Originally sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 10:35 PM
NEWS – Race No. 8 of the 2006 Mid State of Ohio Kart Club season was another one with a bit of a twist – timed qualifying as opposed to heat races. The format involved two practice sessions, then a five lap qualifying session (40 points available), followed by a six lap heat race (40 points available), and then a 10 lap feature (80 points available). The results of qualifying set the starting order for the heat race and the finishing order from the heat race set the order for the feature. We left well enough alone again with Peter's kart, Conor had a larger diameter restrictor plate to try in the Briggs Animal engine, and Henry had new rear tires and (another) new nose. Henry also got new brake pads during the course of the day.
PRACTICE – Peter was in the low 58 second range from the get-go, which was a good place for him to start the day. With the larger diameter restrictor plate, Conor dropped about a second from his lap times from the previous race, which we hoped would be enough to have him compete where he usually does. With his new rear tires, Henry got into the 44 second range for the first time ( 44.92). He missed his second practice, however, when it took us longer than anticipated to replace the four pads in his dual caliper rear brake setup.
ROOKIE BOX – Peter's class was the first to take to the track for the qualifying session. We had positioned his kart near the front of the grid so that he would go out early in hopes of not getting stuck behind a slower kart. Peter ended up going out second. The race director did his best to space the karts out on the track, but after the first full lap, the kart that had gone out first caught up with the last kart and got only one clean lap. Peter got two clean laps. When the session was over, Peter had qualified on the front row – second out of the eight karts in his class that day – with a 57.27, which is 0.1 from his personal best. In his heat race, he tucked in behind the pole sitter through Turn 1. He ran second until Lap 3, when he was passed going into Turn 1. He recorded a personal best lap time of 57.12 on Lap 5 and finished third. Starting third in the feature, he followed the pole sitter into second in Turn 1. In Turn 3, the pole sitter had a lazy spin, which put Peter in the lead. He led for two laps before succumbing to the pressure from behind at the end of the back straightaway. Peter was able keep pressure on the new leader, and two laps later, he had a lazy spin in Turn 4. This put Peter in the lead by a significant margin. The two spinners got going again, but Peter cruised to an easy first feature race win with a string of laps in the low 57 second range. Way to go Peter!!
JR. UNRESTRICTED – With only five karts in Conor's class, I wasn't concerned about him getting clean laps, so I also had him line up second. He qualified second with a lap of 49.05, which is still a bit slower that he has gone with his unrestricted Raptor. But second is probably where he would have qualified with his Raptor, so we were pleased. In the heat race, starting second, Conor made the most of the better torque of the Animal and ran side-by-side with the pole sitter through Turns 1 and 2. He settled into second, but soon came under pressure from the third place kart. While the Animal engine with this restrictor plate seems to run about the same lap times as the unrestricted Raptor, the terminal speed of the Raptor is a bit better. The kart behind Conor almost got the best of him at the end of the back straightaway on several occasions, but Conor managed to hold on to finish second. If the Raptor is faster in a straight line, the additional torque of the Animal makes it quicker coming out of the corners, which was the theme in Conor's feature race. The first few laps were a carbon copy of the heat race – side-by-side with the pole sitter through Turns 1 and 2 again and then pressure from behind. This time, the kart behind Conor managed to get around him at the end of the back straightaway on Lap 6. Through the next few corners, Conor was all over the kart in front of him. He got a good run through Turn 9 and made an outside-in move in Turn 10. And it almost worked. About mid-way through, Conor ran out of room and made contact when the other kart closed the door. Both spent a brief moment on two wheels. Both kept going but Conor got the better end of the deal. Conor received a warning the next time around (a rolled black flag) and went on to finish second. After the race, Conor apologized to the other driver, who agreed that it was nothing more than a racing incident ("…just one of them racin' deals" as they would say in NASCAR).
80cc SHIFTER – Of the karts in his class, Henry's lap times are at the sharp end of the spectrum when he's running well. Based on this, we had high hopes for his ability to do well under the timed qualifying format. His class, which consisted of 14 karts again on Sunday, was divided into two groups for qualifying – a faster and a slower group. We lined Henry up so that he would go out in the second half of the faster group. Based on what I was measuring on my stopwatch, his lap time were good but not quite as good as in his single practice session. This turned out to be a moot point, however. When Henry came through the scale house after exiting the track, we noticed that I had forgotten to move the single transponder that we own from Conor's kart to Henry's kart – Duh! Henry was not pleased, as this resulted in him qualifying last – behind the eight ball again. Starting 14th out of 14 in his heat race, he finally made a good start. We had worked on this in our driveway the day before (much to the chagrin of our neighbors, I'm sure). He made two passes at the start and a couple more along the way, and finished 10th. His new brakes must not have been seated in yet, because his lap times were still not as good as his practice times. In the feature, starting from 10th he made another great start, getting around two karts by Turn 1. There was a pile-up in Turn 4 of the first lap and Henry got caught up in it, damaging his new nose and stalling his engine. Since there was nobody behind him, he was able to give himself a push start and got going again. He seemed to be running better, as he caught and passed several karts and recorded several laps in the high 44 second range again. This included another personal best of 44.70. We vowed to never again to forget the transponder.
NEXT RACE – Peter again provided the highlight of our day with his first win. There was a professional photographer at the track on Sunday, and we ponied-up the cash for an 8 by 10 of him in action to commemorate the occasion. Our next race is a non-championship event – the Commercial Point Grand Prix – which is August 5-6, 2006. This is a street race through the town of Commercial Point, Ohio, which benefits the Jackson Township Fireman's Association. There are classes for Conor and Henry, but not for Peter. Qualifying races are on Saturday beginning at 3:30 PM. The results set the starting order for the feature races on Sunday, which get underway at 1:00 PM.
Bill
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
MSOKC Race No. 7 - July 15, 2006
Originally sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 1:52 AM
NEWS - The second night race of the 2006 Mid State of Ohio Kart Club season was a week ago Saturday. The biggest change we made from the previous race was a radically different engine on Conor's kart. The existing engine that his class uses - the Briggs Raptor - is based on ancient technology - pushrod valves. On the national level, this class is moving toward an overhead valve engine - the Briggs Animal. We received permission from the club to experiment with an Animal that we borrowed from a proponent of this engine with the goal of finding a restrictor plate size that would give equal performance to the un-restricted Raptor. An important aspect of our request was that Conor could still earn points toward the championship. During a test session between races, we found a restrictor plate that resulted in lap times that were similar to, but a bit slower than, his previous lap times. We thought with some additional tuning we could make up the difference. Henry had new front tires for this race, and since Peter set his personal best lap time at the previous race, we decided to leave well enough alone with his kart.
PRACTICE - All three boys practiced well. Peter got into the low 58 second range, and with his new front tires, Henry got into the mid 45 range. Conor's best lap was a 50.48, which is about a second or so slower that his normal practice session times. This would be a recurring theme throughout the day.
ROOKIE BOX - Peter started his first heat from the pole position. He brought the field around slowly, as he is supposed to do. When the green flag flew, the third place starter had already begun to accelerate and was on the inside of Peter before the starting line. Peter had to go wide into Turn 1, which let the second place starter through as well. These three quickly separated themselves from the others (six in all). Peter never let the two in front of him get away and somehow managed to set the fastest lap of the race - a 57.17, which is another new personal best for him. These three finished in that order. In the second heat, starting from third, he maintained his position at the start. The same three began to pull away again, but this time Peter was able to make a pass for second on Lap 2 entering Turn 5. This lasted only a lap however, as he was re-passed and finished third. Under the lights in the feature, Peter started from third again. The first three went through Turn 1 in the order in which they started. There was a pass for the lead at about mid-distance and Peter ran a close third to the finish.
