feature.  It took him just over three laps to move into third, after which Peter set out after the leaders.  He reeled them in at about 0.2 seconds per lap, setting the fastest lap of the race in the process (46.760 seconds), but ran out of time in the end.  A podium finish (third) for Peter in his feature race would be the highlight of our day.

80cc SHIFTER – Conor had had such a string of misfortune leading up to this event that we talked about just collecting whatever championship points we could without worrying about a win.  Okay, so Conor’s first heat race was also a highlight.  He started from the second position (of eight), made a nice pass for the lead in Turn 3 on Lap 2, and led to the finish.  He also recorded the fastest lap time (45.752) in the process.  Starting seventh in his second heat race, Conor gained two positions at the start and another on Lap 2 to bring him up to fourth.  He locked his brakes going into Turn 5 on Lap 4 and dropped to sixth.  He regained one position on Lap 6 and finished fifth.  Conor’s feature race was shortened from 10 laps to six because of a delay necessitated by an incident in the feature race of the Kid Kart class (bumps and bruises, but no broken bones).  Conor started in third and nipped at the heels of the leading two, content to pick up a decent haul of points, until the last lap – when his engine died and he had to pull into the grass with an electrical problem.  Unbelievably, it was the same problem that affected him while leading the feature race during MSOKC Race No. 6 – the connection from the ignition box to the coil had become disconnected.  One other kart had dropped out before Conor, so he was credited with a seventh place finish.

NEXT RACE – We seem to have the pace to win, but we are ready for a change of pace.  That’s exactly what we’re going to get this coming weekend (August 4 and 5, 2012) at the Commercial Point Karting Classic (formerly the Commercial Point Grand Prix), which is a street race through the village of Commercial Point, Ohio.  Peter and Conor will race on both Saturday and Sunday and Conor will race twice on Sunday.  The schedule of events can be found here.  Admission is free, but passes are required to access the pits.  We will be under two beige-colored EZ-Up tents in the pit area near the starting grid.  Extra chairs will be on hand for anyone who wants to join us.  There will be food vendors, beer wagons, etc.  Commercial Point is located approximately 14 miles south of Columbus, just south of Grove City.

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 8 can be found here.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

MSOKC Race No. 7 – July 15, 2012 – Henry on the Podium


NEWS – Henry returned to action as a substitute driver for Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club Race No. 7 at Circleville Raceway Park a week ago Sunday.  This event featured a combined, 20-lap feature race for the Spec 100 Pipe and 80 cc Shifter classes.  One of the 80cc Shifter class drivers, who is quite a bit older than the rest, didn’t think he could do 20 laps at one time, so he asked Henry to fill in.  That meant that all three Bruce brothers would be racing on the same track at the same time.

PRACTICE – Laura and I had been in Colorado for some rest and relaxation (and some work for me) the week prior to Race No. 7, so most of the preparation was done the day before.  Peter got a new exhaust header and another clutch tune up and Conor got new tires.  We spent the majority of the practice sessions Sunday morning fine tuning Peter’s clutch.  Both boys were relatively fast on their practice tires – so much so for Peter that he decided to use them for the race.  After the conclusion of practice, the rain that had been predicted for the day came with a fury.  It poured for about 15 minutes, which delayed the proceedings by about an hour and a half while the track was dried out.  Conor and Henry did their part by taking turns doing laps in their 2000 Honda Civic Si (see video here) and Peter did laps in his girlfriend’s 2010 Volvo S40.

SPEC 100 PIPE – For his first heat race, Peter started from the pole position.  He made a good start and led through the first few corners.  The second place kart got a better run through Turn 4 on the opening lap and was able to pass Peter going into Turn 5.  While trying to re-pass the leader on Lap 5 (of six), Peter left the door open in Turn 4, lost another position, and finished third.  Peter started and ran in fifth throughout most of his second heat race.  He inherited a position when one of the other karts retired and finished fourth.  A third and a fourth earned Peter the fourth-in-class starting position for the combined feature race.  The lap times he was running made it obvious that the tweaking we had done to his clutch was obviously not working, so for the feature, we borrowed a clutch from a former competitor in this class.  We also began to suspect that his engine was in need of a top end rebuild.

