Originally sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 11:35 AM
NEWS - The early morning weather last Sunday was cool and crisp, which suits our karts well, so we were looking forward to a good day of racing. As the day progressed, the weather got cooler and crisper, the wind picked up, and then it rained. The persistent nature of the rain resulted in the second event postponement of the season. The new date for Race No. 4 is October 2, 2005. We did get to practice and Henry and Conor got their first heat races in before the rain came however.
PRACTICE - Just after we unloaded the karts, we noticed that Henry had sustained a bent rear axle during his incident in the second heat of Race No. 3. I checked with a few other teams, but no one seemed to have a spare. While we were trying to decide whether to make due or to scratch his entry, the dad of the driver with whom Henry is tied for second place in the championship offered to have his wife drive home and bring back their spare. We gratefully accepted their offer and within an hour, we were making the switch. This made practice very hectic, however. We managed to get Conor and Peter on the track twice, change the axle, and get Henry on the track for one complete and one abbreviated practice session.
JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED - Henry started second (of eight) in the first heat race and both he and the pole-sitter held off Adam, who started from the rear, until Lap 5. A bit of a gap had developed between Henry and the kart in front of him (from whom we had borrowed the axle), but Henry reeled him in in the closing laps. The margin was less than a kart length at the finish. The bent rear axle must have been a factor in the feature of Race No. 3, because Henry recorded a personal best lap time of 48.44 sec on what would be his final lap on Sunday before the rain came.
JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II - Conor started sixth (of seven) in his first heat race. He made a good start and moved up a position by Turn 3. He made another pass and was up to fourth by the end of Lap 2. He then settled in behind the third place kart, who was having trouble getting around a slower kart in front of her. Conor waited patiently for an opportunity to arise, which it did at the end of Lap 4. The third place kart momentarily thought about making a pass on the outside in Turn 10, which left room for Conor to slip by on the inside. Conor was able to get around the second place kart between Turns 7 and 8 on the next lap. He then set out after the leader, and while he was able to make up a significant portion of the gap, he ran out of laps. He would have started on the front row for the second heat, which would have all but assured him of a good starting position for the feature, so when the rain came, it was a big disappointment for Conor.
ROOKIE BOX - The rain came as Peter's class, which consisted of seven karts, was sitting on the grid for their first heat. This was a disappointment for Peter, too, as the smaller rear tires we had switched to seemed to be working well for him. In practice, he also recorded a personal best lap time (58.52 sec) and is now consistently lapping in the 58 sec range.
NEXT RACE - The next race is MSOKC Race No. 5 on Saturday, June 4, 2005, which is the first night race of the season. In the mean time, Conor and Henry are going to participate in an SCCA Solo II event (OVR Points Event No. 3), which will be Sunday, May 29, 2005, at Cooper Stadium in Columbus.
Bill
Friday, May 27, 2005
Friday, May 20, 2005
MSOKC Race No. 3 – May 7, 2005
Originally sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 9:48 AM
NEWS – After beautiful weather for Race No. 1, MSOKC Race No. 2, which had been scheduled for April 24, 2005, was postponed due to… …not rain but snow! The weather on May 7 for Race No. 3 was much better, and I’ve let this go for so long that the details are sketchy, but early morning showers did delay the start by about an hour and a half.
PRACTICE – Peter got to try out his new bodywork in practice (Conor’s old bodywork). The bodywork was fine but he was uncomfortable with the dampness of the track. Conor and Henry also took it easy in the first practice because of the damp conditions, but were able to record reasonable times in the second practice session.
ROOKIE BOX – Peter drew the third starting position (of six in his class) for his first heat. He dropped two positions at the start, but made one back up at about mid distance and finished fourth. Starting fourth in the second heat, he again dropped a position at the start and ran fifth to the finish. In the feature, starting from fifth, he again dropped to the rear at the start. He benefited from off-course excursions by two of his competitors, and was challenging for third when he decided to try an outside move in Turn 10. The kart behind Peter tried to go around the third place kart on the inside at the same time, however. Three-wide is no way to go through Turn 10, and Peter was pushed up into the ‘marbles’ where he had a half spin into the grass. He was able to get going again, but finished sixth. Peter recorded good lap times throughout the day, setting a new personal best of 0:58.76 seconds in the first heat, but we’re going to have to work on his lack of urgency at the starts so that he in not mired in the back of the pack.
JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II – There were eight karts in Conor’s class for Race No. 3. He made a great start from the fourth position and was up to third by Turn 3. The second place kart was holding up a faster group behind it, and it took Conor several laps, bur he was able to move up to second on Lap 4 (of six). By then the leader had gotten away. Conor was able to reel him in at the finish, but too late to challenge for the win. Starting third in the second heat, he again got bottled up behind the second place kart. By the time he made his way past, the leader had again gotten away. In a re-play of the first heat, he reeled the leader in, but could not get past. Two seconds did earn him the pole position fro the feature, however. He made a great start and held a somewhat comfortable lead for the first few laps. He then began to be the recipient of quite a bit of pressure from the second place kart, who with Conor, were distancing themselves from the field. The second place kart seemed to be getting a better run through Turn 4, which leads onto the back straight-away. She was able to pull along side Conor sever times, and on Lap 6 (of eight), got by... …momentarily. In order to get by, she had to carry a bit too much speed going into Turn 5, and went wide on the exit. It was one of those classic get-passed/re-pass things and Conor was back in the lead. When the white flag came out on the next lap, Conor had a lead of about two kart lengths. The next time by, as the leaders were coming up on a back-marker, they got the white flag… …AGAIN!!! I’ve always told the boys to race to the checkered flag, and I hoped that Conor had that in mind. He did seem to back off a bit, but I was relieved to see him continue at what appeared to be full pace past the cut-off area. By that time, the second place kart was also back on his tail. At the end of the back straight-away, Conor had no choice but to make his way around the back-marker, who apparently didn’t see him coming. There was brief wheel-to-wheel contact going into Turn 5, but Conor kept it under control. The second place kart also had trouble getting around the back-marker, so when the checkered flag finally flew (a lap later than scheduled), Conor was ahead by a comfortable margin. By recording his second consecutive win of the season, he extended his lead in the championship to 18 points.
JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED – Henry made a great start from the second position (of six) in the first heat to gain the lead. He ran in the lead for about a lap until he was passed by the locomotive of his class, Adam, who again won both heats and the feature (this will be a recurring theme this season). Henry ran second for the next few laps, but it became apparent that his lap times were not quite up to snuff. He seemed to be holding up the third and fourth place karts, who eventually got by in Turn 6 on Lap 3. He then had a half spin in Turn 6 on the next lap and lost another position. On Lap 5, the second and third place kart tangled in Turn 5 with one going off into the grass, elevating Henry to fourth, which is where he finished. The benefactor of the incident in Turn 5 was later found guilty and demoted three places, which moved Henry up to third. Starting from third in the second heat, Henry followed the pole-sitter through Turn 1 and into second by Turn 3. Both were passed by Adam on Lap 2. At about mid-distance, Henry was able to get along side the second place kart on the inside of Turn 10. Despite a blatant attempt at closing the door by the second place kart, which resulted in wheel-to-wheel contact, he and another kart were able to get by. At one point when it did appear that he might come under some pressure, the third place kart had an uncharacteristic spin. A third and a second place finish in the heat races earned him the second starting position for the feature. He made a great start and led through Turns 1 and 2, but relinquished the lead to Adam in Turn 3. He held off the third place kart until about Lap 5 and finished third. This, along with his strong heat race finishes, was enough to bring him from third in the championship to a tie for second, however.
NEXT RACE - Even though Conor and Henry ran well in Race No. 3, we may have tried to extend the life of the old tires on which we started the season one race too many. Both have new tires for Race No. 4, which is Sunday, May 22. We will also try something new on Peter's kart (smaller rear tires), which we are hoping will help him in the opening laps. Springtime weather in central Ohio can be fickle, so we're also hoping that it won't snow...
Bill
NEWS – After beautiful weather for Race No. 1, MSOKC Race No. 2, which had been scheduled for April 24, 2005, was postponed due to… …not rain but snow! The weather on May 7 for Race No. 3 was much better, and I’ve let this go for so long that the details are sketchy, but early morning showers did delay the start by about an hour and a half.
PRACTICE – Peter got to try out his new bodywork in practice (Conor’s old bodywork). The bodywork was fine but he was uncomfortable with the dampness of the track. Conor and Henry also took it easy in the first practice because of the damp conditions, but were able to record reasonable times in the second practice session.
ROOKIE BOX – Peter drew the third starting position (of six in his class) for his first heat. He dropped two positions at the start, but made one back up at about mid distance and finished fourth. Starting fourth in the second heat, he again dropped a position at the start and ran fifth to the finish. In the feature, starting from fifth, he again dropped to the rear at the start. He benefited from off-course excursions by two of his competitors, and was challenging for third when he decided to try an outside move in Turn 10. The kart behind Peter tried to go around the third place kart on the inside at the same time, however. Three-wide is no way to go through Turn 10, and Peter was pushed up into the ‘marbles’ where he had a half spin into the grass. He was able to get going again, but finished sixth. Peter recorded good lap times throughout the day, setting a new personal best of 0:58.76 seconds in the first heat, but we’re going to have to work on his lack of urgency at the starts so that he in not mired in the back of the pack.
JUNIOR SPORTSMAN II – There were eight karts in Conor’s class for Race No. 3. He made a great start from the fourth position and was up to third by Turn 3. The second place kart was holding up a faster group behind it, and it took Conor several laps, bur he was able to move up to second on Lap 4 (of six). By then the leader had gotten away. Conor was able to reel him in at the finish, but too late to challenge for the win. Starting third in the second heat, he again got bottled up behind the second place kart. By the time he made his way past, the leader had again gotten away. In a re-play of the first heat, he reeled the leader in, but could not get past. Two seconds did earn him the pole position fro the feature, however. He made a great start and held a somewhat comfortable lead for the first few laps. He then began to be the recipient of quite a bit of pressure from the second place kart, who with Conor, were distancing themselves from the field. The second place kart seemed to be getting a better run through Turn 4, which leads onto the back straight-away. She was able to pull along side Conor sever times, and on Lap 6 (of eight), got by... …momentarily. In order to get by, she had to carry a bit too much speed going into Turn 5, and went wide on the exit. It was one of those classic get-passed/re-pass things and Conor was back in the lead. When the white flag came out on the next lap, Conor had a lead of about two kart lengths. The next time by, as the leaders were coming up on a back-marker, they got the white flag… …AGAIN!!! I’ve always told the boys to race to the checkered flag, and I hoped that Conor had that in mind. He did seem to back off a bit, but I was relieved to see him continue at what appeared to be full pace past the cut-off area. By that time, the second place kart was also back on his tail. At the end of the back straight-away, Conor had no choice but to make his way around the back-marker, who apparently didn’t see him coming. There was brief wheel-to-wheel contact going into Turn 5, but Conor kept it under control. The second place kart also had trouble getting around the back-marker, so when the checkered flag finally flew (a lap later than scheduled), Conor was ahead by a comfortable margin. By recording his second consecutive win of the season, he extended his lead in the championship to 18 points.
