Originally sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 1:54 PM
Conor and Henry participated in another SCCA Solo II event (timed runs through a parking lot course full of pylons) this past Sunday. The event was held in the OSU parking lot just south of Ackerman Road.
On his first run, Conor pushed too hard too quickly and had a lazy spin about one third of the way through the course. He also made a mistake by cutting short a later part of the course, resulting in a DNF (did not finish). Both boys had walked the course only twice, preferring to sit in the shade of our E-Z-Up tent and read the Sunday comics instead. Henry seemed to have taken notice of Conor's spin and recorded a safe 49.448 sec on his first run. The course on Sunday was relatively tight, and after reviewing the data from the first runs, I decided to change the gearing on both karts. On their second runs, Conor recorded a 50.498 and Henry improved to 48.400. I made another gear change on Conor's kart for his third run, which was a 48.201. Henry regained the advantage on his third run by improving to 48.084. Both boys improved on their fourth runs, this time with Conor holding a slight advantage (47.452 to 47.548). Conor had to abort his fifth and final run when the kart in front of him came to a stop on the course, which gave him an opportunity for a re-run on warm tires. Henry, knowing he would have to improve on his final run to regain the advantage, did just that, recording a 47.113. Conor was able to watch Henry's run from where he was waiting to take his re-run, but could not see the timing display. I wasn't sure if should tell Conor that Henry had improved or not - but I did. I could tell that Conor's first attempt at his final run was going to be a good one and I wondered if he could do it again. Henry sometimes refers to Conor as "The Iceman" (the nick-name of Conor's favorite Formula 1 driver, Kimi Raikkonen) because of his ability to respond under pressure, which is exactly what he did. Conor's final run was a 46.570 - almost a second faster that his previous run and nearly half a second faster than Henry's best effort. As in the past, both boys were several seconds faster than the next fastest kart in their class.
We loaded up and made the short trip home with the intent of returning for the trophy presentation. When we did, Conor and Henry received trophies for first and second place in their class, respectively. Henry had been feeling badly about being beaten by his younger brother. I tried to consul him by reminding him that, because of his size, he is nearly 35 lbs over the minimum-required weight, whereas Conor is right at the minimum-required weight. Henry's mood would improve later in the trophy presentation. SCCA has a handicapping system called PAX for comparing times of entries which are not in the same class. The index is intended to take the cars out of the equation and compare only the drivers. SCCA changed the PAX index for karts from last year to make it more difficult for drivers in their class. In spite of this, Conor and Henry received trophies for the top two PAX scores of the day out of 160 or so entries. Henry may have gotten beat by his brother, but finding out that he had bested everyone but his brother in PAX was not a bad way to end the day.
There was a photographer at the event on Sunday. There are a couple of great pictures of Henry and Conor on his website:
Henry - http://www.pbase.com/hemlepp/image/46129717
Conor - http://www.pbase.com/hemlepp/image/46129713
Our next race is MSOKC Race No. 7 at Circleville Raceway Park on Sunday, July 17, 2005.
Bill
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
MSOKC Race No. 6 - June 19, 2005 - Four for Four
Originally sent: Thursday, June 23, 2005 12:15 PM
NEWS - MSOKC Race No. 6 (the fourth race of the year after two weather-related postponements) was this past Sunday. In the two weeks since the previous race, Peter was drafted to test a new engine that the club would like to transition to for the Rookie Box class - an overhead valve Briggs & Stratton 5.5 HP Intek. In exchange for Peter testing this engine, the club representative in charge of this transition, Butch McCall at McCall Motorsports (http://www.mccall-motorsports.com/), offered to rebuild Peter’s existing engine at no cost. Peter also had new tires for this race and Henry got to try out the new axle in his existing chassis.
