Jeff's 2006 Racing Diary
November 25, 2006
Well, Cody got the monkey off of his back—he won his first feature race and picked a
great time to do it, winning $200 in the Tucson Shootout. You can read about it in our
NEWS section by clicking the link up above. I can’t describe how excited I was for
him. I think I was more excited for that victory than any of my own only because I know
how badly he wanted it. I was so proud of the poise he showed handling everything
throughout the race. He looked like a different driver. I was also relieved that he
didn’t have his kart tighten up like it has the past 8 races.
My day was disappointing. I was just trying to qualify somewhere in the top half of the
field and save my energy and tires for the main event. I managed to do that, finishing 5th
and then 2nd in the two heat races. While we were getting ready to go out for the main, I
had a strange feeling that something was wrong with my kart. I checked over everything and
then pushed the brake to the floor and hit the throttle. I heard a pop and the brake
peddle got soft—I ruptured my brake line. It looks like a rock had gotten stuck
between the chassis and the line and rubbed a hole in it. I felt really good about my
chances in the main, but was relieved it didn’t rupture on the track. Talk about the
highs and lows of racing. I would have felt much worse if Cody hadn’t had such a
great day.
November 19, 2006
Sunday was the last day of the regular season. Since the points were all but locked up, I
decided to race both my karts as a test for the Holiday Classic. I woke up feeling kind of
queasy—having twins we are lucky to get more than 5 hours of sleep a night and I
think it is wearing on me.
I was not too excited to find out we were running the Trophy Dash in the Animal class.
I was already feeling worn down and didn’t want our streak of 7 Trophy Dash victories
in a row to go away because I wasn’t feeling good. To make matters worse, the
paramedics didn’t show up so the race was delayed nearly 2 hours while we waited for
their arrival.
I spent the time in the trailer trying to drink fluids and stay in the shade. By the
time we hit the track, I was pretty worn down. I started third and once we got the green
flag, the adrenaline kicked in and I felt fine. Kevin Behrendt, a former IKF National
Champion has been racing with us the past 4-5 races. I haven’t been racing side by
side with him during that time, but since he was on the pole, I’d finally get my
chance. He was very loose coming off the turn and I was able to get by him in turn 2. Then
going into turn 3 he drove hard into my left rear tire and wheel hopped me. The pain in my
elbow, shoulder, and wrist was excruciating. I’m not sure what he was trying to pull.
He got put into the back and I guess Rick Spencer then got a taste of how national
champion drivers race as he got taken out later in the race.
On the restart I just wanted to get out to the lead and I did to clinch our 8th Trophy
Dash victory in a row. Cody and I have now each won 4—2 each in Tucson and Phoenix. I
still think most of it is luck and the streak is bound to end soon, but I guess for this
year you can call us the Trophy Dash Champions.
The two heats in my flathead kart were uneventful, finishing 2nd to Rick Spencer in
both of them. I was faster than him in the first heat, but couldn’t get around him
cleanly. He was clearly faster in the 2nd and I laid back, trying to conserve energy.
The first heat in my Animal kart had me on the poll. I surprisingly lead every lap on
my way to an easy victory. I had to start last for the 2nd heat and challenged for 2nd,
but slid my tires too many times and started getting too loose. I glanced back at 5th and
saw I had a huge lead, so backed off, again trying to conserve energy.
After the race, I could barely stand up. Not only was my arm getting worse by the
minute, but I felt sick to my stomach and like I was going to pass out. I laid in the
trailer for awhile and still didn’t feel better. Poor Cody had to get his kart ready
for the main all by himself and I told Corryn to let the Spencers know I wouldn’t be
racing. Shortly after that, I got VERY, VERY sick, but then I felt a little better. With
my parents visiting from Colorado, I decided to race my animal kart. It was a flurry of
activity to get it ready for the main, but we rolled up with a few minutes to spare.
I started on the poll and was trying to be smooth and consistent the entire race. I
wasn’t pushing it my hardest, wanting to save something if I was challenged for the
lead. About lap 10 that challenge came and I started driving harder. Behrendt pushed me up
the track to pass me down the front stretch and then nearly pushed me into the wall. I
pushed him back and that gave Rick enough time to get underneath him. Behrendt obviously
didn’t care and turned down on Rick, causing them both to spin. Luckily I had seen
that coming and was able to barely get around them on the outside. If I had gotten into
them I would have been put to the back along with them.
On the restart I pulled out again, still trying to conserve something for the end. On
about lap 17, I really had to start working as Behrendt had worked his way back to the
front and was trying to move me out of first. He got me loose going in nearly every
corner, but I was able to hang on and pull away coming off. I kept talking to myself to
concentrate and make it to the white flag. It must have worked as I ran my fastest lap on
the 2nd to the last lap.
I can’t describe the emotions I felt as I took the checkered flag. It took so much
effort to not only race, but to hold off 3 of the fastest people I’ve seen race at
AKA. It felt better than my first win and capped off a long, trying season. Having motor
problems the first race and then wrecking in the 2nd, I started the 3rd race 9th in
points. I wanted to work on getting top 5’s from there on out. I rolled off 6
straight top 5’s before my engine gave up in the last race before the break. During
the break, I was frustrated with the inconsistency and handling of my kart. I wanted to
challenge for wins and run with the leaders. We tried changing a few things on the kart
and I wanted to change my driving style. After the summer break, it was a season I dreamed
about—5 consecutive top 2 finishes, including 2 wins! Finishing 2nd behind Rick at
both tracks is certainly an accomplishment and hopefully something I can build on for next
year.
I was especially proud of Cody both in his main and his season. For this being his 2nd
year racing and his first at AKA, he showed a lot of promise. He ended up running with the
4 fastest karts at AKA and finished 3rd on the day and 4th in the points. At the beginning
of the year we said we’d be happy if he could get top 5 in points, so that mission
was accomplished as well. Next year he wants to run for the championship at AKA and to get
his first victory, so his goals are quite lofty.
October 28, 2006
As most everyone knows, the highlight of October had nothing to do with racing. Our twins
were born on October 15, 2006, the day after the scheduled Phoenix race was rained out. It
was perfect timing. The karts were ready to go meaning we wouldn’t have to do
anything to the karts until the next race. They must have agreed and were born the next
evening, exactly 4 weeks before their scheduled due date. Words cannot describe how proud
I am of those two boys. I can sit and stare at them for hours. We are so blessed to be
able to have them in our lives and already couldn’t imagine not having them with us.
I also can’t describe how tired I was on Saturday. Brandi and I have a pretty good
schedule going where we split the nights into shifts, but getting only 3-4 hours of sleep
at once for 2 weeks straight certainly can take its toll. I was just wanting to have an
uneventful night and not screw up my points position.
I started the first race on the poll, which I hate because I don’t know how the
kart is going to handle. It was loose right off the bat and the tiredness and the fact
that we hadn’t raced there in 5 weeks showed on the first two laps as I nearly spun
each corner. I fell back to 4th by lap 3, before I finally remembered how to drive. I was
able to climb up to 2nd, but couldn’t even see Rick Spencer who was leading the race.
For the second heat, I had to start last (9th) so I had my work cut out for me.
Everybody was trying to get down to the low line on lap one, so I thought I’d try the
high groove. I went a little too high and nearly spun out and fell about one corner
behind. In a few laps I had passed one kart when chaos broke out. As I was coming out of
turn 4, the pack in front of me went 4 wide. Contact was made and the karts went spinning.
A kart was spinning towards me and I didn’t let off and threaded the needle between
his kart and the wall. He ended up hitting the wall while another kart flipped behind me.
I spun out in turn one as I tried to regain control. The red flag came out and amazingly
everyone was ok and only one kart was knocked out of the race.
On the restart I patiently worked my way through traffic and finally found the 21 of
Dicky Dudd and the 47 of Bernie Lacotta who were running 2nd and 3rd. We had a fun,
exciting battle for the last half of the race. Nobody made contact and I was able to use
the 21 to pass the 47 and then pass the 21 as he drove in a little too hard. I
couldn’t keep the position and he passed me back the next corner. Finally coming to
the white flag, I passed him back and was able to finish 2nd. It was the most fun
I’ve had on the track in a while. I’ve raced with both of them all year and
appreciate the good, clean, hard racing we’ve had the last half of the season.
