Race 15 - Rainout

Last race of the season.  Paving is scheduled to start this week on the track expansion.  The earthmoving and tire barrier dislocation will preclude any further racing without a significant work party effort.  Only one more points race was planned anyway.

Weather was wet the night before but looked like we might be able to get the races in before showers moved in.  In the months of July and August, rain does not stop the racing but any other time the club will postpone or cancel races for rain.  The track was still damp before practice started and the older kids and adults were asked to run some laps to help get it safe for the Kid Kart drivers to begin their practice.  Lian enjoyed the challenge of driving in the slick conditions and did better than most keeping it on the pavement.

Practice times reflected that conditions were not ideal and were about a half second slower than ideal but she told me the kart was balanced and she didn't want any changes for the heats.  She and her friend agreed to perform the National Anthem after the drivers meeting so they set up Lian's drums, her friend's flute and a microphone in the control tower (out of view of the crowd so her friend would not be so nervous).  Well, it was not the worst rendition but it definitely revealed the lack of practice her friend had.  The crowed eventually began singing it to help her along and we got through it.  Lian did fine with her drums and cymbals but was frustrated by how it went.  She was ready to put that performance behind her and race.

She lined up in second place for the start of Heat 1 and I felt a few stray raindrops.  For the second week in a row we had only the four toughest competitors in the class present.  These were the points leaders and the final season results were in play with the race results.  I warned Lian that conditions may worsen during the race and to be ready to adjust to the area outside the racing groove to find bite.

Lian had a pretty good start and held second place through the first turn.  The number 25 made a few runs at her but never really had a shot until the second-to-last lap.  Check out this attempted pass during Heat 1.  When she came off the track, she was very pleased with herself and optimistic it was going to be a good day.

We lined up for Heat 2 in the third position and waited for the previous class to clear the track.  Before we started engines, a light drizzle began.  The officials took about a minute to consider options while the intensity of the rain increased.  They decided to have us cover our karts while they waited a short time to watch what the weather was going to do.  Eventually, they declared a rain-out and we started to pack up for the last time this season.

My friend from work - Myron and his wife and son were in the area visiting family.  I was hoping that they could see some great racing action.  Unfortunately, they arrived just as we moved off the starting grid for the rain and they never saw any racing.  They did ask some questions about the club and the karts and promised to visit again sometime next season.

Thanks for following us so far.  That puts a wrap on the racing action for this year.  We plan to attend the Awards Banquet next month so I'll update this blog after that.

Race 14 - A Tribute

On the night before we were to race,  the father of one of Lian's good friends passed away.  Patrick Clancy was 51 and was suffering from complications following surgery.  If curious, you can see his obituary here.

Lian wanted to dedicate this race to his family.  Having gotten to know the them over the years, we all shared the pain of his loss.  I was proud that Lian not only came up with the idea but made a sign to attach to her kart for the race.

We unloaded in blustery but warm conditions.  Significant rain had fallen the day before so the track had no rubber in it and was slightly damp.  Practice was a little slippery and her times were down about 6 to 8 tenths but she only complained it was slightly loose.  I made a track width adjustment and put her race tires on for the first heat.  The Heats and the Feature were very fast, Lian set her personal best!

Lian was starting second in Heat 1 and third in Heat 2.  There were only 4 racing this week but they were the toughest of the class.  In the first heat, the third place kart got into the back of the first place kart and got him loose.  This gave Lian a chance to take the lead - which she did.  She held off the second place driver for her first Heat win ever.  We were very excited!  I'm just a little bummed I didn't get it on video.

In Heat 2, Lian fell back at the start a little and ended up fourth.  As you can see in this video, the second lap had a gift for her in the form of a spun-out kart.  This allowed her to move to third and that is where she finished.

With a first and a 3rd place finish, she tied for the best average with one other driver.  Fortunately, she picked a very low pill at registration's random draw and ended up starting on the pole.  She didn't want to mess up this opportunity and she felt strongly that the helmet camera would slow her down so I filmed from trackside.  She lost the lead to the second place starter in the first turn.  The video footage is not as good but you can see her getting passed for second.  See what you think of this.  She was particularly angry about this as she bounced out of her seat and the seat edge hit her below the rib protector.



