Race #6

Good day racing!

We had a clear sunny day to race although it was a little hot and sticky (low to mid 90's with humidity in the upper 60% range).  Unfortunately, several of the regulars were at a bigger race (WKA event I think) and were not present.  Only four raced in Lian's class but they were very evenly matched so there was good action on the track.

We started the first practice and I anxiously awaited Lian's report on the engine.  It was disappointing.  She seemed to feel like it was down on power slightly overall (low rpm to high).  I could not imagine what was wrong - I felt like I was very thorough in the work I did.  The second practice, the engine would not even start.  I quickly had the assistance of other families surround me as I pulled repeatedly on the starter. Kill switch, choke, fuel flow, etc. were all explored.  We had to give up on getting her on the track and retreat to the "garage" for a more thorough check.  One of the more experienced dads pulled the "kill" wire off the ignition and we got a spark.  This told us, there was a short somewhere in that wire.

With a quick teardown of the engine covers, we were able to isolate a spot where the wire had melted against the cooling fins and grounded on the engine.  There was no way that was going to start like that!  Another dad quickly produced some electrical tape and soon we were repaired and re-assembled. Sorry this photo is poor but here is what we found - it does not take much!

That bright spot on the wire is the conductor inside that was touching the engine.

Hoping that was also what effected her performance in the first practice, we kept our fingers crossed and sent her into Heat 1.  She started in 4th and finished 3rd but had some great lap times.  Even better, she said that she felt like she had every bit as much engine power as the rest on the track.

In Heat 2, she started on the pole.  It was great seeing her lead the group to the start.

Lian was able start clean and get ahead of the #25 in the first turn for the ideal line.  This gave her a nice advantage and potential for winning this heat.  The fastest driver - #12 in the yellow kart - was closing in on her as the laps wound down.

On lap 10 of 12, Lian leaned a little too hard on the throttle exiting a turn and slipped wide.  This gave both the second and third place drivers an opening to pass.  This was a bitter lesson for her but one she accepts responsibility for.  Up until that point, the #12 was not able to pass her so I was proud of her for that driving.

The feature was a little anti-climactic in that everyone finished where they started.  For Lian that was 3rd place.  She did wear the GoPro for the feature and got some video of the race.  Here she is leaning hard on the right rear tire during the feature.

I have replaced the irksome wire in the engine and we are ready for next week!  Meanwhile, I'll try to figure a way for a rookie blogger to get video to you...

Practice session - new track

We decided a little change of scenery might be a good thing for all of us.  Some fellow club members had visited the racetrack in Fremont, OH and had good things to say about it.  We were unable to confirm that the track would be open for practice when we planned to go but decided to take a chance.

We found the track okay with the help of our GPS but it was vacant except for a large SUV and very large trailer parked nearby.  Spotting a fellow on a tractor in the back of the property, I decided to walk that direction.  He spotted me and introduced himself as Kit Henry who leases the property and runs the track operation.  He didn't think anyone would be out to run that day so was trying to get some work done on the property.  He gladly opened the road course up for Lian.

The course is similar but different.  Many of the same curves were there but in a different order.  Kip commented that the key to speed on the course was the sharp, right-hander (similar to our club course). He observed that she had a good line through it and most of the other turns.  Soon, she was putting up some impressive lap times.

It was a hot, humid day and Lian didn't get a break from the track much because she had it all to herself.  For her last run, I mounted our new GoPro video camera on Lian's helmet.  Once again, I'm having trouble getting video on the blog but I'm working on it.

Meanwhile, I decided that even a slight leak in the engine exhaust valve was more than ideal and probably will not get better with time.  Rather than trying to "lap" the valve to re-seal it, or sending it out for complete re-build, I elected to just purchase the component I was concerned with: the engine head.

Baker Racing "stock" head with matched valves and seats.

I contacted a engine builder that does only kart engines.  In the conversation, he identified our engine as one of the older versions of the Animal with an older head that probably does not flow as well as the current version.  I bought a new head, machined by him to - but not beyond - the WKA limits for a "stock" engine.  Here it is:

Lightly machined surface that mates with engine block.

 Installing this was more than unbolt and bolt-on.  Turns out the previous owner of the old engine changed some of the fasteners over to "standard" verses the original metric so I had to locate several metric fasteners to replace.  Additionally, the exhaust pipe braces mount to unused bosses on the head that had to be drilled and tapped.  I didn't realize this until I had the head on the engine so I had to tap these while installed.  Fortunately, there was enough room to maneuver the tools.

Looking forward to seeing if there is any performance improvement on the track.  I'll let you know right here...

Race #5

This race was held in great weather and the turnout was better than I've seen before.  The senior 4-stroke class was split in two groups.  There were seven that showed-up in Lian's class so the action was going to be good.

Lian ran some practices and although not as fast some of the quickest in the group, she was nearly as fast as her best times.  Here are her fastest three laps in practice.

She started third and fifth in the two heat races.  She finished fourth and fifth respectively.  Her best times were in the second heat as indicated by the Mychron:

Her starting position in the Feature was fifth and that is where she finished.  That oversimplifies the action that took place on the track.  She was passed and she passed some competitors that had misfortune.  Most of the action was clean but there were some situations where a pointed black flag would have been appropriate.

Here is a look at Lian doing what she does.

We are planning to get a little practice time while I'm still off work.  Hopefully, we can find another tenth or two for future races.  I'm still thinking about that leaky exhaust valve.  These things don't tend to improve with time so I'll have to fix it eventually.  That will probably be my focus.

Thanks for reading.