With two 2nd place finishes, I started 2nd for the main. Being on the outside and half
asleep, I didn’t get a very good start and again fell back to 4th very quickly. I
worked my way back to 2nd in a couple of laps but Rick was nearly a straight away ahead of
me. I decided to just hang out and make sure I didn’t spin. A caution came out and
erased Rick’s lead. On the restart and the subsequent 3 laps I tried to get around
him as I could close on his bumper, but didn’t want a repeat of the prior race where
we made contact. I started to get really fatigued and had to give up before I wrecked us
both. I was happy to get my third 2nd place finish of the night. I could barely breathe or
lift my arms after the race. Hopefully I’ll get more sleep before the season finale.
Cody did a great job on my kart and made all the set-up changes once again. The kart
handled great nearly all night. I wish we could say the same for his kart. He raced hard
and was competitive, but was still just too tight for the main. Despite that, he was still
able to finish 4th.
We only have one more regular season race. Cody is guaranteed to finish at least 5th in
the points at AKA and all I have to do is start the race to finish 2nd. With the pressure
of the points chase off, we can just have fun and get ready for next season. Most of all,
we can enjoy the babies!
September 29, 2006
Friday marked the last race of the season in Tucson. They always make the last race a
little different—only one heat race and then 10 extra laps for each of us in the
main. They also double the points. Given our success the prior race there, we ran
identical set-ups. The one and only heat race was a carbon copy of the last race—we
both led nearly every lap and won going away to qualify on the pole.
Cody was in an interesting situation for his main—he needed to beat the 99 kart to
claim the track championship left open with Nick Parker competing at the WKA Grand
Nationals in Kansas, but he also really wanted to win his first main event. We went
conservative on his set-up, basically running what he ran in the heat race. He had a good
lead for about 7 or 8 laps, but then his tires started squealing and I knew we should have
gone to a harder tire. Within a few laps, Paul French from Phoenix was able to get by him.
Cody ran close to him and was very conservative, not wanting to repeat all the mistakes
that have cost him a ton of points all season. He had an easy second place to take the
championship.
I was proud of the composure Cody showed out there. It was his most patient, smoothest
race of the season. If he’d been on the right tires, he would have won his first main
event. Cody has become good friends with Paul, so he was happy for him to get the win.
For my main we ran the same set-up as the last race. I was able to lead until about lap
10 when Rick Spencer made contact with me in turn 1 and sent me spinning. He said it
wasn’t intentional and just like my contact the week before wasn’t intentional,
I had to take his word for it. There’s no reason for either of us to spin the other
out, but it is certainly fun racing with him.
Luckily a caution came out, but I had to start in the back of the pack. Within a few
laps I was up to 5th, the last kart in a bumper to bumper 5 pack of SBR-powered
Phenom’s. As I tried to get around them, it was obvious I had used up my tires
working through traffic. I had slid them too many times and was losing grip. I patiently
waited and made my way up to 4th and then made an outside pass to get into 3rd. Paul
Walshaw then made a great move to get by Rick to take the lead. I could get to Rick’s
bumper, but couldn’t get by him cleanly, so I waited for him to make a mistake, but
he didn’t and settled for 3rd.
What was cool about Paul Walshaw winning is that Rick had helped Paul fix his engine
before the race. That’s probably the thing I’ll remember most about the
competition in Tucson this year—1st through 5th place were all nearly equal every
week, but everybody was willing to help out to make sure we all made it onto the track. I
met all my goals in Tucson this year—I won a race and I ran consistently (only 2
finishes out of the top 3, with the worst finish being 5th in the first race of the
season). Since I didn’t record a single top 3 last season, I would call my second
season a huge success.
September 23, 2006
I’m not sure what to say about the events of the day. It was such an up and down day.
But I guess that’s racing. I won my second straight main event. You can read all
about it here. I feel very fortunate to be running so competitively, but I wish Cody could
have better luck. I feel so bad for him, but he has taken it pretty well. It seems pretty
rare that we both run well. He had me test a set-up for my main event and it was AWESOME!
He ran the same set-up but never got past the first lap before he got caught up in
somebody else’s mess and bent a rim on his tire. I also feel bad for Rick Spencer.
Even though I was obviously faster than him, I couldn’t get enough of a run on him to
pass him. I was trying to pick my spot to pass him and thought he saw me dive down under
him going into turn 1 on lap 7. He didn’t and we made contact. I didn’t want to
pass him that way so I let off the throttle so he could get his spot back, but the contact
somehow caused his left rear tire to come off, so he wasn’t able to finish the race.
We had been so much faster than the rest of the field up to that point that I didn’t
even have to push it to the limit to still build a comfortable lead. The kart was fast,
but it would have been much more fun to race Rick the rest of the race. I guess
that’s racing though.
September 15, 2006
Well it finally happened! I won a main event! I can’t even describe all the emotions
I’m feeling. You can read about it here. Cody had a funny comment while we celebrated
at TTT. “It must have been all the home improvement projects you’ve been
doing.” He then did a mock commercial of those Home Depot ads. I wish I had a video
camera so we could send it to them. He has a point—I’ve finished 3rd, 2nd three
times in a row, and now 1st since we started our remodeling project. Too bad the project
is winding down and we’ll be done in the next few weeks. I told Cody that maybe he
should have helped more than just hanging the ceiling fan in his room. :-)
It’s funny, when we started racing last season I thought it would be easy. I had
no idea how tough it would be to drive those karts. Add to that the hundreds of different
combinations of variables you can change on the kart and I thought we’d never win. I
nearly won last year in just my 5th race, but was taken out on the last lap by somebody
else. Looking back on it now, that victory would not have been so sweet. I was certainly
not the fastest kart on the track that night, and the best racer had dropped out due to
mechanical problems.
So in my 36th race and near the end of my 2nd season, I can finally say that I’ve
won. I’ve been playing sports since I was 7 years old. I’ve never been the best
when I start out, but I’ve always been determined to be the best. I’ve been able
to work hard to overcome any obstacles and have always ended up near the top. Maybe
it’s because I’ve started this new endeavor so much later in life, but racing
has been the most difficult sport I’ve ever done. It’s been so frustrating to
not be able to run in the front and be the best. Now that I’ve gotten a taste of what
it feels like to win, I want it even more. The problem with this sport is, you have to be
absolutely perfect in not only your driving, but your set-up choices in order to be the
best. There is only one winner and a whole bunch of losers. At least I get to feel good
about myself for 6 more days. Then it’s back to the track with a fresh slate and
another race. So now my record is 1 win and 35 losses. The funny thing is, that is
considered a success for our 2nd year team.
Now back to the secret of our success—-home improvement! Just kidding, in our
house we know we have been blessed because we have given our lives to God. We are by no
means perfect and still make a lot of mistakes. There are always trials in life for many
reasons, so it seems that when things are going good we forget to thank God for that
success. Just before going to the track I read one of my favorite verses, Philippians
4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” The success we have
had in our lives reminds me of our favorite verse, Psalms 30:12 (note the two numbers),
“That my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give
thanks to You forever.”
September 9, 2006
We headed back to Phoenix to first finish up the double points main events from the race
before, and then we had to complete a full night of racing. Phoenix had received a lot of
rain throughout the week and the awesome people at AKA did a phenomenal job of preparing
the track.
With all the moisture, we set the karts up for a soft track, but we under estimated how
fast it would dry out and begin taking on rubber. We did our best to free up our karts
after the hot lap session for the double points main event. I was up first. I started on
the outside pole, but had a bad start and ended up 3rd by the first corner. I was
following them around when Rick Spencer got into the leader, Charlie Eckman and as I was
trying to follow Rick to the front, I got pushed into the back of Charlie. My kart was
hung up on Charlie and the caution came out as others spun behind us. I was really
frustrated because I was trying to hang back and just have a good finish and now they
would put me in the back for being involved in the caution. I had been pretty down on
“Tiger”, the new kart I had purchased to race in Phoenix this year. It just
hadn’t been handling as well as “Bullet” my Tucson kart. I knew Tiger had
been acting better after making some adjustments during the week, but he surprised me on
the restart. I went from 8th back to second by the time I got to the backstretch. I made a
couple of passes on the outside and the rest on the inside on my way to the front. I had a
tough time finding Rick to challenge him for the lead until a caution came out with 2 laps
to go. On the restart I could tell I was faster than him, but I couldn’t get around
him without moving him out of the way. Since he had never raced me dirty like that I
figured if I couldn’t pass him cleanly I would settle for 2nd. Going into the last
turn I had a good run on him but he cut down just as I was about to make my move. That
slowed my momentum and we crossed the finish line bumper to bumper.