JUNIOR UNRESTRICTED – Henry made a great start from the second position (of six) in the first heat to gain the lead. He ran in the lead for about a lap until he was passed by the locomotive of his class, Adam, who again won both heats and the feature (this will be a recurring theme this season). Henry ran second for the next few laps, but it became apparent that his lap times were not quite up to snuff. He seemed to be holding up the third and fourth place karts, who eventually got by in Turn 6 on Lap 3. He then had a half spin in Turn 6 on the next lap and lost another position. On Lap 5, the second and third place kart tangled in Turn 5 with one going off into the grass, elevating Henry to fourth, which is where he finished. The benefactor of the incident in Turn 5 was later found guilty and demoted three places, which moved Henry up to third. Starting from third in the second heat, Henry followed the pole-sitter through Turn 1 and into second by Turn 3. Both were passed by Adam on Lap 2. At about mid-distance, Henry was able to get along side the second place kart on the inside of Turn 10. Despite a blatant attempt at closing the door by the second place kart, which resulted in wheel-to-wheel contact, he and another kart were able to get by. At one point when it did appear that he might come under some pressure, the third place kart had an uncharacteristic spin. A third and a second place finish in the heat races earned him the second starting position for the feature. He made a great start and led through Turns 1 and 2, but relinquished the lead to Adam in Turn 3. He held off the third place kart until about Lap 5 and finished third. This, along with his strong heat race finishes, was enough to bring him from third in the championship to a tie for second, however.
NEXT RACE - Even though Conor and Henry ran well in Race No. 3, we may have tried to extend the life of the old tires on which we started the season one race too many. Both have new tires for Race No. 4, which is Sunday, May 22. We will also try something new on Peter's kart (smaller rear tires), which we are hoping will help him in the opening laps. Springtime weather in central Ohio can be fickle, so we're also hoping that it won't snow...
Bill
Friday, April 15, 2005
MSOKC Race No. 1 - April 10, 2005
Originally sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 4:22 PM
First of all, if you'd like to discontinue receiving these updates (or if you never wanted to receive them in the first place), just let me know by return email. No hard feelings - I promise.
NEWS - The 2005 Mid State of Ohio Kart Club season got off to a great start this past Sundays with clear skies and unseasonably warm temperatures. During the off-season, we performed routine maintenance (chassis rebuilds and a much-needed engine rebuild for Henry), and Henry and Conor got new bodywork and seats installed. I also had to do some adjusting of pedal positions - these boys just won't stop growing! We didn't change a whole lot other than that, as both were running well at the end of last season. Since Peter was still coming to terms with active competition, we made few changes to his kart also. A new club-spec tire was also mandated during the off-season, but we decided to take advantage of the three-race transition period to make use of the rubber we had left over from last season. With my travels, our Spring Break trip, and typical Spring weather in Ohio, we only had one opportunity to practice prior to the season opener.
PRACTICE - During the practice sessions on Sunday, all three boys recorded competitive lap times. This was comforting given our decision to start the season on old tires. In the second practice session, Peter had a half spin in Turn 10 and was clobbered by one of his competitors, which broke the nose of his bodywork. About half a roll of duct tape later, we had him back in business.
PETER - ROOKIE BOX - Peter's class had several return competitors and several new faces. He drew the 7th starting position (of 7) for Heat 1, but was moved up a spot when one of the rookies elected to start from the rear. At the start, he was able to move up another position going into Turn 2. He ran comfortably in fifth place for most of the heat and took advantage of several off-course excursions by his competitors. The first of these moved him up to fourth, and then on the same lap, two other competitors became entangled (literally). They were stationary long enough for Peter to get by, which put him into second, which is where he finished! He started the second heat on the pole, which was a new thing for him. He did well leading the pack around for the start, but when the green flag flew and he mashed the gas, the engine bogged. Several karts got around him, but he settled in at about mid pack. One of the faster karts, who started behind Peter also got past on Lap 2 (of 6). By now, Peter was running laps consistently in the mid 59 second range and ended up finishing fifth. His heat races finishes earned him the third starting position for the feature. He maintained his position at the start but was passed on Lap 1. He kept the bit between his teeth, recording his fastest lap time ever (59.13), and hung on to finish fourth in spite of some stiff pressure from one of the return competitors. An excellent result - one spot off of the rostrum - in just his third race. Way to go Peter!