80cc SHIFTER – Conor started his first heat race from the seventh position (of nine).  He gained a position at the start, another on Lap 2, and another on Lap 6 to finish fourth.  Starting from third in his second heat race, Conor gained a position at the start, lost a position on Lap 3, but gained it back on Lap 5 to finished second.  Fortunately, no one in this class did extremely well in both heat races, so a fourth and a second was good enough for pole position for the combined feature.  The kart that Henry would take over for had finished ninth and eighth in the heat races, so Henry would start eighth in the combined feature.

80cc SHIFTER/SPEC 100 PIPE COMBINED FEATURE – With Conor starting on the pole, Henry in eighth, and Peter in 13th, things were shaping up for an interesting conclusion to the day.  Shifter karts normally use a standing start, but for the combined feature, both classes used a rolling start with the Spec 100 Pipe karts lined up behind the 80cc Shifter karts.  Conor got away well and led by about four kart lengths after Turn 4 on the first lap.  Further back in the field, there was mayhem.  One of the shifter karts towards the front spun exiting Turn 5.  Another kart behind then spun in avoidance – right in front of Peter.  Peter clobbered the wayward kart with his left front wheel, crumpling a nose and bending a steering spindle in the process.  The race was red flagged so that the EMT could check out the driver of the kart that got clobbered and the broken karts could be cleared.  This obviously ended Peter’s day and negated Conor’s great start.  Henry had managed to get through the first lap unscathed.  During the restart, Conor didn’t get away quite so well.  The kart on the outside of the front row stayed with him through Turns 1 and 2, which put him on the inside for Turn 3.  Conor had to concede the lead in Turn 3.  While trying to regain the lead on the next lap, Conor left the door open in Turn 9 and dropped to third.  The new second place kart made an aggressive move for the lead in Turn 4 on the following lap and both karts dropped two wheels into the grass at the exit.  This left the door open for Conor, who made the pass for second and pulled alongside the leader going into Turn 5.  Conor had the brake bias adjusted too far towards the rear and locked the brakes, which sent both spinning karts into the grass.  Conor got a big boot from the nose of the third place kart, which bent his rear bumper into his rear wheel, bringing an end to his day.  So, with both Peter and Conor out, where was Henry?  In second!  From the rear half of the grid, he had kept his nose clean through both starts and was chasing down the leader by the end of Lap 3.  However, 20 laps is a long way to go in a shifter kart around CRP, particularly for someone who hasn't raced in over a year and Henry began to fade a bit by about mid-distance.  The kart that had gone off with Conor had recovered and came through to pass Henry for second in the closing stages, but Henry hung on to record a podium finish in third.

NEXT RACE – Henry, who has been home since his graduation from Brown University in late May, had an excellent return to action.  He has since taken a job and moved to Boston.  To say that he will be missed is an understatement.  While Conor again had the speed to win, his streak of misfortunes continued.  We’re hoping that Peter’s mediocre performance is the result of equipment problems.  For MSOKC Race No. 8, which is Sunday, July 29, 2012 at CRP, Peter’s engine has been freshened up and we hope to have another clutch to try.  Since Conor had an abbreviated feature race, his tires are still relatively fresh for Race No 8.  After that, there is a short one-week break prior to our favorite event of the season, the Commercial Point Karting Classic (formerly the Commercial Point Grand Prix), which is August 4 and 5, 2012.

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 7 can be found here.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Pictures from MSOKC Race No. 7

Our three-kart lineup for the combined 80cc/Spec 100 Pipe feature race, and the carnage that resulted (click to enlarge).

 




Bill

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Video from MSOKC Race No. 6

A video of Conor's feature race in the 80cc Shifter kart - from a reverse-mounted camera - can be found here:

http://youtu.be/TkrDDwE5nb4

Bill

MSOKC Race No. 6 – July 1, 2012 – Ups and Downs

NEWS – Bruce Brothers Racing had an up and down day for Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club Race No. 6 at Circleville Raceway Park a week ago Sunday.  Both Conor and Peter were looking forward to this reverse-direction (clockwise) event that featured timed qualifying, as both aspects tend to suit both boys well.  The cooler was full of plenty of drinks to cope with the hot and humid conditions.