During Cody’s double points main, he continued his hot streak. He took the lead
for a few laps before succumbing to Jacob Stone and Nick Parker. From there the 3 of them
pulled away from the rest of the field. He ran strong and finished an easy third in an
uneventful race.
With the track getting so hard and fast, we had to change our tire strategy and use our
harder tires early in the night. For my heat races Tiger was as close to the edge as
I’ve ever driven it. If I missed my mark by an inch I would lose control of it, but
if I hit them I was as fast as Rick. The first heat I finished 3rd right on the tail of
Rick and Charlie. The 2nd heat, Rick and I pulled away from everyone else. My problem
ended up being stamina. The track was so fast and had so much grip that I found it hard to
consistently hit my marks. For the main I started 3rd but moved to 2nd fairly quickly. I
would close on Rick but then over drive it and loose a few tenths of a second. With 10
laps to go I was exhausted and could barely hang onto the steering wheel. Somehow Tiger
and I managed to stay within striking distance just in case he slipped up, but that
didn’t happen and I ended up with my second 2nd place finish of the night. It turned
out to be a huge night in the points for me as I moved from 4th up to 2nd place in points.
After 3 last place finishes this year it is hard to believe I have climbed that far.
Cody suffered from fatigue and the fact that the only set of hard tires we brought for
him ran 60 laps. Those tires had been reserved for the last main of the night. During the
two heat races he’d start out loose and then tighten up after about 5 laps. He would
really close on people those last five laps. Positions 1-7 were all very fast and I told
him that if he came out of the night with a top 5 he should be happy. That is exactly what
happened, but of course being my son and ultra-competitive, he wasn’t happy. It was
strange—-this time he started out tight, but after about lap 10 he got really loose
and backed up from nearly 3rd place to 5th. All in all, it was a good night in points for
him as he crept closer to 4th place in points and received his 6th & 7th podium
finishes of the season.
August 26, 2006
Back in Phoenix after nearly 8 weeks off, we all felt rusty and had a tough time getting
back in our routine. It obviously didn’t take long for us to get back in the swing of
things, though. I started on the outside pole of the first heat and had the lead by turn
1. I led every lap for my 4th heat race win of the year and 6th of my career. Cody also
started on the outside pole of his and also took the lead by turn 1. He led every lap,
except the last one. Jacob Stone and Nick Parker were on his tail the entire race but
couldn’t get close enough to pass him until Cody bobbled in turn 4, which slowed him
up enough that they had the momentum going into turns 1 & 2. He ended up 3rd.
In my 2nd heat, I started in the back row and got caught up in a big mess that was
caused by a bunch of people in front trying to win in the first turn. There was no caution
and by the time I got going again the leaders were a half a lap ahead. I fought back and
ended up finishing 4th. Just before Cody’s 2nd heat was about to start, a drunk
driver hit the transformer outside the track, knocking out power to the entire track.
Since it would take too long to fix, they decided to postpone the double points main event
until the next race weekend. Cody and I each qualified 3rd, so we should have a good shot
at a decent finish next time we race.
Now it’s time to get back to the remodeling project! Only 7 more weeks until the
babies could arrive and we have A LOT of work to get done.
August 18, 2006
With our house being remodeled, the updates will be short and sweet. For the second race
in a row, we had visitors from out of state. This distraction seemed to help once again
for the first heat race. I won my heat after starting third and Cody also won his first
heat race. During the 2nd heat race we both spun out and without a caution, we wound up
somewhere in the middle of the pack. Cody’s main event looked promising….he was
fast and was racing Nick Parker for 2nd when they had contact and Cody spun. There was
once again no caution, so Cody spent the rest of the race playing catch-up. He came back
from last and ended up 5th, the last kart on the lead lap. He was very upset after the
race because he was running as fast as the leaders.
My main event went much better. I started 5th, but worked my way up to 3rd in a couple
of laps. I was able to get into 2nd place by lap 5 and from there could only watch as Rick
Spencer drove away. I slipped up a few times and allowed 3rd place to close to my bumper,
but I never really had any serious challenges. Not a bad night.
August 4, 2006
Once again rain was threatening to cancel our race. Some parts of Tucson received over 4
inches of rain the past 10 days. The air was damp and the track was muddy, but the rain
never really got close to the track and it was a nice cool night.
We spent the long layoff watching Cody play basketball and Courtney and Tyler play
soccer, and getting ready for the twins. This filled most of our time, but we were anxious
to get back on the track. We felt very rusty when we went back out on the track.
We also had special guests from out of town. Brandi’s dad and sisters came to
visit from Indiana. It was fun to have them with us all week and in the pits.
Cody’s heat races showed he didn’t have any rust. He led a few laps in each
race before finishing 2nd both times, meaning he’d start 2nd in the main. I
didn’t fair as well, struggling to a 4th and a 5th place finish, resulting in a 5th
place qualifying position, which was my worst starting position since the Tucson Shootout
last year.
Before Cody’s main he made a big adjustment that would have really loosened him
up, but I talked him into being a little more conservative. It proved to be a good call
for the first 5 laps, but after that he got too tight. He had been right on the bumper of
the leader, but fell off the pace. Lucky for him a caution came out and after that he was
able to hang with him and take the lead for one lap. It was an exciting race as he pulled
alongside the leader’s rear tires as they took the checkered flag.
Starting so much further back in the pack than I’m used to, I just had the
attitude to be patient and not make a mistake. My patience found me back to 7th place by
lap 3. From there I started to pick my way back through traffic and finally made it up to
4th. By that time, the leaders were nearly out of sight, but I closed quickly on 3rd
place. The line he was running was very low on the track so I tried the high line and
nearly spun out. Unfortunately, that was the line I ran when I was so fast the last race.
I stayed on his bumper and kept waiting for an opening. I’d get my nose underneath,
but he’d chop his line down and nearly run me off the track each time. Finally on lap
12 he slid coming out of turn 4 and I pulled to the inside. It was a drag race down the
front stretch, but I had the line going into turn 1. He kept trying to push his way down,
but I held my own and took the spot. I gained a little ground on the two leaders, but then
my kart started getting too tight. I had nothing left for them, but I was happy coming
from 7th to 3rd. It was a fun exciting night and a great way to get back into the racing
flow!
June 30, 2006
Rain threatened to cancel this make-up race from earlier in the year. It rained shortly
after we got to the track and didn’t stop until about 25 minutes before the
driver’s meeting. We rushed and got everything done. Luckily we had done most of the
work at home the night before.
I was once again in the trophy dash after finishing 4th the week before. I started on
the pole. I got a good start and the other 3 participants in the dash all started racing
hard for 2nd. I used that to my advantage and led all the laps for the win. I was
surprised because my kart was pushing like a bulldozer through the turns, so I had a lot
of adjustments to make. Cody went out right after that and won his heat race. I adjusted
on the kart a little, but the karts in our division are so equal that I couldn’t get
past too many people. I started sixth and finished fourth. During the 2nd heat, the racing
was very close and heated. I started 3rd and ended up in 2nd. I took the lead, but a
caution put my back in 2nd. I would try to get by the leader only to have somebody try to
pass me underneath. One lap I pushed Rick Spencer a little too hard down low and he was
nice enough to back off instead of wrecking me. We talked about it after the race. I felt
bad because Rick has always raced me very clean and had never done that to me.
Cody thrilled us all in his main event. He was faster than the leader on the start, but
couldn’t figure out how to get by him without hitting him. He grew impatient a few
laps in and did hit him, but spun himself out. He went so far out of the groove that there
wasn’t a caution. By the time he got rolling, 2nd place was nearly 3/4 of a lap ahead
of him. He raced hard and on the last lap passed him. It was a pretty interesting way to
get a 2nd place finish.
