Cherry Valley Motorsports Park 7/26/09

After our poor performance last weekend, I spent a few hours at the track with Jason working on my driving and Joe working on my kart. Jason followed my kart around the track to see my line. Then he told me where I needed to make laps, while Jason watched and used cones to guide me through a couple of turns I was having problems with. The bottom line was that I needed to be much more smooth and brake earlier, so that my exit was much faster.

Jason also drove my kart and asked afterward how I could drive it. It was far too fight and was getting all bound up in the corners. We loosened the kart up and improved my times. Then we worked on the clutch and made more improvement. We then adjusted the castor in the front. We made good progress on all fronts and there is still plenty of room for improvement in the kart and driver.

Chris drew a high number on race day, which put me in the back of heat #1. The start went great as my row went right by the other. We made it clean through the first hairpin, buth the next courner had a spin right behind me that took out three karts. So I was sitting in great shape in sixth after starting in tenth. I was pushing hard to catch the next kart or keep up with the next kart. I over drove a corner, exited too wide and got into the grass. Not that uncommon for me, but this time I busted the chain. Breaking and DNF, hurt worse when they are self inflicted!

Heat #2, I started on the outside poll and got a great jump on the start. Actually, got a great push from behind. Exited the hairpin in P1. The #44 kart got past me, but I managed to finish second.

I started midpack for the feature and came out of the hairpin in forth. I held my position for about the next 10 laps, but in the closing 4-5 laps the handling fell off. I think I built-up too much heat and air preasure in the tires. The #0 & #36 were all over me and we had a great race to the finish. Unfortunately, they both got by me, but it was good clean racing.

Cherry Valley Motor Sports Park 7/19/09

We had high hopes for the race because we had left the kart with Joe for the week to find some speed in the kart. He replaced the front spindles and aligned everything. I also got new bodywork and changed my number (see blog below).

Well, heat #1 turned out to be what is turning out to be the typical slugfest. Everyone is all hyped-up and over-aggressive the first heat. Anyways, I started outside front row and the first hairpin went clean, came out P2. Held on for a couple of laps, but then karts started going by. Then they'd all tangle and I'd go by. Then they would catch me back up, I hold for a couple laps and they'd cycle back by. Then they did it again! I went by again and thought I had them. But they caught back up and a couple got by. The kart was not running well, obviously. I changed gears between heats.

Chris had a nearby horse show/charitable event to help with and missed the first heat. She was back for the second heat though. I started out back and unfortunately, that is where I stayed. Very frustrating!

In the feature, I continued to struggle. I watched the #36 touch wheels with the #0 in the exact same place I touched wheels with the #36 the first week (see bottom blog) and fly off the track. A ton of gravel and dirt was thrown across the track. Unfortunately, stunts and spins where my only opportunity for advancement. I was not going to cause any of it, I was off pace a bit. I would race to a point, but didn't race as hard as I would normally. I almost caught one more kart before the finish, but almost doesn't mean nothin'.

Before we left the track, we began making arrangements with Joe and Jason for a test & tuning session on next Saturday, before we repeat another poor race day like today. We also discussed having Jason spend a little time coaching me on the track. He follow me to see my line and I follow him to learn how it should be done. Jason would also drive my kart to better determine what needed to be adjusted.

For a Friend

Last weekend at the track, I got a lot of questions about changing my kart number from #3 to #68.
A few weeks back, a good friend and the person that got me into karting, John Neer, had a severe brain aneurysm. He put me in his kart when he hurt his ribs, I soon bought my own kart and we've been racing together ever since. So, in support of his battle back and simply missing his antics at the track, I changed my number to one less than his, #68. John always races #69.
John and I are old school racing. While most kids grew up on baseball and other games, our Dads brought us to all the great tracks/races in the North East. We lived and remember the glory days (Trans Am, Can Am, and real F1). Oh and both hung with the Bog people at the Glen!
For whatever reason, I remembered two yellow/black AMC Javelins, numbers 68 & 69. I grew up with AMC and Javelins were their racing breed. We met Mark Donahue, Peter Revson and many other great racers of the era. Dad had a '68 Javelin and then a '70 Homologation Javelin (390cu, Hurst Comp+, Ram air & Breedlove wing), wich sits in my garage today and will terrorize my local streets til I pass.
Anyways, I wanted to explain more completely at the track about the #68 & #69 teammates thing, but it was only a very distant memory. Turns out that memory was from 1971, when I was only X yrs. old. Thanks to the internet, I was able to find the #68 &#69 Javelin teammates.
But most importantly, John is fighting back and doing better every day!

Cherry Valley Motor Sports Park - 6/27/09

We'd been away from the track for a couple weeks, but it seemed much longer. Missed everyone! We brought a 'Get Well' card for everyone one to sign for our good racing friend who's been in the hospital/ICU for nearly a month.