JR. UNRESTRICTED - Conor also started from the pole position for his first heat. He lost one position at the end of the long straightaway on Lap 1 and another at the same place on Lap 2. It became apparent that the Animal engine in this configuration is no match for the unrestricted Raptor. While Conor was able to keep ahead of the remaining competitors (five in all), both his lap times and his top speed were not up to par. We tried a different exhaust header for Conor's second heat, in which he started from the third position. He maintained his position at the start, but gained a position when the second place kart went into Turn 6 a bit too hot on Lap 1 and didn't come out. He finished the race in second. Conor's feature was uneventful. He started third and ran there to the finish. Conor's fastest lap of the day was his last, a 50.20.
80cc SHIFTER - If Peter's and Conor's races were uneventful, Henry's was anything but. A season high 14 karts turned up for this race. We were not able to find time for Henry to practice his starts as we had planned, so I was relieved to see that he had drawn the outside front row starting position for his first heat. He got away reasonably well from the standing start, but did loose two positions in Turn 1. He got moved out of the way by one of the faster karts entering Turn 5 on the first lap, and before he was able to recover, lost a total of four positions. Over the next few laps, he was able to regain three of these and finished fifth. When you start from the front in the first heat, you start from the rear in the second. Henry got away slowly, but since there was nobody behind him it didn't matter. By Lap 3, he had worked his way up to ninth but was stuck behind a slower group who were battling for position among themselves. The kart in front of Henry got a bit sideways in Turn 1 and Henry made a bold move on the inside in Turn 3. Both karts wound up in the grass with engines silent. The curious examination Henry gave the front end of his kart while he waited for the race to finish did not give me a warm feeling. When he got back to the track exit, I could see that he had broken the brand new nose we had put on his kart and punctured one of his brand new front tires. Closer examination also revealed that he took a chunk out of one of his cast magnesium rear wheels. Fortunately we had the parts to put him back together again for the feature. His heat race results earned him another lowly starting position for the feature. He again got bottled up behind a slower group at about mid distance and went off again with another bold move on the inside in Turn 6, which ended his day. If nothing else, Henry learned a lesson about being patient.
NEXT RACE - Peter's personal best lap time was the highlight of our day. In looking at Conor's lap times, we decided that the Animal engine with the restrictor plate we used is about 1 to 1-1/2 seconds slower than the unrestricted Raptor. We were able to figure this out without loosing too many points in the championship, so we decided it was a worthwhile experiment. Conor likes the Animal, so we made plans to ask permission to continue our testing program using a larger diameter restrictor plate. For Henry, we WILL find time for him to practice his starts so that he is less likely to get bottled up behind slower traffic. As I write this, our next race has already happened - it was this past Sunday. I will try to get to the report for that in the next few days. I will also provide information about the upcoming Commercial Point Grand Prix, which is August 5-6, 2006.
Bill
NEWS - The second night race of the 2006 Mid State of Ohio Kart Club season was a week ago Saturday. The biggest change we made from the previous race was a radically different engine on Conor's kart. The existing engine that his class uses - the Briggs Raptor - is based on ancient technology - pushrod valves. On the national level, this class is moving toward an overhead valve engine - the Briggs Animal. We received permission from the club to experiment with an Animal that we borrowed from a proponent of this engine with the goal of finding a restrictor plate size that would give equal performance to the un-restricted Raptor. An important aspect of our request was that Conor could still earn points toward the championship. During a test session between races, we found a restrictor plate that resulted in lap times that were similar to, but a bit slower than, his previous lap times. We thought with some additional tuning we could make up the difference. Henry had new front tires for this race, and since Peter set his personal best lap time at the previous race, we decided to leave well enough alone with his kart.
PRACTICE - All three boys practiced well. Peter got into the low 58 second range, and with his new front tires, Henry got into the mid 45 range. Conor's best lap was a 50.48, which is about a second or so slower that his normal practice session times. This would be a recurring theme throughout the day.
ROOKIE BOX - Peter started his first heat from the pole position. He brought the field around slowly, as he is supposed to do. When the green flag flew, the third place starter had already begun to accelerate and was on the inside of Peter before the starting line. Peter had to go wide into Turn 1, which let the second place starter through as well. These three quickly separated themselves from the others (six in all). Peter never let the two in front of him get away and somehow managed to set the fastest lap of the race - a 57.17, which is another new personal best for him. These three finished in that order. In the second heat, starting from third, he maintained his position at the start. The same three began to pull away again, but this time Peter was able to make a pass for second on Lap 2 entering Turn 5. This lasted only a lap however, as he was re-passed and finished third. Under the lights in the feature, Peter started from third again. The first three went through Turn 1 in the order in which they started. There was a pass for the lead at about mid-distance and Peter ran a close third to the finish.
JR. UNRESTRICTED - Conor also started from the pole position for his first heat. He lost one position at the end of the long straightaway on Lap 1 and another at the same place on Lap 2. It became apparent that the Animal engine in this configuration is no match for the unrestricted Raptor. While Conor was able to keep ahead of the remaining competitors (five in all), both his lap times and his top speed were not up to par. We tried a different exhaust header for Conor's second heat, in which he started from the third position. He maintained his position at the start, but gained a position when the second place kart went into Turn 6 a bit too hot on Lap 1 and didn't come out. He finished the race in second. Conor's feature was uneventful. He started third and ran there to the finish. Conor's fastest lap of the day was his last, a 50.20.
80cc SHIFTER - If Peter's and Conor's races were uneventful, Henry's was anything but. A season high 14 karts turned up for this race. We were not able to find time for Henry to practice his starts as we had planned, so I was relieved to see that he had drawn the outside front row starting position for his first heat. He got away reasonably well from the standing start, but did loose two positions in Turn 1. He got moved out of the way by one of the faster karts entering Turn 5 on the first lap, and before he was able to recover, lost a total of four positions. Over the next few laps, he was able to regain three of these and finished fifth. When you start from the front in the first heat, you start from the rear in the second. Henry got away slowly, but since there was nobody behind him it didn't matter. By Lap 3, he had worked his way up to ninth but was stuck behind a slower group who were battling for position among themselves. The kart in front of Henry got a bit sideways in Turn 1 and Henry made a bold move on the inside in Turn 3. Both karts wound up in the grass with engines silent. The curious examination Henry gave the front end of his kart while he waited for the race to finish did not give me a warm feeling. When he got back to the track exit, I could see that he had broken the brand new nose we had put on his kart and punctured one of his brand new front tires. Closer examination also revealed that he took a chunk out of one of his cast magnesium rear wheels. Fortunately we had the parts to put him back together again for the feature. His heat race results earned him another lowly starting position for the feature. He again got bottled up behind a slower group at about mid distance and went off again with another bold move on the inside in Turn 6, which ended his day. If nothing else, Henry learned a lesson about being patient.
NEXT RACE - Peter's personal best lap time was the highlight of our day. In looking at Conor's lap times, we decided that the Animal engine with the restrictor plate we used is about 1 to 1-1/2 seconds slower than the unrestricted Raptor. We were able to figure this out without loosing too many points in the championship, so we decided it was a worthwhile experiment. Conor likes the Animal, so we made plans to ask permission to continue our testing program using a larger diameter restrictor plate. For Henry, we WILL find time for him to practice his starts so that he is less likely to get bottled up behind slower traffic. As I write this, our next race has already happened - it was this past Sunday. I will try to get to the report for that in the next few days. I will also provide information about the upcoming Commercial Point Grand Prix, which is August 5-6, 2006.
Bill
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
MSOKC Race No. 6 - June 25, 2006
Originally sent: Jun 28, 2006 11:59 PM
NEWS - I am still waiting for the day when we go to the track and have something other than a good time (that sound you hear is me knocking on wood). We faced our share of potential problems this past Sunday during MSOKC Race No. 6, but ended up having an excellent day. For Conor, we continued to have engine difficulties and developed tire trouble, but were able to overcome both of these. Henry continues to have trouble with his standing starts, but this gives him lots of opportunities to practice his passing. He also developed tire trouble. Fortunately, Peter was low maintenance on Sunday and contributed to our excellent day with a personal best lap time.