For my main, Cody made an air pressure adjustment on my kart based on how his had
handled. I started 3rd and Rick started on the pole. I stayed with Rick and was able to
get by him about 6 laps into the race. He passed me back in 3 laps, but I passed him right
back. I lost count of how many laps were remaining—I thought there was more than 5,
but with 3 to go, I thought I saw Rick ducking under me. Remembering what I did in the
last heat race, I decided to let him go, thinking I had more laps to get him back. I
closed within a lap back to his bumper, but then the white flag came out. I made a mistake
and tried to get under him in turn 1 and lost most of my momentum. I closed on the last
corner and tried to pass him on the outside as he protected the inside heading towards the
finish line. My nose got passed his back tires, but it was too late. It was a fun exciting
race. I’m glad I raced Rick cleanly, but now I just hope I get another opportunity
where I can race him. It was the most fun I’ve had yet racing. We now have all of
July off. Time to recover, make some repairs, and get ready for the last part of the
season.
June 24, 2006
This was hopefully our last doubleheader weekend of the year. The good part about racing
so much is that we are gaining a lot of experience and we always have a chance to make up
for a bad race. It’s also nice to have 2 karts in case one of you has a bad night,
you can possible still have a good night with the other one. The bad part about racing so
much is sometimes you don’t always catch something that is wrong with the kart or you
don’t take the time to remember what adjustments you made to get faster. During the
last race, somebody ran up onto my bumper and had knocked the exhaust loose. I didn’t
think anything of it and simply tightened the bolts up again without checking them. During
hot laps, the bolts came loose and the engine started having problems. Back in the pits, I
pulled the bolts out and noticed that the threads had been pulled out of the block. My
night was going to be long. I made it my goal to not finish last and to stay on the lead
lap. I barely managed to do both and actually had fun trying to race people with only
about 80% of my usual power.
Luckily, we had Cody. We’d been trying some new things in Tucson with tire
pressures and decided to implement those tests in Phoenix. It paid off really well. Cody
was fast in all of his races. In the first race, he passed Jacob Stone (a national level
racer that usually runs 1st or 2nd) twice, but Jacob passed him back twice. Going to the
checkered, Cody drove in a little too hard and spun. We thought he’d be upset, but he
came off and exclaimed, “That was awesome!” He kept in under control and was an
easy third during the second heat, but because of his last lap spin, he qualified 6th for
the main.
He was very fast in the main. He easily moved to third and started trying to pass Jacob
again. He would be able to get his nose under his bumper going into the corner, but
couldn’t quite get beside him so he had to back off without wrecking both of them.
After about 7 or 8 laps of that, Cody started getting too tight to drive it in like that
and had to back off. He still finished 3rd in what was his best Phoenix race yet. The best
part was we learned some things that hopefully we can apply later in the year. This was
the last Phoenix race for nearly 2 months. Our engines are glad. They have been shipped
back to SBR in Indiana to be refreshed. Hopefully with fresh engines Cody can continue his
momentum and I can reverse mine.
May 27, 2006
The way the day started off, it looked like our bad luck was only going to be one race
long. I was in the trophy dash (top 6 from the week before running 4 laps, winner gets a
trophy). I wasn’t really looking forward to it and used it as a chance to test a
different set-up. Cody was really excited because for whatever reason, we had already won
4 trophy dashes in a row. He looked disappointed when I told him I wasn’t excited to
be in it, so I told him I’d try my hardest to win it for him. I started third and was
in second by the end of the first lap and first by the end of the second lap. After that
there were two or three cautions leading to a green, checkered one lap sprint. I’m
not sure what was going on behind me, but nobody challenged me and I brought home our 5th
trophy dash in a row. It was actually a lot of fun and I’m glad I was in it.
Cody’s first heat race was also very good, with him starting on the pole, he led
from start to finish, eventually pulling away by 5-6 kart lengths. I was fast in my heat
race as well. I started third and was as fast as Rick Spencer before a caution came out.
On the restart, he had problems and I tried to drive under him. He started to cut down on
the track so I let off the gas, but the kart behind me pushed me up into him. This knocked
him back to 3rd and me to 5th. I then worked my way back to 3rd, but ran out of laps to
catch up to the leader again.
For Cody’s second heat race he started last. He worked his way up to 3rd in two
laps and then patiently worked on #99 (the same kid that took him out twice last race and
two other times already this year). He could have easily taken him out, but he waited
until the other driver moved up the track slightly and then filled the hole. By that time
the leader was nearly a straightaway ahead with only two laps to go. He was very fast and
was side-by-side when the checkered came out, only a nose behind. This was good enough for
him to qualify on the outside pole for the main.
My second heat was a blast. I started sixth, on the outside of the third row. Rather
than trying to force my way to the preferred inside line, I decided to try and make the
outside line work. I ran two wide for a lap and a half before I settled into fifth. I made
it to 4th just before a caution came out but since the line-up reverts back to the last
completed lap, I had to move back to 5th. This time the kart in front of me was running a
very low line, making it tough to pass. I worked on a different line and was able to make
it stick, passing him on the outside going into the turn—something that you
don’t see very often. I couldn’t gain any more spots after that, so I ended up
qualifying 4th for the main.
Cody’s main was great for 12 laps. He ran in 3rd the entire race. He said he
started getting loose, so he moved his line down the track a little bit, which allowed the
other karts to catch up. #99 was in 4th and going into turn one, he decided to drive right
into Cody’s left rear tire, which spun Cody into the infield. Cody kept it going and
was back into sixth, but the caution came out and they made him go to the back. They
penalized the 99 by putting him in the back, right ahead of Cody. Cody was obviously mad,
going from 3rd to 10th because of the recklessness of another driver, one that had done
this to him just last week in the heat and 3 other times in a main event. He could have
easily retaliated, but instead, took his anger to make a mad 3 lap dash back to 6th place.
He ought to drive like that more often because those were his 3 fastest laps of the race.
After the race I made it known to the other drivers dad that we weren’t going to
tolerate this. It is obvious from talking to the kid that he is being told by his dad to
drive this way. I’ve told Cody to not retaliate on the track and to drive everybody
like you want to be driven against.
After calming down a little bit, my main was decent. My kart was loose the entire race
and kept getting worse. I was in 4th, but knew I was getting slower. With about 5 laps to
go, the 5th place driver decided rather than working to pass me, he would just slide me
out of the way. He had me going sideways coming out of turn 2. I’m not sure how I
didn’t spin. I ended up 5th. The most frustrating part was that this wasn’t the
first time he’s done that to me and I’ve passed him over a dozen times this year
without contact.
So Saturday was a day where we learned a lot of things. We were both fast at times,
which was fun, but we also saw how the people directly in front of us in the points are
going to drive to maintain their positions. I’m glad we don't race there for another
2 weeks because both of us are still pretty upset about the way these two drivers have
chosen to drive against us. Instead of letting our anger cause problems on the track, I
hope that it will just motivate us to get that much faster so these two drivers can’t
even get close to our back bumpers. Then at the end of the year when we are ahead of them
in points we can show them that racing clean is much faster than their dirty ways.
May 12 & 13, 2006
It was another doubleheader weekend, with races in Tucson on Friday and Phoenix on
Saturday. After being too tight in Phoenix the week before we decided to try a new set-up
to free the kart up more. We figured we would try it on my Tucson kart first and if it was
horrible we could try something different on my Phoenix kart. Cody didn’t want to
change anything this week on his set-up.
Friday was hot and windy, which made for a long dusty night. My first heat I started
near the back (thanks to Corryn’s consistently high pill draws). I was able to work
my way to 4th in a couple of laps, but the dust started to get really bad. The lead pack
of 5 karts was all in a single file line most of the race. A rock was stuck in my air
vents so I couldn’t get those closed. I had to pull back because I couldn’t see
the kart in front of me with all the dust in my helmet and in front of me. It was very
hard to breath. I fell back to 5th until the last lap when I made a charge. I got
underneath the 4th place kart in turn 3, but had to let off into the turn so I didn’t
spin him out. The best news was, the kart was fast and handled very well when I needed it
to.
Cody did great in his first heat race. He started near the front, took the lead, and
then drove smooth the rest of the race to come in first. His second heat race he started
in the back but worked his way to third. A first and a third was good enough to win his
second consecutive pole for the main!