Normal race weekend format, two 10 lap heats and then the 15 lap feature. Chris always draws my number to see where we start in the heats. She drew a #8, which is good and low. Put me on the outside of row one in heat #1, but then the field is inverted for heat #2.

Kart felt fast in practice, but my Mychron isn't working and I couldn't see my lap times. In heat #1, I was able to hold P2 for several laps, but holding them off meant I was holding them up. Not that I cared other than knowing the longer I held them up, the more likely they would take a desparate move. Two karts got by me clean and they ended up finishing 1-2.

Heat #2 was inverted, so I started out back. I got by one kart at the start and then began working on the next. I got inside on a tight left, got too hard on the brakes, and looped it. I probably could have used less brake and leaned on the kart on the outside, but the guy on the outside is a good friend and a clean racer. I kept the kart running at least and went back after them.

I caught back up the the same kart #24 that I spun trying to get around. We fought like hell for the rest of the heat. I was all over him. I raced him super clean, bumping him only on the straights. But I never got the job done. It's a fine line between not racing hard enough and wrecking someone.

In the feature race, I started closer to the rear than the front based on my heat finishes. Things got a little crazy at the start of the race. The race starts on the main straight and goes into a tight hair pin turn. It often gets messy, tires squealing and karts bouncing off and sometimes up and over each other. There is a guy fairly new to karting and very aggressive. NOT a good combination. (See previous race weekind update, heat #2). Nobody wants to be near him on the starting grid, least of all in the hairpin at the start. I was behind him going into the hairpin and he is bumping and bouncing off karts. That is not the fast way through the corner. He goes wide and is sliding, so I dive under him near the exit of the hairpin. Now we are nearly side-by-side going down hill through some S-turns. Not a place to be racing. Who's going to lift or who's going to crash! Well, I did neither and he did the later. Not bad and was able to continue.

And guess what happens next... he catches me back up at the end of the race! Below he is right behind me and a rookie in his first race is in front of me. I'm expecting payback and have to clear this rookie very very quickly and cleanly.

One second before this picture was taken, all hell broke loose in this very high speed corner. You can see a wisp of tire smoke over my left shoulder. It was very ugly! This is the corner entering the main straight. I was right behind the red #14, coming hard to set up the straight, and the #36 was on my rear. Earlier, the #14 pointed me by, being a rookie. As we approached the corner, he looked inside, saw me and pulled outside. I went under him, thinking he was letting me by. Not so. He came right down and we hit wheels in this fast corner. NOT GOOD! We both bounced violently in the air, went wide and the #36 sailed by. MY BAD. I apologized after the race.

Again, I didn't finish very well overall. We had a ball racing and that's the most important thing. I didn't break anything either. But even though there wasn't anything big that needed repair, I left the kart with the owner of the track. Joe is a master at karting (national champion) and asked him to replace my spindles and do a thorough once over on everything. I'm confident he'll find some speed for me. No way it could be the wheel man! LOL

Some things are more important than racing!

The year before last, 2007, a acquaintance at work, John Neer, hurt his ribs racing his kart. He asked if I'd like to race/fill-in for him at Oswego Speedway. I had no clue. I was brought-up watching racing at the Glen and Mt. Tremblaunt, much like John. But I never actually raced.

So of course I said sure. The kart has a hard shell seat and John weighs maybe 120lb. and I weighed about 220lb. Well, I squeezed into that seat and hit the track. When I came out, my hip bones were cut and bleeding. It didn't matter, I had the thrill of my life. It was so intense, more physically and mentally demanding than anything I've done. I can put 1,000lb on my shoulders and pump-out squats, while snorting smelling salts to keep from passing-out. Driving the kart topped it!

I ended up buying my own kart to race the following season and John and I raced most every weekend at our new home at Cherry Valley Motorsports Park.
One race, I was following Johnny downhill after the hairpin through a set of S-turns. The outside was marked with a bunch of big old dirt track Hoosier super mod tires. Well, Johnny got pushed into the tires by another kart and bounced off them like a helicopter. I kept my foot in it and went on by, but was freakin' out about Johnny. The last image I had of Johnny & kart was not good and I was really ... I can't use the correct language to describe my feelings! But I would never lift and neither would Johnny. I come around to the flag stand/finish line and they are throughin' the Red Flag. They stopped the race and I panicked!!!! Again, I can't accurately describe my emotions!

On a Red flag everyone is supposed to come to a controlled stop. I jammed the brake, spun and stalled. I saw the track officials running toward the tires I saw Johnny hit. I panicked! The main strait is filled with stopped karts and mine is facing the other way. I jump out and start running toward the tires! Helmet on and waving to everyone to follow me!!!!!!

Well as I'm freaking right the you know what out, trying to get everyone's attention to save Johnny, Chris is yelling at me that Johnny is OK. Only she knew what was driving the lunatic! I looked back at the grid/main straight and frickin' Johnny is there sitting in his kart. I can't believe it! The picture I have in my head of Johnny in the tires then and now is like King Richard or Bobby Allison in the fence at Daytona.