PRACTICE - Peter and I had a practice session on Saturday to test the Intek engine. The model that we were given to try still had the governor installed, as opposed to a restrictor plate. While we were able to find settings that would give us lap times that were similar to his existing setup, the governor made his kart very difficult to drive through the corners. When Peter would begin to scrub off speed in the corners (most of which he is able to take wide open), the governor would open the throttle further to compensate, pushing him through the corner. In light of this difficulty, we decided to spend the remainder of the session breaking in his rebuilt engine. We returned the Intek engine to Butch and will test it again with a restrictor plate installed in the next few weeks. On Sunday, class practices before the race went well. Peter’s recorded a personal best lap time of 58.01 sec in his second session and Conor was also quickly on the pace. We tried a few changes on Henry’s kart with mixed results.
JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED - Henry started his first heat race from the back of the grid - outside of the third row (sixth of six). The two karts that were in front of him belonged to drivers with whom Henry is very comfortable, and at the drop of the flag, these three hooked up and ran through Turns 1 and 2 with noses touching tails (literally). At the entrance to Turn 3 (a right hander following two lefts), those who started on the inside had to wait their turn to turn in. This put Henry up to third position, past the pole sitter. He ran there for most of the heat but got passed in Turn 6 on the last lap when he got up on his two outside wheels - the result of a less than ideal chassis setup - and went wide at the exit. He started the second heat from pole position and ran in the lead for several laps. He dropped a position to the eventual winner on the second lap and another at the beginning of the last lap and finished third. Starting fourth in the feature, he gained a position with another great start. He ran third until the final lap when, again in Turn 6, he went wide at the exit. Henry finished a close fourth and recorded some reasonable lap times throughout the day (including a bunch in the 48.7 to 48.8 sec range), but we still have some work to do on his chassis setup.
JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II - Conor drew the third starting position (of six) for his first heat race. He followed the pole sitter through to second by Turn 3. For the next two laps, he followed the leader looking for a way past. There was an uncomfortable moment on Lap 2 when, after a good run though Turn 1, he thought he could get around on the inside of Turn 2. He ran out of room and had to drop two wheels off of the racing surface to avoid contact. He didn't loose much momentum, however, and managed to get by later on that lap. He then cruised to the finish for the win. In the second heat race, Conor started fourth. Pole position belonged to one of the less experienced drivers and Conor was easily able to move up to second at the start. He made his way past the kart that had started in front of him into the lead before the end of the first lap. After I had given him the 'way out front' signal two weeks ago, he explained to me that it was more likely for him to make a mistake if he was taking it easy. So he continued to push all the way to the finish and recorded a personal best lap time of 50.05 sec on the last lap. He started from the pole position for the feature and led every lap comfortably to the finish, recording his fourth feature race win in a row and completing his first ever 160 point sweep.
ROOKIE BOX – Peter started his first heat from the third position (of six). With a freshly rebuilt engine, he made good starts throughout the day. In the first heat, he moved up to second at the start. Two of the faster karts got around him on Lap 3, and when they did, Peter's lap time actually improved. He seems to do better when a faster kart sets the pace for him. He did a reasonable job of keeping up and finished fourth. He started the second heat from the forth position and ran there to the finish. In the feature, again starting and running fourth to the finish, he recorded another personal best lap time of 57.93 sec.
NEXT RACE - The next MSOKC race isn't until July 17. In the mean time, we may make a road trip to give the boys some experience on a different track, and Henry and Conor have another SCCA Solo II event that they want to contest (July 10 at Cooper Stadium). We will also spend some time working on Henry's chassis setup and having Peter test the Intek engine.
Bill
NEWS - MSOKC Race No. 6 (the fourth race of the year after two weather-related postponements) was this past Sunday. In the two weeks since the previous race, Peter was drafted to test a new engine that the club would like to transition to for the Rookie Box class - an overhead valve Briggs & Stratton 5.5 HP Intek. In exchange for Peter testing this engine, the club representative in charge of this transition, Butch McCall at McCall Motorsports (http://www.mccall-motorsports.com/), offered to rebuild Peter’s existing engine at no cost. Peter also had new tires for this race and Henry got to try out the new axle in his existing chassis.
