07 February - It's Official, Tracy To Race Super Can

After three months of discussion and conjecture over whether Dana and Tracy should both race HPV in 2004, the issue was put to rest at the Ohio Valley Karting Association's annual swap meet. With the help of our 2-cycle engine builder Ed Kesse, we were able to negotiate the purchase of a Yamaha Super Can engine with a fairly prestigious history.

The debate was fueled by my desire to have both karts as similar as possible, having to only carry one set of spare parts and directly share set-up info. Also, running both in the same class would give us more time between races and make for a little more leisurely pace on raceday. Last and certainly not least was the fact that the only other two-cycle class that appealed to us would require Tracy's kart to be 20 pounds heavier than Dana's - and there were times last year when lifting Dana's kart on to its stand evoked groans of toil and strain.

The main argument against both of them racing in the same class was the very real possibility of them taking each other off the track and the acrimony and loathing that would inevitably follow. They were right, there is a certain harmonic balance within the family when we're at the races competing against other teams and not each other. An on track disagreement would disrupt that harmony and make our pit area a very unpleasant place. But this alone was not enough to persuade me away from the advantages of two entries in one class (even though privately I was certain I'd live to regret it). But it was a point that Dana finally got through to me that forced me to change my opinion. She pointed out that she and Tracy both had something to prove in 2004. That she hoped to be in the race for the HPV championship again this year proving that 2003 was not a flash in the pan. And that Tracy was going to be eager to show that she can race at the front and maybe even win a race or two. Being in the same races, Dana pointed out, would only put them in each other's way as they pursued those goals. I couldn't argue that.

So, 2004 will see us contest the MSOKC series for the Super Can championship and the INFONETICS HPV championship. Last year at this time we tentatively set winning the HPV championship as our goal. An ambitious and audacious goal given Dana's inexperience in 2-cycle but one that made us work very hard and learn quickly. This year we'll raise the bar and target both championships. Again, pretty bold for a team with a second year driver but we have found that mediocre goals produce mediocre results.

© Copyright 2004 Conlin SpeedSports. All rights reserved.
Server space for this website graciously provided by Infonetics, Inc.