Almost exactly opposite of last year, where it seemed like we had more than our share of damp racedays, this year it seems like racedays the have been the only dry days of the month in a soggy central Ohio spring weather cycle. But while the overcast skies may have kept the air cool for our fifth race of the season, the action was plenty hot out on the track.

Preparations

For the past several races Sean Wilson and his Wilson Racing Coyote has set the standard in Briggs Stock Super Heavy. Along with his brother Larry and his Dad they've put a package together that has set the bar for us and others. It has forced us to really look at our kart and experiment to find what we can do to make it faster. Last year we learned the ropes. This year we're learning the strings. The threads even. It's coming together and things are starting to make more sense. Tracy and I have learned a lot in just the past two and a half months. And with this focus (and the occasional well-placed advice from Mr. McCall) we're pretty happy with the progress we're making.

On of the things we had been considering was a different gearing combination and decided for this race to give it a shot. But we kept the old set-up nearby and ready to reinstall if early indications were disappointing.

Having liked the handling characteristics of the wheels we had borrowed during the last race we bought a similar set of our own and mounted up our tires on them.

We also added a rear number plate (above right) to our kart. There is something in the regulations about having the number displayed on all four sides of the kart and although no one of authority ever pointed it out, we figured after almost a season and a half, we should get legal.

In another development, Dana's rib injury, sustained two races ago and aggravated by the May 13th race, was diagnosed as a torn muscle. Doctor's orders had her on two prescriptions and banned from karting for two weeks. The decision as to race or not on June 3rd left up to her own best judgment.

Jim's Practice

What with the new gearing and wheels (the outside diameter of the tires were different with these wheels and that factors into the final gearing formula) we had planned to do both practice sessions. But our man (who will remain nameless but rather conspicuous as the only male on the team - me) in charge of the clutch maintenance did a bit of a sloppy job of it earlier in the week and spent the first session hunched over a workbench.

As I got into the idling kart for the second practice session, both Tracy and I heard an awful buzzing/grinding sound. "That can't be good", Tracy deadpanned with a furrowed brow. We soon found that the seat was making contact with the spinning clutch as it flexed with my weight. I knew why it was suddenly doing that and those of you familiar with Briggs karting and are reading between the lines here will no doubt figure it out too. But the choice was now between abandoning practice altogether and risk racing the first heat without checking out our changes... or... going out for a few laps and allow the clutch to holesaw its way through the fiberglass seat, though the padding and begin gradually milling my ribcage. What would you do? Me too.

So the kart felt pretty good out there. I had followed Dana out but before her tires were even warm it was obvious she was having some sort of power problem and waved me by. The gear set up was working how we had hoped. The new wheels were making the handling more predictable and slides more gradual rather than the sudden, surprising snaps that had been getting a little old. The only exception was at the exit of Three which, for some reason, I was finding to be very slick. So much so that during a hot lap I got caught out there, spinning 180. Joe Fagan had to do a bit of avoidance to miss me and I'm sure team owner-turned-rookie driver John Gearhart found some amusement in my position as he zinged by.

Dana's Practice

Dana sat out the first practice session too, the track being green and it making sense to save the ribs a bit. It's too bad she did because as mentioned above, Dana immediately had engine trouble in the second session and came in after only two or three laps. Back in the pits an ignition problem was tracked down quickly.

Dana's Heat 1

Briggs Medium had five entries. John Fox had drawn the pole starting position with Bryan Rose on the outside. Brad Frasier was on the inside of row two with Dana next to him. Joe Fagan had the third row to himself.

 At the drop of the green, Dana got a pretty good start and slotted in behind Fox. Fagan made a run around the outside of her and Rose and was in second by Turn Four. Dana once again set her sites on Bryan Rose's rear bumper.

At turn Seven, the first sustained right-hander, Dana felt the power drop off as a fuel problem caused the engine to cut out for a second or two. The sudden loss of momentum was even noticeable from the pits. Dana soldiered on but lost touch with Bryan almost immediately. Brad Frasier, sharing his kart with father Gary in Briggs Super Heavy, gained big time every time they went through the right handers.

It wasn't long before Frasier was able to get by. He was able to pinch his kart down on the exit of Nine and shot by easily as Dana's engine stuttered. She soldiered on a frustrated fifth.

Jim's Heat 1

Between the practice session and Heat 1, Tracy and I took action to prevent the clutch from chewing its way through me at 6500rpm. We had also discovered an exhaust leak and while on a cool day like that a heater was a nice driver comfort option, complete exhaust flow through the header is necessary for full power.

Sean and I were on the front row, him having the pole. John Gearhart and Gary Frasier were on row two with Lee Griffith and Bob Strawser on row three. The Gearharts were one of the first folks we got to know a little bit last year. John's a good guy, always smiling and, like me, just happy to spend time with his kids Justin, Jacob and Jenna. Many times last year the Gearharts and the Conlins closed up Circleville Raceway Park making use of the open practice available at the end of the raceday.

But I digress.

I think Sean tried a little fancy footwork leading us up to the green flag and last time he did that I got caught out a little bit. This time I resisted the bait and ended up having about half a kart on him as we crossed the start line. We went through One side by side and I was still just outside of him in Two but by the time we got to three I could do nothing but fall in behind him.

