NEWS – Bruce Brothers Racing had an excellent season debut for Mid State of Ohio Kart Club (MSOKC) Race No. 1 at Circleville Raceway Park (CRP) a week ago Sunday. We qualified both karts on the front row, Peter won a heat race, and both boys ended up on the podium.
PRACTICE – We managed to get in two practice days prior to Race No. 1 – one to shake out the cobwebs and the other to do some fine tuning. Off-season changes included a complete engine rebuild on our Yamaha SuperCan kart (Peter) and a significant reconfiguration of our 8Occ shifter kart (Conor). MSOKC also has a new club spec tire for 2010 – MG “Reds” instead of Bridgestone YJCs. We used old tires for our first practice day and scrubbed in and tested the new MG Reds on the second practice day. On Sunday morning, we did a bit of fine tuning and were feeling in pretty good shape.
YAMAHA JUNIOR – Race No. 1 was a qualifying format race, which means that starting positions for the subsequent heat race would be determined by best lap times during a three-lap qualifying session. Peter’s lap times had been good during practice, so we were optimistic for qualifying. There were nine karts in Peter’s class, so they split the session into two groups. Peter went out in the second group and posted the second fastest overall time (46.650 seconds). In his heat race, he timed the start perfectly from outside the front row and lead easily into Turn 1. Just about the time he began to receive pressure from behind, there was an incident involving two karts running towards the end of the field and the race was red flagged. Everyone was okay, but since the leaders had completed half of the laps (four of eight), the race was not restarted, which gave the win to Peter. A second and a first earned Peter pole position for the start of his feature race. As Peter demonstrated in the heat race, the outside starting position on the front row is sometimes a better place to be. At the start of the feature, he had to concede Turn 1 and dropped in behind the new leader. Except for one retirement, the first four ran nose to tail for 10 laps. Peter finished second but did record the fastest lap of the race in the process. The outlook for the season is looking bright for Peter.
8Occ SHIFTER – Our 8Occ shifter kart got front brakes over the winter, a rear axle upgrade, and a top-end engine rebuild. Conor seemed to have liked the changes during our practice days, so we were optimistic on Sunday for him as well. His qualifying session was also split into two groups – five karts in each. Conor also posted the second fastest qualifying time – he and one other kart were the only ones to break into the 44 second range (44.992 for Conor). While he had done well with his standing starts during practice, he muffed the one for his heat race. He got away immediately, but bogged the engine down and dropped to fifth. While the leaders got away, it took Conor seven laps to get around the fourth place kart. A second and a fourth was good enough for a third place start for the feature. He made an excellent start in the feature, but had to back off a bit to avoid the pole-sitter in Turn 1 (see video below). He settled into third and pressured the second place kart all the way to the end for a third place finish. The outlook for the season is also looking bright for Conor. We were particularly pleased with the reliability of his kart in light of all the changes that were made over the winter.
NEXT RACE – MSOKC Race No. 2, which will feature standing starts for all classes (like the 8Occ Shifter class), is Sunday, April 25, 2010 at CRP.
Bill
p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results can be found at http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=520354
Monday, April 19, 2010
Video from MSOKC Race No. 1 - April 11, 2010
This video is from the start of Conor's feature race a week ago Sunday. He is the black and yellow kart on the inside of the second row.
Bill
Pictures from MSOKC Race No. 1 - April 11, 2010
Peter lines up for his pole position start in his heat race.
Conor prepares himself for his heat race.
A full race report will follow.
Bill
Friday, April 9, 2010
Bruce Brothers Racing – 2010 Season Preview
It seems like Christmas was only a month or so ago, but somehow, Easter has come and gone. Since Christmas, Laura and Peter have been to Peru for a tournament with Peter’s soccer team and Conor and I have been to Australia for the Australian Grand Prix. Henry was home for a few days of Spring Break with some of his Brown University friends.
The racing season for Bruce Brothers Racing gets underway this Sunday with Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club (MSOKC) Race No. 1 at Circleville Raceway Park. Peter will contest the Yamaha Jr. SuperCan class again in 2010 and Conor will contest the 80cc Shifter class again. Both karts have fresh engines and we have made some significant updates to our 80cc Shifter kart – some cosmetic (new bodywork - see earlier post) and some more significant (larger diameter rear axle and front brakes).