PRACTICE – For Race No. 6, Peter’s kart got a clutch tune-up, a new exhaust mounting bracket (mounted to the chassis instead of the rear bumper), a gear change (to suit the clockwise direction), a new chain, and fresher tires.  Conor and I spent a few hours the previous Sunday at Wilmington Raceway Park, which is a new asphalt road course that is within an hour's drive of Columbus.  It was fun to try a new track, but it was a bit bumpy (see videos here and here).  So bumpy in fact that he broke his seat and a radiator support, which were repaired for Race No. 6.  Conor practiced on old tires and Peter practiced on his race tires.

SPEC 100 PIPE – Peter qualified second out of the four karts in his class.  We had done everything we could during practice to fine tune his clutch without having to take it apart again.  We got it close and hoped that a bit of additional running would bring it into the sweet spot.  That never happened, and as the result, he was a tick off of the pace all day.  We decided that this was better than making a major change, which would have necessitated starting the fine tuning process all over again.  Starting from second in his heat race, Peter timed the green flag perfectly and went around the outside of the pole sitter in the first turn (Turn 10 for reverse direction events).  He pulled away a bit over the next few laps and then began to be reeled in by the pole sitter.  Peter held on for the win by just over a second.  There was drama at the finish, however.  In the last turn of the last lap, Peter’s engine changed its tune dramatically.  It turned out to be a broken exhaust header, which is usually grounds for disqualification.  Since Peter could have coasted over the finish line for the win, no penalty was given.  During the break, the header was replaced and the exhaust was remounted to the rear bumper.  A second and a first earned Peter pole position for his feature.  It was again the kart on the outside of the front row that had an advantage going into the first turn – but just barely.  Peter didn’t concede the position easily, and the first two karts went side-by-side through the first three turns with the other two close behind.  Peter eventually settled into the second position and stayed there until the checkered flag.

80cc SHIFTER – There were eight karts in Conor’s class.  During qualifying, he could not quite match the time he had set during practice on very old tires, which had us scratching our heads, and qualified second.  From the outside of the front row, Conor made a better start than the pole sitter and was into the lead at the exit of the first turn.  He led the first lap but was then passed at the end of the long straightaway (Turn 4 for reverse direction events) on Lap 2.  He couldn't quite match the pace of the leader and finished second.  We made a few chassis adjustments during the break which we hoped would have the desired effect in the feature.  From the second starting position, Conor again made a great start but had to settle for second in the first turn.  Conor seemed to be a bit faster than the leader, but the leader would pull away down the back straightaway only to be reeled in by Conor during the remainder of the lap.  I was certain that Conor would find an opening as the laps wore on, but sadly he did not get the chance.  On Lap 5 (of 10), Conor pulled into the grass with an engine that had stopped running.  It turned out to be the electrical connection from the ignition box to the coil, which had become disconnected.  In reinstalling his seat after the repairs, I had routed the wire on the wrong side of the seat strut.  Flexing of the chassis must have pulled it apart.  One other kart had failed to make the starting grid, so Conor finished seventh.

NEXT RACE – Peter was fortunate not to have been disqualified for his broken exhaust, but Conor was not so fortunate with his ignition box connection.  We have quite a bit to do for Race No. 7, but extreme heat in Columbus has prevented this from happening.  The weather in Columbus seems to have broken in past few days, but Laura and I are now in Colorado for some rest and relaxation followed by a conference later in the week for me.  Race No. 7, which is Sunday, July 15, 2012, will feature a combined, 20-lap feature race for the Spec 100 Pipe and 80 cc Shifter classes.  I’m sure the boys are hoping that the weather in central Ohio stays mild.

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 6 can be found here.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Videos from Wilmington Raceway Park

Conor and I spent a few hours a week ago Sunday at Wilmington Raceway Park, which is a new asphalt road course that is within an hour's drive of Columbus.  Videos can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw32skcUP30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2iy-kV9rwU

The yellow buildings in the background are part of the former DHL hub there.

