MSOKC Race No. 12 - Saturday, September 24, 2005

Originally sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2005 2:28 PM

NEWS – Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later, but we finally had what might be considered a mediocre race day this past Saturday, which was the final MSOKC night race of the season. I suppose that it was mostly my fault, as I’m the one who agreed to bite off what turned out to be a bit more that we could chew. About mid-week last week, Henry received an invitation to fill in for a friend of ours, Jack Reall, in one of the adult classes (16 and up, which Henry qualifies for now). Jack and his son Bryce make up a class of their own – Briggs Animal Medium. This is the class we are considering for Henry next year, so it made sense to let him give it a try. Jack, who is President of the Columbus Firefighters Union and Leader of Ohio Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team (part of FEMA), had been called up for Hurricane Rita duty, and this would have left Bryce on his own in that class on Saturday. Henry of course wanted to race in his regular class, too, so we had our hands full.

PRACTICE – We made very few changes to the boy’s karts in preparation for Saturday, and when it came time for practice, we spent some of our available time setting Jack’s kart up for Henry. We also had four karts to practice instead of three, so we had little time for fine tuning. Conor and Peter practiced well, none-the-less, but we are still having trouble getting Henry up to speed in his kart. Henry did enjoy is first experience in a kart powered by the more powerful Briggs Animal engine, however. In practice, Henry and Bryce traded fastest laps several times.

ROOKIE BOX – Peter started his first heat from the rear (fifth of five). He made a good start and was into third by the exit of Turn 4. Although he was passed by a new-comer towards the end, this kart was later disqualified for being under weight (65 lbs under weight!), so Peter was credited with a third place finish. In the second heat, starting from pole position, he again made a good start. He held the lead for four long laps, which is a personal best for Peter. Two of the faster karts got around him at the beginning of Lap 5, so he again finished third. In the feature, starting from third, he held his position at the start and ran in third until about Lap 4 when he was again passed by the under-weight new-comer who would eventually be disqualified. Peters third place finish was his third podium finish in a row.

JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II – Conor started his first heat race from the pole (of five). He held the lead at the start and the first two pulled out a bit of a lead during the first lap. Conor didn’t get through Turn 4 very well on the next lap and was passed going into Turn 5. He held on to the leader but had no opportunity to pass and finished second. Starting from the rear in the second heat, he was patient going through Turn 1. The head of steam that he was able to build up allowed him to make a pass going into Turn 2. He passed two other karts on the long run to Turn 5, bringing him to second. He was on the leader’s tail and got through Turn 4 well on the second lap. He drew up along side and a little past going into Turn 5, but the leader did not back off. The two went through Turn 5 side-by side. There was contact, however, and both went into the grass. Conor took a while to get going and finished where he had started. In the feature, starting from the third position, Conor held his position at the start, but had an uncharacteristic spin in Turn 8 on the first lap. He benefited by one off-course excursion, and caught another kart at the end, but finished fourth – his first non-podium finish of the year. One of the usually-mid-pack competitors in Conor’s class, who was giving the chassis that Henry drove last week a try, went on to take his first win of the year, however, so we were glad to see that.

JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED – There were only three karts in Henry’s regular class on Saturday. In the first heat, starting from the pole he held the lead until Turn 5 on the first lap. He ran second until about mid-way when the kart behind him found a way past. On the last lap, it became apparent that the leader had a problem when he made a mess of the right hand Turn 3. On the next right hander (Turn 7), his right rear wheel went sailing through the infield. As a result, Henry inherited second place, which is where he finished. In the second heat, starting from the rear, he followed the pole-sitter through Turn 1 into second. He was unable to hold on, however, and finished third. We made a few adjustments for the feature during the limited time we had, and while he was able to run a bit closer to the other two, he still finished third.

BRIGGS ANIMAL MEDIUM – Since there are only two karts in the Briggs Animal Medium class, they run together with the Yamaha Super Can class, which consisted of about 15 karts on Saturday. They start separately, however, so the Animal class is initially about a half a lap behind the Yamaha class. At the start, Henry, who started on the outside, got the better of Bryce in Turn 1. During the first lap, it became apparent that Bryce had an engine problem. He ran a couple of laps before retiring with a sputtering engine. Towards the end, Henry caught and passed a couple of the Yamaha karts before having a scary moment on the last lap. Both types of karts run similar lap times, but what the Animal karts lack in straight line speed, they make up for in the corners. When he approached a group of the Yamaha karts at the entrance to Turn 3 on the last lap, Henry had to check way up and got sideways. The kart behind him got sideways also, went up on two wheels, and did a gentle roll on top of him. Henry calmly got out of the kart and rolled him off, and after checking to make sure he was okay, proceeded on his way. The second heat was much like the first except for the scary moment. Even though Bryce had had their engine builder look at his engine, the problem persisted. They gave it another try in the feature, but Bryce again had an engine problem. Henry enjoyed his experience, but would have enjoyed it more had Bryce been able to race with him.

