2003 & 2004 MSOKC HPV Champions
2004 MSOKC Super Can Runner Up

30 April, 1 May - New Castle Motorsports Park: The Way A Track Should Be

We used the off weekend to make our first visit to the New Castle Motorsports Park, Comet Kart Sales' track about 40 minutes east of Indianapolis, and we're very excited to be returning there in a couple weeks for our first Midwest Sprint Series race. We learned a lot about the track and our PRD engine there but we were just blown away by the facilities that NCMP has put together for their kart racers. This is the model for which all new karts track should be designed on. Full service restaurant, full kart shop and 2 sets of walk-in, heated, flush bathrooms!!! Not only that but Mike, Mark, Donna and Mark Dismore himself all made us feel welcome and appreciated throughout both days. They even were offering apologies for practice starting late due to the Red Bull Driver Search taking longer than planned. Apologies. Imagine that. After our treatment a week before, NCMP was absolute karter heaven.

Having had only 3 hours of sleep (work and travel schedules are forcing the midnight oil to be burned regularly) Friday night after general prep and converting the karts back from BeaveRun wet settings, a rude awakening was waiting for us Saturday morning: adding water to the TaG radiator resulted and a sad puddle under the kart. As if we needed one more kick in the shins from the BeaveRun WKA weekend, the karts had shifted in the trailer on the way back and the TaG radiator was pressed up against the tire rack for the violent ride over I76 in eastern Ohio. Visually the damage was cosmetic but once water was in there a hidden crack around the bracket presented itself.

Hopeful calls to local radiator repair shops found no one that could repair an aluminum radiator on a Saturday morning. This weekend was the only chance we'd have to visit and learn the New Castle track before running the Midwest Sprint Series there May 14 & 15. Failure to get some laps there this weekend was not an option.

Fortunately, there was another PRD radiator sitting unused in Central Ohio. Roger "The Fastest Man On Batteries" Schroer had purchased his Fireball about the same time we did but had not put it together yet. In fact, it was sitting in Mike Unger's shop waiting for assembly. A quick call to Mike arranged a pick-up. Going an hour or so out of our way to pick it up from Mike was better than not going at all. So our thanks to Roger for the loaner (even though this may be the first he's known of it).

We arrived shortly after 1pm looking to salvage the afternoon. However, even after unloading the karts, replacing the damaged radiator and doing other last minute prep, we found ourselves waiting for the track to open. Unbeknownst to us, the Red Bull Driver Search was conducting its program and running long. Overtired, rushed and anxious to get some sessions inbefore the impending rain arrived got yours truly a little cranked up again.

Once the track was open for the rest of us it was only a matter of minutes before Dana came in with carb problems. But since our main objective was to learn the track we quickly decided to have both ladies share the HPV rather than get bogged down in diagnosistics. But in her first session Tracy was punted off the track on one of the long straights by another driver trying to squeeze by and that plan looked to be in jeopardy too. After some anxious minutes waiting to see what damaged was done, we found none. Nevertheless, I had been in no mood for seeing my driver disappear backwards over a hill in the distance. However, the other driver came by and apologized for the bad move which goes a long way to defusing the rising tempers. I told him that I appreciated him coming by to explain and I truly did.

Shortly after that, while buying something at the parts counter, Mike Adams, right out of the blue, apologized for the Red Bull program running late. That too went a long way to changing my disposition as we struggled through another rough day of karting. And really, that's all it takes - show appreciation and respect to someone and they can carry on with a better attitude. That, more than anything was what was missing at BeaveRun.

The rain held off although it was dang cold out there. My brother-in-law John and neice Kristina both came out from Indy to brave the cold and lend support so things were looking up. Dana and Tracy both did a great job making steady progress on the new track and by the time the sun was low on the horizon we were feeling better about the day.

I was first back out to the track Sunday morning and attacked the TaG's Tillitson carb. It was the first time I'd ever been into a Tillotson but there were no surprises and the rebuild went quickly. The motor sounded strong again so we got it ready for practice and for the day's club races.

The Kart Racers of America club based at NCMP doesn't have an HPV class so Tracy would have to run in their "Unlimited" class, a sort of catch-all, run-what-you-brung class that would just provide more track time. Dana would run with Senior TaG. With 16 classes KRA only does qualifying (with transponders) and one 15 lap feature. Reminded me of the ol' SCCA sports car days. Tracy continued to get faster though the day, posting her fastest times for the weekend in qualifying and then in the race.

Dana did so too but we were still seemed down on power and in the final actually had a carburation-induced surge on the long straights. My post-race inspection showed that high speed needle was out of adjusment, likely bumped when I was working on the kart earlier. When racing was finished for the day we send Dana back out with the needle at the right setting and were much happier with the performance. Another day of testing and practice, scheduled for May 13, should get us ready for the MSS race.

Many thanks to the folks at New Castle Motorsports Park for making us feel welcome. Also to John and Kristina for coming out again to support us. John was a big help on the grid and I was glad he was there. Also a huge thanks to sister-in-law Debbie for sending the sandwiches with John. In the 10 minutes I had to sit down out of the wind and cold a couple of home-made sandwiches just hit the spot.

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