PRACTICE - Peter and I had a practice session on Saturday to test the Intek engine. The model that we were given to try still had the governor installed, as opposed to a restrictor plate. While we were able to find settings that would give us lap times that were similar to his existing setup, the governor made his kart very difficult to drive through the corners. When Peter would begin to scrub off speed in the corners (most of which he is able to take wide open), the governor would open the throttle further to compensate, pushing him through the corner. In light of this difficulty, we decided to spend the remainder of the session breaking in his rebuilt engine. We returned the Intek engine to Butch and will test it again with a restrictor plate installed in the next few weeks. On Sunday, class practices before the race went well. Peter’s recorded a personal best lap time of 58.01 sec in his second session and Conor was also quickly on the pace. We tried a few changes on Henry’s kart with mixed results.
JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED - Henry started his first heat race from the back of the grid - outside of the third row (sixth of six). The two karts that were in front of him belonged to drivers with whom Henry is very comfortable, and at the drop of the flag, these three hooked up and ran through Turns 1 and 2 with noses touching tails (literally). At the entrance to Turn 3 (a right hander following two lefts), those who started on the inside had to wait their turn to turn in. This put Henry up to third position, past the pole sitter. He ran there for most of the heat but got passed in Turn 6 on the last lap when he got up on his two outside wheels - the result of a less than ideal chassis setup - and went wide at the exit. He started the second heat from pole position and ran in the lead for several laps. He dropped a position to the eventual winner on the second lap and another at the beginning of the last lap and finished third. Starting fourth in the feature, he gained a position with another great start. He ran third until the final lap when, again in Turn 6, he went wide at the exit. Henry finished a close fourth and recorded some reasonable lap times throughout the day (including a bunch in the 48.7 to 48.8 sec range), but we still have some work to do on his chassis setup.
JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II - Conor drew the third starting position (of six) for his first heat race. He followed the pole sitter through to second by Turn 3. For the next two laps, he followed the leader looking for a way past. There was an uncomfortable moment on Lap 2 when, after a good run though Turn 1, he thought he could get around on the inside of Turn 2. He ran out of room and had to drop two wheels off of the racing surface to avoid contact. He didn't loose much momentum, however, and managed to get by later on that lap. He then cruised to the finish for the win. In the second heat race, Conor started fourth. Pole position belonged to one of the less experienced drivers and Conor was easily able to move up to second at the start. He made his way past the kart that had started in front of him into the lead before the end of the first lap. After I had given him the 'way out front' signal two weeks ago, he explained to me that it was more likely for him to make a mistake if he was taking it easy. So he continued to push all the way to the finish and recorded a personal best lap time of 50.05 sec on the last lap. He started from the pole position for the feature and led every lap comfortably to the finish, recording his fourth feature race win in a row and completing his first ever 160 point sweep.
ROOKIE BOX – Peter started his first heat from the third position (of six). With a freshly rebuilt engine, he made good starts throughout the day. In the first heat, he moved up to second at the start. Two of the faster karts got around him on Lap 3, and when they did, Peter's lap time actually improved. He seems to do better when a faster kart sets the pace for him. He did a reasonable job of keeping up and finished fourth. He started the second heat from the forth position and ran there to the finish. In the feature, again starting and running fourth to the finish, he recorded another personal best lap time of 57.93 sec.
NEXT RACE - The next MSOKC race isn't until July 17. In the mean time, we may make a road trip to give the boys some experience on a different track, and Henry and Conor have another SCCA Solo II event that they want to contest (July 10 at Cooper Stadium). We will also spend some time working on Henry's chassis setup and having Peter test the Intek engine.
Bill
Thursday, June 2, 2005
SCCA OVR Points Event No. 3 – May 29, 2005
Originally sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 4:58 PM
Conor and Henry participated in another Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Ohio Valley Region (OVR) Solo II event last Sunday at Cooper Stadium in Columbus (home of the Columbus Clippers, a farm team for the New York Yankees). Solo II (a.k.a. autocross) consists of timed runs through a parking lot course full of pylons. There are no practice runs and the course layout is not known until the morning of the event, although participants are allowed to walk the course.