CONOR - JR. SPORTSMAN II - Conor's main competitor from last season (Adam Roberts) had to move up a class because of his age. There were quite a few return competitors, however, and one new face. Like Peter, Conor drew the last starting position (6 of 6) for Heat 1, but was moved up a spot. He got a great start and was up to fourth by Turn 2. He made a nice pass at the end of the back straight-away on Lap 2, which put him into third. Recording a lap of 51.18 along the way, he then began to apply pressure to the second place kart. She responded by making a mistake in Turn 7 on Lap 4 and Conor got past. The lead kart had gotten away by that point, so Conor ended up second. In Heat 2, he started on the pole, made a great start, and motored off into the distance. The winning margin was about the length of the back straight-away, in spite of me giving him signals to slow down. Starting on the pole for the feature, Conor was passed going into Turn 1. He ran most of the feature in a close second place while receiving a bit of pressure from behind. On the penultimate lap, I looked away as Conor approached the end of the back straight-away. When I looked up again, the leader was in the grass and Conor was into the lead. When he crossed the start/finish line at the end of that lap, the flagman pointed a furled black flag at him, which indicates a warning of some type. He received quite a bit of pressure on the last lap, but crossed the finish line first. I was a bit concerned about the furled black flag, and then became more concerned when the flagman waived the black flag at him, which indicates a disqualification, along with the checkered flag at the finish. When he came off of the track, I asked Conor what had happened. He indicated that he and the leader did come together in Turn 6 after the leader had made a mistake, but that they were side-by-side when the contact occurred. The rules state that when the front wheels of a passing kart are up to the steering wheel of the leading kart, the leading kart must give the passing kart room. Conor indicated that the leading kart tried to close the door, which is when the contact occurred. Evidently, the corner worker reported that the contact was avoidable. By the time we got to the scoring tower to discuss the matter, the head race official had already over-ruled the corner worker, so Conor got by with a win and a warning. Conor felt bad about the incident, so much so that he never did collect his trophy, but that's the way racing goes sometimes. Like they say in NASCAR, "it's just one of them racin' deals." Unlike the 2003 season, when Conor won five of the nine races he entered, he went the whole season last year without a feature win. A win on Sunday, even if it was a bit tainted, was a nice way for him to start the season. During post race inspection, his kart passed without incident, but the race official did inform me that all three screws that hold his fuel tank to the carburetor were missing, which might explain Conor's complaint about a sputtering engine in the closing laps. Prior to the penultimate lap, he ran his fastest lap of the day (51.14). His last two laps were in the high 51 second range. I suppose that we should be happy that he finished the feature at all!
HENRY - JR. UNRESTRICTED - Adam's departure from Conor's class was good news for Conor, but bad news for Henry, as Adam is now in Henry's class. Adam, who won the WKA Grand National race at Lowes Motor Speedway in Rockingham in September last year, won both heats and the feature on Sunday. Henry and the other competitors in his class (6 in all) were left to fight it out for second place. Henry started Heat 1 from the third position. He maintained his position at the start and made a pass into second on Lap 1. Adam got past and then into the lead on Lap 2. Henry was on the bumper of the second place kart until Turn 10 of Lap 4, when he was able to draw up along side on the inside. He had set up this pass going into Turn 9 and it was a beautiful thing to watch. They went side-by-side through Turns 10 and 1, Henry had a slight margin by the time they got to Turn 2, and he completed the pass in Turn 3. He was able to pull away a bit and finished second. He also started Heat 2 from the third position, and ran third through most of the heat. When he and the second place kart came up to lap a slower kart, the second place kart went one way and Henry went the other. Henry got the best of that deal and went through to second, which is where he finished. Starting from outside the front row in the feature, he made a good start and ran in second for the first few laps. Even though he turned his fastest lap of the day on Lap 3 (48.83), the third and fourth place karts were right on his tail. On Lap 6 (of 8), he bobbled going through Turn 6 (he would later tell me that he got up on two wheels), and both karts got through. I had made a small tire pressure adjustment prior to the feature, which was obviously too small to compensate for the rising track temperatures. Henry backed off a bit, as he was comfortably ahead of the next kart, and finished fourth. He is just two points out of second place in the championship race, however.
NEXT RACE - The next race is Sunday, April 24, 2005, at Circleville Raceway Park. Prior to that, Peter will get Conor's old bodywork and a clutch rebuild, and I'll make sure that Conor's fuel tank is secure! The entire schedule for the 2005 season is shown below.
Bill
2005 MSOKC Schedule
April 10 - Sunday
April 24 - Sunday
May 7 - Saturday (Sunday schedule)
May 22 - Sunday
June 4 - Saturday
June 19 - Sunday
July 17 - Sunday
July 30 - Saturday
August 7 - Sunday
August 20 - Saturday - Bonus Points
September 11 - Sunday - Bonus Points
September 18 - Sunday - Rain Date
September 24 - Saturday - Bonus Points
October 2 - Sunday - Rain Date
Saturday Schedule (unless noted otherwise)
Gates: 2:00 p.m.
Practice: 3:30 p.m.
Driver's Meeting: 5:30 p.m.
Green Flag: 6:00 p.m.
Sunday Schedule
Gates: 8:00 a.m.
Practice: 9:30 a.m.
Driver's Meeting: 11:30 a.m.
Green Flag: Noon
First of all, if you'd like to discontinue receiving these updates (or if you never wanted to receive them in the first place), just let me know by return email. No hard feelings - I promise.