NEXT RACE – Between all of the extra work we made for ourselves and the fact that I have been hoping to make Henry’s and Conor’s rear tires last the remainder of the season, it is no wonder that we had a less-than spectacular day on Saturday. Even with Laura’s ever-present help and the help of some visiting friends, it was a handful. With only the best nine of twelve finishes counting, all three of the boys’ positions in the championship have been decided now (Conor having clinched the championship), so no harm was done. I will think seriously next time about letting anyone run two classes on top of what is already a busy day for us on race days. The next race, which is next Sunday, October 2, would be our fourth on four consecutive weekends. Because of this, our tire situation, and the poor handling on Saturday of some poor sportsmanship issues between some of the other parents in Conor’s class, we are thinking about giving it a miss (Peter also has a soccer game on Sunday and his team is short-handed). Watch this space…

Bill

MSOKC Race No. 2 (rescheduled) - September 18, 2005 - Three Deuces

Originally sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2005 1:44 PM

NEWS - The second of our four races on consecutive weekends was this past Sunday, which was a make-up for a race that was snowed-out on April 24. There was a fairly light turnout for this race, and some participants who have their position in the championship already decided were giving the class in which they will race next year a try.

PRACTICE - For Peter, we decided to try a smaller diameter restrictor plate in the Briggs Intek engine with an even lower gear ratio. In practice, his lap times were off by several seconds. When we put the larger diameter restrictor plate back in, his lap times were still off a bit, so we went back the higher gear ratio too, which put him back in the ball park. Conor, knowing that he had the championship locked up, took a relaxed approach to practice, but still recorded reasonable lap times. We negotiated a deal for Henry that allowed him to have a test drive in the spare kart of Adam Roberts, who has the championship in Henry's class locked up, which is for sale. Even though the track was somewhat damp from the morning fog, he recorded lap times that were nearly as fast as his race laps from the weekend before. He then practiced in he own kart, and while his lap times were reasonable, we decided to extend the deal and have Henry use Adam's kart for the rest of the day. Adam had been invited by another team to give a different class a try on Sunday, which freed up Ed (Adam's dad) to work with Henry.

ROOKIE BOX - Peter's class only had four participants. He started his heat races from the second and third positions, respectively. He led the first heat until about mid-way, his longest stint at the front, and finished second. He also led briefly at the mid-way point in the second heat, after having made one pass and then benefiting from an off-course excursion, but finished second. In the feature, Peter started from the second position. He made another great start and was in the lead by Turn 2. On Lap 2, he fell to second, which is where he finished.

JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II - Conor made very conservative starts in both of his heat races. In the first, starting from third (of six), he dropped to fourth at the start. He worked his way through the field during the first few laps. By the end of Lap 2, he was up to second, but the kart in front of him had established quite a lead. He set out after her recording lap times of 50.25, 50.13, 50.05, and 49.62 seconds, the latter of which was a personal best by over 0.4 sec. This brought him to within a kart-length at the end. He started his second heat in fourth with his main rival, who had started on the pole in the first heat, behind him. He maintained his position at the start and began working his way through the field. He was in the lead and pulling away by the end of Lap 2. He went on to win comfortably, recording another sub-50 second lap in the process. He and his main rival had split heat race wins, but she had drawn a lower number at registration, so she started the feature on the pole with Conor on the outside. At the start, she brought the field around too fast for the flagman's liking twice. On the third attempt, one of the corner workers waived a yellow flag in Tune 10, which caught some of the participants, including Conor, off guard. Even though the field was not lined up, the flagman through the green flag anyway. Conor was able to maintain his position, but had no opportunity to challenge in Turn 1. He was able to catch up and apply pressure by the end of Lap 1, however. He made a great run through Turn 4 on Lap 2 and was able to make the pass at the end of the long straight-away. I suspected that he might be able to pull away, but this was not the case. The two leaders ran nose to tail, although Conor later reported that he did not know that she was so close. He may not have been pushing as hard as he could have, and this eventually caught up with him. In Turn 10 of the last lap, after his engine had sputtered a bit in Turn 9, he took his regular line as opposed to a defensive one. She was able to pull alongside and make the pass. Conor was disappointed, but a good lesson was learned.

JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED - Henry and I both learned a lot by working with the Roberts' on Sunday. Prior to the first heat, and in between every race, Ed put the kart (with Henry in it) on the corner scales and made adjustments. We borrow corner scales a couple of time per season to scale our karts. Between this extra attention to detail and the nature of Adam's spare kart, which seems to be better suited to Henry's class and driving style, he did reasonably well on Sunday. He started the first heat in the back (fifth of five). He decided to line up behind the outside row, which contained the faster karts in the class. At the start, the three on the outside 'freight-trained' (went past nose-to-tail) the two on the inside, which put Henry in third by Turn 3. He made a good run through Turn 4 on Lap 2 and was able to move into second at the end of the long straight-away, which is where he finished. Starting from the pole in Heat 2, he maintained his position at the start and led for a lap before getting passed by the eventual winner on Lap 2. He ran his fastest lap of the day on the next lap, 48.54 seconds, which is still several tenths slower than his personal best in his own kart set earlier in the season. Henry started the feature from outside the from row. There is often an advantage to this, as if you can go through Turns 1 and 2 side-by-side with the pole sitter, this puts you on the inside for the tight Turn 3. At the start, this is exactly what Henry was able to do. The pole sitter refused to concede the position in Turn 3, however. So they went through Turn 3 side-by-side. When they went through Turn 4 side-by side (I was holding my breath by this point), Henry was on the outside, and it was he who had to concede. The top three separated themselves a bit over the next few laps and finished in that order.

NEXT RACE - As a team, we collected more points on Sunday than any other race so far. We did benefit from the light turnout, however. We also learned a bit. Henry did well in Adam's kart, but in terms of results, no better that he might have done in his own kart. The next race is Saturday, September 24, 2005, which is the final night race of the season. Henry's and Conor's karts both seem to handle better in cooler conditions. Maybe we'll finally get some of those on Saturday.

Bill

MSOKC Race No. 11 - September 11, 2005 - Three on the Podium Again/The Clincher

Originally sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 2:19 PM

NEWS - This past Sunday was the first of four races on consecutive weekends for Bruce Brothers Racing - two regularly scheduled and two weather-related make ups. In the three week break since our previous race, we had Henry’s engine rebuilt and acquired some new gears for our new-generation Briggs Intek engine testing program for Peter.

PRACTICE - Henry’s engine arrived on Friday, and he had a Cross-Country meet on Saturday, so the first chance we had to run his rebuilt engine was Sunday morning. I had him take it easy at first and then work his way up to speed. We left Conor's kart pretty much the way it was from the previous race, and he was on the pace immediately in practice. We ran the Intek engine on Peter's kart again on Sunday using a restrictor plate that is a bit smaller in diameter than the one we ran in the previous race (0.390 in. as opposed to 0.406 in.). By reducing the gear ratio during practice, we were able to make up the difference in performance - and more. Peter's lap times were a bit better than before, but he ran dead-even with the other karts in his class down the back straightaway.

ROOKIE BOX - Peter started his first heat race from outside the front row. He made a great start and was in the lead in Turn 1. There was a bit of contact between several of the karts in Turn 3, which allowed Peter and the pole sitter to get away from the field. He ran in the lead for two laps before getting passed. He ran in second until the checkered flag, equaling his best finish ever and recording his personal best lap time in the process (56.63 seconds). In the second heat, starting from the fourth position (of five), he maintained his position at the start. He benefited by an off-course excursion by one of the karts in front of him and finished third. Starting from outside the front row in the feature, he hesitated a bit in Turn 1 but maintained his position. He ran in second for several laps before being caught up and passed by one of the faster karts in his class. He ran there to the finish earning his second podium finish in a row.

JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II - Conor had a difficult first heat. Starting from the fifth position (of 6), he was squeezed off in Turn 1, dropped two wheels off the track, and fell to sixth. While attempting to pass a slower kart between Turns 6 and 7 on Lap 1, the slower kart moved in a direction that Conor was not anticipating and the two karts became momentarily entangled. By the time Conor got going again, he was about half a lap down to the leaders. He had caught and passed two other karts by Lap 4 and was catching the second place kart by the end, but had to settle for third. In the second heat, starting from second, he maintained his position at the start, then made a pass for the lead on the back straightaway. He ran unopposed to the checkered flag, equaling his personal best lap time in the process (50.05 seconds). His heat race finishes were good enough for an outside-front-row starting position for the feature. At the start, the flagman waived the green flag later than usual. Conor was still on the gas (methanol, actually), but the pole sitter backed off momentarily, which allowed Conor into the lead in Turn 1. He pulled out about a kart-length lead or so in the next few turns. By the end of the first lap, the two leaders were nose to tail, however. They ran that way for most of the race, with Conor able to pull away a bit between Turns 1 and 5, only to have his competitor close back in between Turns 6 and 10. He was able to hold her off, however, recording another feature race win (eight of nine this season).

JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED - The start of Henry's first heat race was a lot like Peter's. From his position outside the front row, he made a great start and was in the lead in Turn 1. He ran there for several laps before being caught and passed by the two fastest karts in his class. He faded a bit towards the end, he was also caught by another kart. He was able to hold on until a slight mistake in Turn 4 on the last lap allowed this other kart to pass on the long straightaway. For Henry's second heat, we made a gear ratio change along with a chassis adjustment. He started from the fourth position, and while the front-runners were able to get away, Henry was latched onto the bumper of the kart in front of him. He was getting through Turn 4 a bit better and had a bit more speed down the long straightaway, which enable him to make the pass on Lap 3. He could not get away, however, and in Turn 9 on the last lap, the trailing kart made a bonsai move down the inside. There was significant contact which caused both karts to half-spin, but Henry got going again first and was able to make it to the checkered flag in third. The race officials had a few words with the other driver about the bonsai move in Turn 9. We made yet another gear change for the feature. Henry started in third and ran there comfortably to the finish earning his second podium finish in a row.

NEXT RACE - The next race is Sunday, September 18 (the day before Conor's 13th birthday). For Peter, we will give a 0.375 in. diameter restrictor plate another try with an even lower gear ratio. We will also continue searching for the proper gear ratio and chassis setup for Henry. For Conor, since this was the ninth race of the 12-race season, and only the best nine races count for the championship, it is not possible for his closest competitor to make up enough points to catch him. So, Congratulations Conor - 2005 MSOKC Junior Sportsman II Champion!!!

Bill

MSOKC Race No. 10 - August 20, 2005 - Three on the Podium

Originally sent: Thursday, August 25, 2005 4:18 PM

NEWS - This past Saturday, Circleville Raceway Park hosted another Mid State of Ohio Kart Club night race. During the two week break since the previous race, we acquired some wider rims and tested a reserve engine for Henry, tested a reserve engine for Conor while his race engine was being rebuilt, and made plans for some additional testing of a new generation Rookie Box class engine for Peter. During a mid-week practice session with Henry and Conor, the wider rims for Henry seemed to have the desired effect and the reserve engine proved to be stronger than his race engine. We decided that the reserve engine for Conor would do in a pinch, but were holding out hope for better results with his rebuilt race engine. We also installed a different restrictor plate in the Briggs and Stratton Intek engine which Peter has been asked to test. The weather forecast, which called for a 70% chance of thunder storms ("some severe"), seemed to have affected the turnout on Saturday, as there were quite a few regulars missing. We again had visitors on Saturday - Laura's brother Mathew and his family from California, who scheduled their visit so that they could see Bruce Brothers Racing in action.

PRACTICE - Conor's race engine arrived on Friday, so we set out for the track early on Saturday to break it in and for Peter to test the Intek engine. After a few warm up laps, it became apparent that our engine builder, SRD Racing, had once again done a great job with Conor's engine. The smaller restrictor plate that we were given for Peter to try in the Intek engine resulted in lap times that were about 3 to 4 seconds off of his regular pace. We had some extra time, so we decided to try the larger restrictor plate one more time. When we did, his lap times were right on pace with his regular lap times. During the first of his regular class practices, the other karts were getting away from Peter on the long straight away, so we made a gear change which had the desired effect. I had the other Rookie Box dads watch Peter during their regular class practices, and everyone agreed that it would be okay to let him run the Intek engine in the race. During Conor's regular class practices, his lap times were about half a second faster than the best in his class. Henry struggled a bit during practice with an engine that was bogging in the left hand corners. We overcame this with a carburetor jet change, but that did not leave much time for fine tuning his chassis.

ROOKIE BOX - Peter's class was the first one out on Saturday. He started his first heat race from the fourth position (of 5). He was able to get by one kart at the start and settled into third place. He ran there comfortably until the end. Just after the checkered flag flew, the wind picked up and then the rain came. It only lasted for 20 minutes or so, but the proceedings were interrupted for about an hour while the track was dried (more on that later). Starting from outside the front row in his second heat, Peter made a great start and took the lead in Turn 3. He led for nearly two laps, but it was apparent that he was holding up two of the faster karts. As has been the case in the past, when they did get around him, Peter's lap times improved by about a second a lap. He again finished a comfortable third. In the feature, starting from third, he held his position at the start and ran there to the finish. For his effort, Peter collected his first podium finish and earned his first kart racing trophy. Way to go Peter!

JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II - Conor's first heat race was not long after the proceedings resumed following the rain. The track was still quite damp, so the starter allowed them to run an entire warm up lap as opposed to their usual warm-up around the small oval between Turns 10 and 1. Conor lined up on the outside of the front row (of 5). He held his position at the start and went through Turn 3 in second. The leader went wide on the damp track at the exit of Turn 4, which allowed Conor to pass. Over the course of the next four turns, he pulled out about a six kart-length lead. This did not last, however, as he spun on the exit of Turn 8. Everyone got by and Conor lost about half a lap getting going again. Over the next few laps, on a drying track, he caught and passed one kart. On the white flag lap, he caught the three leaders who were still bunched up in a pack. He tried to make a pass on the outside of Turn 10 but was not given enough room and finished fourth. He started his second heat from the fourth position. He made three well executed passes during Laps 2 and 3 and cruised to an easy win. In the feature, starting again from outside the front row, Conor went side-by-side with the pole sitter through Turns 1 and 2, which put him on the inside for the tight Turn 3 and allowed him to take the lead. Over the next two laps, he pulled out about a 10 kart-length lead. His primary competition made her way into second by about this time and began to close the gap. Conor picked up the pace a bit and his lead stabilized and then began to grow again. His last lap was his fastest of the day. Conor was able to collect his seventh feature race win of eight starts this season.

JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED - By the time Henry's first heat race got underway, the track was almost completely dry. He started both of his heat races from the third position (of 5). In both heats, he made good starts and ran with the leaders initially, but then faded. He also had a spin in his second heat and had to come from the rear. He finished both heats in third. Between heats, we discovered that one of his disc brake pads was sticking. With the help of our good friends Ed and Adam Roberts, we were able to partially correct this problem, but this certainly contributed to his inability to keep up with the leaders. He started his feature race in third and again ran with the leaders initially. He had another small spin but did not loose a position and finished third. As an indication of how competitive Henry's class is, Adam, who is the runaway points leader in the class, won the World Karting Association Gold Cup Grand National race at Badger Raceway in Wisconsin the weekend before, and Zakk, Henry's other main rival in the class actually beat Adam in the second heat. We made some progress on Henry's chassis setup during the course of the day (he is no longer getting up on two wheels) and we have decided to have his race engine rebuilt for the remaining four races of the season. We will also replace his unevenly worn brake pads with new ones, which seems to be the source of his brake problem. We hope to have Henry running with Adam and Zakk again soon.

NEXT RACE - Saturday was the first time for us to have all three boys on the podium. It was nice to have this happen while family was visiting. The rain also made for an interesting day of racing. Conor enjoyed the experience of racing on a damp track, even though he did have a spin while leading. My favorite part was when there was an invitation for anyone with a spare vehicle to run some laps to help dry the track out. I borrowed my mom's Honda Civic and did about 20 laps. We have the next two weekends off, after which we have four races in a row - two regularly scheduled and two weather-related make ups. The next race is Sunday, September 11.

Bill

MSOKC Race No. 5 - Saturday, June 4, 2005 - Three for Three

Originally sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2005 4:15 PM

NEWS - This past Saturday was Mid State of Ohio Kart Club's first night race of the 2005 season. The weather was oppressively hot and humid at mid-day when we arrived, so we were thankful that the majority of the day's activities would occur during the evening. A good friend of ours, Mike Fagan at Full Automotive (3334 W. Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43204 - 614-279-8988), loaned us a chassis and engine for Henry to try, which he thought would improve his performance. Henry's existing chassis, which is an older Coyote Wide Track just like Conor's, is well suited for Conor and his class (265 lbs and restrictor plate engines) but does not seem to perform as well in Henry's class (310 lbs and unrestricted engines). We spent most of Friday evening getting Mike's kart prepared, so the first chance Henry had to try it was on Saturday.

PRACTICE - We arrived early enough for Henry to take part in the open practice session that precedes the regular class practices for Saturday evening races. During his first run, it became apparent that there was some engine/clutch set-up issues that needed to be taken care of (carburetor jetting, clutch engagement speed, etc.), as his lap times were several seconds off of his normal pace. Instead of dealing with these, we decided to switch to his regular engine, which we had brought with us and knew had the right set-up. This would allow us to make a direct comparison between Mike's chassis and Henry's regular one. On his second run, his lap time were comparable to his normal pace. These improved a bit during the regular class practices, but were never substantially faster than he had run before. Conor was on the pace immediately during his regular practices (his final three laps were within 0.02 seconds of each other), and Peter took his time working up to his normal pace (as usual).

JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED - Henry drew the fourth starting position (of six) for his first heat race. He made a fantastic start and moved up to second by Turn 3. He moved into the lead on lap two with an unlikely pass in Turn 1 which was set up by a strong run through Turn 9. He was later passed by the eventual winner but easily finished second. He started third (of six) in the second heat, and again made a fantastic start. He followed the pole-sitter (and eventual winner) through the first turn and was in second again by Turn 3. He ran there to the finish. Henry was excited about his heat race performances as, in both, he finished two spots in front of the driver with whom he is tied in the championship – a potential eight point advantage. Starting from the second position in the feature, he maintained his position at the start while the eventual winner disappeared into the distance. Even though his lap times were similar to his heat race lap times, he had two competitors close on his tail in the opening laps. He was able to hold them off until about lap six (of eight). A slight mistake in Turn 10 allowed the kart behind Henry to get a nose underneath him going into Turn 1. This forced Henry wide on the exit and both karts were able to get through. By finishing fourth, he lost all of the potential eight point advantage he stood to gain and is again tied for second in the championship. The borrowed chassis experiment seemed to work well during the heat of the day, but when the sun went down prior to the feature, Henry may have done better with his usual chassis, which tends to work well in cooler conditions.

JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II - Conor started his first heat race from the second position (of seven). He made a good start and was in the lead by Turn 3. He then motored away into the distance. On lap four, I began to give him the 'way out front' signal from my position in the observation tower, but he didn't seem to be paying attention. He turned his fastest lap of the year (50.52) on lap five (of six). He started his second heat race from the fifth position. At the start, Conor saw an opportunity to gain two positions in Turn 1 by splitting two of the karts in front of him. Unfortunately, another kart was trying to make a move on the inside of one of the two karts Conor was trying to pass. Conor was pushed into a 180 degree spin and came to a complete stop while the rest of the field roared away. He was able to get headed in the right direction again and set out after the pack. By lap two, he began picking them off one by one. By lap five, he was up to second (one of the other moms told me later that she had to remind Laura to breathe during all of this). On his final lap (50.61), he had the leader in his sights but finished second. A first and a second earned him the pole position for the feature. He made a good start and again motored away into the distance, recording his third feature race win in three events. He also extended his championship lead by 20 points. Conor has come close on several occasions, but the perfect 160 point day (40 for each of the two heat races and 80 for the feature) has eluded him. This was the closest he has come.

ROOKIE BOX - Peter started his first heat race from the pole (of seven). The second place starter passed Peter in Turn 1, but Peter was able to maintain second position. He then began to receive pressure from three karts behind him. He was able to hold them off to the finish, however, equaling his best-ever finish. When you start on the pole for one heat race, you start at the rear for the other. He made his way past one kart on lap two. On lap four, he began to apply pressure to a kart driven by a much younger driver (6) who was given special dispensation to be in Peter's class (8-12 year olds). This younger driver has been known to block when being passed (the term 'bumper cars' comes to mind), and that's just what he did when Peter tried to pass him between Turns 7 and 8. I have since reminded the race officials to keep an eye on him in the future. Peter was not able to get around him and finished sixth. His heat race finishes earned him the fourth starting position for the feature (two places ahead of Mr. Bumper Cars). He lost one position at the start while the eventual winner checked out. Peter and the group of three immediately in front of him ran nose to tail for the entire distance. There was some swapping of positions in front of him, but I was very pleased to see Peter keep up with this group. On lap 3, he equaled his best-ever lap of 58.52. It won't be long before Peter earns his first top-three feature race finish.

NEXT RACE - The next race is MSOKC Race No. 6 at Circleville Raceway Park on Sunday, June 19, 2005. We have since returned the chassis we borrowed for Henry, but Mike wants to do some fine tuning and have Henry try it again. We're going to think about it. Peter will have new tires for the next race. We're going to leave Conor's kart just the way it is...

Bill

MSOKC Race No. 8 - July 30, 2005 - A Pair of Deuces

Originally sent: Thursday, August 04, 2005 3:12 PM

NEWS - Henry and Conor participated in MSOKC Race No. 8 this past Saturday. Peter sat this one out while recovering from a gash to the back of his head that he managed to get while we were on vacation (he and Henry were wrestling). The race on Saturday was supposed to be an evening event. When we arrived at the track, we learned that the proprietor, Steve Tatman, had suffered a mild stroke that morning. We have since learned that he is expected to make a full recovery, but his absence did necessitate compressing the schedule on Saturday (he is the only one who knows how to work the fragile lighting system). Saturday was also Henry's 16th birthday!

