tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62148623427500189922024-03-12T21:19:20.787-07:00Bruce Brothers RacingThe adventures of a family-based kart racing teamBill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-9852103946402741252013-08-07T09:55:00.000-07:002013-08-06T06:44:44.125-07:00Welcome to Bruce Brothers Racing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Bruce Brothers Racing is a family-based kart racing team in Columbus, Ohio. I've created this site for family and friends as a convenient place to post race reports, pictures, etc. I have started from the beginning, thereby creating an archive of all the race reports since we began this adventure in 2003. Watch this space for future updates and race reports...<br />
<br />
Bill</div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-46407906086337700062013-08-06T06:43:00.003-07:002013-08-06T06:48:05.574-07:002013 Commercial Point Karting Classic - The Videos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
2013 Commercial Point Karting Classic - The Videos<br />
<br />
The pictures are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.625782077453025.1073741841.100000637141291&type=1&l=64f5fa8412" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, but the on-board videos are on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/billbruceoh/videos" target="_blank">YouTube</a>. First, in practice right out of the trailer, Peter backs it into the wall in front of a barrel full of water and destroys his rear axle in the process (see video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS0iLa9rTWI" target="_blank">here</a>). Next, after qualifying fourth on Saturday with a misfiring engine, Conor battles his way to the front to take the 80cc Shifter Kart feature race win on Sunday (video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_8i8t7nFqg" target="_blank">here</a>). Peter's qualifying race finish on Saturday earned him the second starting position for the Spec 100 Pipe class feature race on Sunday. He got a good start and ran in second until a red flag for a first turn pile-up on Lap 2 brought everything to a halt (video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOOak0oryHM" target="_blank">here</a>). He went on to lead the first third of the race after the restart, dropped to third, and then recovered to finish second. Unfortunately, he forgot to restart the camera after the red flag, so the video is only the first lap and a half. In both of Peter's videos, the camera is pointing backwards, which is a very interesting perspective. He also forgot to start the camera for his pro race, in which he started second, pressured the leader early, and finished a comfortable second. Starting on pole for his pro race, Conor made a great start, began pulling away in the lead, then hit a bump in Turn 3 which caused his seat to flex so much that the wire from the ignition box mounted on his seat became unplugged from his coil. He coasted to a stop (video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3QhF0pdpZs" target="_blank">here</a>). A full race report will follow in the near future.<br />
<br />
Bill</div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-53475258812250056182013-07-31T18:23:00.001-07:002013-07-31T18:30:34.783-07:002013 Commercial Point Karting Classic Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Commercial Point Karting
Classic (website <a href="http://www.cpkartingclassic.com/" target="_blank">here</a>,
Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cpkartingclassic" target="_blank">here</a>) is this coming
weekend – August 3 and 4, 2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The CPKC
(formerly the Commercial Point Grand Prix) has been the highlight of the season
for Bruce Brothers Racing for the past few years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter and Conor will both defend the clean
sweeps they had in 2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The schedule for
this weekend is posted <a href="http://www.cpkartingclassic.com/schedule" target="_blank">here</a>.
Peter's class is Spec 100 Pipe and Conor's is 80cc Shifter. Practice
starts at 10:00 am on Saturday with the second practice acting as a timed
qualifying session for the heat races. The heat races on Saturday are scheduled
to start at 2:00 pm. The schedule can vary quite a bit, but if I had to
guess, I'd say that Spec 100 Pipe will start no earlier than 3:30-3:45 pm on
Saturday and 80cc Shifter will start no earlier than 4:30-5:00 pm. It takes
some time to park and get settled, so keep that in mind if you plan on coming
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Admission is free, but if you choose to buy a pit pass, we
have canopies for shade and plenty of folding chairs in our pit area. We
have a reserved spot which should be reasonably close to the grid area (where
karts enter and exit the track near Turn 1). Feature races on Sunday are
scheduled to start at 1:00 pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'd guess
that Spec 100 Pipe will start no earlier than 2:15-2:30 pm on Sunday and 80cc
Shifter will start no earlier than 3:15-3:30 pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Both boys are entered in the pro races after that – I’d guess 4:00-4:15 pm and 5:00-5:15 pm for Spec 100 Pipe and 80cc Shifter, respectfully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come on down and enjoy the racing action.</div>
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Bill</div>
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p.s., Our pits look like this, except it's all grass at the CPKC .</div>
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Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-48716413935933942772013-07-29T11:52:00.000-07:002013-07-29T11:54:46.400-07:00Video from MSOKC Race No. 8 - July 28, 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After qualifying on pole with heat race finishes of first and third, Conor got a good start and led every lap of the 80cc Shifter kart feature. See a video of the start and the first two laps <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAvEieQ79M8" target="_blank">here</a>. A full race report will follow sometime soon<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I did not get a video of Peter's feature race win in our Spec 100 Pipe kart two weeks ago during MSOKC Race No. 7.<br />
