30 April - 5th Becomes 3rd
It just keeps getting better. Several days after what we felt was an unqualified success at the Great Lake Sprint Series opener at Trane Motor Speedway, we got word from GLSS secretary and pointskeeper Eileen Bacon that 2nd and 3rd place finishers in HPV Senior Light were disqualified, moving Dana up to third in the final official results. Cool.
27 April - Great Fun With Great Lakes Sprint Series
Having raced primarily at the same track since we began karting three years ago, it got to be time for us to branch out and learn some new tricks, challenge ourselves and maybe make some new friends along the way. April 26 and 27 was the date of the first race of the 2003 Great Lakes Sprint Series, a WKA regional championship at the newly re-named Trane Motor Speedway in Norway, Illinois and we circled it on our calendar. As a team we agreed to keep our expectations modest since the track, the competition and the away-race routine would be new to us. Our emphasis would have to be on the fun factor to gauge the success of the weekend.
Since Dana has not had much experience in learning new tracks we decided to participate in open practice on Friday and allow her an entire day of learning the track without trying to learn during official sessions and getting in more experinced racers' way. For the most part that strategy worked but more on that later.
Trane Motor Speedway is a very nice facility. Perminent structures, lights, smooth racing surface made you feel like karters belonged there - unlike the feeling I got visiting WKA's home track at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, North Carolina a few months ago. It is a very challenging track as well, offering drivers several unique features, those being a long, steeply banked 180 degree "Monza" turn; a very sharp, nearly hairpin turn at the end of track's fastest section; and a severe rise that has the kart off the ground while the driver sets up for a quick right-left S-turn conbination. Besides catching air, the S-turns are hidden from the drivers' view unti after he or she has to commit to the turn-in. This blind combination corner was the section Dana became comfortable with last.
We were fortunate to have had Mike Unger and Brian O'Hara share their data, track notes and knowledge they had collected on prior visits to Norway with us before we left. They removed a lot of the guess work and allowed us to be close on the set up when we got there on Friday. We did six sessions getting faster in each one - Dana finding speed out on the track and Tracy and I finding speed in the kart based on Dana's feedback. By the end of the day were down to a 50.62 which was, as far as we could tell, about a second behind the regulars there testing. Before leaving the track for the day we decided a 49 second lap would be a realistic goal for ourselves for the weekend and would work towards that.
The only blemish on the day was an unfortunate episode of Dana holding up the local Hot Shoe, Stacy Kelley. Kelley was shaking down a new Kart and caught Dana who was still slow in Turn Five and the Rise/S-turn combination of turns 10 and 11. Kelley couldn't get around Dana anywhere else but was slowed down a lot in those two areas. Like I said, it was unfortunate but I think she (Kelley) would have been better off backing way out and throwing away one lap of practice than follow Dana around for three laps, shaking her fist and banging on the steering wheel - especially since Dana didn't even know she was there. But that's just me.
Friday night we met up with my cousin Bill Moloney and his wife Bobbie for dinner in Joliet. It was fun to get caught up and take a break from gear ratios, tire pressures and hub lengths for a little while. Bill and Bobbie were probably looking for the same sort of break. They were in the midst of final wedding plans for Bill's daughter Maureen in two weeks.
Even though there would be no track time for us on Saturday, the first day of the GLSS event, we returned to the track to watch the order of events and see where the action spots were on the track in competition. We'd also use the relaxed schedule to work on the kart a bit and get it ready for Sunday's competition. I hadn't had the time to repair the cosmetic damage done to the nose at the first MSOKC race so we finally got the kart looking good again Saturday morning.
Saturday afternoon we installed the Tillett Ribcage Support System. The Ribcage is a relatively new product designed by respected kart seat manufacturer Tillett and Mike Unger had provided a set to us to install and try out. The Ribcage panels bolt to the existing seat to offer further protection to the ribs as well as better hold the driver in place. Mike is a regular contributor to National Kart News and intends to write a review of the new product based on Dana's impressions and the photos we took while installing. (Not to scoop Mike or anything but she loves them.)
