2003 MSOKC HPV Champions

30 May - All Podiums, All Day

Dana's kart looking decidedly second-hand.

Both ladies had a great day in their third race of the '04 MSOKC Vega Tire Championship taking top three finishing positions in each of their races. We were trying with all our might to get Tracy into first place and nearly got the job done in the Super Can feature - sooo close. Meanwhile, we were apparently trying with all our might to keep Dana from winning any of her races but failing each time when luck stepped in to save the race.

Due to the holiday weekend, entries were down in just about all the classes with Super Can only having 10 karts and HPV down to 5. Significant in that was that Barry Hatcher, Dana's main rival was one of the folks missing from the roster.

Tracy fought an unruly kart in the first heat - then Jim Giacomelli laid his hands on it and it was cured!

For the first race of our day Tracy started 5th in Super Can right behind Brad Carroll, last year's champ and our yardstick. By Turn 2 of the first lap Tracy was up to 4th trying to stay stuck to Brad. At Turn 7, front row starter Jason Stukey ran wide. In the commotion Ray Bazar dove inside the 99 kart to take third. On the next lap Tracy nailed Turn 4 perfectly and was by Ray at end of backstraight. Closing up on Karl Hans, she never really had a clean shot at him the rest of the race and had to settle for 3rd.

Dana goes into 9 too hot...

...still in crisis management...

...she looses the fight and makes contact, catching some air as the result...

Yeah, that left a mark.

HPV Heat 1 had Dana gridded 3rd. Don Wilbur (outside front row) got a great start and took Matt Rice with him. Steve Tatman split Don and Matt by Turn 2. Dana tried Matt at 5, couldn't do it there but found an open door at 9. Unfortunately she went through that door a little hot and even though Matt saw her coming and gave her as much room as he could, it wasn't enough. Dana was in crisis mode fully 3/4 of the way around Turn 9, trying to not spin but at the same time not get into Matt. She lost the fight and our kart's side pod got into Matt's RR tire and sent quite a jolt though #13.

Matt stayed ahead as Dana gathered it up and carried on. Meanwhile Steve had got by Don for the lead. Next lap she nailed Turn 4, got by both Matt and Don on backstraight. A couple laps later she was on Steve and setting him up at 8, she ran down the inside at 9 (this time without drama). Steve, upon seeing her nose get inside, seemed to just go straight off although he later came in with no brakes at all and that was the likely reason. Once in front Dana stretched out a lead and kept it.

Brad Carroll and Tracy carved their way through the Super Can field in Heat 2.

In practice and in the first heat Tracy was fighting the kart in every corner. We were trying a new configuration on the front of the kart and we were beginning to think it was the wrong move. I was out of ideas on how to give her the balance she needed but we were very fortunate that Jim Giacomelli of J & J Racing was in attendance supporting the Biesse Kart teams. While we ran Dana in HPV Heat 1, Jim was back in our pit area making a few adjustments and fixing an ongoing problem with the '01 Viper's right front spindle.

Tracy found herself starting 6th for Super Can Heat 2. She was fifth by Turn 2 and fourth by 5, passing Dave Creech in the braking zone. Brad, who started eighth got inside at Turn 7 demoting Tracy back to fifth. She managed to get by Randy Ridder on the backstraight for fourth and the next lap got by Steve Sharp there too. Brien Snyder was holding down second and Tracy took a look a couple times in last two laps, but recalling how she spun away good points in a heat last time out and paid for it in grid position in the feature, though better of it and settled for third. But Jim Giacomelli's tweaks did the trick as Tracy said it made a massive difference allowing her to once again attack the corners. As far as I'm concerned it can be counted as one of the miracles toward the beautification of Saint Jim Giacomelli.

Dana managed a win despite her carburetor trying to leave the kart.

Dana again started third in the second Heat. Don got an even better start than in Heat 1 - too good in fact and went from his fourth grid position to first before the field crossed the starting line. The race stayed green but the first time around, with Don leading everyone down the front straight, he was showed the furled black flag for the infraction. Little did he know that a two position penalty was waiting for him at the end of the race.