I was able to pretty much stay right there with him until I put two wheels off the road on the exit of Seven a couple laps in. The kart definitely rolls better than it scrapes along the pavement like that so that's all it took to lose any real contact with Sean.

I continued to lap quicker each lap so I wasn't slacking off but unbeknownst to me, Griffith had gotten around the Strawser, Frasier and Gearhart and was closing in on me each lap. With two to go, was right behind. I never knew he was there (which is good - if I had I'm sure I would have thrown myself off the track at some point) but by just driving my lines and not making any big mistakes he had to stay there. Nevertheless, his speed was worrying.

Dana's Heat 2

One of the critiques Dana had been getting was that she was not as aggressive in the opening laps of the race as she is once she's found a rhythm and is comfortable. She planned to work on that. The line up for her second heat was Fagan, her, Fox, Rose and Frasier. The first attempt at starting the race was waved off because Dana didn't stay with Fagan as he accelerated towards the flag. The second try was much better.

Fagan leapt out in front pulling Fox along with him. Rose slotted nicely in behind Fox and the three of them on the inside line though One moved ahead of Dana. Frasier tried to move inside her at Two but had to take to the curbing to avoid her when she cut back across to fall in behind Rose.

For the next few laps Dana held Brad at bay, waiting for her to make a miscue that never came. Halfway through the race Frasier exited Ten with a little more speed and used it to poke his nose inside at Three. Dana and Brad scrambled through side by side but looked like they never touched. Dana retained the position and shortly after that Brad retired with a rough sounding engine.

As usual, once she found her groove she ran some good laps, she made inroads on Bryan in third but ran out of race before she was in a position to challenge him. So Dana came home fourth and added another race and a few close moments to her experience. After the race, she complained of the engine cutting out again, although less severely, in Seven and Nine still. This was reflected in her slightly slow but very consistent lap times.

Jim's Heat 2

Considering how Sean had motored away in the first heat, Tracy and I decided to make another small adjustment to the gearing in the hope to match the Wilson Racing kart's speed. And maybe keep a cushion back to Lee.

Before the start of the second heat, Sean offered that the start might be interesting. I agreed. Bob Strawser was on the pole with Lee Griffith in position two. John Gearhart was inside row two and I was next to him. Gary Frasier, still coming back up to speed in Sprint Kart racing, elected to start from the back row rather than his drawn position of 2nd. But instead of dropping back to the very last position - sixth - he discussed with Sean where he'd rather start. Well, Sean didn't just start racing yesterday and he realize immediately there was an advantage to the outside row behind Lee and I. I was happy to be starting ahead of Sean but the advantage was weakened by him starting right behind me - any opportunities I might find to move forward could be shadowed by Sean. Hmmmm.

Lee made a great start from the outside and I followed him through to get ahead of John and pass Bob between Turns Two and Three. As I went in tight to Three I was hoping that Sean would get blocked and give me a little breathing room. As it was, he was able to stick his nose inside Bob's kart. There was some contact and Bob ended up driving off into the grass. (Afterward there were words but when we watched Julie's tape it looked like just a racing incident from where she was at.)

So I found myself chasing Lee down the backstraight not knowing how far back Sean was - I was hoping it was a lot. But it wasn't and at the end of the first lap he was making a run at me on the main straight. He got around Lee at the end of the backstraight on lap two. With Sean driving off into the distance I needed to find a way around Lee. I was able to carry a little more speed than Lee through Three, Six and Eight. Using that speed out of Eight I dove down the inside at Nine. It was close but it was clean and I came out ahead and set out to see if I could gain on Sean.

That is until I got to Turn Six. I don't know what I was thinking when I got there but I know it wasn't about driving a go-kart. For some reason I turned in way too early and knew I was in trouble by the time I reached the way early apex: Turn more; brakes; correction; more brakes; over the curb; full throttle; through the grass; slither; float; slither; aim for the black part.

I got back on the road but Lee was by in a flash. Putting aside the self-loathing, I mounted a new attack on Lee. By the time we got the white flag I was right behind him again and I tried to repeat my move going into Nine but couldn't pull it off. Third but it was a fun, hard race with Lee.

Dana's Feature

For her feature race Dana seemed determined not to lose ground in the opening laps. She was gridded fourth behind Fox, Fagan and Rose and ahead of Frasier. On the advice that she stay close to Fagan and not be afraid to tap him a little coming up to the green flag, she was glued to his bumper on the pace lap. He probably received more than a couple taps and may have wondered what had gotten into her.

But the new attitude served her well. As they all rushed into Turn One Dana stayed right in the thick of it. She and Bryan Rose were wheel to wheel on the run to Two. Through Two Dana had an edge and into Three third place was hers. Up ahead Fox was challenging Fagan going into Turn Four. Those guys had to make room for each other and in doing so both got bogged down for the exit onto the backstraight.