NEWS - The 2005 Mid State of Ohio Kart Club season got off to a great start this past Sundays with clear skies and unseasonably warm temperatures. During the off-season, we performed routine maintenance (chassis rebuilds and a much-needed engine rebuild for Henry), and Henry and Conor got new bodywork and seats installed. I also had to do some adjusting of pedal positions - these boys just won't stop growing! We didn't change a whole lot other than that, as both were running well at the end of last season. Since Peter was still coming to terms with active competition, we made few changes to his kart also. A new club-spec tire was also mandated during the off-season, but we decided to take advantage of the three-race transition period to make use of the rubber we had left over from last season. With my travels, our Spring Break trip, and typical Spring weather in Ohio, we only had one opportunity to practice prior to the season opener.
PRACTICE - During the practice sessions on Sunday, all three boys recorded competitive lap times. This was comforting given our decision to start the season on old tires. In the second practice session, Peter had a half spin in Turn 10 and was clobbered by one of his competitors, which broke the nose of his bodywork. About half a roll of duct tape later, we had him back in business.
PETER - ROOKIE BOX - Peter's class had several return competitors and several new faces. He drew the 7th starting position (of 7) for Heat 1, but was moved up a spot when one of the rookies elected to start from the rear. At the start, he was able to move up another position going into Turn 2. He ran comfortably in fifth place for most of the heat and took advantage of several off-course excursions by his competitors. The first of these moved him up to fourth, and then on the same lap, two other competitors became entangled (literally). They were stationary long enough for Peter to get by, which put him into second, which is where he finished! He started the second heat on the pole, which was a new thing for him. He did well leading the pack around for the start, but when the green flag flew and he mashed the gas, the engine bogged. Several karts got around him, but he settled in at about mid pack. One of the faster karts, who started behind Peter also got past on Lap 2 (of 6). By now, Peter was running laps consistently in the mid 59 second range and ended up finishing fifth. His heat races finishes earned him the third starting position for the feature. He maintained his position at the start but was passed on Lap 1. He kept the bit between his teeth, recording his fastest lap time ever (59.13), and hung on to finish fourth in spite of some stiff pressure from one of the return competitors. An excellent result - one spot off of the rostrum - in just his third race. Way to go Peter!
CONOR - JR. SPORTSMAN II - Conor's main competitor from last season (Adam Roberts) had to move up a class because of his age. There were quite a few return competitors, however, and one new face. Like Peter, Conor drew the last starting position (6 of 6) for Heat 1, but was moved up a spot. He got a great start and was up to fourth by Turn 2. He made a nice pass at the end of the back straight-away on Lap 2, which put him into third. Recording a lap of 51.18 along the way, he then began to apply pressure to the second place kart. She responded by making a mistake in Turn 7 on Lap 4 and Conor got past. The lead kart had gotten away by that point, so Conor ended up second. In Heat 2, he started on the pole, made a great start, and motored off into the distance. The winning margin was about the length of the back straight-away, in spite of me giving him signals to slow down. Starting on the pole for the feature, Conor was passed going into Turn 1. He ran most of the feature in a close second place while receiving a bit of pressure from behind. On the penultimate lap, I looked away as Conor approached the end of the back straight-away. When I looked up again, the leader was in the grass and Conor was into the lead. When he crossed the start/finish line at the end of that lap, the flagman pointed a furled black flag at him, which indicates a warning of some type. He received quite a bit of pressure on the last lap, but crossed the finish line first. I was a bit concerned about the furled black flag, and then became more concerned when the flagman waived the black flag at him, which indicates a disqualification, along with the checkered flag at the finish. When he came off of the track, I asked Conor what had happened. He indicated that he and the leader did come together in Turn 6 after the leader had made a mistake, but that they were side-by-side when the contact occurred. The rules state that when the front wheels of a passing kart are up to the steering wheel of the leading kart, the leading kart must give the passing kart room. Conor indicated that the leading kart tried to close the door, which is when the contact occurred. Evidently, the corner worker reported that the contact was avoidable. By the time we got to the scoring tower to discuss the matter, the head race official had already over-ruled the corner worker, so Conor got by with a win and a warning. Conor felt bad about the incident, so much so that he never did collect his trophy, but that's the way racing goes sometimes. Like they say in NASCAR, "it's just one of them racin' deals." Unlike the 2003 season, when Conor won five of the nine races he entered, he went the whole season last year without a feature win. A win on Sunday, even if it was a bit tainted, was a nice way for him to start the season. During post race inspection, his kart passed without incident, but the race official did inform me that all three screws that hold his fuel tank to the carburetor were missing, which might explain Conor's complaint about a sputtering engine in the closing laps. Prior to the penultimate lap, he ran his fastest lap of the day (51.14). His last two laps were in the high 51 second range. I suppose that we should be happy that he finished the feature at all!