In my second heat I started near the front and played follow the leader the entire
race. I was able to hang with the first place kart, but couldn’t get a good enough
run to make a pass. We finished well ahead of third place, which was good news because my
kart was so tight it was bouncing through the corners. The finishing order of our heat was
so messed up that my finishes of 5th and 2nd was only good enough for a 4th place starting
spot for the main.
I always hate starting on the outside because you can get shuffled to the back pretty
quickly on Tucson’s one groove track. I actually got a good start and was able to
move into 3rd by turn 1. From there the 1st and 2nd place karts and I started to break
away. We were all very even. I was waiting for an opportunity to hopefully pass both of
them. That opportunity came about around the midway point as we approached a lapped kart.
I hung back going into the turn and was making a run as they had to let off to get around
the lapper. Just as I was about to pass all 3 of them, somebody made contact with the
lapper and sent him to the outside wall. I had to brake and dive down low to avoid it.
I’m just glad I wasn’t carried to the wall with him.
This brought out a long caution, which I didn’t need. During the caution my right
ankle and calf started to cramp up really bad. I used to have problems with this during
baseball and football back in high school. Back then I always made sure I ate plenty of
salty foods and drank tons of water and Gatorade. I realized then that I had only had a
granola bar and one bottle of water since we arrived at the track 6 hours earlier. That is
not a good thing to do on a day that reached nearly 100 degrees!
When it finally went back to green, I figured out a way to avoid the pain in my lower
leg by moving my whole leg on and off the gas instead of just my ankle. That seemed to
work, but something must have happened to my kart either just before or during the caution
because every time I would drive it into the corner the back end would want to come around
on me, so I was having to let off sooner, which cost me any chance of improving my
position and backed me up to the 4th place kart. He hit me a few times going into the
corners, probably because I had to let off so soon. This made it even harder to drive.
Thankfully the race was almost over. We had a drag race to the finish line, but I held him
off by about 2 feet to finish third.
Cody’s race was also very exciting. Another of the racers from Phoenix (Tim) made
the trip to Tucson, which led to a green to checkered battle for Cody. Cody had a bad
start from the pole and was in third place before turn 1. From there, Cody and Tim would
be side by side down most of the straight-aways. I was very impressed with their ability
to not bump the other. There were several times where Tim would pass Cody going into the
corner, but Cody would pass him back coming out of it. Tim also tried a few daring moves
on the outside and nearly spun out. Finally on lap 17 (we’re not sure why they had 19
green flag laps instead of 15), Tim was able to drive very deep into the corner and get by
Cody. Cody closed on him on the last lap, but couldn’t get close enough for the pass.
He finished 4th.
We’ve been talking for a while about our recent run of good luck and how we should
be expecting bad luck to make up for it. Well Saturday was the day we knew would come, but
had hoped it wouldn’t. It started with a dead battery in our tow vehicle that delayed
us by 15 minutes. Temperatures over 100 degrees again and not getting to bed until 1:00 am
Saturday morning certainly didn’t help. Being dehydrated and still cramped up from
Friday’s races just made everything worse. Both of us had a stomach ache the entire
day.
To sum it up: I had problems with my clutch during the first heat and had to battle to
not finish last. It was actually a fun race with at least 4 different passes being made to
change positions. In the second heat, I was running third when my engine hesitated and
then died. Cody got stuck with the two drivers that have won every race this year, Nick
Parker & Jacob Stone, for his heat races. They weren’t the problem. Two of the
kids in his race decided that if Cody was passing them that they would bump into him or if
they wanted to pass him they would move him out of the way. This happened in both heat
races. We were both ready to pack up and go home.
We talked to the race director about the contact in Cody’s races. He assured us
that he would get it cleaned up for the main and would speak to the driver’s
involved. Luckily, Mike Parker from ProRacing was there to troubleshoot my engine and get
it running again for my main. Due to our horrible heat races, both of us started second to
last for the main. We figured at least there was only one person that could pass us and a
whole lot of people we could pass.
I could tell from the first lap that my engine was fine. The problem was I didn’t
have a chance to tune my kart and I was very loose. I began working my way through the
field and made it to 5th in a couple of laps. I passed the 4th place kart cleanly in one
turn, but by the next lap he moved me out of his way to pass me back. Going into the next
turn I got underneath him and he made contact with me and brought out the caution. For
some reason they moved me back one spot for the restart. I moved back into 4th within one
lap and watched as the 2nd and 3rd place karts beat on each other for position. I was
hoping they would both slide up and out of the way. They were sliding all over, but I
couldn’t quite get up there to take advantage. I never thought I would be happy with
a 4th place finish, but as bad as the night was earlier, I’d take it.
I was very worried about Cody starting in 10th position as emotional as he was after
the heat races. My worries were soon gone as he patiently picked his way through traffic.
All the other drivers seemed to be pushing it too hard, but he just laid back and waited
for them to make mistakes. He said he was fighting a tight condition, but figured out a
nice line to take around the track so he wasn’t too slow. He finally worked his way
into 5th and then began chasing down his buddy Tim (the one who chased him the night
before). He would close on him, but couldn’t quite get up to him to make a move.
It’s amazing that he started 10th and ended up finishing 5th. He said that it was the
most fun he’s had in a race passing all those karts. What a draining night it was!
This ended a string of 8 consecutive top 3 finishes for me, which also brought to the
end my one and only time I had my hair long. It is now back to the usual short, clean cut
look that I’ve had most of my life. I’m pretty disappointed, but when I thought
about it on the drive home, it’s the 12th race of the season for us and I have 8 top
3’s and 10 top 5’s. Last year in 13 regular season races I didn’t even
finish in the top 3 and had 9 top 5’s, so I guess that is some progress. I still feel
like we have a lot to learn to get into the top 2 and be racing for the win consistently.
Not only do we need to learn the driving skills to compete at the top, we must overcome
the fact that we have no racing experience to set-up our karts. The people we are trying
to catch have many more year’s experience AND they have decade’s worth of racing
experience helping them with set-up.
We again have next weekend off, and the following weekend we only have a race in
Phoenix. Hopefully we got the bad luck out of our system for a while.
April 28 & 29, 2006
This was our first doubleheader of the year. We raced in Tucson on Friday night and then
Phoenix on Saturday night. To say we’re completely exhausted would be an
understatement. The whole weekend was kind of a whirlwind. Here are the highlights:
-I participated in my first Trophy Dash on Friday. With Cody’s success recently in
those events, I really wanted to do well. I was running second most of the time, but I
couldn’t catch Dennis Smith. Luckily he decided to overdrive with about 2 laps to go
and he slid up the racetrack. I passed him and took the checkered flag.
-We were both very consistent in the heat races on Friday. We both ran up the front and
we made very few changes as the night went on. I qualified 3rd and Cody qualified 2nd.
-My main event on Friday was some good close racing with 2nd, 3rd, & 4th all bumper
to bumper the entire race. I was able to hang onto second the entire race. There was a
caution with about 5 to go and as we went to green I pushed my brake and it went all the
way to the floor. Those 5 laps were some of the most intense driving I’ve ever done.
I still hung onto second and actually picked up my lap times a little bit. Having to slide
to a stop after the race was the hardest part of the night.
-Cody ran very strong in the main. He was in the group of the top 3 karts that broke
away from the pack. He made one mistake lapping a kart in the corner and brought out the
caution. That allowed the 4th place kart to catch up. With 5 to go, the kart behind him
barely got under his bumper in turn 2, but that was enough to spin him out of the groove.
The caution came out, but he had to go to the back. He came from the back in 5 laps to
finish 4th. He was fast and probably would have gotten back to 3rd with a few more laps.
The kart that finished 3rd failed tech inspection, so Cody finished 3rd anyway.
-We were supposed to race both my flathead kart and animal kart in Phoenix on Saturday,
but after getting Cody’s kart ready for Phoenix, we only had 45 minutes until we had
to leave. We decided that as sore and tired as I was, it was best to just leave it behind.