PRACTICE - We were all a bit rusty from a five week break. There was a three week break scheduled between Race Nos. 4 and 5, and then Race No. 5 was cancelled due to rain. Conor was also less than 100% because of a bug he picked up during his two-week camping tour of New England. His engine was also untested, as it had been rebuilt again following Race No. 4. Peter ran some mediocre lap times on his own in his first practice. I talked to him about pushing a little bit harder, and his lap times improved by almost two seconds in his second practice. Conor complained of understeer during his first practice. We made a few changes, which seemed to help, but not much. Henry was methodical in his two practice sessions, improving on nearly every lap and getting down to a 45.63. He also complained of understeer.
ROOKIE BOX - Peter drew the last starting position (fifth of five) for his first heat. He is not nearly as aggressive as his two brothers and followed the slower karts for four laps without being able to find a way past. On lap 5, he got the job done. His final lap was over 5 seconds faster than his first four and brought him up to the rear of the next kart in line. He finished fourth, however. Starting on the pole for Heat 2, his 'goal' was to lead the first lap (that's our new thing - "Peter, what's your goal for this heat?"). He brought the field around slowly, but got out-gunned going into Turn 1. He followed closely and when the leader went wide in Turn 9, Peter was back in the lead and led the first lap. He led the second lap, too, but then succumbed to the pressure, dropping two positions on Lap 3. He stayed right on the tail of the two leaders to the finish. Starting from fourth in the feature, he made up a spot at the start. He and the two normally-faster karts ran nose to tail for 10 laps. The lead even swapped a couple of times between the two karts in front of Peter, making it a very exciting race. Four of Peter's laps in the feature were better than his previous personal best of 57.67 set using his old chassis during Race No. 9 in August of last season. As with is two heat races, his best lap was his last - a 57.27.
JR. UNRESTRICTED - I was pleased to see five karts turn out for Conor's class on Sunday, even though one of the regulars was missing. Fortunately for Conor, that missing kart - the one he has been unable to beat this season - was off at a Great Lakes Sprint Series event in East Lansing, Michigan. One of the other competitors was last year's champion in this class (Adam Roberts), who has moved on to bigger and better things, but was on hand to warm up for a World Karting Association event in East Lansing next weekend. He was using non-club-spec tires, so would be disqualified at the end of the day. Conor also drew the last starting position for his first heat. He was unable to improve in Turn 1, and as the result of an apparently worsening 'push' (understeer problem), he had difficulty making any headway whatsoever. He managed to make one pass and finished fourth. Back in our pit area, I noticed that the seams in both of his front tires were showing, even though the indicators (tread depth indicators if they had treads, but they're slicks) were still showing. The rules indicate that you cannot change tires during the course of an event without the permission of the Race Director. Fortunately, I had brought a new set of front tires with us on Sunday, and after having a look, the Race Director allowed us to change them on the basis of safety. In the second heat, starting on the pole, Conor got a great start. What happened next is a testament to how bad his front tires were. He told me later that he turned in for Turn 1 where he had been turning in and promptly dropped his two inside wheels into the grass - he was having to compensate that much for his worn front tires. He managed to keep it under control and maintained the lead. He even managed to hold off Adam for a lap and a half, running side-by-side on several occasions and turning a 49.69 in the process. Conor's personal best is a 49.33. After that, he ran a lonely second to the finish. Third is where he started the feature. I was hoping that he could follow the pole-sitter through into second at the start, but this was not the case. The starter on the outside of the front row was the notoriously-difficult-to-pass kart in Conor's class, and he dropped in between Conor and Adam. I had told Conor to be patient if that happened. Even though their lap times were almost two seconds slower that Conor's best from the previous heat, Conor could not get past because of the defensive line used by the slower kart. On the last lap, as the two approached Turn 9, I could see Conor setting up a last-ditch effort to pass. He carried a load of momentum through Turn 9 and went for the inside at the entrance to turn 10. He was far enough along side to claim the corner, but at about mid-way through, the slower kart violently turned in on Conor. Conor kept it going through the exit of Turn 10, however, with just the slightest advantage. Incredibly, the slower kart violently turned in on Conor again on the front straight. Conor did cross the finish line first, but the slower kart received a black flag for his mis-deed earlier in Turn 10 and was disqualified. Since Adam was disqualified for non-spec tires, this handed the win to Conor - his second in a row.
80cc SHIFTER - There were a season high 13 karts in Henry's class on Sunday. He started both heat races near mid-pack. In the first heat, he rolled away quickly from the standing start, but had to check up and lost two positions (seventh to ninth) going into Turn 1. According to the lap times from the previous few races, there are only two or three karts in this class that are faster than Henry. This became apparent as he began to pick them off one by one. His experience in the slower karts, where carrying momentum through the corners is imperative, helps him set up passes at the end of the faster parts of the track - the entrance to Turns 5 and 3 in particular (see http://www.circlevilleraceway.com/ for an aerial view of the track). In six laps, he managed to pass five karts and finish a close fourth. In the second heat, he again timed the start well but lost momentum soon after that, dropping two positions (sixth to eighth) in Turn 1. Frustrated, he didn't get through Turn 4 very well on the first lap and lost two more positions going into Turn 5. He pulled it together after that and began working his way through the field again. By Lap 4, he had made his way up to the fifth position, benefiting from a few off-course excursions by some of his competitors along the way. He was pushing hard and by that time the understeer problem that he had complained about earlier got the best of him and he went wide in Turn 6 and stalled the engine in the grass. His heat race finishes earned him a lowly tenth place starting position for the feature. He managed to hold his position at the start (there were only three karts behind him) and managed to get around a few carts in the opening laps. On Lap 4 while running in the clear, he recoded his fastest lap of the day - a 45.43, which is only a few tenths off of his personal best. He quickly caught up to another group of karts and managed to get by a few of them, too, with two identical passes in Turn 3 on consecutive laps. His fourth place finish equaled his personal best in this class.
NEXT RACE - I was thankful that Peter finally improved his personal best lap time in his new chassis - I was beginning to think we had made a mistake about the switch. I also learned my lesson about being stingy with allocating new tires - I probably owe Conor an apology. Henry will also have new front tires for the next race and we will hopefully be able to find some time for him to practice his starts. We also have an oil leak to sort out on Conor's engine, which plagued us all day on Sunday. It was busy day on Sunday, but an immensely enjoyable one in the end. Our next race is another Saturday evening event - July 15, 2006. In the mean time, I'm home taking care of business (and the dog) while Laura and the boys are in Kansas City visiting family.
Bill
NEWS - I am still waiting for the day when we go to the track and have something other than a good time (that sound you hear is me knocking on wood). We faced our share of potential problems this past Sunday during MSOKC Race No. 6, but ended up having an excellent day. For Conor, we continued to have engine difficulties and developed tire trouble, but were able to overcome both of these. Henry continues to have trouble with his standing starts, but this gives him lots of opportunities to practice his passing. He also developed tire trouble. Fortunately, Peter was low maintenance on Sunday and contributed to our excellent day with a personal best lap time.
PRACTICE - We were all a bit rusty from a five week break. There was a three week break scheduled between Race Nos. 4 and 5, and then Race No. 5 was cancelled due to rain. Conor was also less than 100% because of a bug he picked up during his two-week camping tour of New England. His engine was also untested, as it had been rebuilt again following Race No. 4. Peter ran some mediocre lap times on his own in his first practice. I talked to him about pushing a little bit harder, and his lap times improved by almost two seconds in his second practice. Conor complained of understeer during his first practice. We made a few changes, which seemed to help, but not much. Henry was methodical in his two practice sessions, improving on nearly every lap and getting down to a 45.63. He also complained of understeer.