<br />
Bill</div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-27014114899491953502013-07-26T06:09:00.003-07:002013-07-26T06:16:04.700-07:00MSOKC Race Nos. 4 and 7 – June 2 and July 14, 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
NEWS – While this race report covers Race Nos. 4 through 7 of the Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club championship, Peter and Conor competed in only two of these. Race No. 5 was rained out (postponed to August 25) and the boys decided to miss Race No. 6 so that they could spend some extra time with family in Kansas City prior to returning to Columbus for the 4th of July holiday.<br />
<br />
MSOKC Race No. 4 – Race No. 4 featured standing starts for all classes, like the shifter kart class does at every race. Peter was fast in our Spec 100 Pipe kart during the morning practice sessions but seemed to lose speed as the day progressed. He started his first heat race from the fifth position (of nine in his class that day). He dropped a position at the start and another on Lap 1. He gained one position back on Lap 2 and another on Lap 4 and ran in fifth – where he started – to the finish. Peter started fourth in his second heat, dropped two positions on Lap 1 and finished sixth. A fourth and a sixth was only good enough for the sixth starting position for Peter’s feature race. He maintained his position at the start and ran in sixth until Lap 9 (of 10) when he gained a position when the kart he was chasing dropped two wheels into the grass at the exit of Turn 6. He gained another position on Lap 10 when the kart that had been running in third came to a stop in Turn 9. A fourth place result was not so bad when you consider that we later discovered a leaking head gasket on Peter’s kart which was causing a loss of power. Conor was also fast in our 80cc Shifter kart during the morning practice sessions. In his first heat race, he started third (of seven), made a pass for second on Lap 2, another pass for the lead on Lap 4, and went on for a comfortable win while setting the fastest lap (45.829 seconds) along the way. Conor started fourth in his second heat and had worked his way up to second on Lap 3 when a kart he had just lapped punted him into a spin in Turn 7. He recovered to finish fourth while again setting the fastest lap (45.771). A first and a fourth earned Conor the third starting position for his feature. The kart in the fourth starting position appeared to jump the standing start but was not penalized. It took Conor three laps to get back around this kart and another few laps to make his way into second. He spent the last four laps chasing down the leader but came up short by just over a second.<br />
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MSOKC Race No. 7 – Race No. 7 was a normal heat race event at Circleville Raceway Park. The weekend before, Peter and I had visited Wilmington Raceway Park to confirm that his engine was okay after we replaced the head gasket and to break in a new set of brake pads (on-board video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG9MRsdw7FE" target="_blank">here</a>). For Race No. 7 at CRP, we started him on well-used tires to compensate for the large amount of mechanical grip his chassis generates and he was once again very fast in the morning practice sessions. Peter got a great start from second (of eight) in his first heat but had a lurid slide in Turn 1. This allowed the pole-sitting kart to get away a bit and the third place starter to pull alongside Peter. What happened next was nothing short of remarkable. Peter and the third place starter went side-by-side through Turn 1, Turn 2, Turn 3 – you get the idea – all the way to Turn 7. Peter was on the outside in Turn 7, which gave him the advantage of the inside for the uphill Turn 8. Two karts rarely get through two turns side-by-side at this level, so it was refreshing to see such clean racing. Peter caught and passed the leader on Lap 5 (of 8) and went on for the heat race win. Peter’s second heat was pretty exciting, too. He started fifth but dropped one position at the start. He made two passes on the opening lap another on Lap 2. He ran in third until Lap 6 when he was able to make another excellent pass under breaking going into Turn 5. A first and a second earned Peter pole position for his feature. He maintained the lead at the start and put his head down in an effort to pull out a gap. The first two pulled away from the rest over the first few laps but Peter couldn’t pull away from the second place kart. He did just enough to lead from start to finish for his first feature race win of the season. Conor also had used tires for Race No. 7, which were actually from the 2011 season, but we were pretty sure that they would perform adequately since they had only done 28 laps. He started his first heat from the eighth position (of 10). He made two passes on the opening lap and another on Lap 4. He gained another position on Lap 6 only to lose it again on Lap 7 while attempting another pass. Conor’s second heat was a lot less hectic. From the second starting position, Conor grabbed the lead at the start and led every lap for the heat race win. A fifth and a first was good enough for the second starting position for Conor’s feature. He once again grabbed the lead at the start and led the first few laps fairly easily. The fifth place starter, who had been fast all day, had made his way up to second by Lap 5 and caught and passed Conor, who was now struggling for grip on his old tires. While trying not to lose another position on Lap 6, Conor had a lazy spin at the exit of Turn 5. He was able to keep the engine running and recovered to finish sixth.<br />
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NEXT RACE – At the mid-way point of the season, both boys have had some encouraging results but some bad luck as well. MSOKC Race No. 8 is Sunday, July 28, 2013, and will be another normal heat race event at CRP. After that, there is just a short six day break until the Commercial Point Karting Classic (formerly the Commercial Point Grand Prix), which has been the highlight of the season for us for the past few years. Details will follow soon.<br />