Bill

Monday, June 25, 2012

MSOKC Race No. 5 – June 17, 2012 – Short and Sweet

NEWS – While Peter stayed home with as stiff neck a week ago Sunday, Conor had an excellent but abbreviated day for Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club Race No. 5 at Circleville Raceway Park.  Peter’s stiff neck was the result of having ridden one too many roller coasters at Cedar Point amusement park earlier in the week. 

PRACTICE – It was cloudy but dry for most of the morning.  After his first practice session, Conor reported that the new spindle/stub axle assemblies we installed on his kart made the steering feel quicker but heavier, but that the handling was fine.  Just before the second practice session was about to start, it started to rain.  The second practice session was replaced by a track-drying session – first by anyone who wanted to go out on the track in their road car and then by whoever wanted to go out in one of the rental karts.  The driver’s meeting got underway about an hour late at 1:00 PM.  Because there was more rain forecast for the afternoon, the format was shortened from a normal 8-8-10 lap heat race/feature format to a 3 lap qualifying session, a six lap heat race, and an eight lap feature. 

80cc SHIFTER – There were nine karts in Conor’s class again for Race No. 5.  We were feeling pretty good about Conor’s chances when we saw that he was the only one who was on new tires – we had taken his two-race-old tires off to use on Peter’s kart, which performs better on slightly used tires than on new ones.  Lap times were down because of rain earlier in the day, but Conor managed a 45.817 second lap, which was the fastest of the qualifying session.  From pole position in his heat race, he almost bogged down at the start but managed to get away cleanly.  He led easily through the first corner, pulled away by three or four tenths of a second per lap, and won by just over three seconds.  He recorded a 45.526 second lap in the process.  As the other classes were concluding their heat races, the wind picked up, the temperature dropped by about 10 degrees, and the skies drew darker.  It began to sprinkle during the mandatory break to allow the corner workers a lunch break.  In the event of rain before the feature races are concluded, which ended up being the case on Sunday, points are awarded based on earned starting positions for the feature.  Since Conor would have started on the pole, he collected maximum points for the day.

NEXT RACE – The early conclusion to the day was a welcome development in what had been predicted to be an uncomfortably hot Father’s Day.  Peter was feeling better a day or so later, so he’ll be ready for MSOKC Race No. 6 on Sunday, July 1, 2012, which is a reverse-direction (clockwise) event at CRP.  This event features qualifying again, which suits us just fine.

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results can be found here http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=795904.

Friday, June 15, 2012

MSOKC Race No. 4 – June 3, 2012 – Peter’s Win Streak Continues

NEWS – Our win streak in Peter's Spec 100 Pipe kart continued, but our streak of races without a mechanical ‘DNF’ (did not finish) ended a week ago Sunday during Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club Race No. 4 at Circleville Raceway Park.  Our last mechanical DNF was when Conor’s clutch broke during a Great Lakes Sprint Series race in April 2008.  Peter was back with us for Race No. 4 following the completion of his season of rowing with UA Crew.  Henry, who is home following his college graduation, also joined us as a member of the pit crew.   Race No. 4 followed the normal heat race format except that all classes used standing starts (like the 80cc Shifter class) instead of the normal rolling starts.

PRACTICE – About the only thing we did between Race Nos. 3 and 4 was to flip tires around and make a few repairs to the seat in Peter’s kart, to which we had to bolt an additional 20 lbs of lead to bring Conor up to the minimum required weight when he used it for Race No. 3.  I also adjusted the brakes on Peter’s kart, which almost came back to haunt him later in the day.

SPEC 100 PIPE – Peter’s class was comprised of five karts for Race No. 4.  He started his two heat races from the fourth and second positions, respectively.  I thought that the three-disk dry clutch that we use would have an advantage during standing starts over the wet clutches that others in this class use, but this did not turn out to be the case.  In both heats, everyone maintained their position at the start.  In fact, everyone maintained their position throughout the entirety of both heat races.  The karts in this class have become so close in lap times that there was no passing – the winner of the first heat finished last in the second and the last place finisher in the first heat won the second.  The only drama in the heat races was when Peter had a half spin entering Turn 3 about midway through the first heat.  It turns out that his chief mechanic forgot to tighten one of his brake pads, which caused the spin.  The kart behind Peter had had a half spin while avoiding him, so no positions were changed.  A fourth and a second earned Peter the second starting position for the feature.  With everyone running lap times that were so close, we decided to make a pretty radical change in an attempt to give Peter an advantage.  Everyone maintained their position at the start again.  Peter got a good run through Turn 4 on Lap 2 and was able to make a pass for the lead entering Turn 5.  The change we made had the desired effect, as Peter increased his lead slightly on nearly every lap and set the fastest lap time of the day (46.389 seconds) in the process.  Peter is now three-for-three in feature race wins in this class this season with Conor having won the fourth.

