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