The age rules for SCCA are a bit different than our regular club racing, so both boys are in the same class (Formula Junior 2) this year. Each participant got five runs on Sunday. Henry did well on his first two runs, recording times of 60.362 and 59.625 seconds. Conor seemed to be trying a bit too hard on his first two runs, which were both in the mid 61 second range. On his third run, Conor knocked the benchmark down to 59.493 only to have Henry knock it down again to 59.299 on his third run. On their fourth runs, the timing light malfunctioned, allowing both boys to have a re-run. This was particularly good news for Conor, as he had a spin on his initial fourth run. On the re-run, with sticky tires and a warm engine, Conor knocked over a second off of his previous time, lowering the standard to 58.425. Henry again spoiled Conor’s glee with a time of 58.265 on his re-run. Neither boy could improve in their fifth run, in spite of Conor getting a second attempt as the result of another timing light malfunction. Both boys were over four seconds faster than the next fastest kart in their class and faster than all but two of the six stock Corvettes that were entered.
Henry earned the maximum 100 points for his effort. SCCA has a points scoring system that rewards close finishes, and because of the closeness of their finish (16/100ths of a second), Conor received 98 points. In spite of having missed the previous event (and having the event before that snowed out), Henry and Conor are in first and second place in the championship. Unfortunately, our schedule is such that nether will likely be able to participate in enough events (a minimum of six) to be eligible for the championship at the end of the season.
The next race for all three boys is MSOKC Race No. 5 at Circleville Raceway Park on Saturday, June 4, 2005. This will be the first of four night races of the season. Gates open at 1:00 PM, practice starts at 2:30, and the green flag falls at 5:00.
Bill
Conor and Henry participated in another Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Ohio Valley Region (OVR) Solo II event last Sunday at Cooper Stadium in Columbus (home of the Columbus Clippers, a farm team for the New York Yankees). Solo II (a.k.a. autocross) consists of timed runs through a parking lot course full of pylons. There are no practice runs and the course layout is not known until the morning of the event, although participants are allowed to walk the course.
The age rules for SCCA are a bit different than our regular club racing, so both boys are in the same class (Formula Junior 2) this year. Each participant got five runs on Sunday. Henry did well on his first two runs, recording times of 60.362 and 59.625 seconds. Conor seemed to be trying a bit too hard on his first two runs, which were both in the mid 61 second range. On his third run, Conor knocked the benchmark down to 59.493 only to have Henry knock it down again to 59.299 on his third run. On their fourth runs, the timing light malfunctioned, allowing both boys to have a re-run. This was particularly good news for Conor, as he had a spin on his initial fourth run. On the re-run, with sticky tires and a warm engine, Conor knocked over a second off of his previous time, lowering the standard to 58.425. Henry again spoiled Conor’s glee with a time of 58.265 on his re-run. Neither boy could improve in their fifth run, in spite of Conor getting a second attempt as the result of another timing light malfunction. Both boys were over four seconds faster than the next fastest kart in their class and faster than all but two of the six stock Corvettes that were entered.
Henry earned the maximum 100 points for his effort. SCCA has a points scoring system that rewards close finishes, and because of the closeness of their finish (16/100ths of a second), Conor received 98 points. In spite of having missed the previous event (and having the event before that snowed out), Henry and Conor are in first and second place in the championship. Unfortunately, our schedule is such that nether will likely be able to participate in enough events (a minimum of six) to be eligible for the championship at the end of the season.
The next race for all three boys is MSOKC Race No. 5 at Circleville Raceway Park on Saturday, June 4, 2005. This will be the first of four night races of the season. Gates open at 1:00 PM, practice starts at 2:30, and the green flag falls at 5:00.