ROOKIE BOX - Peter drew the last starting position (fifth of five) for his first heat. He is not nearly as aggressive as his two brothers and followed the slower karts for four laps without being able to find a way past. On lap 5, he got the job done. His final lap was over 5 seconds faster than his first four and brought him up to the rear of the next kart in line. He finished fourth, however. Starting on the pole for Heat 2, his 'goal' was to lead the first lap (that's our new thing - "Peter, what's your goal for this heat?"). He brought the field around slowly, but got out-gunned going into Turn 1. He followed closely and when the leader went wide in Turn 9, Peter was back in the lead and led the first lap. He led the second lap, too, but then succumbed to the pressure, dropping two positions on Lap 3. He stayed right on the tail of the two leaders to the finish. Starting from fourth in the feature, he made up a spot at the start. He and the two normally-faster karts ran nose to tail for 10 laps. The lead even swapped a couple of times between the two karts in front of Peter, making it a very exciting race. Four of Peter's laps in the feature were better than his previous personal best of 57.67 set using his old chassis during Race No. 9 in August of last season. As with is two heat races, his best lap was his last - a 57.27.
JR. UNRESTRICTED - I was pleased to see five karts turn out for Conor's class on Sunday, even though one of the regulars was missing. Fortunately for Conor, that missing kart - the one he has been unable to beat this season - was off at a Great Lakes Sprint Series event in East Lansing, Michigan. One of the other competitors was last year's champion in this class (Adam Roberts), who has moved on to bigger and better things, but was on hand to warm up for a World Karting Association event in East Lansing next weekend. He was using non-club-spec tires, so would be disqualified at the end of the day. Conor also drew the last starting position for his first heat. He was unable to improve in Turn 1, and as the result of an apparently worsening 'push' (understeer problem), he had difficulty making any headway whatsoever. He managed to make one pass and finished fourth. Back in our pit area, I noticed that the seams in both of his front tires were showing, even though the indicators (tread depth indicators if they had treads, but they're slicks) were still showing. The rules indicate that you cannot change tires during the course of an event without the permission of the Race Director. Fortunately, I had brought a new set of front tires with us on Sunday, and after having a look, the Race Director allowed us to change them on the basis of safety. In the second heat, starting on the pole, Conor got a great start. What happened next is a testament to how bad his front tires were. He told me later that he turned in for Turn 1 where he had been turning in and promptly dropped his two inside wheels into the grass - he was having to compensate that much for his worn front tires. He managed to keep it under control and maintained the lead. He even managed to hold off Adam for a lap and a half, running side-by-side on several occasions and turning a 49.69 in the process. Conor's personal best is a 49.33. After that, he ran a lonely second to the finish. Third is where he started the feature. I was hoping that he could follow the pole-sitter through into second at the start, but this was not the case. The starter on the outside of the front row was the notoriously-difficult-to-pass kart in Conor's class, and he dropped in between Conor and Adam. I had told Conor to be patient if that happened. Even though their lap times were almost two seconds slower that Conor's best from the previous heat, Conor could not get past because of the defensive line used by the slower kart. On the last lap, as the two approached Turn 9, I could see Conor setting up a last-ditch effort to pass. He carried a load of momentum through Turn 9 and went for the inside at the entrance to turn 10. He was far enough along side to claim the corner, but at about mid-way through, the slower kart violently turned in on Conor. Conor kept it going through the exit of Turn 10, however, with just the slightest advantage. Incredibly, the slower kart violently turned in on Conor again on the front straight. Conor did cross the finish line first, but the slower kart received a black flag for his mis-deed earlier in Turn 10 and was disqualified. Since Adam was disqualified for non-spec tires, this handed the win to Conor - his second in a row.
80cc SHIFTER - There were a season high 13 karts in Henry's class on Sunday. He started both heat races near mid-pack. In the first heat, he rolled away quickly from the standing start, but had to check up and lost two positions (seventh to ninth) going into Turn 1. According to the lap times from the previous few races, there are only two or three karts in this class that are faster than Henry. This became apparent as he began to pick them off one by one. His experience in the slower karts, where carrying momentum through the corners is imperative, helps him set up passes at the end of the faster parts of the track - the entrance to Turns 5 and 3 in particular (see http://www.circlevilleraceway.com/ for an aerial view of the track). In six laps, he managed to pass five karts and finish a close fourth. In the second heat, he again timed the start well but lost momentum soon after that, dropping two positions (sixth to eighth) in Turn 1. Frustrated, he didn't get through Turn 4 very well on the first lap and lost two more positions going into Turn 5. He pulled it together after that and began working his way through the field again. By Lap 4, he had made his way up to the fifth position, benefiting from a few off-course excursions by some of his competitors along the way. He was pushing hard and by that time the understeer problem that he had complained about earlier got the best of him and he went wide in Turn 6 and stalled the engine in the grass. His heat race finishes earned him a lowly tenth place starting position for the feature. He managed to hold his position at the start (there were only three karts behind him) and managed to get around a few carts in the opening laps. On Lap 4 while running in the clear, he recoded his fastest lap of the day - a 45.43, which is only a few tenths off of his personal best. He quickly caught up to another group of karts and managed to get by a few of them, too, with two identical passes in Turn 3 on consecutive laps. His fourth place finish equaled his personal best in this class.
NEXT RACE - I was thankful that Peter finally improved his personal best lap time in his new chassis - I was beginning to think we had made a mistake about the switch. I also learned my lesson about being stingy with allocating new tires - I probably owe Conor an apology. Henry will also have new front tires for the next race and we will hopefully be able to find some time for him to practice his starts. We also have an oil leak to sort out on Conor's engine, which plagued us all day on Sunday. It was busy day on Sunday, but an immensely enjoyable one in the end. Our next race is another Saturday evening event - July 15, 2006. In the mean time, I'm home taking care of business (and the dog) while Laura and the boys are in Kansas City visiting family.
Bill
Sunday, June 18, 2006
MSOKC Race No. 5 - June 10, 2006 - Postponed
Originally sent: Jun 18, 2006 12:56 PM
Bruce Brothers Racing has been out of action for about a month now because of a three week break between Race Nos. 4 and 5, and then a rainout. Race No. 5, which was scheduled for last weekend (June 10), was supposed to be our second Saturday night race of the season. The day began with a constant rain and a prediction for rain all day, becoming heavy in the evening. The MSOKC Board of Directors got on the phone early and decided to head everyone off before it was time to depart for the track. This was nice in that it allowed for other activities that day, but as the day wore on, the sky began to clear. By about 2:30 PM (the scheduled start time for practice), the sun was shining and a light breeze began to dry things up. It turned out to be a perfect evening for racing. So much for weather forecasts! The make-up date is October 1. Our next race is next Sunday, June 25. In the mean time, Conor has been away on a two-week camping tour of New England with a group of his middle school classmates and teachers. Henry has been to a two-day pole vaulting camp and will attend another all-week camp in Dayton in the coming week. Peter has also been making the most of his summer break - swimming, having sleep-overs with friends, working on a 'top-secret' project in the basement, etc. We are all anxious to get back into the swing of things, however. Not counting 'drop' races, which get figured in at the end of the season (the best nine of twelve finishes count), both Conor and Peter are leading the championship in their classes and Henry is in second. A lot of this is due to the occasional no-show by their competitors, which will later be dropped, but it fun to think about in the mean time. I just hope it doesn't rain on the 25th...
Bill
Bruce Brothers Racing has been out of action for about a month now because of a three week break between Race Nos. 4 and 5, and then a rainout. Race No. 5, which was scheduled for last weekend (June 10), was supposed to be our second Saturday night race of the season. The day began with a constant rain and a prediction for rain all day, becoming heavy in the evening. The MSOKC Board of Directors got on the phone early and decided to head everyone off before it was time to depart for the track. This was nice in that it allowed for other activities that day, but as the day wore on, the sky began to clear. By about 2:30 PM (the scheduled start time for practice), the sun was shining and a light breeze began to dry things up. It turned out to be a perfect evening for racing. So much for weather forecasts! The make-up date is October 1. Our next race is next Sunday, June 25. In the mean time, Conor has been away on a two-week camping tour of New England with a group of his middle school classmates and teachers. Henry has been to a two-day pole vaulting camp and will attend another all-week camp in Dayton in the coming week. Peter has also been making the most of his summer break - swimming, having sleep-overs with friends, working on a 'top-secret' project in the basement, etc. We are all anxious to get back into the swing of things, however. Not counting 'drop' races, which get figured in at the end of the season (the best nine of twelve finishes count), both Conor and Peter are leading the championship in their classes and Henry is in second. A lot of this is due to the occasional no-show by their competitors, which will later be dropped, but it fun to think about in the mean time. I just hope it doesn't rain on the 25th...