Anticipating a stickier track after all the racing on Saturday, I made what I thought would be a wise change for Sunday. I'm not very good at that yet and when Dana went out for the first practice session she was loose all over. So we put it back the way it was at the end of Friday's testing and she went out and immediately did her fastest lap of the weekend in the second practice session. It was as we were waiting on the grid for that session that we noticed my Uncle George making his way through the pits. He couldn't stay long but he had jumped in his car and drove the better part of an hour to come see us and our hobby. Racers always go faster when they've got people they know watching so I'm fairly certain Uncle George is responsible for the three tenths of a second Dana found while he was there. Thanks Uncle George!
The Great Lake Sprint Series determines starting positions for the first heat with a real qualifying session - racers are sent out by class to do four flat-out laps, the best one determining their grid position. The pressure was on Dana to produce but Dana always does her best driving under pressure. She found another tenth of a second getting down to a 50.22. She could have done a better lap if I had gotten the gearing right. As it was, her engine was maxing out about mid-way through the long, banked turn Five.
On her last lap another of the series fast guys, Scott Rettich, caught her draft and shot up behind her but as her moter nosed over in Five, he had to back out of the throttle ruining what may have been his best lap. It got a little ugly again when, in retribution, he beat her to Nine then brake-checked (braked in front of her) her in Eleven to ruin her lap. I don't think it was her fastest lap but it was another message that was lost on her because, once again, she had no idea she was in his way and did nothing wrong. Mr. Radich should have come over and brake-checked me. But, hey, whattiya gonna do? (Right Sean?)
We were thrilled to find out that Dana's best lap was worth fourth starting position out of seven karts. We figured we'd end up at the tail end of the qualifying field so it was a nice surprise. Kristy Snell, another Ohio racer that races with the Ohio Valley Karting Association, was gridded right behind Dana. Kristy has a lot more experience than Dana and we felt we should warn her that we were new to HPV and that Dana's start might not be the greatest (there are tricks to getting fast starts in HPV but we haven't learned them yet) and that she might want to be ready to go left when the green dropped.
When the green dropped Dana's start was okay but Rettich's was bad and Dana had to get on the brakes to avoid hitting him. This dropped her back to sixth where she stayed the rest of the race although she never let Jason Shivley get very far ahead of her.
In the feature Dana started sixth but someone on the inside row got a bad start this time and Dana was third into the first turn and kept it to turn Three. At turn four Jack Coblenz slipped inside and demoted Dana to fifth. For the first two laps Dana had Shivley trying to take that from her getting close enough to give her a tap at about 63 mph as they screamed toward Turn Six. A tap like that is intended to let the driver in front know they've got someone on their tail and force them to make a mistake. But rather than making a mistake, Dana only drove harder putting in her best laps of the weekend including two 49s (49.7 & 49.8).
With that, all our objectives were met: We got faster every session, we didn't embarrass ourselves, we worked well together as a team (Tracy helped with the mechanicals and Julie helped with the logistals) to get Dana and the kart up to speed and we got the 49s we were aiming for. The fourth qualifying position and fifth in the Feature were just the icing. Best of all, we had a great time and lots of fun as a team getting out on the road.
Special thanks to fellow MSOKC board member Bob Strawser who was there as Head Flagman and Senior Briggs class racer who lent us his transponder saving us a $30 rental in the process. Also to the Gearharts: John, Jabob and Justin, and Ryan Johnson for all their encouragement and support.
There were 207 entries in 32 classes but the Great Lakes Sprint Series officials kept things moving right along and the whole event was well organized and executed. We're looking forward to racing with them again at our own Circleville Raceway Park on Memorial Day weekend.22 April - Join Us In Norway
We'll be traveling to Norway, Illinois, this weekend to have Dana compete in the first Great Lakes Sprint Series race of 2003. About 1/2 an hour west of Joliet, it could be considered our old stomping grounds with plenty of family still in the Chicago area. And we'd love to have 'em come out to see what all this is about. Click here for map and directions.