-My first heat race was the most fun I’ve had on the track this year. It was the
most intense race I’ve been in. I started in the back and could tell from lap one
that I had plenty of grip and could drive just about anywhere. I picked my way through
traffic and was working on the 2nd place kart for several laps by running a different
line. I was finally able to pass him on the high side in turn 3 and was then closing on
first place. The caution came out and through some strange quirk in the scoring, they put
me back in 3rd and the other kart back in 2nd. That cost me any chance to win. There were
only about five laps to go and I again went to work on the 2nd place kart. I was trying a
higher line again and finally got a run on him in the back stretch. As I went to pass him,
the 4th place kart dove underneath him. We were 3 wide going into the corner! I drove it
in deeper than normal and made the pass stick and began setting up to take the lead. With
2 laps to go I was going to make my move on the outside of turn 2 when I got pushed up the
track by the kart behind me. I was closing back in to get my spot back, but ran out of
laps. After the race I was shaking for about 15 minutes from the intensity. My second heat
race was fairly boring. We decided to test a different set-up out, but I felt like I was
on ice. I started 4th and ran in 3rd the entire race. That allowed me to qualify 3rd for
the main.
-In the main I was able to keep up with the 1st and 2nd place karts for about 5 laps,
but then I started getting loose coming off the corners. They pulled away, but I hung onto
3rd, holding off one challenge with about 2 laps to go. I’m happy to be running in
the top 3, but I have a tough decision to make—start changing things to catch the two
leaders with the risk of backing up to 4th place, or leave everything the same. I go back
and forth—I’m amazed only 15 months into racing that I’m running near the
front, but the competitive part of me wants to be IN the front (without giving up top 3
finishes). We’ll probably begin making minor changes to try to learn what does and
doesn’t make me faster in the next few races.
-Cody’s heat races were again split into two flights due to the high number of
karts in his class. This time he got a lucky break, most of the 2nd year drivers were in
his class, along with a couple of more experienced drivers. The “experts” that
have won every race were in the other heat race. Cody was on the outside pole of the first
heat and used the outside line to take the lead on lap one. He literally checked out, with
2nd one turn behind him. In the 2nd heat he had to start in the back. He patiently worked
his way past every kart. If it wasn’t open, he’d wait a lap. He made some very
good passes to move into 2nd and then first. He again pulled away. This was the best race
I’ve ever seen him run. He qualified for the pole for the first time ever in Phoenix
and only the 2nd time in his career.
-We knew Cody’s main would be tough as the “experts” and other karts
were merged together. He was a little slow on the start, but held onto 2nd for about 5
laps. He finally got passed by the eventual race winner, but ran very strong in 3rd. He
would pull away from 4th place and then a caution would come out. He held off a couple of
challenges down the stretch, but pulled away again to finish 3rd. This was by far his best
race ever in Phoenix.
-We are completely exhausted, so having 13 days before the next race will be a welcome
break.
April 14, 2006
After the miserable, dusty track conditions during the last Tucson race, neither of us
were looking forward to being at the track on Good Friday. Tucson had a wind advisory with
gusts from 30-50 mph and it was close to 90 degrees, so we were expecting the worst. I had
the day off, so we used the morning to try a couple of changes on our karts to try and
give them more grip.
The winds were as bad as we had expected, but thankfully, they had been watering the
track for quite some time. Mud packing was the worst part of the night. They either had
too much water on the track or had the karts on the track too soon, because our karts were
a mess. We had to have pulled off at least 20 pounds of mud from our karts. They cancelled
hot laps AND didn’t give us much time to get our tires cleaned before the first heat
race, so we went out with our standard set-up. We were both very loose, but obviously so
was everybody else. I started 6th, but managed to get up to second in my heat race.
Cody’s group was split in half and he was stuck with Nick Parker, who wins nearly
every race. Cody was on the pole and held Nick off for a few laps. Nick made a move on
Cody to get by him in turns 1 & 2, but Cody beat him to the inside on turn 3. It must
have surprised both of them because they made contact and both spun out. Luckily the
caution came out. They did have to go to the back, but that didn’t prove to be a
problem as they were both back in front by the end of the first turn. Cody finished
second.
We made pretty major changes for the 2nd heat, but it still didn’t seem to help.
We were both loose and slower than the first heat. I finished 4th and Cody finished 2nd
again. We were completely baffled on what to do to the karts to make them handle. I told
Brandi that as fast as everybody was in the heats and as bad as my kart handled, I would
be getting a hair cut on Saturday. (See side note below for an explanation.) I still
hadn’t made up my mind when they called us to staging. Finally, with some guidance
from Brandi, I went with the adjustments we had made a few races ago in Phoenix. I told
Cody to wait and see how it worked on my kart before setting his. Just before going out,
Cody told me to try running the line he had run in the heat races. I started 3rd and was
in 2nd at the end of the first lap. The kart was awesome! I could get on the gas just
before the middle of the corner and it wouldn’t slide at all. I hung with Rick
Spencer (the person that has won every Phoenix and Tucson race this year) until lap 12,
when I started to get too tight. The track had actually begun to take on rubber by then,
which was giving me too much grip and making it tough to turn. I had to vary my entry into
the corners so I could get it turned coming off, which allowed the 3rd place kart to catch
me. He would catch me at the end of the straights, but I would pull away coming off the
corners. I was able to hang on for second—my best Tucson finish ever!
As I came off the track, I told Cody to run my exact same set-up. It looked like Nick
was running Rick’s set-up as they were over there changing his pressures just before
the race started. Whatever both of us had done, it seemed to work as Nick led from the
pole, just like Rick had, and Cody moved to 2nd after starting 3rd just like I had. Cody
kept with Nick through numerous cautions. Unfortunately, the cautions allowed Tye Mihoko,
one of the top racers from Phoenix to catch him. The 3 of them broke away from everybody
else and had a lead of nearly half a lap on the rest of the field. They were all running
nearly identical lap times. Coming to the white flag, Tye bumped Cody and they both began
to slide up towards the wall. Somehow they both saved it, but Cody had lost a little
momentum and Tye got by him. The save both of them made was one of the coolest things
I’ve seen. I was disappointed Cody got 3rd because I know how bad he wanted 2nd, but
I was happy he finally didn’t get taken out by a lapped car and was able to finish up
front. A 2nd and 3rd for our team is pretty darn good considering that we just started 14
months ago. It is only the second time we’ve done that. Considering the people we are
competing with and the knowledge and racing experience they have I am shocked we were both
on the podium. I’m trying to keep my emotions in check because the string of good
luck I’ve been having has lasted too long and I’m overdue for a bad night (and a
hair cut).
We actually have 2 weeks before our next race, so we had a lazy weekend. After
unpacking the trailer, and having a nice big breakfast, we took in a movie (The Wild
– way better than Madagascar and it didn’t have all the innuendoes that Ice Age
has), and went to the dirt track to watch the Sprint Cars race. Sunday was breakfast out,
church, and a picnic. We don’t have too much to do to the karts except for the normal
maintenance and repairing our damaged noses from the last Phoenix race. We’re taking
in the NASCAR race in Phoenix this weekend. It will be the first time for Corryn &
Cody, so we’re all pretty excited.
The next race weekend will be our first double-duty weekend (Tucson on Friday, Phoenix
on Saturday.) The time off between races will be nice, but I’m getting tired just
thinking about racing two days in a row.
April 8, 2006
Racing is such a roller coaster ride of emotions. Probably the best thing about racing at
both tracks this year is you don’t have long to make up for a bad night. After the
frustration of the last Tucson race we were looking forward to getting back to Phoenix to
do some real racing. Saturday night races are probably my favorite because we have the
morning to get ready. We put off setting up the karts and packing until Saturday morning
so we could do some BMX racing on Friday night. We had taken some time off to start the
season and Courtney & Tyler were ready to get back on the track.
Tyler is the whole reason we are involved with BMX. He has always been a stunt man and
came home from school a year and a half ago with a flyer begging to do it. He is naturally
very good at it for as little as he wants to practice or even ride his bike. He seems to
prefer his skateboard or scooter for his thrills at home. We’ve also noticed that if
we race too often he gets burned out and stops trying. Friday’s race was probably the
best we’ve ever seen him do. He only got 4 practice laps in, but in the first
qualifier he won by 2 seconds. Courtney who gets grouped in with her brother and the other
intermediate boys since hardly any girls her age race, also made the main. We’re not
sure what he was doing when the main started, but by the first hill he was in last place.
It looked like he was just giving everybody a head start because coming out of Turn 1 he
was in 2nd and by Turn 2 he was in 1st. It was like he had been shot out of a cannon.