When she calmed, we told her how proud we were for fighting hard out there and being so thoughtful of her friend.  Third place is still respectable with this competitive group.

Track expansion plans for the club have been set.  We will have one more regular points race which will also be our halloween trick-or-treat at the trailers.  The following day, the paving company will begin and a whole new track will emerge for next season.  Lian has said that she is planning to run again next year so, I guess you will be reading this blog for a while...

Race #13

Lian leads off the second heat.

This week there were five present in Lian's class.  All but one were looking to improve their points situation in these last few races so intensity was high.  The weather also was a challenge in that it was cooler and slightly damp.  Watch the two lead cars carefully during the  warm up laps for Heat 1.

Lian started in fifth for the first heat and passed one driver who had a problem.  She started in the front of the second heat.  Second place got ahead of her in the first turn but she was able to hold on to second to the finish.  These results gave her a third place start for the Feature.

More interesting incidents occurred on the first lap of the Feature.  The leader had a spindle (front axle) shear just before the hairpin and caused a backup in the turn.  If you watch closely, there is moisture on the lens in this video.

The number 25 got straight and caught up with Lian.  After some increasingly rough bumping, Lian got passed for third.  This frustrated her because she has received warnings from the volunteer flagman for less-rough driving than she experienced.

Lian finished 4th in the end and joined with another 4th place finisher that she befriended from the Senior Animal class for this picture.

I was proud of her performance overall in that she didn't ever spin-out and yet drove hard.  Even with the weather, this group was only a few ticks off of their best times in this class so they are a talented group.  To gain on any of them is impressive.

The club has nearly enough money to contract for the proposed track expansion which will add two large turn loops to the existing course.  That means two things, we may shorten the season by a race or two and we may have a really neat season next year with numerous configuration options for our racing.  I'll keep you posted.

Race #12 Getting up front

Not much work needed on the kart leading up to this race.  Just had to get a friend to trade with me so I could go.  Lian has been getting busy with marching band and picked up a little bit of a cold before this race so we tried to keep her rested between sessions on the track.

Before I describe the action, I wanted to share this trophy picture from the night race two weeks before.  Things finished so late that they postponed the awards until this race day.
 

Night race awardees.  Ladies placed one-two!

Practice went smoothly and we made a small adjustment to the rear track to help a push condition.  She seemed comfortable with the kart and the speed was good so I was optimistic we would have a good day.  Lian's starting positions were to be 4th and 3rd in Heat 1and 2 respectively in a field of six racers.  

Starting outside on the second row, Lian had a strategy to improve her position right at the start of the first heat.  She knew that the second place driver started very fast and she hoped to stay on his bumper and gain on the third place kart through the sweeper.  This strategy actually put her slightly ahead of the pole sitter!  Unfortunately, she pinched low and tangled with the number one starter costing them both several positions.  Here is the video from the GoPro and the sidelines.

Lian went on to finish 4th in that heat.  Heat 2 went uneventfully and she finished where she started in 3rd.  This placed her 4th for the Feature start.  She was going to have to run hard to finish on the podium.

She wanted to try the strategy again that almost worked for her the first heat.  Attached is another video of an exciting start.  Notice the right hand of the leader.  He thinks that the start is going to be waved-off (the flagman had waved of several already).  He started slowly and this helped her strategy.  She was able to get ahead of third-place and hold that position to the finish!

I'm very proud that she backed-up her second place with a third place.  She is definitely a force to be reckoned with out there!  We didn't get a podium picture because it was again very late when we finished all the races but here is our driver at home with her prize.

Maybe that flame hair does make a difference!

Race #11 - Bring on the night

For the last NIGHT race of the season, we had a few weeks to prepare.  We took advantage by taking the kart back to Prime Time Racing and had Gary check the front end and other stuff.  In the period between our visits, I managed to get the toe setting off so he was good enough to correct that for us.  We also discussed the apparent high clutch engagement speed.  After reviewing the gauge data and even testing the clutch stall speed on the stand, he agreed that we had a problem.  He offered several corrections we could try but most involved new parts.  This led to another on-line order for new stuff.