Bill
Friday, May 27, 2005
MSOKC Race No. 4 - May 22, 2005 - Postponed
Originally sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 11:35 AM
NEWS - The early morning weather last Sunday was cool and crisp, which suits our karts well, so we were looking forward to a good day of racing. As the day progressed, the weather got cooler and crisper, the wind picked up, and then it rained. The persistent nature of the rain resulted in the second event postponement of the season. The new date for Race No. 4 is October 2, 2005. We did get to practice and Henry and Conor got their first heat races in before the rain came however.
PRACTICE - Just after we unloaded the karts, we noticed that Henry had sustained a bent rear axle during his incident in the second heat of Race No. 3. I checked with a few other teams, but no one seemed to have a spare. While we were trying to decide whether to make due or to scratch his entry, the dad of the driver with whom Henry is tied for second place in the championship offered to have his wife drive home and bring back their spare. We gratefully accepted their offer and within an hour, we were making the switch. This made practice very hectic, however. We managed to get Conor and Peter on the track twice, change the axle, and get Henry on the track for one complete and one abbreviated practice session.
JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED - Henry started second (of eight) in the first heat race and both he and the pole-sitter held off Adam, who started from the rear, until Lap 5. A bit of a gap had developed between Henry and the kart in front of him (from whom we had borrowed the axle), but Henry reeled him in in the closing laps. The margin was less than a kart length at the finish. The bent rear axle must have been a factor in the feature of Race No. 3, because Henry recorded a personal best lap time of 48.44 sec on what would be his final lap on Sunday before the rain came.
JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II - Conor started sixth (of seven) in his first heat race. He made a good start and moved up a position by Turn 3. He made another pass and was up to fourth by the end of Lap 2. He then settled in behind the third place kart, who was having trouble getting around a slower kart in front of her. Conor waited patiently for an opportunity to arise, which it did at the end of Lap 4. The third place kart momentarily thought about making a pass on the outside in Turn 10, which left room for Conor to slip by on the inside. Conor was able to get around the second place kart between Turns 7 and 8 on the next lap. He then set out after the leader, and while he was able to make up a significant portion of the gap, he ran out of laps. He would have started on the front row for the second heat, which would have all but assured him of a good starting position for the feature, so when the rain came, it was a big disappointment for Conor.
ROOKIE BOX - The rain came as Peter's class, which consisted of seven karts, was sitting on the grid for their first heat. This was a disappointment for Peter, too, as the smaller rear tires we had switched to seemed to be working well for him. In practice, he also recorded a personal best lap time (58.52 sec) and is now consistently lapping in the 58 sec range.
NEXT RACE - The next race is MSOKC Race No. 5 on Saturday, June 4, 2005, which is the first night race of the season. In the mean time, Conor and Henry are going to participate in an SCCA Solo II event (OVR Points Event No. 3), which will be Sunday, May 29, 2005, at Cooper Stadium in Columbus.
Bill
NEWS - The early morning weather last Sunday was cool and crisp, which suits our karts well, so we were looking forward to a good day of racing. As the day progressed, the weather got cooler and crisper, the wind picked up, and then it rained. The persistent nature of the rain resulted in the second event postponement of the season. The new date for Race No. 4 is October 2, 2005. We did get to practice and Henry and Conor got their first heat races in before the rain came however.
PRACTICE - Just after we unloaded the karts, we noticed that Henry had sustained a bent rear axle during his incident in the second heat of Race No. 3. I checked with a few other teams, but no one seemed to have a spare. While we were trying to decide whether to make due or to scratch his entry, the dad of the driver with whom Henry is tied for second place in the championship offered to have his wife drive home and bring back their spare. We gratefully accepted their offer and within an hour, we were making the switch. This made practice very hectic, however. We managed to get Conor and Peter on the track twice, change the axle, and get Henry on the track for one complete and one abbreviated practice session.
JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED - Henry started second (of eight) in the first heat race and both he and the pole-sitter held off Adam, who started from the rear, until Lap 5. A bit of a gap had developed between Henry and the kart in front of him (from whom we had borrowed the axle), but Henry reeled him in in the closing laps. The margin was less than a kart length at the finish. The bent rear axle must have been a factor in the feature of Race No. 3, because Henry recorded a personal best lap time of 48.44 sec on what would be his final lap on Sunday before the rain came.
JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II - Conor started sixth (of seven) in his first heat race. He made a good start and moved up a position by Turn 3. He made another pass and was up to fourth by the end of Lap 2. He then settled in behind the third place kart, who was having trouble getting around a slower kart in front of her. Conor waited patiently for an opportunity to arise, which it did at the end of Lap 4. The third place kart momentarily thought about making a pass on the outside in Turn 10, which left room for Conor to slip by on the inside. Conor was able to get around the second place kart between Turns 7 and 8 on the next lap. He then set out after the leader, and while he was able to make up a significant portion of the gap, he ran out of laps. He would have started on the front row for the second heat, which would have all but assured him of a good starting position for the feature, so when the rain came, it was a big disappointment for Conor.
ROOKIE BOX - The rain came as Peter's class, which consisted of seven karts, was sitting on the grid for their first heat. This was a disappointment for Peter, too, as the smaller rear tires we had switched to seemed to be working well for him. In practice, he also recorded a personal best lap time (58.52 sec) and is now consistently lapping in the 58 sec range.
NEXT RACE - The next race is MSOKC Race No. 5 on Saturday, June 4, 2005, which is the first night race of the season. In the mean time, Conor and Henry are going to participate in an SCCA Solo II event (OVR Points Event No. 3), which will be Sunday, May 29, 2005, at Cooper Stadium in Columbus.
Bill
Friday, May 20, 2005
MSOKC Race No. 3 – May 7, 2005
Originally sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 9:48 AM
NEWS – After beautiful weather for Race No. 1, MSOKC Race No. 2, which had been scheduled for April 24, 2005, was postponed due to… …not rain but snow! The weather on May 7 for Race No. 3 was much better, and I’ve let this go for so long that the details are sketchy, but early morning showers did delay the start by about an hour and a half.
PRACTICE – Peter got to try out his new bodywork in practice (Conor’s old bodywork). The bodywork was fine but he was uncomfortable with the dampness of the track. Conor and Henry also took it easy in the first practice because of the damp conditions, but were able to record reasonable times in the second practice session.
ROOKIE BOX – Peter drew the third starting position (of six in his class) for his first heat. He dropped two positions at the start, but made one back up at about mid distance and finished fourth. Starting fourth in the second heat, he again dropped a position at the start and ran fifth to the finish. In the feature, starting from fifth, he again dropped to the rear at the start. He benefited from off-course excursions by two of his competitors, and was challenging for third when he decided to try an outside move in Turn 10. The kart behind Peter tried to go around the third place kart on the inside at the same time, however. Three-wide is no way to go through Turn 10, and Peter was pushed up into the ‘marbles’ where he had a half spin into the grass. He was able to get going again, but finished sixth. Peter recorded good lap times throughout the day, setting a new personal best of 0:58.76 seconds in the first heat, but we’re going to have to work on his lack of urgency at the starts so that he in not mired in the back of the pack.
JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II – There were eight karts in Conor’s class for Race No. 3. He made a great start from the fourth position and was up to third by Turn 3. The second place kart was holding up a faster group behind it, and it took Conor several laps, bur he was able to move up to second on Lap 4 (of six). By then the leader had gotten away. Conor was able to reel him in at the finish, but too late to challenge for the win. Starting third in the second heat, he again got bottled up behind the second place kart. By the time he made his way past, the leader had again gotten away. In a re-play of the first heat, he reeled the leader in, but could not get past. Two seconds did earn him the pole position fro the feature, however. He made a great start and held a somewhat comfortable lead for the first few laps. He then began to be the recipient of quite a bit of pressure from the second place kart, who with Conor, were distancing themselves from the field. The second place kart seemed to be getting a better run through Turn 4, which leads onto the back straight-away. She was able to pull along side Conor sever times, and on Lap 6 (of eight), got by... …momentarily. In order to get by, she had to carry a bit too much speed going into Turn 5, and went wide on the exit. It was one of those classic get-passed/re-pass things and Conor was back in the lead. When the white flag came out on the next lap, Conor had a lead of about two kart lengths. The next time by, as the leaders were coming up on a back-marker, they got the white flag… …AGAIN!!! I’ve always told the boys to race to the checkered flag, and I hoped that Conor had that in mind. He did seem to back off a bit, but I was relieved to see him continue at what appeared to be full pace past the cut-off area. By that time, the second place kart was also back on his tail. At the end of the back straight-away, Conor had no choice but to make his way around the back-marker, who apparently didn’t see him coming. There was brief wheel-to-wheel contact going into Turn 5, but Conor kept it under control. The second place kart also had trouble getting around the back-marker, so when the checkered flag finally flew (a lap later than scheduled), Conor was ahead by a comfortable margin. By recording his second consecutive win of the season, he extended his lead in the championship to 18 points.
JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED – Henry made a great start from the second position (of six) in the first heat to gain the lead. He ran in the lead for about a lap until he was passed by the locomotive of his class, Adam, who again won both heats and the feature (this will be a recurring theme this season). Henry ran second for the next few laps, but it became apparent that his lap times were not quite up to snuff. He seemed to be holding up the third and fourth place karts, who eventually got by in Turn 6 on Lap 3. He then had a half spin in Turn 6 on the next lap and lost another position. On Lap 5, the second and third place kart tangled in Turn 5 with one going off into the grass, elevating Henry to fourth, which is where he finished. The benefactor of the incident in Turn 5 was later found guilty and demoted three places, which moved Henry up to third. Starting from third in the second heat, Henry followed the pole-sitter through Turn 1 and into second by Turn 3. Both were passed by Adam on Lap 2. At about mid-distance, Henry was able to get along side the second place kart on the inside of Turn 10. Despite a blatant attempt at closing the door by the second place kart, which resulted in wheel-to-wheel contact, he and another kart were able to get by. At one point when it did appear that he might come under some pressure, the third place kart had an uncharacteristic spin. A third and a second place finish in the heat races earned him the second starting position for the feature. He made a great start and led through Turns 1 and 2, but relinquished the lead to Adam in Turn 3. He held off the third place kart until about Lap 5 and finished third. This, along with his strong heat race finishes, was enough to bring him from third in the championship to a tie for second, however.
NEXT RACE - Even though Conor and Henry ran well in Race No. 3, we may have tried to extend the life of the old tires on which we started the season one race too many. Both have new tires for Race No. 4, which is Sunday, May 22. We will also try something new on Peter's kart (smaller rear tires), which we are hoping will help him in the opening laps. Springtime weather in central Ohio can be fickle, so we're also hoping that it won't snow...
Bill
NEWS – After beautiful weather for Race No. 1, MSOKC Race No. 2, which had been scheduled for April 24, 2005, was postponed due to… …not rain but snow! The weather on May 7 for Race No. 3 was much better, and I’ve let this go for so long that the details are sketchy, but early morning showers did delay the start by about an hour and a half.
PRACTICE – Peter got to try out his new bodywork in practice (Conor’s old bodywork). The bodywork was fine but he was uncomfortable with the dampness of the track. Conor and Henry also took it easy in the first practice because of the damp conditions, but were able to record reasonable times in the second practice session.
ROOKIE BOX – Peter drew the third starting position (of six in his class) for his first heat. He dropped two positions at the start, but made one back up at about mid distance and finished fourth. Starting fourth in the second heat, he again dropped a position at the start and ran fifth to the finish. In the feature, starting from fifth, he again dropped to the rear at the start. He benefited from off-course excursions by two of his competitors, and was challenging for third when he decided to try an outside move in Turn 10. The kart behind Peter tried to go around the third place kart on the inside at the same time, however. Three-wide is no way to go through Turn 10, and Peter was pushed up into the ‘marbles’ where he had a half spin into the grass. He was able to get going again, but finished sixth. Peter recorded good lap times throughout the day, setting a new personal best of 0:58.76 seconds in the first heat, but we’re going to have to work on his lack of urgency at the starts so that he in not mired in the back of the pack.
JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II – There were eight karts in Conor’s class for Race No. 3. He made a great start from the fourth position and was up to third by Turn 3. The second place kart was holding up a faster group behind it, and it took Conor several laps, bur he was able to move up to second on Lap 4 (of six). By then the leader had gotten away. Conor was able to reel him in at the finish, but too late to challenge for the win. Starting third in the second heat, he again got bottled up behind the second place kart. By the time he made his way past, the leader had again gotten away. In a re-play of the first heat, he reeled the leader in, but could not get past. Two seconds did earn him the pole position fro the feature, however. He made a great start and held a somewhat comfortable lead for the first few laps. He then began to be the recipient of quite a bit of pressure from the second place kart, who with Conor, were distancing themselves from the field. The second place kart seemed to be getting a better run through Turn 4, which leads onto the back straight-away. She was able to pull along side Conor sever times, and on Lap 6 (of eight), got by... …momentarily. In order to get by, she had to carry a bit too much speed going into Turn 5, and went wide on the exit. It was one of those classic get-passed/re-pass things and Conor was back in the lead. When the white flag came out on the next lap, Conor had a lead of about two kart lengths. The next time by, as the leaders were coming up on a back-marker, they got the white flag… …AGAIN!!! I’ve always told the boys to race to the checkered flag, and I hoped that Conor had that in mind. He did seem to back off a bit, but I was relieved to see him continue at what appeared to be full pace past the cut-off area. By that time, the second place kart was also back on his tail. At the end of the back straight-away, Conor had no choice but to make his way around the back-marker, who apparently didn’t see him coming. There was brief wheel-to-wheel contact going into Turn 5, but Conor kept it under control. The second place kart also had trouble getting around the back-marker, so when the checkered flag finally flew (a lap later than scheduled), Conor was ahead by a comfortable margin. By recording his second consecutive win of the season, he extended his lead in the championship to 18 points.
JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED – Henry made a great start from the second position (of six) in the first heat to gain the lead. He ran in the lead for about a lap until he was passed by the locomotive of his class, Adam, who again won both heats and the feature (this will be a recurring theme this season). Henry ran second for the next few laps, but it became apparent that his lap times were not quite up to snuff. He seemed to be holding up the third and fourth place karts, who eventually got by in Turn 6 on Lap 3. He then had a half spin in Turn 6 on the next lap and lost another position. On Lap 5, the second and third place kart tangled in Turn 5 with one going off into the grass, elevating Henry to fourth, which is where he finished. The benefactor of the incident in Turn 5 was later found guilty and demoted three places, which moved Henry up to third. Starting from third in the second heat, Henry followed the pole-sitter through Turn 1 and into second by Turn 3. Both were passed by Adam on Lap 2. At about mid-distance, Henry was able to get along side the second place kart on the inside of Turn 10. Despite a blatant attempt at closing the door by the second place kart, which resulted in wheel-to-wheel contact, he and another kart were able to get by. At one point when it did appear that he might come under some pressure, the third place kart had an uncharacteristic spin. A third and a second place finish in the heat races earned him the second starting position for the feature. He made a great start and led through Turns 1 and 2, but relinquished the lead to Adam in Turn 3. He held off the third place kart until about Lap 5 and finished third. This, along with his strong heat race finishes, was enough to bring him from third in the championship to a tie for second, however.
NEXT RACE - Even though Conor and Henry ran well in Race No. 3, we may have tried to extend the life of the old tires on which we started the season one race too many. Both have new tires for Race No. 4, which is Sunday, May 22. We will also try something new on Peter's kart (smaller rear tires), which we are hoping will help him in the opening laps. Springtime weather in central Ohio can be fickle, so we're also hoping that it won't snow...
Bill
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