Last points race of 2012

So we reached the end of the season.  The weather was a little cooler than nearly any of the other races.  The windy conditions made it uncomfortable for the crew and the crowd but the action on the track was still hot.

Lian drew a starting spot of 6th out of 8 in Heat 1 and finished 6th.  In Heat 2 she started 3rd and fought of two different challengers from behind to hold her position to finish 3rd.

The feature race saw Lian starting 6th.  Although she had an opportunity to advance on 5th place, some of that hot action I mentioned ensued.  Some light bumping and Lian found herself in the grass.  When everyone straighened-out in the end she finished 8th.  Below is Lian leading a group out of the right-hander during warm-ups for the second heat.

With her best 10 points race finishes added up for the season standings, Lian finished 8th.  Her good friend Alex won the feature - yet again.  Alex managed a perfect season this year taking the title for the class for a second year.

We discussed the next season and what Lian's next racing class would look like.  Lian will be moving up to what the club calls Briggs Restricted Junior which is for 12-15 year-olds.  There are several competitors moving up with her so she will be among friends - at least off the track.

The changes for her will be a larger restrictor plate and a higher minimum weight.  The restrictor goes from three holes at 0.25" diameter to a single hole of 0.625" diameter.  The areas of each are 0.1473 square inches and 0.3068 square inches respectively.  This doubles the amount of air and fuel that the engine can take in and will come close to doubling the power!  The weight must increase from 265 lbs to 305 lbs.  Our club friends warn that it will be an adjustment to drive.

We hope to run at a different track in Pennsylvania next (Beaver Run) at a fall fun race.  It is a big course with 17 turns and elevation changes. I'll let you know how it goes.

Until next time...

Racing hard - healed up

Gone were the effects of Lian's injury and she had no complaints about her shoulder while on the track.   Again, her peers raced her hard and there was some good competition on the track.

We traveled without a trailer this week, stuffing all our equipment and the kart in the bed of my new pickup.  Here is a shot of all that junk piled-in the back.

The down side it that if the weather is damp, everything will get damp.  The tonneau cover you see rolled-up won't fit over the kart's steering wheel or the kart stand.  We put a tarp over all this with a complex network of bungees and kept the afternoon drizzles off our investments.

Speaking of the weather, the club succeeded in finishing all the races before the afternoon rain arrived.  We had mostly clear, sunny conditions but very windy.  We didn't put our canopy up because we didn't think we could control it.  Lian said she couldn't feel the wind on the track in her suit and helmet but I'm pretty sure it effected her lap times.

Lian started mid-pack of eleven racers in both heats (7th and 5th).  She finished both heats in those same positions.  In the Feature, she started 7th but had a good shot at making a pass on one kart in the hairpin.  While she was on the inside of that kart, she got a tap from behind and she slid a little bumping the kart she was passing.  She got a warning for that - bad call by the officials but they probably didn't see the whole thing.  She did pass a few competitors who spun early on so was looking good to finish 5th but in the final turn of the last lap, she got pushed off in the grass buy a couple others that were fighting for the finish and slid back to 7th.  

Overall, another enjoyable day at the track.  Lian didn't participate in the football games between heats but still threw the ball a little and had a good visit with her friends.

One more points race to go.  Thanks again for reading.

Back to Racing!

After a few days at school without her sling, we decided to go to the track for practice and feel-out how her shoulder would do in racing conditions.  The track was open Saturday (29th) and we had good weather.  There was a only a small crowd of folks there making it easy to get right to the track for a trial.

In the days leading up to the practice, I tinkered with the engine making sure that all would be ready.  I discovered a sticky float needle which I replaced, and reset both the plug gap and the ignition air gap.  I even adjusted the valve lash for optimum performance.  Cleaning and lubing the drive chain rounded out our preps.

In practice, Lian came off the track with "a burning sensation" in her right arm.  Most likely from muscle fatigue from lack of activity in that arm while stuck in a sling.  She pressed-on and did another 15 lap session, bringing her times down to the high 23 second range.  Quick enough to keep up with the field.

Despite her discomfort, she really wanted to be back Sunday to compete.  We got some thermal wrap for her and made plans to race.

Here she is on the starting grid with her old buddies plus one new competitor in a purple kart.

In the first Heat, she started 6th and finished 10th out of 10.  In the second Heat, she started 5th and finished 4th.  In each run she was getting steadily faster lap times.  She came off the track with no real complaint about her arm.  She worried mom during the warm-up laps before the second heat when one of the karts in front of her spun out in the hairpin right in front of her and she had to bail out in the grass.  Fortunately, she wasn't jarred and only became stuck briefly until a flagman pushed her back to the pavement.

With those finishes, she started 8th in the feature.  When traffic got tight coming out of the first turn, she elected to back-off rather than defending her position, settling into 9th.  She ran there the rest of the race but actually showed quicker and quicker lap times during the race.  She told me later that she was glad that her peers didn't race her any differently.

Her good buddy Alex won the race, working hard to pass the leader for most of the laps.  After Lian was injured, Alex promised to win a race for her and give her his trophy (he has many).  Diana told him that was very nice but that he didn't have to do that.  He insisted saying that he didn't want to break a promise.  Here they are after the awards were given (notice the big trophy and the heat wrap).

There was one competitor missing this race and we all missed him and his family.  Tyler is his name and even as a rookie, he has had a dynamite season.  We all trust all is well with him and his family and hope to see them at the track next race.

Just a few more races left.  We plan to make them count.  Thanks for reading!