Race #9

I realized I numbered the last race incorrectly.  It was race 7 for us but Race 8 on the club schedule.  I apologize for those of you who have been cross checking this with the kart racing club website.

This race Lian was excited for.  She really felt like she had a shot at the win because she had shown strength - even against the fastest in the class.  In the heats, Lian finished second and third.  She nearly beat her personal best lap time of 21.04 sec as you can see below.

Best three lap times during first heat race.

Rain was threatening and the club was concerned that lightning would come with it.  As I have said before, we run in the rain this time of year but not with lightning in the area.  With this in mind, everyone rallied to get the races in quickly so everyone would have a chance to run.  Her heat race achievements were good enough for her to start second in the feature.

Racers line-up for start of Feature race #9.

Lian was determined to get a great start and show the guy in the #6 kart the back of her kart.  She couldn't wait to get going because she felt like she could really make it happen and take her first win. The fight for positions during the race start was like we have never seen.  It sure made mom and dad anxious to watch.

See for yourself with this helmet camera footage of the first few laps.

Lian ended up finishing third after all that.  She was animated and frustrated when she got off the track.  I was proud of her though because she was aggressive but ran a clean race and did her best.

Someday soon she will win one of these!

Race 7 - Night race

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.

WE ARE BACK!

For those of you who missed us, I'm very sorry for the absence.  For those of you that are new, well, I took a multi-month break from blogging due to some family circumstances.  We did not actually stop racing though so I'm going to have to catch, you up.

Here is a synopsis: Lian is still running in the  "Briggs Restricted Junior" class as she did last year.  Same weight limit and same restrictor plate.  Preparation for this season was focused on some minor work on the body and general maintenance.  A few fiberglass patches on some cracks and some fresh graphics took care of the body.  I was happy with the good looks of the kart and we featured it in front of our club display at the auto show.

New club rules added a lower bar to the rear bumper so I fabricated that and installed, it.  Our driver changed the size of her helmet and seat so new were purchased.  I elected to have Gary Lawson install the seat as he is an expert and could do it more quickly and accurately.  While he worked on it, he set the front end alignment and set the weights so we would have the proper balance and cross weights.

The club had hoped to pave the extensions in the fall but was unable to drain, dry and prepare the road bed in the wet weather.  Plan "B" was to try to get on the paving company's schedule in the spring or summer.  Track preparations this spring spent extra time cleaning up from the failed paving attempts from the fall.

As I write this, we just completed race 7.  We were able to get Lian to all but one of these races.  Here are her results:

Race 1: 4th                               Race 5: 2nd
Race 2: 3rd                               Race 6: 3rd
Race 3: (missed)                       Race 7: 3rd
Race 4: 4th

Races 5 and 6 she did without her regular crew chief (me) and obviously, she managed very well.  Race 5 was assisted by my younger brother and he clearly was a positive influence!

Race 7 was in very nice weather.  Lian was confident enough with the set-up that she only ran one practice.  Looks like her attitude was justified as she set a personal best time!

She started 4th in the feature and managed this pass at the start for 3rd.  She held on for the rest of the rest of the race.  Here is a link to the start of the race.

Next race is the first Saturday night race of the season.  Looking forward to running under the lights!

Awards Dinner

The club gathered this afternoon at an area party center.  Nearly every family was able to attend this event and it was enjoyable seeing everyone again.  The evening started with good food and an opportunity to participate in a "Chinese Auction" for donated items.

Funny anecdotes and situations were relived and trophies passed out for the racers.  Lian connected with her buddies and we sat with two other racing families at our table as well that were good company.  I bought a bunch of auction tickets and Lian helped choose what we bid for.

Lian was presented a fifth-place trophy for the 4-cycle Restricted Junior class.  Here is the group that made the banquet:

Fifth, Second, First and Third place

She was also named the Most Improved racer in her class this season.  Here she is with her awards:

Note the picture on the plaque is actually Lian in her kart.

The auction results were highly anticipated as there were some small items like boxes of home made candy and bigger items like a high tech kitchen faucet.  Everyone agreed that the most valuable was a full set of Hoosier racing tires.   Lots of tickets were dropped in to bid on that one.

Lucky us, we won it!  Now Dad gets the first set of tires free this next season!  That more than paid for the evening.  Thanks Doug Marsh for donating that prize item!

The track expansion has been interrupted by above average rain and a poor drainage situation causing ponding right where the new pavement was to go in.  Several members of the club have invested much personal time in trying to manage the water so the pavement could go down but it just was not going to happen without improved drainage management and time for the soil to firm-up.  The asphalt plant is shutting down for the season so we will have to wait until around June (after the drainage situation is fixed and the soil dries-up) to lay down the new pavement.  We will plan to run most of the season next year on the old track and maybe run a race or two at the very end of the season on the new track.  Oh well.

I have not yet begun making any preparations for next season.  As I make progress toward the start, I'll try to also post here so you can follow along.  Thanks for staying with us!

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.