80cc SHIFTER – There were nine karts in Conor’s class for Race No. 4.  He drew the second starting position for his first heat race.  One kart was slow to leave the formation grid in the pit area, which meant that the other karts had to sit on the starting grid for an inordinately long period of time before the starting procedure began.  This seems to have caught Conor off guard, as when the green flag did fall, he made an uncharacteristically poor start.  By the time he got fully up to speed, he had dropped to the tail end of the field.  It turns out that his poor start didn’t make any difference.  As he was working his way back toward the front, his right front wheel became detached in Turn 7 on Lap 6 and went rolling into the grass.  When we got his kart back to the pits, we discovered that his right front stub axle had broken (see pictures here).  This is an item for which we do not have a spare, so Conor’s day came to an early end.

NEXT RACE – Peter’s kart is ready to go for MSOKC Race No. 5, but finding replacement parts for a 10-year-old chassis from a kart manufacturer that is no longer in business was difficult.  I ended up finding a pair of new spindle/stub axle assemblies for a similar chassis that, with a few modifications, seem to work on Conor’s kart.  We’ll find out how well they work soon enough, as Race No. 5 is this Sunday, June 17, 2012, at CRP.

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 4 can be found here.

Monday, June 4, 2012

The Bad with the Good

Peter got another hard-earned win yesterday, but Conor had a rare (for us) mechanical DNF (did not finish) - see pictures below (click to enlarge).  A full race report will follow.




Bill

Thursday, May 31, 2012

MSOKC Race No. 3 – May 20, 2012 – Solo Double Win

NEWS – For the second time in 2012, Bruce Brothers Racing scored feature race wins in both of our karts on the same race day.  Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club Race No. 3 was a reverse direction (clockwise) event at Circleville Raceway Park.  Conor qualified on pole and led every lap of the feature in his 80cc shifter kart race.  Peter was in Cincinnati with his UA Crew teammates competing in the Midwest Junior Rowing Championships, so Conor did double duty.  He qualified Peter’s Spec 100 Pipe kart on the front row and won the feature in it, too.  Peter's 4+ boat won the gold medal at the Midwest Juniors, so it was an excellent day of racing for the Bruce boys.

PRACTICE – During practice, we had lots of changes to check out on Conor’s kart.  After his flip in Race No. 2, we replaced his broken seat (an integral part of the chassis on a racing kart), repaired various bits and pieces, including the steering wheel and the radiator supports, and performed a wheel alignment.  We also repaired a leak in his radiator.  The only changes we had to make on Peter’s kart was to add weight – about 20 lbs – to bring him up to the class minimum and change the gear ratio to account for the reverse direction.  Conor acclimated well to Peter’s kart, which is the same chassis he won the Yamaha Junior championship with in 2008.  Conor had new tires on his kart and used tires on Peter kart.

SPEC 100 PIPE – Conor started the first heat race in Peter’s kart from pole position (of five).  He led through the first turn, pulled away a bit, and won comfortably.  From the rear of the grid in his second heat, he improved two positions at the start.   He made another pass on Lap 2 to bring him up to second.  He nipped at the heels of the leader on several occasions, but settled for second knowing that would put him on the front row for the start of the feature.  At the start of the feature, he went side-by-side with the pole-sitter through the first four turns.  He settled into second and pressured the leader for the first few laps.  Conor’s opportunity came on Lap 4 when the leader made a small mistake entering Turn 5 (the turn before the long straightaway during reverse direction events).  Conor was able to pull alongside and out-brake the leader going into Turn 4.  He pulled away slightly and maintained a comfortable margin to the finish.  This was Conor’s second win in Peter’s kart – he also did it last season during MSOKC Race No. 5 (June 25, 2011) while Peter was in Italy.