Behind them Dana fended off a challenge from Frasier (who had also gotten around Bryan) but still sliced through Four at top speed. With her superior exit speed, she gobbled up road on Fox and by the time they got to Turn Five's braking zone she had the inside line and the corner. Unfortunately, she didn't pull enough speed off before turning in and had two wheels in the grass on the exit. While she was doing her tank slappers on the curbing, Fox cut back inside and got by her again. Still, third wasn't too shabby.

She stayed third until Turn Ten where she suddenly ran wide. Rose, who had gotten back around Frasier, took advantage of the bobble and was by. Frasier almost got by as well before Dana recovered. Rose, Dana and Frasier ran nose to tail for the next lap and on lap three Dana got a run on Bryan on the run down to Two. On the entry to Three she moved inside. She and Bryan managed to share the road through Three and on the short straight to Four. She had to give way to Bryan going into Four and Frasier took the opportunity to move up by following him through. She may have given Brad too wide a berth as she was off the road again on the exit.

Clear of traffic, she put in a couple of fast laps setting out to chase down Frasier and Rose again. Brad and Bryan were putting up a good struggle and that helped Dana close in a bit. But on lap 6 she was off again at Four and this time put it into a lazy 180 spin. She got turned back 'round the right way but now she was completely out of touch.

Heck of a run though and lots of fun to watch. In the final tally, Fagan won, Fox second, Frasier third, Rose fourth and Dana fifth.

Jim's Feature

We had run out of ideas. Staring at the kart for most of lunch didn't help either Tracy or I come up with anything we could do to go faster. We were close to Sean and Lee was now close to us. And because Lee was now in the picture, we weren't as comfortable trying something iffy. We could do that when we seemed to be just chasing Sean and if we got it wrong he beat us by a larger margin, big deal. But now, with the very real possibility of being relegated down to third by a bad decision, we had to think twice about experimenting.

Sean was inside front row, I was outside. Lee was inside row two with John outside. Bob was inside row three, Gary outside. At the green, Sean began moving out and by the time we got to Three, I had to slot in behind him. Lee had slotted in right behind me as well. We stayed that way until Turn Ten. I can't remember if I got loose there or if Lee did a great job of setting me up on the entry to Ten but he surprised me with a move to the inside on the exit. His speed carried him by before we reached Turn One.

Once by, I had a tough time finding places to get back by him and Sean just streamed off into the distance. I carried more speed through Eight again but now Lee was protecting that inside line into Nine. That option erased, I instead I tried to capitalize on his slower speed through Nine and get a run into Ten and although I got close a couple times, had to back out abruptly. Over the next six laps Lee and I had a great race, going through Four side by side on one lap and Turn Five on another. Each time I had to pinch the kart down so hard to avoid contact that all the speed I came in with was wasted. There were also two or three times I got into his rear bumper a bit. I seemed to be able to close on him in tighter sections between Turns Five and Nine and having made that ground up it was hard to give it all a way by lifting even for an instant.

With two laps to go I began to get the notion that I might be able to carry enough speed through Turn Six that I could snatch the inside line going into Seven. I felt if I could get by him late in the lap (especially the last lap) he would have an equally hard time getting past me before the finish line. We drove under the white flag nose to tail. The desperation level moved up a notch and I knew I had only two chances to reclaim second place: Turn Four and Turn Seven.

I took Three flat and carried way more speed than Lee onto the super-short straight that connected it to Four. I stabbed inside and took him a little bit by surprise I think. It was there that we made side-to-side contact and as we exited onto the backstraight, I had half a kart length on him. But again, having to squeeze my line to leave Lee racing room hurt my rpms and speed and I was slotted in behind him before we got to Five. I concentrated on doing Six perfectly and took that advantage to the inside line going into Seven.

When passing, the overtaking driver has to be aware as to whether the other driver is aware of him there. If you can get the nose of your kart into his or her peripheral vision before for the turn-in point you can continue the maneuver. If not you must abort. In karting this is particularly important since there are no mirrors. Often when the pass is going to be close, the overtaking driver thinks "I think he sees me". And this is acceptable in most cases. Slightly less acceptable is committing to a pass thinking, "I hope he sees me". And this, in hindsight, is what I was thinking.

When Lee turned in to Seven so assertively, I knew I had misread the situation. I was on the curb sideways with the rears locked up when I got into his right rear tire with the left side of my nose. The sticky tire grabbed the nose and lifted the front of my kart onto the back of his taking me for a little ride. It was only for a second but it seemed much longer. Lee never left his line through Seven and continued on almost as if nothing happened. I was able to get the kart slowed down and turned before I was off the track but our race was decided. Sean first, Lee second, me third.

I was worried that I might have bent his pipe or cut his tire. At the scales I apologized to Lee and although upset, chose to not talk about it rather than making scene. As is usually the case in these things, a little time can put things in a cooler perspective and I admire Lee for taking that approach. A couple days later we exchanged email and have smoothed everything out.

We ended up getting the bad end of that last lap incident, damaging the bodywork in several areas as the shock and twisting spread. Time to get out the 'ol fiberglass repair kit and paint but we should have everything ready to go for the next race June 17. While still on top of the points heap, Sean gained another 14 points on us. Dana is still second in Briggs Medium, 44 points behind Bryan Rose. Fox, however is closing fast. Stay tuned.