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!

Race #8 - Saturday Night!

This was the first race of the season run on Saturday night instead of Sunday afternoon.  These races start the heats in the early evening and the features start around sunset, under the lights.  It was also the first  race that I couldn't attend because of work.  I was scheduled for night shift so I was able to get the trailer to the track and help for a few practices before I headed to work and left the racing to Lian and her Mom.  Fortunately, there were plenty of helpful parents there aware of our situation and gave Mom help when she needed it.

Lian was ready to step-up and contribute more to the work in the pits.  So after I made a toe adjustment, she re-installed the wheels and tightened the lugs.  An important thing about the wheels, they can sometimes get a little crooked on the hubs and it may seem like they lug nuts are tight but when the wheel settles onto the hub properly, the lugs become loose.  I believe that is what happened in the second practice because she kicked the left rear wheel off and it bounced about 20 feet in the air before landing in the infield.

Dad loaded the kart and recovered the wheel from the EMS worker nearby.  Walking back to the pits with a sheepish young driver who remembered Dad asking "are you sure you got the lugs tight?"  Aside from her pride, the only damage was to the studs and the wheel.  They were junk.  Fortunately, I was able to get the damaged studs out of the hub without too much problem.  The wheel was a complete mess as you can see by the elongated holes:

After Dad was out of the picture, Lian finished 3rd and 4th in the heats.  This put her in 4th for the Feature race and she was excited to show off her lights.  In addition to some of the blue LEDs we had last year, I installed some green LED strips under the clear plastic sticker protectors on the sides and they really get your attention.  Here is a picture her Mom took on the starting grid:

Mom got the GoPro going for the Feature and so you get to watch what happened to her at the drop of the green flag here at this youtube link.  Lian chose the music to go with and wanted it loud to drown out her exclamations.  She needs to anticipate starts better but Dad is also looking at throttle response.  It was another frustrating feature for her but overall, she enjoyed the day and really appreciated the temperature drop after sundown.

Race #7

Mixed weather at the track this time.  We saw a shower blow-in just before the first heat and got the race director to panic and stop Lian's class from taking the track.  The club officers made it clear that with this club, rain does not stop the racing during the months of June, July and August.  By the time the corner workers made their way back out to their positions, the rain had stopped and the wind had the track mostly dry.  I think she was more concerned with the dampness in her pants after sitting in her seat.  Here she is after climbing in:

"I just sat in a puddle!"

We started looking over the kart to make sure we were ready to go and discovered a broken seat mount!  This was a real surprise.  When did it happen?  Who knows.  Presumably late in the feature last week because I would hope Lian would have noticed something amiss.  Anyway,  I quickly started to dismantle and remove it.  As soon as I had the long arm removed, I handed it to Lian and told her to run to the Rocketech Motorsports trailer and see if they had a replacement.

Fortunately, they had another in stock and after setting the proper length, we were back in business before the first practice.

The practices went fairly well with a best of 21:82 sec and a small air pressure adjustment promising even better traction in the Heats and Feature.  When the rains came, advice was flying around the pits on how to manage the limited traction situation.  We listened intently as we did not have the option of putting rain tires on (haven't invested in those... yet).  I was relieved when Lian didn't have to use any of that advice.

In Heat 1, Lian started 6th out of 6 and was very frustrated that she couldn't make any passes because of how the 5th place driver kept closing the door on her.  I calmed her reminding her that she would be starting from the pole position in Heat 2 so it would be her turn to hold back others.

Heat 2 was her start to control but she started slow and the outside row started hard.  Entering the first turn, she was side-by-side with the kart that started 4th.  The driver that started behind her was very aggressive and bumped her in most of the turns in the first lap.  Lian was so angry, she turned her fastest lap ever at 21:55 sec.!  She got out a 5th place finish from that and she came off the track very upset that the roughness she experienced didn't bring even a warning from the officials.

Because she drew such a high number at registration, she started in the back of the Feature.  I told her that she can't wait for the blue flag to be displayed for her.  Her blue flag is her front bumper.  Becoming more aggressive will be an adjustment for her but I think that at some point her frustration will be too much for her to hold back.

Lian sporting the GoPro camera during the Feature race.

The start proved interesting.  Lian actually moved up to 5th very quickly when one unfortunate racer had a flat from a leaky valve stem. Before the field spread too much, she closed in on the 4th place kart but then he surprised her and caused her to move off the edge of the track - spinning in the grass.  With a quick boost by a corner worker back on the track, she didn't get passed.  Try this link to see Lian's First lap from Race #7 on 6-30-13

The rest of the race was a downer for her, getting lapped by the leaders while her tires dried, then passing her friend for 4th place when her friend lost a neck brace on the track.  Here she is with the rest of the leaders.

I've got a few small things I'd like to do to Lian's ride before next race.  It will be a night race on the 13th so lights are on the list too.  Until next time...

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.

Tuning on the off-week

Suspicious of missing out on some straightaway speed, I sought the advice of one of the experienced club members.  We discussed several ideas to explore but settled on doing a leakdown check on the engine.

The process is pretty simple.  You take the cam out of the operation by removing the rocker arms.  This ensures that the valves stay seated (closed) during the test.  Compressed air is introduced through the spark plug hole and we check to see where it tries to get out.

It is normal for the rings on the piston to leak some as they do not form an airtight seal but you should not hear air coming out of the exhaust pipe or the carburetor throat.  During the test on our engine, we could hear a small amount of leakage through the exhaust.  Although it is was detectable, my friend assured me that it was insignificant on the track.  What else could I try?

Spark plugs? I have been running a conventional plug like the one pictured here.

This has the standard ground and I was diligently keeping the gap set properly.  No surprises here.  What about this stuff I read in the forums about a great racing plug for the Animal?  I decided to give it a try.  It has a cut back ground to increase the exposure to the spark.  This is the plug I had in when I visited my friend for the leakdown test.

My friend pulled out yet another upgrade to the plug.  It is radically different and offers even more exposure.  This is similar to what is used in some aircraft engines.  Apparently, it is legal to run so, we will give it a try.

Another upgrade he recommended was a larger air cleaner assembly.  This picture is a side-by-side of the new verses the old.  Obviously, the new has more surface area and will have less restriction.  With the larger restrictor plate, he claimed that this could make a difference for us.  The elongated base also acts as a semi-velocity stack to leverage the inertia if the intake air to "pack" molecules in the engine.

Finally I replaced the drive chain as I understand an old chain can increase drag.  With the stretch between rollers, the rollers don't fit nicely between the teeth and take slightly more power to engage.

With the new air cleaner installed I found it interferes with the right rear tire.  I may have to get creative but for now, I'll have to run the old air cleaner.

I'm again on-shift for the next race but may still be able to get a friend to swap.  I'm looking forward to see if any of this makes a difference.