HENRY - JR. UNRESTRICTED - Adam's departure from Conor's class was good news for Conor, but bad news for Henry, as Adam is now in Henry's class. Adam, who won the WKA Grand National race at Lowes Motor Speedway in Rockingham in September last year, won both heats and the feature on Sunday. Henry and the other competitors in his class (6 in all) were left to fight it out for second place. Henry started Heat 1 from the third position. He maintained his position at the start and made a pass into second on Lap 1. Adam got past and then into the lead on Lap 2. Henry was on the bumper of the second place kart until Turn 10 of Lap 4, when he was able to draw up along side on the inside. He had set up this pass going into Turn 9 and it was a beautiful thing to watch. They went side-by-side through Turns 10 and 1, Henry had a slight margin by the time they got to Turn 2, and he completed the pass in Turn 3. He was able to pull away a bit and finished second. He also started Heat 2 from the third position, and ran third through most of the heat. When he and the second place kart came up to lap a slower kart, the second place kart went one way and Henry went the other. Henry got the best of that deal and went through to second, which is where he finished. Starting from outside the front row in the feature, he made a good start and ran in second for the first few laps. Even though he turned his fastest lap of the day on Lap 3 (48.83), the third and fourth place karts were right on his tail. On Lap 6 (of 8), he bobbled going through Turn 6 (he would later tell me that he got up on two wheels), and both karts got through. I had made a small tire pressure adjustment prior to the feature, which was obviously too small to compensate for the rising track temperatures. Henry backed off a bit, as he was comfortably ahead of the next kart, and finished fourth. He is just two points out of second place in the championship race, however.
NEXT RACE - The next race is Sunday, April 24, 2005, at Circleville Raceway Park. Prior to that, Peter will get Conor's old bodywork and a clutch rebuild, and I'll make sure that Conor's fuel tank is secure! The entire schedule for the 2005 season is shown below.
Bill
2005 MSOKC Schedule
April 10 - Sunday
April 24 - Sunday
May 7 - Saturday (Sunday schedule)
May 22 - Sunday
June 4 - Saturday
June 19 - Sunday
July 17 - Sunday
July 30 - Saturday
August 7 - Sunday
August 20 - Saturday - Bonus Points
September 11 - Sunday - Bonus Points
September 18 - Sunday - Rain Date
September 24 - Saturday - Bonus Points
October 2 - Sunday - Rain Date
Saturday Schedule (unless noted otherwise)
Gates: 2:00 p.m.
Practice: 3:30 p.m.
Driver's Meeting: 5:30 p.m.
Green Flag: 6:00 p.m.
Sunday Schedule
Gates: 8:00 a.m.
Practice: 9:30 a.m.
Driver's Meeting: 11:30 a.m.
Green Flag: Noon
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
SCCA OVR Points Event No. 9 and 10 (2004)
Originally sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2004 9:58 AM
Not content to put all of the karting equipment away after the MSOKC season finale, Bruce Brothers Racing decided to give another form of racing a try. The Ohio Valley Region (OVR) of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) has a very popular Solo II program, which involves timed runs through a parking lot course full of pylons (a.k.a. autocross). It's mostly for cars, but they do have kart classes for both kids and adults. Conor gave it a try two weeks ago, and this past Sunday, both Henry and Conor participated in the final OVR points event of the season.
The rules for Conor's class (FJ1) allow unrestricted Briggs and Stratton engines, but for his first event two weeks ago, we decided to run him with his existing restrictor plate set up. There are no practice runs and the course layout is not known until the morning of the event. After registration, the participants are allowed to walk the course. Junior drivers get the benefit of
walking the course with the Youth Steward, who gives them guidance and tips on how to memorize the course. The kart classes made their four runs in the third and final group of the day. In the first two groups, we saw everything from race-prepared Corvettes to Formula Fords to Subaru WRXs to stock Honda Civics. Good times were in the 40 to 50 second range. Conor's first run was 49.644 seconds. He improved on that in each of his next three runs and ended up with a best time of 46.101 seconds, which was the second best time in his class and just 0.464 seconds slower than the winner, who was running an unrestricted engine. The best time for a stock Corvette was 44.450 seconds.
This past Sunday, Henry, who has been recovering from a dislocated shoulder (fell off of Peter's stunt bike), decided he also wanted to give Solo II a try. His class (FJ2) also allows unrestricted engines, but requires an additional 25 lbs of weight. For Conor, we removed his restrictor plate and made what we hoped would be the necessary carburetor jetting and gear ratio changes to increase his competitiveness. The kart classes again made their runs in the third and final group
of the day and good times for the cars were again in the 40 to 50 second range. Henry was a bit tentative in his first run, but improved his time significantly in his second and third runs. Conor was fast immediately, and also improved in his second and third runs. Both boys, having set good times in their previous runs, 'over-cooked it' a bit in their fourth runs. Henry won his class with a time of 43.026 and Conor won his class with a time of 42.287 seconds. The best time for a stock Corvette was 42.194 seconds. Henry's best time was 2.901 seconds better than the second place kart in his class. Conor's best time was 3.529 seconds better than the second place kart in his 
class, who had not lost an event this year. SCCA has a handicapping system called PAX for comparing times of entries which are not in the same class. The index is composed of data from across the country and tries to take the cars out of the equation and compare only the drivers. Conor got a trophy for the 8th best PAX score out of 154 entries! Henry's PAX score was 38th best in his first try at Solo II.
We certainly enjoyed the experience, and if time permits, we hope to run a few more Solo II events next year.
Bill
Not content to put all of the karting equipment away after the MSOKC season finale, Bruce Brothers Racing decided to give another form of racing a try. The Ohio Valley Region (OVR) of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) has a very popular Solo II program, which involves timed runs through a parking lot course full of pylons (a.k.a. autocross). It's mostly for cars, but they do have kart classes for both kids and adults. Conor gave it a try two weeks ago, and this past Sunday, both Henry and Conor participated in the final OVR points event of the season.