Bill
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
MSOKC Race No. 4 - May 21, 2006
Originally sent: May 23, 2006 11:45 PM
NEWS - A good time was had by all during Mid State Ohio Kart Club Race No. 4 this past Sunday, which involved running the course at Circleville Raceway Park in the opposite direction. Conor and Peter got a chance to practice on Saturday. While Henry wanted to practice, he had a conflict with a Bocce Ball tournament. Both Conor and Peter enjoyed their first experience going 'backwards,' but we had to hope that Henry was his usual quick learner on Sunday. Conor's first impression of his rebuilt engine was one of optimism.
PRACTICE - Sunday morning was overcast, and when practice got started, it was delayed twice because of light rain. When Henry finally got on the track, his impression was also positive.
PETER - ROOKIE BOX - There has been a total of eight competitors in the Rookie Box class this season, and if we could ever get them all there at one time it would be great. We came close on Sunday with six. Peter started the first heat from the fifth position. He ran there until he was able to make a pass in the now-righthand Turn 6. He made another pass in Turn 9 on lap 3 and finished third. Starting from the pole position in the second heat, Peter brought the field around slowly and made a great start. He separated himself from the field by about 10 seconds in the next few laps. In the closing stages, he came up to lap a slower kart, and in doing so, lost nearly all of his advantage. With the leaders nose to tail coming around to take the white flag, the kart behind Peter made a move to the inside in Turn 1, which was now a right-hander just prior to the start-finish line. The two made side-by-contact with the other kart, which got up on two wheels momentarily and nearly pitched the driver out, getting the worst end of the deal. There was a collective sigh of relief when both were able to continue. Peter was able to hold on for a second heat race win in as many events. Starting from the second position in the feature, Peter tucked in behind the pole-sitter and the two of them separated themselves from the field. Peter hung onto the tail of the leader and began applying pressure on lap 5. He could not find a way past, however, and dropped back a bit. He closed the gap again on the last lap, recording a 58.41 in the process, which is his best lap of the season, and finished a well-earned second place.
CONOR - JR. UNRESTRICTED - We had high hopes for Conor's rebuilt engine, but did not have to put it to the test, which turned out to be a good thing, because his lap times were not good and they got worse during the day. The reason we didn't have to put it to the test was that there was only one other competitor in Conor's class and he was a relative new-comer. Because of the low turn-out, they combined Conor's class with the Jr. Yamaha class. When they combine classes, they start them half a lap apart and score them separately. Conor grabbed the lead in the first turn (Turn 10) in both heat races and the feature and motored off into the distance. His only excitement came then he caught up to and passed several of the competitors in the other class. He recorded a perfect day points-wise, but it was less than satisfying. Most of the other classes were running lap times that were nearly the same as running the track in the usual direction. Conor's lap times were off by nearly two seconds. His lap times normally improve as his tires come up to temperature, etc. Yesterday, once he got around some of the slower Jr. Yamahas, the trend was the opposite - his lap times got worse. He also complained of a lack of power towards the end of the day and his engine seemed to be blowing quite a bit of oil from the breather. His engine is back at the engine builder to hopefully get these issues sorted out.
HENRY - 80cc SHIFTER - Henry had a rough couple of heat races, but was able to redeem himself in the feature. In practice, he was making up loads of time on the approach to Turn 4, which was now a right hander following the long straight-away. His kart has dual rear brake calipers and a healthy vented disk, and this was enabling him to gain about two kart lengths by late-braking into Turn 4 - an excellent place to pass. He started both heat races from the fourth position of nine competitors on Sunday. We need to get him to the track to, if nothing else, work on his standing starts. In the first heat, he dropped a couple of positions at the start, but began making them up quickly. At about mid-distance, he approached another kart at the entrance to Turn 4 who braked much sooner than Henry anticipated. Henry clobbered him from the rear and had a brief excursion through the grass, loosing a couple of positions in the process. He made up one of these prior to the finish and ended up sixth. He got away a little better in the second heat, but the kart he had clobbered started in front of him. On lap 2, Henry managed the repeat the clobbering maneuver on the same kart. This time both karts went into the grass, with the colbber-er getting away a little sooner than the clobber-ee. Henry went on to finish fifth. Words of profuse apology were offered in the line-up for the scale house, but the clobber-ee was clearly not impressed. Henry made his best start of the day from the fifth position in the feature, loosing one position but gaining another. I was relieved to see that the kart two behind Henry was able to make a pass, putting a buffer between him and the clobber-ee. He was able to find a way around the kart in front of him on lap 3 and then set out for the next kart in line. It took him two laps in the clear to catch up to the third place kart, and in doing so, he recorded a 45.50 - less than a half second from his personal best lap. The last three laps were frustrating for Henry, as the kart in front of him adopted a very defensive line. His fourth place finish was the closest he has come to a feature race podium position in this highly competitive class.
NEXT RACE - The next race, which is the second night race of the season, is Saturday, June 10, 2006. You may have noticed that these reports have begun coming from my personal email address. The reason for this is, after 18 years at EWI, I have decided to change jobs. Beginning June 1, 2006, my contact information at work will be as follows:
<<>>
Bill
NEWS - A good time was had by all during Mid State Ohio Kart Club Race No. 4 this past Sunday, which involved running the course at Circleville Raceway Park in the opposite direction. Conor and Peter got a chance to practice on Saturday. While Henry wanted to practice, he had a conflict with a Bocce Ball tournament. Both Conor and Peter enjoyed their first experience going 'backwards,' but we had to hope that Henry was his usual quick learner on Sunday. Conor's first impression of his rebuilt engine was one of optimism.
PRACTICE - Sunday morning was overcast, and when practice got started, it was delayed twice because of light rain. When Henry finally got on the track, his impression was also positive.
PETER - ROOKIE BOX - There has been a total of eight competitors in the Rookie Box class this season, and if we could ever get them all there at one time it would be great. We came close on Sunday with six. Peter started the first heat from the fifth position. He ran there until he was able to make a pass in the now-righthand Turn 6. He made another pass in Turn 9 on lap 3 and finished third. Starting from the pole position in the second heat, Peter brought the field around slowly and made a great start. He separated himself from the field by about 10 seconds in the next few laps. In the closing stages, he came up to lap a slower kart, and in doing so, lost nearly all of his advantage. With the leaders nose to tail coming around to take the white flag, the kart behind Peter made a move to the inside in Turn 1, which was now a right-hander just prior to the start-finish line. The two made side-by-contact with the other kart, which got up on two wheels momentarily and nearly pitched the driver out, getting the worst end of the deal. There was a collective sigh of relief when both were able to continue. Peter was able to hold on for a second heat race win in as many events. Starting from the second position in the feature, Peter tucked in behind the pole-sitter and the two of them separated themselves from the field. Peter hung onto the tail of the leader and began applying pressure on lap 5. He could not find a way past, however, and dropped back a bit. He closed the gap again on the last lap, recording a 58.41 in the process, which is his best lap of the season, and finished a well-earned second place.