I can tell you this—If we can get Tyler to actually follow directions a little
better so we can trust him in a kart, he is going to be very good. He wants to race, but
we keep telling him he has to show us he can follow directions on the BMX track first.
Stay tuned!
It was also a good week academically for Cody. He came home with a trophy for exceeding
all of the standards on the AIMS test last fall. He also again made it on the High Honor
Roll with a 3.7 GPA last quarter.
Ok, back to the Phoenix race. It was a lot hotter than we had expected—90 degrees
when we pulled into the pits, but I’d rather be hot than cold. We decided to stick
with our standard set-up for hot laps and were both a little loose, but pretty fast. I
made a small change for the first heat race and Cody made a pretty major change.
Cody’s was obviously a better choice because I was still loose in the first heat and
finished 3rd, but Cody went on to win his first heat race. It was an awesome race to
watch. He started on the outside pole and had the lead by Turn 4 of the first lap. He then
held off challenges from the top 2 Phoenix racers the entire race. It was down to the wire
at the finish line, but he held on to win his 2nd career heat race.
After that, Cody told me I should run his set-up for the second heat, so I did. It was
much better. I led the first 4 laps before giving up the lead when I got a little loose. I
was hanging on to second when I got bumped going to the white flag to finish third again.
Cody’s heat race was also very exciting. He had to start in the back row and took a
couple of laps to get going. Once he did, he was amazingly fast. He made some incredible
moves to move into fourth. He was going for third and dove underneath the other kart in
the corner. He admitted he thought he had more track to make it work and ended up
collecting the other kart and driving both of them towards the wall. Luckily there was big
dirt cushion to slow them up before they made contact. Unfortunately, the red flag came
out, which means he couldn’t finish the race. (If you’re the reason behind the
red flag your race is done.) There was just body damage to his kart, which was fixed by
the magic of racers tape.
Since there were so many karts they had split both of our groups into 2 flights of heat
races. We both had bad luck with the split as we were in the fast heats. Because of that,
we both ended up starting 6th for the main. My main was a blast. Going into it I was
hopeful for a top 5 even though I really wanted to get into the top 3 so I can keep my
hair a little while longer.
(Side note: Nearly a year ago I had gotten my hair cut the day before the race. The
next night I was running first and took the white flag. The person in 2nd decided to use
me as a guard rail and took me out in turn 2, taking away my first chance to win a race.
The next 4 races I was taken out running in the top 3. The rest of my season was pretty
rough and I said I wasn’t cutting my hair until I won. Well with the bad start to the
season I had it looked like I wasn’t ever going to have a chance to win, so three
races into the season I said if I didn’t finish in the top 3 in the main, I would get
it trimmed up. I will get my normal, short hair cut if I ever win a main event. Well since
that time I’ve some how managed to be in the top 3 every race.)
I always hate starting on the outside because you can’t get to the preferred
groove. The race was a blast. The track was so good and so fast. I had worked my way up to
4th by about lap 4 and was waiting patiently as the two people ahead of me battled for 2nd
and 3rd. They were making a lot of contact and I didn’t want to be a part of that.
2nd place finally pulled away so I made my move for 3rd. Some how I made it to 3rd and
then I started to work on 2nd. He was trying different lines trying to catch the leader
and I would pull close to him and then he’d pull away. I was torn between going for
2nd or making sure I didn’t spin and lose out on third. I pushed it pretty hard, but
not my hardest the last few laps. My arms were so tired and I couldn’t believe how
hard I was breathing. Whoever says race car drivers are not athletes have obviously never
raced. I took the checkered in 3rd place and I was very thankful for that. After two
terrible races in Phoenix, two consecutive top 3’s feel pretty darn good.
I was very proud of Cody in his main. He tried to stay on the outside on the start. He
said he figured he’d either end up in the front or the back. Unfortunately, he got
into the loose stuff and ended up in the very back. He patiently worked his way back up
through the field and ended up 7th. A few weeks ago he would have been upset with that
finish, but he is working on being patient and not overdriving the kart. He had a good
time and came off the track in a very good mood. Corryn was AWESOME in the pits. She did
nearly everything to get both karts ready for the next race. This was definitely the most
fun we have had at the track this year. Hopefully we can say the same next Friday night.
March 31, 2006
This was probably one of the more disappointing race days I’ve had in a long time.
The first Tucson night race brought hope that the dusty conditions that plagued the track
during the day races would be solved. When we showed up and the track was already dry to
start with, we knew we’d be in for a long night. I guess we’ve been spoiled by
the hard work the people at AKA in Phoenix have been putting in with their track. This was
probably the worst track we have been on.
During hot laps both of our karts were strong and we didn’t have any adjustments
to make from our baseline. Cody’s division was the second one on the track, so they
got on it before the little bit of moisture that was put on the top of the track. He
started fourth and was leading by the end of the first lap. The rest of the race he had to
hold off a hard charge from Nick Parker. It was very nerve wracking to watch, but exciting
to see him take the checkered flag in first place. This was his first heat race win!
He has now won three four lap races (trophy dashes) and now a 10 lap race. His next
step will be winning the 15 lap main event. His biggest problem now is learning how to
negotiate lapped traffic. It’s amazing—last year he was the lapped traffic, now
he is lapping nearly half the field. In the second heat he had a second place finish
ruined by a lapped car that hit him as he was passing it and ended up fourth. Had he
finished second he would have won the pole for the main event. During the main he had a
third place finish ruined by yet another lapped car. He ended up being moved back to ninth
place before a hard charge put him sixth for the checkered flag. As dusty as the track
was, it was just nice to not have any damage to his kart.
My night was pretty uneventful. My goal was to not spin, so I didn’t push it to
the max and really tried to focus on what my kart needed to find grip on the horrible
track. I finished third in both heat races, meaning I would start third in the main. We
made some pretty drastic changes for the main, which goes against what we usually do (one
change at a time in small increments), but I figured the only way to win would be to do
something drastic. The first two laps of the main, the changes seemed to work pretty good.
I was able to drive it a little harder and the kart was not sliding much. I was running in
second and trying to figure out how to get to first with only a half-groove to work with
(and that’s being generous). The most difficult part was all the dust being kicked up
by the other karts. You couldn’t even see the entrance of the turn down the back
stretch. I guess that combined with the ice like track condition caused two of the karts
to spin and hit the wall in turn 3 pretty hard, which brought out the red flag. One of the
drivers needed transported to the hospital, which further delayed the race.
I voiced concern about the track conditions and suggested they cancel the main before
somebody else got hurt. We were able to put it to a vote of the drivers and all finally
agreed that we should just take the qualifying order as the main event finishing
positions. That meant I went from second to third, but at least nobody else was hurt and
no equipment was torn up.
All in all, it was still an ok night. Cody again showed that he has the potential to
run up front and I was able to post my third consecutive top 3 finish. After the way the
year started, that is something I didn’t think would happen all year long.
March 25, 2006
Our first night race of the season. The night started out hectic since Cody was able to
race. He had been in San Francisco all week on vacation and we didn’t expect him
back. We didn’t find out until Friday afternoon that he was going to make it back.
That meant we had to switch his kart over to his Phoenix set-up at the track.
We got all that done, but after Hot Laps (practice), it looked like it was going to be
a long night—we both felt like we were driving on ice. Cody was running in the Trophy
Dash and thought he would get last place. He actually made a gutsy call on air pressures
(I thought it was way too drastic) and went out and WON!! I don’t know what it is
with Trophy Dashes and that kid, but he has won 3 out of the 4 he has participated in.
Cody finished second in the first heat race and was actually faster than first place,
but he couldn’t figure out a way around. His night kind of went down hill from there.
You could tell that only 5 hours of sleep and 14 hours in a car just to get to the race
was wearing on him. I’m very proud of how hard he raced and he showed a great deal of
potential running up front in two of his four races on a track that usually gives him
fits.
My goal of the night was to actually finish the main event. After two races in my
animal kart (“Tiger”), I had yet to take a checkered flag and had two last place
finishes to show for it. The first heat was alright—I started ninth and finished
fourth—I was using my air pressure adjustments. For the second heat, I used
Cody’s idea and it worked pretty good—I started fourth and finished second. That
qualified me to start third for the main.