Our race schedule for 2010, which once again includes the MSOKC series and the Commercial Point Grand Prix (CPGP), is as follows:
Race No. 1 – Sunday, April 11 – Qualifying, 20 bonus points
Race No. 2 – Sunday, April 25 – Standing start
Race No. 3 – Sunday, May 16 – Clockwise
Race No. 4 – Sunday, June 6 – Normal
Race No. 5 – Saturday, June 26 – Night Race
Race No. 6 – Saturday, July 17 – Night Race, qualifying, standing start
Race No. 7 – Sunday, July 25 – Normal
Race No. 8 – Sunday, August 1 – Qualifying, standing start
CPGP – August 14-15 – Non-points event – street race fund raiser
Race No. 9 – Sunday, August 22 – Clockwise
Race No. 10 – Saturday, September 4 – Sunday schedule, qualifying, Hog Roast
Rain Date 1 – Sunday, September 5 – Rain Date No. 1
Race No. 11 – Sunday, September 26 – Normal, qualifying, 20 bonus points
Race No. 12 – Sunday, October 3 – Clockwise, standing start, 40 bonus points
Rain Date 2 – Sunday, October 17 – Rain Date No. 2
CRP is located on U.S. Route 23 just north of Circleville (click here).
Bill
The racing season for Bruce Brothers Racing gets underway this Sunday with Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club (MSOKC) Race No. 1 at Circleville Raceway Park. Peter will contest the Yamaha Jr. SuperCan class again in 2010 and Conor will contest the 80cc Shifter class again. Both karts have fresh engines and we have made some significant updates to our 80cc Shifter kart – some cosmetic (new bodywork - see earlier post) and some more significant (larger diameter rear axle and front brakes).
Our race schedule for 2010, which once again includes the MSOKC series and the Commercial Point Grand Prix (CPGP), is as follows:
Race No. 1 – Sunday, April 11 – Qualifying, 20 bonus points
Race No. 2 – Sunday, April 25 – Standing start
Race No. 3 – Sunday, May 16 – Clockwise
Race No. 4 – Sunday, June 6 – Normal
Race No. 5 – Saturday, June 26 – Night Race
Race No. 6 – Saturday, July 17 – Night Race, qualifying, standing start
Race No. 7 – Sunday, July 25 – Normal
Race No. 8 – Sunday, August 1 – Qualifying, standing start
CPGP – August 14-15 – Non-points event – street race fund raiser
Race No. 9 – Sunday, August 22 – Clockwise
Race No. 10 – Saturday, September 4 – Sunday schedule, qualifying, Hog Roast
Rain Date 1 – Sunday, September 5 – Rain Date No. 1
Race No. 11 – Sunday, September 26 – Normal, qualifying, 20 bonus points
Race No. 12 – Sunday, October 3 – Clockwise, standing start, 40 bonus points
Rain Date 2 – Sunday, October 17 – Rain Date No. 2
CRP is located on U.S. Route 23 just north of Circleville (click here).
Bill
New Livery
Our 8Occ shifter kart has a new look:
Both karts have new tires (MG "Reds") and our Yamaha SuperCan kart also has a new nose:
Bill
Both karts have new tires (MG "Reds") and our Yamaha SuperCan kart also has a new nose:
Bill
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Video from 2009 Season
I just happened to stumble across this YouTube video from one of the MSOKC reverse direction events at Circleville Raceway Park in 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-U08tyLTkU&feature=related
There is quite a bit of footage of Peter (silver No. 2 kart with a red stripe on the nose). He first appears at about 15 seconds in.
Bill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-U08tyLTkU&feature=related
There is quite a bit of footage of Peter (silver No. 2 kart with a red stripe on the nose). He first appears at about 15 seconds in.
Bill
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Season’s Greetings from Bruce Brothers Racing and 2009 Season Review
NEWS – Bruce Brothers Racing hopes that you and your families had a Merry Christmas and we extend our best wishes for a Happy New Year.
MSOKC RACE NO. 11 – The 2009 Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club season ended on October 11, 2009, with a make-up race for the rained out Race No. 11. Peter’s position in the championship had already been decided, so he elected to attend an organizational meeting for a trip that he and Laura are taking to Peru in January with his soccer team. Conor’s position was less secure, so we put everything together one last time in 2009. The rained out race was a qualifying format event in the reverse direction at Circleville Raceway Park, so the make up was the same. Conor qualified fourth and finished third in the heat race. He started from the third position in the feature, made a pass for second on the first lap, and ran in second on the tail of the eventual winner to the finish. This easily secured his position in the championship.
2009 SEASON REVIEW – Both Peter and Conor moved up a class for the start of the 2009 MSOKC season – Peter from Briggs Sportsman to Yamaha Jr. SuperCan and Conor from Yamaha Jr. SuperCan to 80cc Shifter. Henry was away for the majority of the season finishing his first year and starting his second year at Brown University, but he did get to participate in two events over his summer break.
The move to Yamaha Jr. SuperCan was a big jump for Peter – nearly three times as much horsepower as he was used to. His lap times improved continuously as the season progressed, but so did those of his competitors in this highly competitive class. The highlight of the season for Peter was the Commercial Point Grand Prix, where he quickly came up to speed on this very fast street circuit and, after starting third in the feature event, went on to finish second after a close battle that went right down to the wire. Peter finished sixth in the MSOKC championship in this class, which was contested regularly by as many as 10 karts.