PRACTICE - I had done some maintenance to both Henry's and Conor's karts, so upon our arrival, we decided to take advantage of the open practice session that precedes evening races. Reasonable lap times were recorded, but no significant advances were made. During the organized class practices, Henry's lap times were on par with his main rivals, but Conor's main rival had obviously made a significant advance.

JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED - Henry started his first heat from the sixth position (of seven). The slowest kart in his class elected to keep his outside front row starting position. When the green flag flew, the outside row of karts dove under the slower kart in Turn 1. By Turn 2, several karts were in a tangle. Henry managed to get through without too much damage, but the heat was red-flagged in order to clear the track. At the restart, there was a similar incident in Turn 2, but this time everyone managed to keep going. In the scramble between Turns 2 and 3, Henry managed to squeeze by everyone into the lead. He lead for several laps but was passed by the eventual winner on Lap 3. He held on to finish second. In his second heat, starting from the second position, he made a great start and was in the lead again by Turn 3. Both he and the second place kart were passed by the eventual winner at the end of the long straightaway leading to Turn 5. The kart behind Henry managed to get by on the next lap, but Henry was able to return the favor on the lap after that. Henry was able to hold the other kart off for the next lap or so, but Henry eventually finished third. Henry's heat race finishes earned him the third starting position for the feature. He followed the pole sitter through Turns 1 and 2 and established himself in second between Turns 3 and 4. By mid distance, the top three has separated themselves from each other and the rest of the pack. The fourth place kart eventually made his way into third and began to close in on Henry, but was stopped by a broken chain on the white flag lap. Henry cruised home to his best feature race finish of the year (second). Not a bad result for the birthday boy.

JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II - Conor started from the fifth position (of six) in his first heat race. He was able to pick off one kart at the start, another in Turn 9 on the first lap, and another between Turns 7 and 8 on lap 3, bringing him up to second. His main rival, who had started on the front row, had gotten away by then, so second is where he finished. Because of the compressed schedule, we just about missed getting Conor to the grid for his second heat. After being paged on the public address system, we got him there just as engines were being fired up. Starting from the pole, he was passed going into Turn 1. He ran second for a lap before he was able to get by into the lead. Over the next few laps, he extended his lead while recording some reasonable lap times. By Lap 4 (of 6), he was caught by his main rival, who had started from the rear. He was able to hold her off until the end, but just barely (less than a kart length at the end). In the feature, starting from outside the front row, Conor made a great start and was in the lead by Turn 3. I was hoping that if he got into the lead, he would be able to hold off his main rival for the distance. His lead was short lived, however. Be bobbled a bit in Turn 4 on the first lap and his main rival got around him on the long run to Turn 5. The leader disappeared at a rate of about half a second a lap, which is about the rate that Conor was leaving the rest of the field. Like Henry, Conor cruised to a second place finish.

SCCA OVR Points Event No. 1 (re-scheduled) - We also decided to try our first 'double header' last weekend. After a long day at the track on Saturday, Henry and Conor decided that they wanted to participate in another SCCA Solo 2 event. So, on Sunday morning, we packed everything back up and headed for the parking lot at Cooper Stadium. The morning was spent converting both karts over to SCCA configuration (tire and gear changes, removing Conor's restrictor plate, etc.). During the first few runs of the first heat, which was to include the karts, it became apparent that there was a problem with the timing system. After a long delay, it was announced that the problem was insurmountable and that the event would be run as a non-points 'fun' event with no official timing. This was a big disappointment for the boys, as they were hoping to participate in enough points events to be eligible for the championship. This would have necessitated at least another double header, but the problems on Sunday put an end to those hopes. The boys made their un-timed runs anyway and had fun doing so.

NEXT RACE - The next MSOKC race is a Sunday, August 7. I sent Conor's engine back to our engine builder, SRD Racing (http://www.pghdirectory.com/srdracing/) on Monday (UPS Next Day Air) for a freshen up and ordered some clutch parts for him. The new clutch parts arrived and have been installed, but UPS seems to be having trouble with Conor's engine. They misdirected it on the way to the engine builder, which resulted in it arriving a day too late for the work to take place. The engine builder sent it back without opening it, but UPS misdirected it again. As of now (Thursday afternoon), we are just hoping that it arrives in time for the next race. If it doesn't show up tomorrow, we're going to have some scrambling to do. For Sunday, I have a few setup changes to try that I hope will be beneficial to both Henry and Conor. The five surgical staples that Peter received in the Emergency Room in Kansas City came out on Monday, so he should be ready to go on Sunday, too. Practice starts at 10:30 and the green flag falls at Noon. In the mean time our thoughts and prayers are with Steve Tatman and his family.