The main was awesome—the track was so fast and so was Tiger. I couldn’t bring
myself to run the high line that Rick Spencer was running after my run-in with the wall
last race and with the crash fest behind us (only 6 of the 10 karts that started took the
checkered flag), I was trying to be conservative. I could feel how close third place was
and I pushed it when I felt I had to and laid off the rest of the time. Second place felt
like a victory to me. Actually, it kind of is, since that’s only the second time
I’ve finished that high during the main event.
All in all, it was a great night! It’s going to be a tough week to get ready for
the next race. My birthday is Thursday and we are going out to eat. Thursday is usually
the day we set-up the karts and load the trailer before a Friday night race.
March 19, 2006
The day started great! It was cool and damp with a strange mist in the air. We skipped hot
laps to keep our karts in the trailer out of the rain. I had the first heat race of the
day. I started in the back and was in the lead by the end of the 2nd turn. Somehow my kart
was barely sliding and everybody else was having a heck of a time. It was tough to see,
but I managed to keep my visor clean. I ended up winning by nearly half a lap. This was
only my fourth heat race victory ever and second in Tucson. The best part was, I was
starting on the pole for the second heat. The worst part is that was the last race of the
day as the rain came and went and came again. That means that officially the race
didn’t exist. Hopefully we can get a race in this week in Phoenix.
March 11, 2006
RAINED OUT!!!! We were kind of disappointed in the weather, but at least we had a nice,
rainy Saturday. We knew Friday night the chances were pretty high that the race would be
rained out, so we put off scaling our karts and took in a double feature at the Drive-In
(Shaggy Dog & 8 Below—both were excellent family movies). We used the extra time
on Saturday to mount my new seat and reposition Cody’s to make him more comfortable.
We also got all the karts set-up EXACTLY to the same percentages we ran at the end of the
year when we were both challenging for the win. We’ll see if that helps.
Now the only thing to do is to sit back and wait for the next race. Actually, Cody
& I were talking and we might switch some of the bodies around just for a new look.
We’ve gotten so used to doing something on the karts every day, we’re not sure
what to do with this free time.
March 5, 2006
What a strange day. I’m not even sure where to start. The day started out pretty
good. Cody was in the trophy dash and when he saw how muddy the track was, he made a good
decision on air pressures. He started 3rd, but was in 1st before the end of the first lap.
From there it was smooth sailing as Nick Parker could not get around the person that
started on the pole and Cody won by nearly a whole straight-away. This was his 2nd trophy
dash win in three tries. For some reason, he really likes those races.
My first heat was pretty fun. It was obvious that we had fixed the handling problems
from the first Tucson race. I started in the back of the pack and just followed Rick
Spencer to the front. Wherever he went I made sure I was stuck to his back bumper. After
we both made it to the front I started pushing it a little too hard and nearly spun. We
finished 1-2. The 2nd heat was a little worse. I started on the pole, but was having a
tough time on a very dusty track. I ended up finishing 4th and started to get worried
about how the main would go.
After what happened in Cody’s 2nd heat, all those worries seemed pretty
insignificant. I’m not going to assign any blame because there were too many people
that made mistakes that contributed to it. Near the end of the race, one of the rookies
hit the wall and flipped near the finish line. Everybody saw a series of flags and lights
(checkered, yellow, and red). The boys are supposed to stop immediately, but the confusion
of seeing the corner workers pointing them off of the track led most of the lead pack of
cars to proceed to the exit. It just so happens that the exit crosses where the ambulance
enters the track. I can’t even describe the horror of seeing your child heading
towards a huge vehicle that doesn’t even see him. Without Cody’s quick thinking
and reaction and a miracle from God, he wouldn’t be here today. That was followed by
a flurry of tears, anger, and a lot of screaming from upset parents. I don’t really
remember much of what was going on. It was a horrible situation that I hope nobody has to
go through. I couldn’t imagine losing one of my children.
Probably the most frustrating part is this wasn’t a racing accident. Yes it
happened on the race track, but the people that are supposed to keep them safe actually
were the ones that caused the damage. Our first thoughts were, “we’re never
racing again.” But when we thought about it, the track is usually one of the safest
places to be. Think about it—-which is more likely to happen—to have your kid
hit by a car playing outside, or to be run over by an ambulance on a racetrack???
Amazingly, the only physical damage was a bent rim on his right rear tire, which
ironically was the same thing that happened to the ambulance. After that, we told Cody we
could pack up and go home, but he decided to race. The main events kind of seemed like an
after thought. I didn’t really put too much thought into my set-up until just before
the race. The kart really didn’t handle that great, loose in one turn and tight in
another, but I guess everybody else was having problems as well (except for Rick). I was
running 2nd most of the race kind of coasting along when I saw the caution light turn on.
I let off for almost half of the track and when I came around the corner, the light was
green again and I was in 3rd almost a straight away behind 2nd place. That is where I
ended up, which is still my best Tucson finish ever. It’s kind of frustrating, but
like I said, that seems kind of insignificant given the events of the day. I’ve
thanked God about 100 times since yesterday afternoon and probably will 1000 more times in
the next week. Cody is still pretty shaken up, but thankfully he’ll be fine.
February 25, 2006
This was by far the worst racing day of my life. After getting my new SBR animal motor, I
was excited, but cautious. I wasn’t even going 100% yet, but I could tell it was
fast. I was loose in the first heat, but still finished 4th and was closing in on 3rd. In
the 2nd heat, I decided to feel out the kart and try different lines. I was running 4th
again and was again gaining on 3rd place. I had tried a few different lines and was
attempting another one when the kart hit a bump coming out of turn 2. That threw my kart
into the loose stuff and I knew I was going to hit the wall. I pancaked it pretty hard,
but flat. The damage and pain came when a 2nd kart couldn’t stop and hit me from
behind.
The best part of the day was being able to concentrate on just Cody’s kart. He ran
a very strong race and is getting better each time we go to Phoenix. He continues to run
better than his old man.
This was only the 2nd time I wasn’t able to finish the race and my first major
crash. It was not a good feeling. I’m just glad I order the Armadillo Rib Vest
otherwise I wouldn’t be racing for awhile. So far, not a good start to the season.
Two consecutive last place finishes in Phoenix and a terrible run in Tucson to barely
scrape by with 5th. I guess there is nowhere to go, but up.
The good news is that the $$ damage is pretty small and Mike @ ProRacing has most of
the stuff in stock. The bad news is that it is a lot of work to get this put back together
for the next race.
February 18, 2006
Well we thought we conquered the weight problem after a crash diet to drop the 5 pounds I
put on during the off season. We were wrong. We had the set-up close to what we finished
the year at, but the kart was TERRIBLE the first two heat races. We made a pretty major
air pressure adjustment before the main and it seemed to help during the first lap. The
problem was, it was handling so good and the track didn’t dust up like I thought,
that I was floating a valve in the corners. Talk about frustrating—gaining three kart
lengths on the person in front of you, only to have your engine hesitate as you’re
about to make your move. Finally the track started to dust up and my RPM’s came down
enough that the engine was running at it’s peak, which allowed me to salvage a 5th
place finish.
Great news, though! While tearing down the karts we found a problem with the axle that
would definitely make the kart very loose. Hopefully that was the problem on Saturday.
February 12, 2006
So much for all the excitement of the animal engine. It seems to have had a bad rebuild as
anytime it got up to about 6300 RPM’s it would choke itself. Actually it would flood
and have fuel coming out the air filter. We tried everything to get it to run. Bernie
& Charlie spent a lot of time working on it, and for that I’m grateful. It still
wasn’t fun not being able to run. Cody had a frustrating day as well, getting bumped
out of the groove and then being stuck behind somebody that thought it was necessary to
block the entire race.
February 5, 2006
The start of a new season! Yeah, it’s only practice, but the excitement of a new year
could be felt. That ended after about 3 laps on the track. I gained about 5 pounds during
the off season and threw off my left side percent by 1.5%. We couldn’t get the seat
over enough to compensate, so I was wicked loose the whole time no matter what we changed.
To make matters worse, I got into the 17 kart during our last practice run. He hit the
wall, I was loose and couldn’t get low enough on the track to avoid him.
Cody’s kart was way off too. He had to get a bigger seat this year and even though
we had the %’s close to where they were at last year, he just couldn’t drive it.
I think the Hybiak’s spun at least 10 times today! We have A LOT of work to do to get
ready for the season.
