Race #9 - Summer Shootout

This race was in low to mid 80s and very light wind.  It made this crew chief pretty hot!  Lian is sporting some lighter weight pants that have removable legs so she can cool off between sessions on the track.  She also was sporting her brand new chrome lens on her helmet.  Very cool look, don't you think?

If you look closely at her right rear tire, you can see the sidewall flex these racing tires endure on the track.  No wonder they get so hot!

Lian drew a very low number at registration so she started on the pole of the first heat.  Between the GoPro on her helmet and some video I shot trackside, I was able to put together a decent record of her first lap, while she held off a very quick number 25 kart.  Again, Lian picked the music for this video.

Unfortunately, the second place kart did eventually get past her and while she was off the ideal line, the third and fourth place kart got around her too.  She was passed by the last place kart later but got that position back right away and held on to finish fourth.  By the way, she recorded her fastest lap ever at 21.31 sec.  That is over a tenth quicker than her previous best!

In Heat 2, she started in the back (fifth) and finished there.  Afterwards she complained to me that the kart was too tight in the hairpin and asked me to adjust it to help the kart rotate there.  I think it was the first time she asked for a specific adjustment.  I moved the rear hubs out 0.25" each to loosen the kart a little.

In the Feature, Lian started in the back and got a great start.  She got the inside line on fourth and was able to make the pass coming out of the sweeper as you can see here.  Unfortunately, the change I made went too far and made the kart too loose.  The yellow number 12 kart passed her again and we had another frustrating finish.

Still enjoying the family time at the track.  A bad day racing is better than a good day at work!