Conor’s move to the 80cc Shifter class was also a big jump (nearly twice as much horsepower), which included having to learn to shift gears and master standing starts. He managed a feature race win in only his second start in this highly competitive class. He also recorded second place finishes three times and numerous fastest laps of the race. His Commercial Point Grand Prix results were respectable considering he was in the only kart in this class without front brakes. Conor, who was by far the youngest participant in this class that was contested regularly by as many as 12 karts, finished third in the MSOKC championship.
Henry made only two starts in 2009, but made the best of both of them. He earned a pole position and recorded a feature race win in our Yamaha SuperCan kart in MSOKC Race No. 5 while Peter was away at camp. He and Peter shared this kart for the Commercial Point Grand Prix, and after a heat race incident that resulted in a 25th place starting position for the feature, he passed 17 karts on the way to an eighth place finish.
Peter will contest the Yamaha Jr. SuperCan class again in 2010 and Conor will contest the 80cc Shifter class again, although we have some updates planned for our 80cc Shifter kart (including the addition of front brakes). We have no specific plans for Henry in 2010, but I suspect he will again get to participate in several events. The MSOKC season begins on April 11, 2010, and the Commercial Point Grand Prix is August 14-15, 2010. In the mean time, the MSOKC season ending banquet, where trophies and prizes will be awarded, is January 9, 2010.
Bruce Brothers Racing would like to thank everyone who provided support and encouragement during the 2009 season and we look forward to continued success 2010.
Bill
p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results for MSOKC Race No. 11 can be found at http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=484852
MSOKC RACE NO. 11 – The 2009 Mid-State of Ohio Kart Club season ended on October 11, 2009, with a make-up race for the rained out Race No. 11. Peter’s position in the championship had already been decided, so he elected to attend an organizational meeting for a trip that he and Laura are taking to Peru in January with his soccer team. Conor’s position was less secure, so we put everything together one last time in 2009. The rained out race was a qualifying format event in the reverse direction at Circleville Raceway Park, so the make up was the same. Conor qualified fourth and finished third in the heat race. He started from the third position in the feature, made a pass for second on the first lap, and ran in second on the tail of the eventual winner to the finish. This easily secured his position in the championship.
2009 SEASON REVIEW – Both Peter and Conor moved up a class for the start of the 2009 MSOKC season – Peter from Briggs Sportsman to Yamaha Jr. SuperCan and Conor from Yamaha Jr. SuperCan to 80cc Shifter. Henry was away for the majority of the season finishing his first year and starting his second year at Brown University, but he did get to participate in two events over his summer break.
The move to Yamaha Jr. SuperCan was a big jump for Peter – nearly three times as much horsepower as he was used to. His lap times improved continuously as the season progressed, but so did those of his competitors in this highly competitive class. The highlight of the season for Peter was the Commercial Point Grand Prix, where he quickly came up to speed on this very fast street circuit and, after starting third in the feature event, went on to finish second after a close battle that went right down to the wire. Peter finished sixth in the MSOKC championship in this class, which was contested regularly by as many as 10 karts.
Conor’s move to the 80cc Shifter class was also a big jump (nearly twice as much horsepower), which included having to learn to shift gears and master standing starts. He managed a feature race win in only his second start in this highly competitive class. He also recorded second place finishes three times and numerous fastest laps of the race. His Commercial Point Grand Prix results were respectable considering he was in the only kart in this class without front brakes. Conor, who was by far the youngest participant in this class that was contested regularly by as many as 12 karts, finished third in the MSOKC championship.
Henry made only two starts in 2009, but made the best of both of them. He earned a pole position and recorded a feature race win in our Yamaha SuperCan kart in MSOKC Race No. 5 while Peter was away at camp. He and Peter shared this kart for the Commercial Point Grand Prix, and after a heat race incident that resulted in a 25th place starting position for the feature, he passed 17 karts on the way to an eighth place finish.
Peter will contest the Yamaha Jr. SuperCan class again in 2010 and Conor will contest the 80cc Shifter class again, although we have some updates planned for our 80cc Shifter kart (including the addition of front brakes). We have no specific plans for Henry in 2010, but I suspect he will again get to participate in several events. The MSOKC season begins on April 11, 2010, and the Commercial Point Grand Prix is August 14-15, 2010. In the mean time, the MSOKC season ending banquet, where trophies and prizes will be awarded, is January 9, 2010.
Bruce Brothers Racing would like to thank everyone who provided support and encouragement during the 2009 season and we look forward to continued success 2010.
Bill
p.s., Lap times, lap charts, and results for MSOKC Race No. 11 can be found at http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=484852
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