Bill

MSOKC Race No. 7 - July 17, 2005 - Five for Five

Originally sent: Monday, July 18, 2005 10:42 AM

NEWS - Just a quick report before we head off for a much needed summer vacation. Yesterday was Race No. 7 (the fifth race after two weather related postponements) for Mid State of Ohio Kart Club. We made few changes for Conor and Peter, but for Henry, we tossed his setup out the window and went back to square one.

PRACTICE - The track was damp in the morning after some overnight showers. Conor and Peter both did fine in practice, but I was anxious to see how Henry would do with his new setup. His lap times were reasonable, which eased my mind a bit. His new setup appears to be a better place from which to improve than his previous setup.

JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED - Henry started his first heat race from mid pack (third of seven). He maintained his position at the start but got passed at about mid distance and finished fourth. Henry decided to make a few minor chassis adjustments for Heat 2. Starting from fourth, he gained a position at the start. On the back straightaway on Lap 1, he made a pass for the lead at the same time both he and an the kart he was passing were overtaken by the eventual winner (three wide!). He eventually was passed again and finished a strong third, which was very encouraging. In the feature, he lined up fourth. On the formation lap, it became evident that the had an engine problem. As the green flag flew, he was left behind with a sputtering engine. He kept his cool and began adjusting his carburetor on the move. After several adjustments throughout the course of the first lap (of eight) he was back up to speed but about half a lap down. He began picking off some of the slower karts and was making a move for fourth when he was badly blocked. This allowed the kart he had passed for fifth to re-pass Henry. At the next corner (Turn 6), Henry was re-passing for fifth when the kart he was passing tried to close the door. Henry's right rear wheel got caught in front of the other karts left rear wheel and both were stationary for several seconds. Henry got going first, and after both were put a lap down by the leaders, Henry finished fifth. There was some confusion about the finishing order as the result of Henry and the sixth place kart being a lap down. We had to argue our case about Henry being in front of the kart that caused the incident in Turn 6, and eventually both were awarded fifth place points for the feature. That left us with a somewhat empty feeling, but the more disturbing aspect of Henry's feature race was his engine problem. Henry reported that he had to screw the needle valve on his carburetor in a full two and a half turns before his engine would run properly. The only way for this to have been so far out of adjustment was for someone to have tampered with it. I'd like to think that, while Henry's kart was sitting unattended in the grid area, like it often is when Henry is helping me with one of the other boys, some little kid inadvertently screwed it out (it consists of a slotted screw with a nickel attached to it). If that wasn't the case, we have some serious sportsmanship issues to deal with in Henry's class.

JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II - Conor started on the pole (of seven) in his first heat race. He made a good start, led every lap, and won by a comfortable margin. He started from sixth in Heat 2. When he got to Turn 3, several karts were spinning and one actually went over top of another. This brought out the red flag. There were no serious injuries and everyone made it back to the grid for the restart. The two primary karts that were involved in the incident were made to start from the rear, which moved Conor up to fourth. He maintained his position at the start and on Lap 2, made a great pass in Turn 9. Two laps later, he repeated the move in Turn 9 and was up to second. He drew up along side the lead kart on the last lap, but backed off and settled for second. He started the feature from the pole and made a good start. He had a bit more trouble opening up a gap than he has had recently, but by Lap 3, led comfortably. He went on to record his fifth feature race in a row.

ROOKIE BOX - Peter developed a large case of apprehension prior to the start of his first heat. I was supportive of him sitting this one out, but after a pep talk with his mom, he came running to the grid just as engines were being fired. He started mid pack in both of his heat races and fell back a bit with an engine that I was having trouble adjusting to suit the hot and humid conditions. In the feature, starting fifth (of seven), he did much better after I finally got his engine performing up to par. He dropped a position at the start but made it back up on the first lap. He ran fifth for the remainder of the feature, right behind the pack that was contesting second place. He lowered his personal best lap time again in the feature to 57.67 seconds.

NEXT RACE - The next MSOKC race is a Saturday afternoon event on July 30 (Henry's birthday!). In the mean time, we're off to Kansas City to visit family and then to Iowa for some time at the cabin.

Bill