<br />
Bill<br />
<br />
p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results can be found <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/en/events/907625" target="_blank">here </a>and <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/en/events/928255" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-26898137609016043022013-05-31T13:46:00.000-07:002013-05-31T20:31:28.051-07:00MSOKC Race Nos. 1 through 3 – April 21, May 5, and May 19, 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
NEWS – The 2013 season for Bruce Brothers Racing got underway just over a month ago. With a fairly extensive travel schedule for me this spring, I had pretty much given up on having enough time to sit down and write race reports. I wasn’t sure that anyone read them anyway. After several complaints (including from the boys), I decided that I’d better get caught up and at least post something for each race, even if it’s a bit shorter than in the past.<br />
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MSOKC Race No. 1 – As it has been in recent years, Race No. 1 was supposed to be a qualifying format event so that any slower new-comers end up starting at the rear. Unfortunately, the timing system at Circleville Raceway Park did not cooperate, so we had to revert to a heat race format. Conor started and finished second (of eight) in his first heat race in our 80cc Shifter kart. Starting from seventh his second, he gained two positions at the start and then lost one while trying to move up to fourth on Lap 3. He gained the position back on Lap 6. A second and a fifth was good enough for the second starting position for the feature. The top three ran nose-to tail until about mid-distance when they became a bit more spaced out. Conor made a run at the leader in the last two laps but could not find a way past. Peter started on pole for his first heat race in our Spec 100 Pipe kart. He lost a position at the start and then locked his brakes and got sideways in Turn 5. Peter gained a position from seventh (of eight) at the start of his second heat race. He gained two more on Lap 4 for a fourth place finish. Peter also gained a position from sixth at the start of his feature race. He moved up to fourth on Lap 3 and to third on Lap 5, which is where he finished. After a disqualification in post-race tech inspection, Peter was promoted to second.<br />
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MSOKC Race No. 2 – Race No. 2 was changed to a qualifying format event to make up for the timing system problems during Race No. 1. In his qualifying session, Conor recorded the second fastest qualifying time (of 11). He timed the standing start perfectly in his heat race and led flag-to-flag. He also made a good start from pole in his feature and led for the first four laps. The second place kart slipped by in Turn 7 on Lap 5, but Conor was able to regain the lead in Turn 5 on the next lap. He went on to record our first feature race win of the season. Peter’s qualifying time was third fastest (of seven). As qualifying format races sometimes are, Peter’s heat race was a follow-the-leader affair – the top three finished where they started. Peter’s feature was much the same although he dropped a position from third at the start and finished fourth.<br />
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MSOKC Race No. 3 – Peter was absent from Race No. 3 – he and his Upper Arlington Crew teammates were competing in the Midwest Junior Rowing Championships at Lake Harsha near Cincinnati. Race No. 3 was a reverse direction event at CRP. As we did last season when Peter missed a race, we decided to have Conor run both karts. In 80cc Shifter, Conor got a great start from fourth and finished second (of 11) in his first heat. Starting from eighth in his second heat, he made up three places on the first lap after an altercation in Turn 9 (the second turn going in the reverse direction) and then gained another position on Lap 4. A second and a fourth earned Conor pole position for the feature. He made a great start, but the kart on the outside of the front row made a better one. While trying to make an early run on the leader, Conor pushed too hard in Turn 6 on the first lap and spun off in Turn 5. By the time he was able to give himself a push start, he was a lap down. There were two retirements, so Conor was credited with a seventh place finish. The spin in the shifter kart was nothing compared to the day Conor had in our Spec 100 Pipe kart. He was fast all day but had trouble acclimating to having rear brakes only. His row was slow to get going at the start (he started from third) and then he locked the brakes going into Turn 7, got sideways, and fell to last. He caught back up but not in time to make any passes. I can’t remember where he got sideways on the first lap of the second heat, but he did. This time he set the fastest lap of the race while catching up. There was a retirement in each of the heat races, so Conor started the feature from fifth (of six). He managed to lose a position at the start, but this time he time made it a whole lap without getting locking the brakes. That happened on Lap 2. I’m almost glad that he was at the rear all day because there were some ruffled feathers amongst the class regulars at the end of the day. It would not have been pleasant to have an interloper involved.<br />
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NEXT RACE – MSOKC Race No. 4 is Sunday, June 2, 2013, at CRP and will feature standing starts for all classes. Peter may have to miss the feature in order to get to the UA Crew Recognition Night on time, so we may have Conor fill in again. Hopefully he’s got a better feel for those brakes by now.<br />
<br />
Bill<br />
<br />
