This race is one of the few that are run on Saturday night instead of Sunday afternoon. Everyone likes running under the lights once in a while and the kids like to put lights on their karts to add to the excitement. Lian didn't want to do too much so I just restored the LED lights that we ran on her kart last year and called it good.
As the weekend approached, we anticipated the chance for rain. The club policy is to run in the rain only in the months June, July and August. The exception is the night races - water droplets on the helmet visor are tough to see through under the lights. With that concern and the radar picture, the club pushed to get the feature races done before sunset.
Rain pushed through the area before practice so the track was wet. Practice with the rain setup was a little comical as the group was not able to make a complete lap without someone spinning out. I watched the track dry significantly though during practice so I hoped that we would be okay without rain tires (we don't have any). Lian started second out of six in the first heat. She managed a good start and the track was dry enough that the guys on rain tires (2 racers) didn't have an advantage over her. She finished second and I was hopeful that the rest of the day would be try.
The second heat was a different story. Lian started 5th this time. About three laps in, the rain started and became heavy very quickly. Everyone was anticipating dry conditions so we had quite a horror show on-track with the sliding and spinning. One of the parents was yelling at the officials to stop the race - which they did and flagged everyone off-track.
In the minutes that followed, the officials realized the error and offered to let us run our heat again. Next thing you know, we are gridded again and ready for racing in wet conditions. I sent Lian out with a change to her rear track - the wrong way. I made the mistake of not consulting the chassis guide before grabbing the wrenches. When Lian went out, the kart pushed so badly she could barely get it around the track. She finished sixth.
The feature started in dry conditions. Lian benefitted from a low pill draw and started third. She slid back to fourth in the first turn. One of the leaders - inexplicably - elected to run on rain tires and suffered for it. Lian caught up to him in the video linked here.
She went on to pass the second place kart with about two laps to go. I was thrilled that she salvaged a great result after my error.
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