Don Wilbur gets a great start in Heat 2 - too good for the Race Director.

John Fox meanwhile had squandered his Pole Position with an engine that bogged down horribly. When Don leapt around Rice and into the lead back at the start, that gave Dana room to move around John as he struggled to get up to speed allowing her to maintain third. Going into Turn 9 the first lap she got past Matt, this time without clobbering him. Not knowing (no one did) that Don would be penalized for jumping the start, Dana set her sites on the #72 and got past him going into Turn 5 with a couple laps to go. With a comfortable lead in hand Dana's head suddenly bobbed forward coming out of Turn 9 on the last lap, the kart suddenly lacking power. She was able to hang on to take the win but the engine was definitely sounding off. At the scalehouse the problem was obvious: The carb was falling off!

So in the first race Dana tries to through away a win by crashing into a competitor and in the second I try by forgetting to tighten the carb back up after the last event's tech inspection.

Tracy controlled the Super Can Feature until 2 laps from the end.

The discretion Tracy showed in the second heat earned her a front row starting position right next to Brad, his two victories giving him the pole. At the drop of the green Tracy edged ahead and confidently took the lead. In spite of getting the signal from me that Brad was right on her bumper she controlled the race calmly. Half way through the race Brad took a look inside going into 10 but backed out. If radios weren't forbidden, I would have been on the radio telling Tracy to protect the inside line there as it was becoming obvious Brad had something on her in the run from Nine to Ten. He looked again on lap 5 and then on lap six got it right and snuck inside and into the lead.

Brad pulls alongside in 10.

Tracy stayed with him for the final two laps but could never muster a challenge and finished second. The sting of losing the lead was softened by many of our friends coming by to congratulate her on a very impressive run. And it was. She is getting more and more comfortable in her new kart every time out and seems to be hitting her stride. We're looking forward to more good races.

Interestingly enough, Brad's father (and crew chief/team owner/manager) Randy and I go back way before karting. Randy was a key contact for me when the company he worked for selected and utilized the INFONETICS management system. Small world.

Dana leads the opening lap of the HPV Feature. The engine note has already changed.

With the carb carefully resecured Dana took an immediate lead in the HPV Feature and began stretching out a lead alleviating our fears that the loose carb might have leaned the engine out enough to hurt it. But upon coming by the front straight the first time, she was gesturing toward the engine and as she passed it was clear we had a new problem. Watching and listening for clues that and the next lap, I signaled for her to continue on. In Florida we had the header bolts come loose and it sounded a lot like the same thing. Nothing seemed to be flopping around so I saw no need for her to pull in.

Acknowledging my signal to carry on.

She continued on to a six second margin at the flag and came in immediately just for good measure. At the scalehouse again, we found that my diagnosis was correct. This time though it was not something I had loosened and forgot to tighten. Nevertheless, we dodged another bullet and we were quick to realize that had Barry Hatcher been there the problems we encountered in each of the races would have left us defenseless. But as it was, Mike Unger said it best: "Dana wins even with (Jim) trying to sabotage the kart each race".

Throughout the day we were honored to have new INFONETICS employee Wade Pinkston and his family, wife Sam and daughter Alex and Alex's friend Anna. Wade is a gearhead and has long enjoyed racing and Alex seemed very interested in the mechanics of the kart. After we got the Super Can kart back together after tech and the track dried a bit following a brief shower Wade headed out for a few laps. He did well, getting caught out by the damp conditions only once. He was able to get some speed up and judging by the grin behind the visor, looked like he was really enjoying himself.

Next, Tracy's sweety, Chris, headed out but as he did the skies opened up again. Still, for a non-gearhead driving a racing anything for the first time (and in the rain!!!) he did great too. Yeah, he got caught out by the wet once but otherwise got faster gradually and made a few good saves. Hmmm. Now that he's gotten his feet wet (literally), we'll have to have him try it again in the dry.

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