When the parts arrived, I rebuilt the clutch and with the adjustment to the rear axle we were optimistic we would see some improvements on the track.  By the way, the old clutch was showing signs of overheating with the "rainbow" coloring on the shoe weight and the drum and the drum slightly belled out at the opening.

Heat damaged clutch parts

The heat races were to start in the late afternoon and then the feature races were scheduled to run after sunset, around 8:30 or so.  Well, the club had a few delays, then we had a red flag during a Junior Sportsman heat that stopped everything for over 30 minutes.  Needless to say, things ran very late.

There were only four competitors in the Restricted Junior class this race.  Lian started second and third in the respective heat races.  Lian was very happy to place where she started in each of the heats, especially when she finished ahead of a certain driver.

The club was pushing to get everyone to get their video cameras out and get a boatload of footage for a new promotional video.  For the first heat, Lian had the GoPro on her helmet - looking backwards!  Here she is leading the third place driver who carried two cameras.

Long shadows during Heat 1 leading up to the night Feature

Curious what the backward cam gave us?  Click here and let me know what you think!

She started the Feature race in second place under the lights.  After nightfall, the dew began to fall and everything was getting damp.  This included the track surface, much to the surprise of many competitors.  Numerous spin outs occurred in all the races.  The club warned all the racers about the track conditions.

The start was interesting for Lian, the first and third place starters got a bit of a run on her and  exited the sweeper ahead of her.  What happened next was a product of a little bit of zealous driving and the moisture on the track.  Here is another great GoPro moment.

Lian went on to finish second!  This was her best finish in a feature race.  We couldn't get her trophy because the last race ended near midnight and everyone was rushing to pack and leave.  We should have an nice trophy shot for the next posting in a few weeks.  Come back and see it!

Race #10

I made a few changes to the kart before this race.  We made a few practice runs at Fremont and noticed that the exhaust pipe seemed to closer to the rear sprocket afterwards.  When I investigated, I discovered a crack in the pipe.  Who knew that problem was underneath the fiberglass insulating wrap?

Not where the exhaust is supposed to come out!

I also was frustrated that adjusting the idle mixture on the carburetor did not have any effect on the idle quality.  Because the idle mixture affects the low and midrange throttle response, I wanted to make sure it was right.  Fearing the incorrect idle jet was installed (I had heard that others had this issue with used carbs) I purchased another one.  Turns out that the jet was plugged and I couldn't clear it so I just replaced it.  Now the idle mix works!

Do flame tips give you a speed advantage?

Finally, I wanted Lian's clutch to engage earlier and with more force so I changed the shoe position on the hub which determines this behavior.  I was hoping to get her better starts.

Lian made her own changes and decided to Flame her hair.  What do you think?

In practice on race day, Lian complained that the kart was really loose.  I adjusted the chassis to improve this but she still felt it was loose.  I told her that the only other change I made was to the clutch and began to think that by engaging harder, she might be getting loose on the throttle application.  I switched her clutch back to the way I had it before.  In Heat 1 she reported that she liked it better.

Lian drew a high number so she started 5th out of five in Heat 1 and started on the pole for Heat 2.  I still didn't think the clutch was right because it appeared to be slipping too much.  You can see it most in this video of the start of the second heat where the second place kart gets ahead right after the flag.  Lian finished 4th and 2nd in the respective heats.  You would expect her to start 3rd in the Feature but she actually tied for third with two other drivers and with the high number she drew, she wound-up starting in the back.

Holding off third place during Heat 2

The feature didn't bring any change to the running order (although she had a shot at passing the 4th place driver).  We have more changes planned for next race.  The practice tires are done, especially the right front.  I knew we would probably need another set before season's end so I just bought and mounted what will be our new "race set" of tires, re-marking the old race set as our "practice set."

We resolved to get the kart over to our consultant, Gary at Prime Time Racing, for a re-check of the front end settings and corner weights.  I suspect we will find some more speed in this thing yet.  Thanks for reading!

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!