CONOR - JR. UNRESTRICTED - We had high hopes for Conor's rebuilt engine, but did not have to put it to the test, which turned out to be a good thing, because his lap times were not good and they got worse during the day. The reason we didn't have to put it to the test was that there was only one other competitor in Conor's class and he was a relative new-comer. Because of the low turn-out, they combined Conor's class with the Jr. Yamaha class. When they combine classes, they start them half a lap apart and score them separately. Conor grabbed the lead in the first turn (Turn 10) in both heat races and the feature and motored off into the distance. His only excitement came then he caught up to and passed several of the competitors in the other class. He recorded a perfect day points-wise, but it was less than satisfying. Most of the other classes were running lap times that were nearly the same as running the track in the usual direction. Conor's lap times were off by nearly two seconds. His lap times normally improve as his tires come up to temperature, etc. Yesterday, once he got around some of the slower Jr. Yamahas, the trend was the opposite - his lap times got worse. He also complained of a lack of power towards the end of the day and his engine seemed to be blowing quite a bit of oil from the breather. His engine is back at the engine builder to hopefully get these issues sorted out.
HENRY - 80cc SHIFTER - Henry had a rough couple of heat races, but was able to redeem himself in the feature. In practice, he was making up loads of time on the approach to Turn 4, which was now a right hander following the long straight-away. His kart has dual rear brake calipers and a healthy vented disk, and this was enabling him to gain about two kart lengths by late-braking into Turn 4 - an excellent place to pass. He started both heat races from the fourth position of nine competitors on Sunday. We need to get him to the track to, if nothing else, work on his standing starts. In the first heat, he dropped a couple of positions at the start, but began making them up quickly. At about mid-distance, he approached another kart at the entrance to Turn 4 who braked much sooner than Henry anticipated. Henry clobbered him from the rear and had a brief excursion through the grass, loosing a couple of positions in the process. He made up one of these prior to the finish and ended up sixth. He got away a little better in the second heat, but the kart he had clobbered started in front of him. On lap 2, Henry managed the repeat the clobbering maneuver on the same kart. This time both karts went into the grass, with the colbber-er getting away a little sooner than the clobber-ee. Henry went on to finish fifth. Words of profuse apology were offered in the line-up for the scale house, but the clobber-ee was clearly not impressed. Henry made his best start of the day from the fifth position in the feature, loosing one position but gaining another. I was relieved to see that the kart two behind Henry was able to make a pass, putting a buffer between him and the clobber-ee. He was able to find a way around the kart in front of him on lap 3 and then set out for the next kart in line. It took him two laps in the clear to catch up to the third place kart, and in doing so, he recorded a 45.50 - less than a half second from his personal best lap. The last three laps were frustrating for Henry, as the kart in front of him adopted a very defensive line. His fourth place finish was the closest he has come to a feature race podium position in this highly competitive class.
NEXT RACE - The next race, which is the second night race of the season, is Saturday, June 10, 2006. You may have noticed that these reports have begun coming from my personal email address. The reason for this is, after 18 years at EWI, I have decided to change jobs. Beginning June 1, 2006, my contact information at work will be as follows:
<<
Bill
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
MSOKC Race No. 3 - May 6, 2006
Originally sent: May 16, 2006 3:30 PM
NEWS – Bruce Brothers Racing had another good event a week ago Saturday at the first night race of the season. After some early problems with Conor's engine, he and Henry both recorded personal best lap times. Peter also had a milestone day, in almost more ways than one.
PRACTICE – We made a pretty radical change to the setup on Peter's kart prior to this event. In practice, this didn't seem to have a detrimental effect on his lap times, which was good, since I knew that it would help him with his starts. Conor did well in his first practice session, but in the second session, he came to a stop on the back straightaway on his second lap. Retrieving a kart on one of track-owned golf carts is a rare experience for us, as reliability seems to be one of our strong points. Conor reported that the engine made a weird noise coming out of Turn 4, so he shut it off. When we got back to out pit area, I got to experience the weird noise firsthand when we tried to start it. Our good friend Butch McCall confirmed that we indeed had a major problem. As I was informing Conor that his day of racing was over (we have no spare engine), the parents of Conor's primary competition offered to let us 'break in' one of their brand new spare engines. We quickly accepted, but as all this was happening, Henry was preparing to go out for his second practice session. While I went to look after Henry, Butch offered to work on swapping engines. On his third lap, Henry recorded a 45.08, a personal best by nearly half a second. By the time I got back to our pit area, Butch had the switch just about complete.
PETER – ROOKIE BOX – Peter had five competitors in his class for Race No. 3. Starting from pole position in the first heat, he brought the field around slowly, which worked to his favor. When they got on the throttle as the starter waived the green flag, Peter clearly had an acceleration advantage over his fellow front row starter. He pulled out a bit of a lead over the next lap or so, but he soon had a kart right on his tail. He was able to hold them off to the finish, however, recording his first career heat race win. In the second heat, starting from the fourth position, he made another good start and was up to third by Turn 3. He found a way past the kart in front of him on the third lap and finished second. For the feature, which got started after the sun went down, we added a bit of air pressure to make the tires come up to temperature a bit more quickly. Starting from the pole position, Peter again brought the field around slowly (almost painfully so), and made another great start. He was able to hold off the kart behind him for a lap or so, but then dropped to second. Under the lights, the lead group ran lap times that were about 2 sec slower than they ran during the daylight hours. Peter ran right on the tail of the leader for several laps. On the white flag lap, Peter got a great run through Turn 4 and snuck under the leader going into Turn 5. He held the lead through Turn 9, but left the door open in Turn 10. The kart behind him made a desperate dive to the inside and beat Peter to the checkered flag by 0.009 seconds – a mere 6 inches or so. Peter was very disappointed, but a good lesson was learned. His first feature race win can't be far away.
CONOR – JR. UNRESTRICTED – The use of a brand new, top-of-the-line engine was a dream-come-true for Conor. It was also a good opportunity to see how much this would help us. Conor's class again had five competitors. At the start of the first heat, from the second position, Conor made a good start and slid into second. He was a bit tentative in the first few laps, which let the leader get away. After that, his lap time began to improve. His previous best lap time had been a 49.33. Late in the race, Conor actually began to catch the leader, and with the leader in sight, his final lap was a new personal best of 48.46. We later learned that the leader had a rear axle bearing that was tightening up. If there had been another lap, Conor may have gotten by. Starting from the pole position in the second heat, Conor got passed by the eventual winner going into Turn 1. With an on-par engine, this is an indication that our clutch may need some work. Conor circulated comfortably in second, at about half a second a lap slower than the leader. With an on-par engine, this is an indication that our chassis is not up to par, but isn't too bad considering that it's six years old. The feature was much like the second heat. Conor started from second and ran there to the finish. This will be a reoccurring theme for Conor throughout the season. It was nice to see how much improvement was possible with a brand new, top-of-the-line engine.
HENRY – 80cc SHIFTER – Henry's excellent practice times were a good indication of what the remainder of the day had in store for him. He started the first heat from the outside of the fourth row (of 11 starters). When the flag dropped, his reaction time was good, but he had to check up for a slower kart in from of him. When he did, he fell all the way to the rear. He made up a couple of positions when he went by several karts that had gone into the grass in Turn 2. He inherited one more position and earned two more and finished sixth. Starting fourth in the second heat, he got away cleanly and maintained his position. He lost a position to a faster kart at about mid-distance, but made one up late in the race with a good pass on the inside of Turn 3. He finished where he started. His heat race finishes earned him the fifth starting spot for the feature. He made another good start and tucked in behind the fourth place kart. After several laps, it was apparent that the fourth place kart was holding Henry up, which allowed the two karts behind him to close the gap. On the sixth lap or so (of 10), Henry repeated is inside pass in Turn 3. The two karts behind Henry were also able to get by and were applying pressure again on the next lap. Henry's pace was too much for the kart immediately behind, as he went into the grass a lap later. Henry cruised to a well-earned fourth place – his best feature race finish in this class. Our objective just two short races ago was for him not to get lapped. On Saturday, Henry lapped what must have been four of the other karts in his class.