The rules for Conor's class (FJ1) allow unrestricted Briggs and Stratton engines, but for his first event two weeks ago, we decided to run him with his existing restrictor plate set up. There are no practice runs and the course layout is not known until the morning of the event. After registration, the participants are allowed to walk the course. Junior drivers get the benefit of
walking the course with the Youth Steward, who gives them guidance and tips on how to memorize the course. The kart classes made their four runs in the third and final group of the day. In the first two groups, we saw everything from race-prepared Corvettes to Formula Fords to Subaru WRXs to stock Honda Civics. Good times were in the 40 to 50 second range. Conor's first run was 49.644 seconds. He improved on that in each of his next three runs and ended up with a best time of 46.101 seconds, which was the second best time in his class and just 0.464 seconds slower than the winner, who was running an unrestricted engine. The best time for a stock Corvette was 44.450 seconds.This past Sunday, Henry, who has been recovering from a dislocated shoulder (fell off of Peter's stunt bike), decided he also wanted to give Solo II a try. His class (FJ2) also allows unrestricted engines, but requires an additional 25 lbs of weight. For Conor, we removed his restrictor plate and made what we hoped would be the necessary carburetor jetting and gear ratio changes to increase his competitiveness. The kart classes again made their runs in the third and final group
of the day and good times for the cars were again in the 40 to 50 second range. Henry was a bit tentative in his first run, but improved his time significantly in his second and third runs. Conor was fast immediately, and also improved in his second and third runs. Both boys, having set good times in their previous runs, 'over-cooked it' a bit in their fourth runs. Henry won his class with a time of 43.026 and Conor won his class with a time of 42.287 seconds. The best time for a stock Corvette was 42.194 seconds. Henry's best time was 2.901 seconds better than the second place kart in his class. Conor's best time was 3.529 seconds better than the second place kart in his 
class, who had not lost an event this year. SCCA has a handicapping system called PAX for comparing times of entries which are not in the same class. The index is composed of data from across the country and tries to take the cars out of the equation and compare only the drivers. Conor got a trophy for the 8th best PAX score out of 154 entries! Henry's PAX score was 38th best in his first try at Solo II.We certainly enjoyed the experience, and if time permits, we hope to run a few more Solo II events next year.
Bill
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
MSOKC Race No. 13 - September 26, 2004
Originally sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 2:05 PM
The MSOKC season finale several weeks ago was a good one for Bruce Brothers Racing – personal-best lap times, secured championship positions, and more beautiful weather.
Peter again started all of his races from the back of the grid in his class, which consisted of seven karts. In the first heat, he worked his way to fourth by the end, taking advantage of mostly off-course excursions by his competitors. This result seemed to really charge him up, and at the drop of the green flag for the second heat, he had the bit between his teeth. He made a couple of well timed passes and finished fourth again, recording a personal-best lap time of 59.85 seconds in the process. With the psychological one minute barrier broken, he had high expectations for the feature. There were a few first lap tangles, but by using good sense and his quickened pace, Peter made his way to fourth by the end of the first lap. He was doing everything he could to hold on to his position, but one of his competitors was impatient and clobbered him in the rear in Turn 7 on the second lap. This sent him and several others into the grass. Quite a bit of time was lost, but this did not appear to discourage Peter, as he again lowered his personal-best lap time twice in the remaining laps (59.37 and 59.29). When approached after the race (in a friendly way), the dad of the clobberer denied the whole thing. The clobberer was quick to admit his mistake and apologized, however, while the dad remained in denial. Apparently, maturity does not always come with age…
We un-did several changes that we had made to Conor’s kart prior to the feature of the previous race, and his practice times showed a significant improvement. Conor started the first heat from the sixth position (of seven). He spent the first few laps working his way through the field. By mid distance, he was up to third. With open track in front of him, he too lowered his personal-best lap time to 50.68. The leaders were too far out in front to catch however, and he settled for third. Conor started the second heat from the pole. He made a less than spectacular start, however and was passed in Turn 1. Conor was able to pressure the leader while the front three distanced themselves from the field. He could not get by, but was able to keep his primary competition from the previous race behind him to the checkered flag. His heat races finishes earned him the second starting position for the feature. He made a good start and was able to pressure the leader in the first few laps. Her new-found pace kicked in by about mid-distance, however, and Conor ran an uneventful second to the checkered flag. Conor’s third place position in the championship had been sealed during the previous race (too far back from second but sufficiently ahead of fourth), but it was encouraging to see him lower his personal-best lap time in the season finale.
Henry’s primary goal for the day was to maintain his second place position in the championship battle - he started the day with just a slim 10 point advantage over the third place kart. He started the first heat from the fourth position (of seven) with his rival in third. The fastest kart in the class from the previous week (Adam Roberts) started at the rear, and I told Henry to let him pass when he came up from behind so that he would have sufficient time to pass his rival, too. The first part of this happened as planned but not until about mid-distance. Several laps went by without the second part happening, however. On the last turn of the last lap, Adam was finally able to get by, allowing Henry to finish immediately behind his rival - only 2 championship points lost as opposed to 4. In the second heat, Henry started third with his rival in fourth. Adam started on pole and checked out. Henry and his rival spent the entire heat bottled up behind the notoriously difficult to pass kart in this class. The important thing is that they finished this way, with Henry immediately ahead of his rival - 2 championship points re-gained. During the intermission, we did the math for all of the possible scenarios. We figured that, for his rival to overtake Henry in the championship, he would have to win the feature and have Henry finish fourth or worse. His rival started the feature from the second position with Henry in third. At the start, Adam again checked out (good ol' Adam!). Henry maintained his position, but began to loose ground to his rival. Henry's lap times had begun to creep up in the last two races and it appears that it's now his turn to need a motor re-build. Henry had enough to maintain his position, however, and the first three ran the way they started to the finish. This result sealed second place in the championship for Henry with a 6 point margin over his rival.