13 April - Tracy's Luck Doesn't Rub Off On Dana
The first race of the season was a case of extremes. Tracy enjoyed outrageous luck while Dana couldn't buy an ounce of luck if it was on an overstock sale.
Dana's day started out bad when she found she kart way loose in practice spinning once and getting tagged in the process. Worse, by the end of the second session, she was running out of brakes. This was a bit of a surprise since the brakes were fine at the end of the last test day we did. As usual, Mike Unger was on the spot with the adjusting shims we needed to get the brakes back. Unfortunately, we knew this would give the brakes a much different feel and be much touchier. We sent Dana out for a third practice session to get a feel for them but a drastic brake adjustment just before the first race of the day breaks all the rules - just about the worst thing you can do to a driver.
We knew if the brakes were going to catch Dana out it would be at Turn Five where braking is most intense. Sure enough, the rear wheels locked up there while running third (out of nine karts) in the first heat and she looped it around. The same thing happened at the same place in the second heat but this time while still on cold tires. In the Final she found herself out in the grass after an accident happened in front of her. The only consolation is that in each case, once Dana was back on track she seemed to make up tons of time on the middle group. Maybe she used a year's worth of bad luck up in the first race.
Later in the day we had also discovered that the brake linkage between the pedal and the master cylinder was binding up and not releasing the brakes completely. This binding was the result of a very small change I made to the linkage on Saturday and may have been the reason the brake pads were so worn by the end of the second practice session. Dana's substandard performance was particularly unfortunate since friend and fellow Damon's Mill Run worker, Roman, came out to root for Dana. Roman was a one-man cheering section for both Dana and Tracy. We need to have Roman out again as he brought some added excitement to the day.
Tracy on the other hand, in her first non-Powder Puff race had a great debut. Driving sensibly in the first race, she started last (8th) and passed two other racers and finished sixth. Running sixth in the second heat she was in the right place at the right time to inherit third when 3rd, 4th and 5th place karts managed to scatter themselves all over Turn Three. Matt Rice recovered from that spin and was back on Tracy's bumper with a lap to go but she managed to make her kart a little wide and held him off.
We almost ended the day on a really sour note when the Briggs Medium class was called out onto the track. Some time during the second heat the bolt holding the clutch in place came out and went unnoticed between races. When Tracy applied power to leave the grid, the engine revved but she went nowhere. We're allowed 90 seconds for repairs once the karts are called out on the track but there was no way we could replace the clutch bolt in that time let alone find one. We signaled that we wouldn't be able to make the start and began pushing Tracy's kart back off the grid.
No sooner had I explained to Tracy what the problem was that we became aware of people hollering at us. The race was being held to clean up oil between Turns Two and Three laid down in the prior race. The delay had the potential to give us the time for repairs. This was the first race in years that we didn't have a spare clutch with us and the trick would be finding someone with a spare bolt, washer and key.
John Fox plowed into his supplies boxes with doubt but emerged with just the pieces we needed. When I got back to the kart John Gearhart (always the first guy to offer help) was waiting to assist. Tyler Tatman's Dad (forgot his first name) was also in there making it happen. And it was close! The track crew was done and rest of the field were on the warm-up laps when we got Tracy back in the kart and fired up.
Tracy had a glimpse of third place at the start before doing a couple laps in fourth place. By her own admission, she needs to get braver in the corners and carry more speed and by the third lap Matt Rice, Jenna Gearhart and Justin Gearhart were starting to stack up behind her. In Turn Eight she got tapped from behind, ran wide and the Rice-Gearhart-Gearhart freight train went by her.
Tracy finished sixth on the track but Jacob Gearhart's disqualification from second place (behind Tyler Tatman) for losing his muffler moved her up to fifth officially. We felt bad for Jacob especially since his dad was instrumental in getting Tracy back out for the final. If it wasn't for John and Tyler's dad and maybe a couple others, Tracy wouldn't have been out there. Thanks guys.