80cc SHIFTER – Conor started the first heat race in his own kart from the seventh position (of nine).  He made a good start and was able to pick up a few positions on the inside in the second turn (Turn 9) by using a wide exit from Turn 10.  He got bottled up while trying to make another pass on Lap 3 and lost two positions.  He gained both back in the next lap and improved one more position to third on the following lap.  The leader had gotten away but Conor was able to catch up and apply pressure to the second place kart.  He got a good run through Turn 5 on the last lap and was able to make the pass for the win going into Turn 4.  Starting from third in his second heat, Conor gained one position at the start and another in Turn 4 on the first lap, after which the first two pulled away from the field.  Conor managed the gap and won comfortably.  A video of the start and the first three laps can be found here. A second and a first earned Conor pole position for the start of his feature race.  While he led every lap for another feature race win, it wasn't easy.  While Conor recorded some amazingly consistent lap times (less than 1/4 second difference over 10 laps), the second place kart would draw near and then drop back as the result of pushing too hard.  This happened twice before the gap opened up and Conor won by just over a second.

NEXT RACE – Peter’s rowing season is over now, so we’ll be back to full strength for MSOKC Race No. 4, which is Sunday, June 3, 2012, at CRP.  This event will feature standing starts (like the 80cc Shifter class) for all classes.  Henry will be home by then, too, after having graduated from Brown University last weekend.  Hopefully he’ll be rested up enough to join us at the track.

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results can be found here.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Video and Pictures from MSOKC Race No. 3

A video of the start of Conor's second heat race in the 80cc Shifter kart can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sExW8UC5dDQ


Conor did double-duty - raced his own kart and filled in for Peter in our Spec 100 Pipe kart.  Some pictures are shown below.




A full race report will follow.

Bill

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

MSOKC Race No. 2 – May 6, 2012 – A Frightening Moment

NEWS – Bruce Brothers Racing had a number of first-time visitors a week ago Sunday for Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club Race No. 2 at Circleville Raceway Park.  Just that morning, I had explained to one of my college classmates that, while there are some inherent dangers in kart racing, it’s a relatively safe sport.  This is the 10th season of kart racing for Bruce Brothers Racing, and in the previous nine seasons, about the worst injury any of us has ever received is a burn from a hot exhaust.  I went on to explain that, about once a season, someone from our club gets upside down as the result of wheel-to-wheel contact on the track.  These karts do not have seat belts or roll bars – that would make about as much sense as seat belts and roll bars on a motorcycle.  The idea is to get thrown out and away during a flip.  Well, Sunday was Conor’s turn to get upside down.  It was a frightening moment, but he was only slightly banged up and was able to make it back to the starting line for the restart.

PRACTICE – For Race No. 2, Peter had a rebuilt carburetor and Conor had fresh gear oil, re-bled front brakes, and tires that had been flipped on the rims.  We also made a gear change for Peter’s second practice, which seemed to help, so we decided to stick with it for the day.  There were five karts entered in Peter’s class and a near-record 12 karts entered in Conor’s class.  The weather for Race No. 2 – sunny and warm – was a welcome change to what we had for Race No. 1.

SPEC 100 PIPE – The random draw for starting positions had Peter starting from pole position for his first heat race.  He timed the rolling start perfectly and led easily through Turn 1.  He pulled out to a two second lead over the first four laps and backed off just enough to hold on for a comfortable win.  Starting from the rear in his second heat, he made one pass at the start and another entering Turn 5 on the first lap.  He made another pass on Lap 2 to bring him up to second.  He was right on the tail of the leader entering Turn 9 on Lap 4 when he inadvertently gave the leader a nudge in the right rear corner.  This allowed Peter to get by in the next corner.  He knew there would be repercussions for his indiscretion, so he wisely conceded the lead back to his pursuer on the following lap (see link to helmet-cam video below).   He stayed right with the leader until the end and finished second.  A first and a second earned Peter the second starting position for his feature race.  We pay a lot of attention to tuning his clutch and that paid off at the start of Peter’s feature.  When the green flag waived, he motored right around the outside into the lead in Turn 1.  Much like his first heat, he pulled out a lead and then managed the gap for his second feature race win in a row.