NEXT RACE – The next race, which is Sunday, May 21, 2006, at Circleville Raceway Park, will be an interesting one. Prior to the beginning of the season, the club decided to add some variety by running one of the events in the opposite direction and one using the short version of the course (using the cut-off between Turns 3 and 7). The next race is the one in the opposite direction, which hasn't been done in quite some time. Henry and Conor think that they will have an advantage as the result of their SCCA autocross experience, which involves acclimating to a new course each time. We hope to get to the track on Friday or Saturday of this week, which will be the only two opportunities to practice on the track in this direction. This will also give us a chance to break in Conor's engine, which is being rebuilt.
Bill
NEWS – Bruce Brothers Racing had another good event a week ago Saturday at the first night race of the season. After some early problems with Conor's engine, he and Henry both recorded personal best lap times. Peter also had a milestone day, in almost more ways than one.
PRACTICE – We made a pretty radical change to the setup on Peter's kart prior to this event. In practice, this didn't seem to have a detrimental effect on his lap times, which was good, since I knew that it would help him with his starts. Conor did well in his first practice session, but in the second session, he came to a stop on the back straightaway on his second lap. Retrieving a kart on one of track-owned golf carts is a rare experience for us, as reliability seems to be one of our strong points. Conor reported that the engine made a weird noise coming out of Turn 4, so he shut it off. When we got back to out pit area, I got to experience the weird noise firsthand when we tried to start it. Our good friend Butch McCall confirmed that we indeed had a major problem. As I was informing Conor that his day of racing was over (we have no spare engine), the parents of Conor's primary competition offered to let us 'break in' one of their brand new spare engines. We quickly accepted, but as all this was happening, Henry was preparing to go out for his second practice session. While I went to look after Henry, Butch offered to work on swapping engines. On his third lap, Henry recorded a 45.08, a personal best by nearly half a second. By the time I got back to our pit area, Butch had the switch just about complete.
PETER – ROOKIE BOX – Peter had five competitors in his class for Race No. 3. Starting from pole position in the first heat, he brought the field around slowly, which worked to his favor. When they got on the throttle as the starter waived the green flag, Peter clearly had an acceleration advantage over his fellow front row starter. He pulled out a bit of a lead over the next lap or so, but he soon had a kart right on his tail. He was able to hold them off to the finish, however, recording his first career heat race win. In the second heat, starting from the fourth position, he made another good start and was up to third by Turn 3. He found a way past the kart in front of him on the third lap and finished second. For the feature, which got started after the sun went down, we added a bit of air pressure to make the tires come up to temperature a bit more quickly. Starting from the pole position, Peter again brought the field around slowly (almost painfully so), and made another great start. He was able to hold off the kart behind him for a lap or so, but then dropped to second. Under the lights, the lead group ran lap times that were about 2 sec slower than they ran during the daylight hours. Peter ran right on the tail of the leader for several laps. On the white flag lap, Peter got a great run through Turn 4 and snuck under the leader going into Turn 5. He held the lead through Turn 9, but left the door open in Turn 10. The kart behind him made a desperate dive to the inside and beat Peter to the checkered flag by 0.009 seconds – a mere 6 inches or so. Peter was very disappointed, but a good lesson was learned. His first feature race win can't be far away.
CONOR – JR. UNRESTRICTED – The use of a brand new, top-of-the-line engine was a dream-come-true for Conor. It was also a good opportunity to see how much this would help us. Conor's class again had five competitors. At the start of the first heat, from the second position, Conor made a good start and slid into second. He was a bit tentative in the first few laps, which let the leader get away. After that, his lap time began to improve. His previous best lap time had been a 49.33. Late in the race, Conor actually began to catch the leader, and with the leader in sight, his final lap was a new personal best of 48.46. We later learned that the leader had a rear axle bearing that was tightening up. If there had been another lap, Conor may have gotten by. Starting from the pole position in the second heat, Conor got passed by the eventual winner going into Turn 1. With an on-par engine, this is an indication that our clutch may need some work. Conor circulated comfortably in second, at about half a second a lap slower than the leader. With an on-par engine, this is an indication that our chassis is not up to par, but isn't too bad considering that it's six years old. The feature was much like the second heat. Conor started from second and ran there to the finish. This will be a reoccurring theme for Conor throughout the season. It was nice to see how much improvement was possible with a brand new, top-of-the-line engine.
HENRY – 80cc SHIFTER – Henry's excellent practice times were a good indication of what the remainder of the day had in store for him. He started the first heat from the outside of the fourth row (of 11 starters). When the flag dropped, his reaction time was good, but he had to check up for a slower kart in from of him. When he did, he fell all the way to the rear. He made up a couple of positions when he went by several karts that had gone into the grass in Turn 2. He inherited one more position and earned two more and finished sixth. Starting fourth in the second heat, he got away cleanly and maintained his position. He lost a position to a faster kart at about mid-distance, but made one up late in the race with a good pass on the inside of Turn 3. He finished where he started. His heat race finishes earned him the fifth starting spot for the feature. He made another good start and tucked in behind the fourth place kart. After several laps, it was apparent that the fourth place kart was holding Henry up, which allowed the two karts behind him to close the gap. On the sixth lap or so (of 10), Henry repeated is inside pass in Turn 3. The two karts behind Henry were also able to get by and were applying pressure again on the next lap. Henry's pace was too much for the kart immediately behind, as he went into the grass a lap later. Henry cruised to a well-earned fourth place – his best feature race finish in this class. Our objective just two short races ago was for him not to get lapped. On Saturday, Henry lapped what must have been four of the other karts in his class.
NEXT RACE – The next race, which is Sunday, May 21, 2006, at Circleville Raceway Park, will be an interesting one. Prior to the beginning of the season, the club decided to add some variety by running one of the events in the opposite direction and one using the short version of the course (using the cut-off between Turns 3 and 7). The next race is the one in the opposite direction, which hasn't been done in quite some time. Henry and Conor think that they will have an advantage as the result of their SCCA autocross experience, which involves acclimating to a new course each time. We hope to get to the track on Friday or Saturday of this week, which will be the only two opportunities to practice on the track in this direction. This will also give us a chance to break in Conor's engine, which is being rebuilt.
Bill
Wednesday, May 3, 2006
MSOKC Race No. 2 - April 23, 2006
Originally sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 3:46 AM
NEWS – Race No. 2 of the 2006 MSOKC season was another good event for Bruce Brothers Racing a week ago this past Sunday. Conor and Henry both recorded personal best lap times and Peter continued to acclimate to his new chassis. We had a few minor problems, but were able to overcome these without too much difficulty.
PRACTICE – Peter and Conor were both a bit tentative in their first practice session, as the track was a bit ‘green’ as the result of an overnight rain shower. Henry was not, however, and spun entering Turn 5 on his first lap out when the group of karts in front of him checked up more that he anticipated. Turn 5 is about as far away as you can get from the grid area and still be on the property. By the time I got there on one of the tracks painfully-slow golf carts and gave him a push start, the session was just about over. This loss of practice time was particularly disappointing as this was only Henry’s third time out in his new kart. We made a small front end adjustment Peter’s kart and changed carburetor jets and gear ratios on Conor’s kart, all of which seemed to help in the subsequent practice sessions. Henry also managed to run well in his second session, knocking his personal best lap time down from a 47.18 to a 46.60.
PETER - ROOKIE BOX – Peter had one additional competitor in his class for Race No. 2, bringing the total to six. In his first heat, starting from the pole position, he maintained his position at the start and led the first lap. He and the second place kart had opened up a bit of a gap on the rest of the field, but on the entry to Turn 5, the trailing kart was able to make a move on the inside. As was the case last year, Peter seemed to pick up the pace when he had someone to follow. He tucked in behind the leader and was easily able to hold the others at bay, but the leader began to creep away and he finished second. In the second heat, starting from the fourth position, he got caught out going into Turn 3 and lost a position. The slower karts in the group in front of him were dicing among themselves at about four seconds a lap slower than Peter had run in the previous heat. Because of this dicing, he was unable pass and finished a frustrating fifth. In the feature, starting from third, he held his position at the start and ran there to the finish without any drama. For the next race, we are going to make a few changes that we hope will make Peter even more competitive.