p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results can be found <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/en/events/894248" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/en/events/894258" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/en/events/900438" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-66478682933315878542013-05-09T12:10:00.000-07:002013-05-09T12:14:08.270-07:00Bruce Brothers Racing – 2013 Season Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It will be difficult to top the season Bruce Brothers Racing had in 2012. Between our two drivers, we had 12 Mid State of Ohio Kart Club (MSOKC) feature race wins out of 23 starts (52%), two MSOKC season championships, and two clean sweeps at the Commercial Point Karting Classic (CPKC). Both Conor and Peter will contest the same classes again in 2013 - 80cc Shifter for Conor and Spec 100 Pipe for Peter. Our anticipated schedule for 2013 is as follows:<br />
<br />
Race No. 1 - Sunday, April 21 - Normal/Qualifying/20 Bonus Points<br />
Race No. 2 - Sunday, May 5 - Normal<br />
Race No. 3 - Sunday, May 19 - Clockwise<br />
Race No. 4 - Sunday, June 2 - Normal/Standing start<br />
Race No. 5 - Sunday, June 16 - Normal<br />
Race No. 6 - Sunday, June 30 - Clockwise/Qualify<br />
Race No. 7 - Sunday, July 14 - Normal<br />
Race No. 8 - Sunday, July 28 - Normal<br />
CPKC - Sat/Sun, Aug. 3-4 - Non-championship event<br />
Race No. 9 - Sunday, August 18 - Clockwise/Standing Starts<br />
Rain Date 1 - Sunday, August 25<br />
Race No. 10 - Sunday, September 8 - Normal/Qualify/Hog Roast<br />
Race No. 11 - Sunday, Sept. 22 - Normal/20 Bonus Points<br />
Race No. 12 - Sunday, October 6 - Clockwise/Qualify/40 Bonus Points<br />
Rain Date 2 - Sunday, October 13<br />
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All MSOKC championships events will take place at Circleville Raceway Park, which is on U.S. Route 23 just north of Circleville (click <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS374US374&q=19417+U.S.+23,+Circleville,+OH+43113&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=19417+U.S.+23,+Circleville,+OH+43113&gl=us&ei=wBnBS833B8L7nAfai8iLCg&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CAcQ8gEwAA" target="_blank">here </a>for a map). As always, thanks to everyone for their encouragement and support.<br />
<br />
Bill<br />
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p.s., Yes, we've already had two races in 2013. I'll try to get caught up on the race reports, which might be a bit shorter than in previous seasons, before Race No. 3.</div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-29862418841903756172012-10-18T15:34:00.000-07:002012-10-18T15:42:59.932-07:00MSOKC Race No. 12 – October 7, 2012 –Double Champions!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br />
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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,<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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...<br />
<br />
Bill<br />
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p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 11 can be found <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=847147" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-641500000700872272012-10-04T11:00:00.003-07:002012-10-04T11:04:40.416-07:00MSOKC Race No. 11 – September 23, 2012 – Another Double Win<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K44cfDCSuPA" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ReXmZammTs" target="_blank">here</a>. 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.<br />
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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 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft4mvrMoSW8" target="_blank">here</a>. 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 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33_T6XXW28U" target="_blank">here</a>). 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.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />
Bill<br />
<br />
p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 11 can be found <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=842469" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-85619568564075356492012-09-17T17:15:00.000-07:002012-09-17T18:25:39.428-07:00MSOKC Race No. 10 – September 9, 2012 – Peter’s Record-Setting Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />
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 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxdwXBiQbIA" target="_blank">here</a>. This was the first win in this class for the other kart, which was nice to see.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Bill<br />
<br />
p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 10 can be found <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=835167" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-22948289351619360392012-09-16T17:02:00.000-07:002012-09-17T17:03:34.091-07:00Video from MSOKC Race No. 10<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A video of Conor's feature race in the 80cc Shifter kart can be found <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxdwXBiQbIA" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Bill</div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-67524598243793049842012-08-30T18:32:00.003-07:002012-08-31T10:26:57.265-07:00MSOKC Race No. 9 – August 19, 2012 – Back on the Top Step<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.</div>
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<br /></div>
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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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The intermittent ignition problem on Peter’s kart seemed to have been
resolved during the CPKC by using a borrowed, used ignition unit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During practice, it worked just fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Both boys enjoy reverse direction events at CRP and both recorded
competitive lap times during their practice sessions.</div>
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<br /></div>
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SPEC 100 PIPE – There were only four karts in Peter’s class
for Race No. 9, and only three of those were regular competitors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The random draw for starting positions had