I walked with Chris back down to the grid and Johnny wanted to know WTF I'm doing! I didn't know whether to kiss him or punch him in the helmet! Anyways, he thought the whole thing was the coolest ride/wreck he'd been on since .... I wanted to kill him! He was having a ball! I told him I thought he was toast and crapped my pants. That only made the moment more special for Johnny and then we all laughed! That was just Johnny!

Well this last friday morning, Johnny got on his motorcycle to come to work. He had a terrible headache. He ended up having to pull his bike over from the pain. Johnny safely stoped his bike, but went down to the ground.

Johnny had a severe brain aneurysm. He underwent emergency brain surgery as soon as he got to the hospital. He went to ICU and fought for his life. I left work and went to the ICU.

No words can describe ...

Just like with the tire barrier, Johnny is coming back. Each day he is showing more improvement and signs of recovery. Last night he pulled his breathing tube out, so he breathing on his own now. Today he opened his eyes and is even try to talk/swear. He's really started looking like Johnny again. His face got really swollen from the brain surgery and it just didn't look that much like the Johnny I know. I have to look at his hands. I know his hands from all the time we've spent wrenching feverishly in the pits to change gears, clutches and other crap. There was still a bandade on his right index finger.

That's my race update for this last weekend. I hope I never have another like it and I know that the day Johnny is back will be better than any victory!!

Get better real soon Brother!!!! We Love You

Our First Race Day of 2009

We got a late start this season, waiting for a new seat and engine. But we were finally back on the track, #3. Dave practiced and decided to change a gear because he wasn’t quick enough in practice!

Heat #1: Nine karts in the Sportsman Can class (Yamaha 100/4-hole Can). I drew a poor number for starting and Dave started at the rear of the field. Big wreck after the hairpin going down the hill. Dave avoided the mayhem and came out in Forth position. Great start for Dave! RED FLAG!!!!!! OMG, we had to do the start over again. The restart was clean and Dave started picking off karts. Dave only made it past a couple of karts and then the kart started bogging down coming out of the corners. He tried to adjust the carb rich/lean, but it didn't fix the issue.

Between heats Dave swapped carbs. We sent the engine and carb to Woltjer over the winter. Dave sent the carb that has always given him a little problem with bogging to see if they could find the cure. NOPE. Dave put his favorite carb back on. Before he went back out on the track, we tested the carb on the stand. The throttle stuck wide open. Seems the spring on the carb failed/broke. Always something!!! Our good friend, track owner and master of all things karting, Joe Fredericks rigged a big spring between the throttle linkage and kart chassis. Good to go!

HEAT #2: Dave started on the front row this time. Dave's first priority was to make it through the hairpin at the start. Dave had outside pole and the guy on pole was real fast. Dave got a really good jump at the start, but pole inside of Dave had position at the hairpin. Right behind the pole guy on the inside was our good friend Dan. Dave settled in behind Dan in P3 coming out of the hairpin. Dave was running great in his # 3 kart when all of the sudden the #36 yellow kart ran right over the top of him in the hairpin and cut up his tire! Dave had no clue at first what had happened to his kart other than that his leg hurt, he was able to keep his kart going and then he said it felt just like someone was pushing him trying to pass! Fact was, he had a big huge flat tire, nothing like anyone had ever seen before!!! There was a huge hole in the tire! Dave made it around to the pits.

Our friend Dan loaned us a tire so that Dave could run in the feature race. I reminded Dave to bring his spare tires, but he didn't listen. Good thing Dave didn't chop Dan at the hairpin in heat #2. Dan might not have been so inclined to loan a tire and rim! There really is a great family of racers at Cherry Valley Motor Sports Park. We all pull together when one of us needs help!

FEATURE RACE: Dave of course started at the rear based on the heat races. I think everyone kind of settled down for the feature, as it was much smoother and less crazy aggresive. Dave was doing very well and picking off karts. Then the #1 kart, the fastest kart on this weekend, spun battling for P1. He works his way back to the bumper of Dave's #3 and for the next 6-8 laps they battle like hell! See pictures. It was exciting. Finally, the #1 got a solidly outside going into a tight left had corner. Dave carried too much speed for the inside line and looped it, while avoiding the #1 on his outside. Facing the wrong way in the corner, Dave looked up and saw the #36 again barrelling into the corner. OH, NO!!!!! The #36 jerked the wheel looped it and stalled. Poor guy (remember heat #1). Dave drove off at the rear of the field again and picked off a kart or two before the checkered.

Overall, we had a blast! Great to be back racin'! Not too many broke parts (tire, carb and oh ya, I bent my spindle) and the driver shook off some of the rust from the winter.

Have a Great Week Everyone!!!