CONOR - JR. UNRESTRICTED - Conor’s class also had one additional competitor for a total of five. At the start of the first heat, from the second position, Conor had to settle for third in Turn 3 when the two karts on the inside were able hook up nose-to-tail. The leader pulled away, but Conor was all over the back of the second place kart. At about mid-distance, he was able to pull along side on the approach to Turn 5, but couldn’t make it stick. On the next lap, he began setting up a pass in Turn 9. He built his momentum through Turns 10 and 1, and was able to shoot by in Turn 2 – it was a real thing of beauty. He quickly pulled away and finished second. Conor got a better start in the second heat, going from fourth to second by Turn 3. Both he and the leader were passed by the eventual winner on Lap 2. Conor was obviously being held up by the kart in front of him, and just past mid-distance, was able to make the pass. He again pulled away and finished second. From the outside of the front row in the feature, he maintained his position at the start and finished second. He was able to pull away from the next fastest kart by about a second a lap, but also lost about the same amount each lap to the leader and eventual winner. In the process, however, he did record a personal best lap time of 49.33, which is just about a half a second slower than Henry’s best lap time in that class from last year.
HENRY - 80cc SHIFTER – There were once again a good number of participants in Henry’s class – 11. As was the case for race No. 1, we decided that the rear of the grid was the place for Henry to the heat races because of his inexperience with standing starts. This proved to be a good decision, as at the drop of the green flag, he got away relatively slowly. He was able to make one pass on Lap 2 and another on Lap 4, and finished ninth. In his second heat, again starting from the rear, he made a much better start. He worked his way past several karts with a bit more urgency this time. On lap 3, with clear track in front of him, he lowered his personal best lap time to an amazing 45.46 – almost two seconds faster than the previous race. In the closing stages, he had closed in on a group of karts in front of him, but decided not to risk any late race heroics. The kart immediately in front of him was the previous owner of Henry’s kart, and as we are still seeking his advice occasionally, I was glad to see Henry practice that discretion. Since he had done so well in the heat races, we decided that it would be appropriate the let him take his earned starting position – seventh – for the feature. He made a great start and was up to sixthby Turn 3. A kart two in front of Henry – the previous owner – went wide in Turn 7 on the first lap and both Henry and the kart in front were able to get by. Henry was able to stay close to the kart in front of him, who wasn’t too far from the leaders, and finished fifth, recording a 45.50 along the way. This was an excellent result considering our objective during the previous race was to avoid being lapped.I have nothing but hope for further improvement, and some changes that we have planned, including a gear ratio change and repair of a broken seat that we discovered just before the feature, should help.
NEXT RACE – Race No. 2 was rewarding in a number of ways, but seeing the improvements made by Henry was particularly rewarding. The next race is Saturday, May 6, 2006, at Circleville Raceway Park, which is the first of four under-the-lights night races of the season. Gates open at 2:00 and racing gets underway at 5:00.
Bill
NEWS – Race No. 2 of the 2006 MSOKC season was another good event for Bruce Brothers Racing a week ago this past Sunday. Conor and Henry both recorded personal best lap times and Peter continued to acclimate to his new chassis. We had a few minor problems, but were able to overcome these without too much difficulty.
PRACTICE – Peter and Conor were both a bit tentative in their first practice session, as the track was a bit ‘green’ as the result of an overnight rain shower. Henry was not, however, and spun entering Turn 5 on his first lap out when the group of karts in front of him checked up more that he anticipated. Turn 5 is about as far away as you can get from the grid area and still be on the property. By the time I got there on one of the tracks painfully-slow golf carts and gave him a push start, the session was just about over. This loss of practice time was particularly disappointing as this was only Henry’s third time out in his new kart. We made a small front end adjustment Peter’s kart and changed carburetor jets and gear ratios on Conor’s kart, all of which seemed to help in the subsequent practice sessions. Henry also managed to run well in his second session, knocking his personal best lap time down from a 47.18 to a 46.60.
PETER - ROOKIE BOX – Peter had one additional competitor in his class for Race No. 2, bringing the total to six. In his first heat, starting from the pole position, he maintained his position at the start and led the first lap. He and the second place kart had opened up a bit of a gap on the rest of the field, but on the entry to Turn 5, the trailing kart was able to make a move on the inside. As was the case last year, Peter seemed to pick up the pace when he had someone to follow. He tucked in behind the leader and was easily able to hold the others at bay, but the leader began to creep away and he finished second. In the second heat, starting from the fourth position, he got caught out going into Turn 3 and lost a position. The slower karts in the group in front of him were dicing among themselves at about four seconds a lap slower than Peter had run in the previous heat. Because of this dicing, he was unable pass and finished a frustrating fifth. In the feature, starting from third, he held his position at the start and ran there to the finish without any drama. For the next race, we are going to make a few changes that we hope will make Peter even more competitive.
CONOR - JR. UNRESTRICTED - Conor’s class also had one additional competitor for a total of five. At the start of the first heat, from the second position, Conor had to settle for third in Turn 3 when the two karts on the inside were able hook up nose-to-tail. The leader pulled away, but Conor was all over the back of the second place kart. At about mid-distance, he was able to pull along side on the approach to Turn 5, but couldn’t make it stick. On the next lap, he began setting up a pass in Turn 9. He built his momentum through Turns 10 and 1, and was able to shoot by in Turn 2 – it was a real thing of beauty. He quickly pulled away and finished second. Conor got a better start in the second heat, going from fourth to second by Turn 3. Both he and the leader were passed by the eventual winner on Lap 2. Conor was obviously being held up by the kart in front of him, and just past mid-distance, was able to make the pass. He again pulled away and finished second. From the outside of the front row in the feature, he maintained his position at the start and finished second. He was able to pull away from the next fastest kart by about a second a lap, but also lost about the same amount each lap to the leader and eventual winner. In the process, however, he did record a personal best lap time of 49.33, which is just about a half a second slower than Henry’s best lap time in that class from last year.
HENRY - 80cc SHIFTER – There were once again a good number of participants in Henry’s class – 11. As was the case for race No. 1, we decided that the rear of the grid was the place for Henry to the heat races because of his inexperience with standing starts. This proved to be a good decision, as at the drop of the green flag, he got away relatively slowly. He was able to make one pass on Lap 2 and another on Lap 4, and finished ninth. In his second heat, again starting from the rear, he made a much better start. He worked his way past several karts with a bit more urgency this time. On lap 3, with clear track in front of him, he lowered his personal best lap time to an amazing 45.46 – almost two seconds faster than the previous race. In the closing stages, he had closed in on a group of karts in front of him, but decided not to risk any late race heroics. The kart immediately in front of him was the previous owner of Henry’s kart, and as we are still seeking his advice occasionally, I was glad to see Henry practice that discretion. Since he had done so well in the heat races, we decided that it would be appropriate the let him take his earned starting position – seventh – for the feature. He made a great start and was up to sixthby Turn 3. A kart two in front of Henry – the previous owner – went wide in Turn 7 on the first lap and both Henry and the kart in front were able to get by. Henry was able to stay close to the kart in front of him, who wasn’t too far from the leaders, and finished fifth, recording a 45.50 along the way. This was an excellent result considering our objective during the previous race was to avoid being lapped.I have nothing but hope for further improvement, and some changes that we have planned, including a gear ratio change and repair of a broken seat that we discovered just before the feature, should help.
NEXT RACE – Race No. 2 was rewarding in a number of ways, but seeing the improvements made by Henry was particularly rewarding. The next race is Saturday, May 6, 2006, at Circleville Raceway Park, which is the first of four under-the-lights night races of the season. Gates open at 2:00 and racing gets underway at 5:00.
Bill
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