5 April - Tracy Warms Up Despite The ColdCold and windy conditions couldn't keep Tracy from getting more laps in before the season begins April 13. We never could get the engine or tires up to racing temperature but we still managed to make some adjustments to get kart to handle to Tracy's liking. If we need to race in those conditions, we'll have an edge.
Tracy has a very smooth and flowing driving style and good feel for what the kart is doing under her. She was able to tell me what the chassis was doing very accurately. Tracy's lines were spot on and she seemed to be carrying her speed through the corners. We came up with a few driving line changes that seemed to help but generally it was all about Tracy getting more laps in to get confident and comfortable while driving flat out.
As she was lapping I thought I observed that the kart just didn't have enough grunt coming out of the corners. At the time I dismissed this as Tracy not nailing the exits (although her lines looked correct), the engine just not getting enough temperature into it or me being so used to the acceleration of the HPV the Briggs seemed slow.
Back at the shop I discovered that we had broken a valve spring and this was almost certainly the reason for the lack of power coming out of the corners. Fortunately, this was not our race motor but I had hoped to have Tracy run the first several races on the practice motor and phase in the race motor later as she gained racing confidence. Looks like she'll start the season with the race motor.
With just a week until our first race of the 2003 season, we're as ready as we're gonna get.
1 April - Lots Of Laps For Dana, More To Come For Tracy
Between March 15 and 28 Dana logged over 200 CRP laps in the Biesse Kart and has gone a long way to making herself familiar and confident with her new kart. Many of these laps were in the interest of physical conditioning ("nothing prepares you for the demands of driving fast as driving fast does") but we also learned a lot about tuning the kart and the My-Chron data acquisition system which we've never worked with before. Unfortunately, Tracy wasn't able to get nearly as many laps in, the victim of a bad cold one day and a lack of team preparedness a couple others.
We're finding that the Viper responds well to changes, even on the hardish compound Dunlop SL4 tire. That's really not a surprise - Mike Unger had told us that last year when we were considering buying the kart - but we still feel a little surprised when a kart does want we want it to do. That's not something we're really used to yet. On our last day of testing we were able find a balance that Dana really liked and the changes showed up in the data coming off the My-Chron (whether we can do that again on raceday remains to be seen). Sean Dillon studied Dana's lines at every corner and made suggestions for Seven and Nine that also showed improvement on the data traces.
For Tracy it was a rough couple of weeks. She missed the first day of testing because her kart was just not ready, the second due to a bad cold and the fourth day because we simply could not find a source of methanol fuel. On the one day she had, she spent the first few session getting used to the new driving position. For various reasons she hadn't gotten much track time last year and had virtually no time in the kart since the new "lay-down" seat had been fitted. It took her a while to become comfortable with the kart at speed.
We did get some tuning done for her and we exposed some weaknesses on the kart - not the least of which was the system I came up with for attaching the nose. It shook loose during her third session. But I'd rather find these things out in testing than in a race. But all in all, we didn't really give Tracy an enjoyable karting experience. We will have to find time before April 13th to give her more laps and do proper development for her and the kart.
Before test day three was done one more team member took to the track. Julie, usually happy to take care of timing, photography, video and various other pit duties, got suited up and did a few laps. Julie only gets the need for speed every once in a great while so it was cause for much rejoicing. And while the Briggs Medium Stock track lap record was probably not in jeopardy, she sure looked racey out there with the visor down and peering up over the front fairing. Upon climbing out she commented on the rough ride and wondered how her sisters did it. Better yet, why they did it.
We just need to convince her that the ride smoothes out and the kart gets easier to drive the faster she goes.
Special thanks to Mike and Sean for the trackside help and McCall Motorsports for the scaling the karts which we worked in somewhere in those hectic couple of weeks.
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