Peter starting from fourth in the first heat and first in the second heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his first heat, Peter made a pass for
third on Lap 2 and a pass for second on Lap 6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was not quite as fast as the eventual winner and finished
second.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his second heat, Peter
maintained his position at the start and drove a very smart race for a heat
race win.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A second and a
first earned Peter pole position for his feature race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the break, we made a few changes to
the rear axle to improve on what Peter described as “binding up” in the
corners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter maintained the lead at
the start of his feature, but it became immediately apparent that the problem
was not resolved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He managed to hang on to
the lead for the first few laps, but then had to surrender it on Lap 4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other two karts passed Peter as the
problem continued to worsen, and Peter pulled into the pits before the
checkered flag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The non-regular
competitor waived post-race tech inspection, so Peter was credited with a third
place finish.</div>
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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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot can
go wrong during a standing start with 12 karts, so Conor took it easy at the
start of his first heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He made a good run
onto the back straightaway on the first lap and picked off another kart in Turn
4 for seventh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same corner on the
next lap, two other karts tangled in front of him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This dropped him to 11th.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He set the fastest lap of the race (45.281
seconds) in the process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A ninth and a first somehow managed to be
good enough for pole position for the feature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Conor made a great start, led every lap, and recorded the fastest lap in
the process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was our first MSOKC feature
race win since Race No. 5 on June 17, 2012.</div>
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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 <a href="http://brucebrothersracing.blogspot.com/2012/08/podium-picture-from-msokc-race-no-9.html" target="_blank">here</a>). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the sound of the engine, you could tell
that the problem was still there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
then changed the ignition unit to the one we used for the CPKC and sent him out
again – and it worked just fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
Peter thought was the rear axle binding up in the corners was a slight misfire
when the engine was under heavy load.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately,
the information I got about the ignition unit was apparently incorrect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be buying a new one for MCOKC Race
No. 10, which is Sunday, September 9, 2012, at CRP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.</div>
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Bill</div>
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p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 9 can
be found <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=824834" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-41182243358962785202012-08-29T18:21:00.000-07:002012-08-30T18:22:36.175-07:00Podium Picture from MSOKC Race No. 9<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here is a picture of the post-race podium ceremony from MSOKC Race No. 9 (click to enlarge):<br />
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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.<br />
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Bill<br />
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Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-37193223025503930222012-08-22T11:56:00.002-07:002012-08-22T12:04:48.172-07:00Three Additional Pictures from 2012 CPKC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here are three additional pictures of Conor during his pro race courtesy of Chad Gilsinger (click to enlarge).<br />
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Bill</div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-89582756502184124352012-08-16T13:27:00.000-07:002012-08-16T13:27:50.941-07:00Videos from 2012 CPKC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Links to some videos from the 2012 Commercial Point Karting Classic are shown below:<br /><br />On-board of Peter's qualifying race on Saturday - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dahimzl0bz8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dahimzl0bz8</a><br /><br />Start and first lap of Peter's feature race on Sunday - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zIUm7PST8Y">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zIUm7PST8Y</a><br /><br />On-board of Peter's feature race on Sunday - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UNMUl1xvTA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UNMUl1xvTA</a><br /><br />Start and first lap of Conor's feature race on Sunday (with victory lap from pro race) - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT2R9n2KxQU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT2R9n2KxQU</a><br /><br />Bill</div>
Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-59575848230488477922012-08-11T12:37:00.003-07:002012-08-11T12:37:25.743-07:00Commercial Point Karting Classic – August 4-5, 2012 – Five Wins and a Huge Loss<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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.<br /><br />PRACTICE – The CPKC, like the CPGP before it, is a street race through the village of Commercial Point, Ohio. The <a href="http://www.cpkartingclassic.com/track-layout" target="_blank">track layout</a> 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.<br /><br />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 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dahimzl0bz8" target="_blank">here</a>. 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 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UNMUl1xvTA" target="_blank">here</a>. 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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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 <a href="http://www.schoedinger.com/obituaries/Martha-Bruce/#%21/Obituary" target="_blank">memorial service for Martha</a> is tomorrow, Sunday, August 12, 2012, at Powell United Methodist Church. Rest in peace, Mom…<br /><br />Bill<br /><br />p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results can be found <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=818689" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-6909493657889223622012-08-07T07:59:00.002-07:002012-08-07T07:59:12.654-07:00Additional Pictures from 2012 CPKC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here are some additional pictures of Peter that I found on Facebook (th<span class="hasCaption">anks to Jim Kusan).</span><br />
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Bill<span class="hasCaption"> </span> </div>Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-4882998574521887372012-08-07T07:54:00.000-07:002012-08-07T07:54:24.062-07:00Pictures from 2012 Commercial Point Karting Classic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here are a few pictures from this past weekend (click to enlarge). A full race report will follow.<br />
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Bill</div>Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-74272780970858831202012-08-02T18:59:00.002-07:002012-08-03T04:43:29.668-07:00MSOKC Race No. 8 – July 29, 2012 – More DNFs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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 <a href="http://www.cpkartingclassic.com/" target="_blank">Commercial Point Karting Classic</a> (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 <a href="http://www.cpkartingclassic.com/schedule" target="_blank">here</a>. 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.<br />
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Bill<br />
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p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 8 can be found <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=814898" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-85331531432077305052012-07-25T19:26:00.001-07:002012-07-26T05:06:49.119-07:00MSOKC Race No. 7 – July 15, 2012 – Henry on the Podium<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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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.<br />
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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 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPlEI7rHesY" target="_blank">here</a>) and Peter did laps in his girlfriend’s 2010 Volvo S40.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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Bill<br />
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p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 7 can be found <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=809267" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-68453116517496056032012-07-24T04:54:00.000-07:002012-07-26T04:54:52.729-07:00Pictures from MSOKC Race No. 7<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Our three-kart lineup for the combined 80cc/Spec 100 Pipe feature race, and the carnage that resulted (click to enlarge).</div>
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A video of Conor's feature race in the 80cc Shifter kart - from a reverse-mounted camera - can be found here:<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/TkrDDwE5nb4">http://youtu.be/TkrDDwE5nb4</a><br />
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Bill</div>Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-8227559834138704992012-07-11T08:23:00.001-07:002012-07-11T08:23:37.950-07:00MSOKC Race No. 6 – July 1, 2012 – Ups and Downs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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. <br /><br />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 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw32skcUP30" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2iy-kV9rwU" target="_blank">here</a>). 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Bill<br /><br />p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results from Race No. 6 can be found <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=803191" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-91549883558175647552012-07-09T14:04:00.000-07:002012-07-11T14:26:24.883-07:00Videos from Wilmington Raceway Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw32skcUP30">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw32skcUP30</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2iy-kV9rwU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2iy-kV9rwU</a><br /><br />The yellow buildings in the background are part of the former DHL hub there.<br /><br />Bill</div>Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214862342750018992.post-76886419741626971622012-06-25T19:35:00.002-07:002012-06-25T19:39:40.882-07:00MSOKC Race No. 5 – June 17, 2012 – Short and Sweet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Bill<br />
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p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results can be found here <a href="http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=795904">http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=795904</a>.</div>Bill Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09585327565698008820noreply@blogger.com