So, the second season of racing comes to a close for Bruce Brothers Racing. Conor did an excellent job in his first year in the Junior Sportsman II class, securing third place in the championship in the face of some stiff competition. Henry's second place the in Junior Unrestricted championship, which included several heat race wins and a feature race win, is an awesome result for a true rookie (prior to this year, Henry had only taken practice laps in Conor's kart). Peter also got his first taste of competition in the Rookie Box class and appears to have what it takes to be a serious competitor. All three boys are eligible to compete in the same classes again next year, which is our plan at this point. In the mean time, we're looking forward to the off-season. Thanks again to everyone for all the help throughout the season and for all of the kind words of encouragement and support.
Bill
The MSOKC season finale several weeks ago was a good one for Bruce Brothers Racing – personal-best lap times, secured championship positions, and more beautiful weather.
Peter again started all of his races from the back of the grid in his class, which consisted of seven karts. In the first heat, he worked his way to fourth by the end, taking advantage of mostly off-course excursions by his competitors. This result seemed to really charge him up, and at the drop of the green flag for the second heat, he had the bit between his teeth. He made a couple of well timed passes and finished fourth again, recording a personal-best lap time of 59.85 seconds in the process. With the psychological one minute barrier broken, he had high expectations for the feature. There were a few first lap tangles, but by using good sense and his quickened pace, Peter made his way to fourth by the end of the first lap. He was doing everything he could to hold on to his position, but one of his competitors was impatient and clobbered him in the rear in Turn 7 on the second lap. This sent him and several others into the grass. Quite a bit of time was lost, but this did not appear to discourage Peter, as he again lowered his personal-best lap time twice in the remaining laps (59.37 and 59.29). When approached after the race (in a friendly way), the dad of the clobberer denied the whole thing. The clobberer was quick to admit his mistake and apologized, however, while the dad remained in denial. Apparently, maturity does not always come with age…We un-did several changes that we had made to Conor’s kart prior to the feature of the previous race, and his practice times showed a significant improvement. Conor started the first heat from the sixth position (of seven). He spent the first few laps working his way through the field. By mid distance, he was up to third. With open track in front of him, he too lowered his personal-best lap time to 50.68. The leaders were too far out in front to catch however, and he settled for third. Conor started the second heat from the pole. He made a less than spectacular start, however and was passed in Turn 1. Conor was able to pressure the leader while the front three distanced themselves from the field. He could not get by, but was able to keep his primary competition from the previous race behind him to the checkered flag. His heat races finishes earned him the second starting position for the feature. He made a good start and was able to pressure the leader in the first few laps. Her new-found pace kicked in by about mid-distance, however, and Conor ran an uneventful second to the checkered flag. Conor’s third place position in the championship had been sealed during the previous race (too far back from second but sufficiently ahead of fourth), but it was encouraging to see him lower his personal-best lap time in the season finale.
Henry’s primary goal for the day was to maintain his second place position in the championship battle - he started the day with just a slim 10 point advantage over the third place kart. He started the first heat from the fourth position (of seven) with his rival in third. The fastest kart in the class from the previous week (Adam Roberts) started at the rear, and I told Henry to let him pass when he came up from behind so that he would have sufficient time to pass his rival, too. The first part of this happened as planned but not until about mid-distance. Several laps went by without the second part happening, however. On the last turn of the last lap, Adam was finally able to get by, allowing Henry to finish immediately behind his rival - only 2 championship points lost as opposed to 4. In the second heat, Henry started third with his rival in fourth. Adam started on pole and checked out. Henry and his rival spent the entire heat bottled up behind the notoriously difficult to pass kart in this class. The important thing is that they finished this way, with Henry immediately ahead of his rival - 2 championship points re-gained. During the intermission, we did the math for all of the possible scenarios. We figured that, for his rival to overtake Henry in the championship, he would have to win the feature and have Henry finish fourth or worse. His rival started the feature from the second position with Henry in third. At the start, Adam again checked out (good ol' Adam!). Henry maintained his position, but began to loose ground to his rival. Henry's lap times had begun to creep up in the last two races and it appears that it's now his turn to need a motor re-build. Henry had enough to maintain his position, however, and the first three ran the way they started to the finish. This result sealed second place in the championship for Henry with a 6 point margin over his rival.
So, the second season of racing comes to a close for Bruce Brothers Racing. Conor did an excellent job in his first year in the Junior Sportsman II class, securing third place in the championship in the face of some stiff competition. Henry's second place the in Junior Unrestricted championship, which included several heat race wins and a feature race win, is an awesome result for a true rookie (prior to this year, Henry had only taken practice laps in Conor's kart). Peter also got his first taste of competition in the Rookie Box class and appears to have what it takes to be a serious competitor. All three boys are eligible to compete in the same classes again next year, which is our plan at this point. In the mean time, we're looking forward to the off-season. Thanks again to everyone for all the help throughout the season and for all of the kind words of encouragement and support.
Bill
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