80cc SHIFTER – Conor lined up for the standing start in his first heat race from the fourth position.  He made a pass for third on the first lap, got bottled up and lost a place on Lap 2, but managed to gain it back on Lap 5 and finished third.  With Conor starting from near the rear of such a big field in his second heat, I should have taken a closer look at who was starting in front of him.  The very new guy elected to start from the rear all day, so he wasn’t an issue.  The kart on the outside of the front row was a younger guy who had raced with us before, but it was only two races back in 2010.  There were a couple of retirements in the first heat, so Conor lined up on the outside of the third row.  When the green flag dropped, Conor got away very quickly, the kart in front of him got away well but a bit more slowly, and the kart on the front row bogged the engine down and got away very slowly.  Conor went to the inside (left) of the kart in front of him, that kart went to the inside (left) of the kart in front of him, and for whatever reason, the kart on the front row went the same direction.  I’m not sure if he was trying to get out of the way or was trying to block – I hope it wasn’t the latter.  By the time Conor got alongside the kart in front of him, there was nowhere to go and these two touched wheels, which sent the right side of Conor’s kart up in the air.  It came down sideways on the right side wheels which sent the left side not only up in the air, but up in the air and over.  The stills from the video I was shooting (see pictures in an earlier post and links to the video below) show him crawling out while the kart is upside down and still in the air.  He landed on his right forearm and face.  When I got to him, he was sitting up in the grass catching his breath (see link to helmet-cam video below).  All of Conor’s protective equipment – full-face helmet, neck restraint, gloves, and abrasion-resistant suit – did its job.  Well nearly – his right sleeve did ride up on his arm, which left him with a pretty healthy dose of road rash on his forearm.  The visor on his helmet took a beating, too.  When it became apparent he was going to be okay, I asked him if he wanted to continue.  His immediate response was ‘yes’.  While the track medic turned her attention to Conor, I turned my attention to the kart.  The head flagman had turned it back onto its wheels just after the incident.  I could see that the steering wheel and radiator were both a bit askew, so I did what I could with my bare hands to straighten them up.  I could also see that the seat was broken.  After we replaced Conor’s visor and the medic had given him the okay, Conor hopped in and we proceeded to give him a push start.  On the third try, after finding and reconnecting a loose lead from the coil, it fired right up and he was on his way.  To add insult to injury, the race had been red-flagged because of the incident, and the rules state that the karts causing a red flag have to start from the rear.  Both Conor and the kart he had contact with lined up for the restart on the back row.  In retrospect, the kart on the outside of the front row should have been sent to the rear, also.  Conor wasn’t quite so anxious to charge through the field at the restart.  From the ninth starting position, he did make two passes on the first lap.  He made another pass on the second lap, another on the fourth, and another on the seventh.  He finished fourth and recorded the fastest race lap in the process – quite a recovery.  A third and a fourth earned Conor the fourth starting position for his feature race.  He again took it easy at the start and held his position.  He made a nice pass on Lap 3 and set out for the second place kart.  While trying to find a way to pass, the kart behind managed to sneak back by Conor.  That kart couldn’t get by the second place kart either, and Conor was able to return the favor and reclaim third position just before the checkered flag on the last lap. 

NEXT RACE – Motorsports can be dangerous, but so can lots of other sports.  We are counting our blessings that Conor was not injured any worse than he was.  He was a bit sore Sunday evening and when I checked on him Monday morning, but otherwise he is doing fine.  He has since been to Brown University in Providence to visit his brother Henry, who is graduating later this month.  Peter competed in the Midwest Scholastics Rowing Championships in Cincinnati last weekend where his pair (two-man boat) finished second.  Peter has another regatta next weekend – Midwest Junior Rowing Championships – so he will miss MSOKC Race No. 3, which is a reverse direction event at CRP on Sunday, May 20, 2012.  The necessary repairs to Conor’s kart have since been completed.

Bill

p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results can be found here.  The helmet-cam video of Peter’s second heat can be found here.  Normal speed video of Conor’s flip as seen from the observation tower can be found here and the slow-motion version can be found here.  Video of Conor’s flip from his helmet cam can be found here.