THANKS

This is the team that worked through the week! I can not thank each of them enough for the countless hours spent at the track; loading, unloading, packing coolers, wrenching, lifting, pushing, trips to Walmart, long nights at the bar, extravagant nights on the Vegas strip, early nights, late nights, drive to the airport (and back again!), and providing endless support through the week. I could not have made the trip a success without them! We showed up in one of the smallest trailers at the track....no 'team or factory' support. No endless supply of spare parts, motors, chassis, tuners, etc.....and made a respectable finish to say the least.

Thanks again!

Supernationals XIII in the books

Well the greatest kart racing event that I've ever been witness to is in the books. This years Supernationals was by far the best run, most professional, best attended race in SKUSA history. The track layout was great, three sets of spectator bleachers, and fantastic weather. Possibly the best kart race to date in North America. With 25 countries represented, and over 400 drivers...this event was host to the best competition possible. Add the lights and sounds of Vegas and you have the makings of more than just a kart race.
I was humbled by the competition to say the least...I qualified 29th out a class of 40. During the feature race on Sunday, I had worked my way up to as high as 15th before the kart handling began to fade with the increasing amount of grip on the track. The 25 lap feature proved to be a physically demanding track for me and the karts handling. I would end up taking an 18th place finish in the main event.

As a reference of the caliber of talent and competition for this event....Dan Wheldon (former Indy 500 champion) finished 4th in his class, and Michael Schumacher (7 time world F1 champion) finished 7th in his class. This was serious racing from day one!

....topping of the racing was an after party at the VooDoo Lounge....52 floors above the Vegas lights. The rooftop nightclub of the RIO is the perfect setting to cap off a great week!

night falls

Night falls on the pits for the 13th supernats. Tomorrow is super sunday with some teams packing up tonight as they did not make the 'show'.
Those left are working into the dark making final changes for race day.
I have survived all heat races with no altercations....waiting for the points to be tallyed for the grid to be set.

Sundays racing should prove to be exciting for every class.

practice day2 update

The second day of Supernats practice is in the book. The track is getting faster with every lap with tons of grip and rubber being put down. VERY competitive fields in ALL classes. My times are improving with every session, and I am slowly closing the gap with the leaders...I still have work to do for qualifying.

This is truley the best of karting in North America. The superpro class has current F1 drivers, European karting champions in addition to Michael Schumacher....non are toping the current lap time charts!

Great to see the 7 time world champion at his craft in person!

it's on!

Set up is over... It's time to RACE at the RIO!

tkz trailer has arrived

The Karting Zone trailer has arrived at the RIO!!

Track preparations are under way, and we will be placed in our pit spot tomorrow.

schumacher!

Yes, it's true.....the 7time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher will be competing in this years Supernationals!

14 days and counting!

SUPERNATS!

ncmp

Closed 10/25!!!! Agggh

test, test, test

heading to NCMP for a day filled with testing! Hoping for DRY weather as it has been raining for the past week....

33 Days until the largest race of the year! Plans are made, hotel booked, track layout published, and kart counts continue to grow for this years Supernats to be held at the RIO in Las Vegas. I am entered in the S4 shifter class. This is shaping up to be one of the biggest races of the year. We will be adding a few extra 'vacation' days to the 5 days of racing to make an enjoyable trip to Vegas.

Now we only need a day or two of warm and dry weather to get some testing done before we load up for the race! We have plenty of testing to be done and limited TIME! The tentative plan is to spend a day at SBRP during the week to get some needed testing done....plenty of work to be done for preparation.

...stay tuned for Supernats updates.

Grattan update

The 2009 Grattan race is in the books. An interesting weekend for the weather, but some great on track racing. Friday's practice was a complete wash out with rain falling most of the day. Dave Larson ultimately canceled practice....so we spent the day in GR!

Saturday was race day one, with no testing time that we had planned for on Friday! Oh well....luckily we were pretty much spot on with our set-up out of the trailer (as usual for Grattan!). Practice found me with quick time in the Rotax, and 4th quick overall in the shifter. The tag race was the first for the day...and turned into a great race. 4 karts were nose to tail for 30 minutes! Passing multiple times per lap. There were easily 15 lead changes during the course of the race. Luckily for me, I was fastest through the bottom section of the track and through turn 10 leading onto the front straight. The white flag lap found me in 4th place until turn 10, where I made a diving pass on the inside of 3 karts and found myself in the lead when we all exited onto the front stretch. I managed to hold on and take the checker flag in first! Great clean racing by everyone.

The balance of the day Saturday saw on and off rain showers, and at the last minute they decided to run the shifter race in the rain. I decided to pass and wait until Sunday.

Sunday's weather was a great improvement, and sunny for the day. The tag race was first for the day. After a minor gear change in the morning we were off again for a 30 minute duel. Our 4 kart battle was short lived today....as by lap 10 I had pulled a few second lead over the field and managed to break away from the pack. This gave me a comfortable tag win for the day.

Sunday's shifter qualifying had be on the inside of row 3. Fifth quick overall was not bad for a stock moto, but I'd have some good racing and should be able to pick up a few spots through the 30 minute race. Unfortunately, we would not get to find out how many spots I'd be able to gain during the race. As I pulled out for the warm up lap....the kart made it about 200 yards before completely dying. With the help of a corner worker, we pulled the kart over the wall and into the pit road. After what seemed like forever (about 5min) we realized that the carburetor had not been fully tightened and had come loose. RATS!! One quick run for a screwdriver, tightening of the clamp and I was off.....about 2 laps behind, but I managed to pick off a few karts during the remaining laps.

All-in-all a great weekend. Great turnout from friends, family and fellow racers!

Grattan

Countdown to Grattan! 14 days.

Minor kart set-up is ready. Itching to get to the best road course in MI! Seems like forever since we've raced at Grattan. I'm hopeful for a good turn-out this year, should be some good friends there at the least. Plans are to race the shifter and the rotax. Full day of practice scheduled on Friday for some fine tuning with the karts. Expectations are high for what is my favorite track to race!

funny stuff

This is an e-mail from a customer who purchased a shifter from me earlier this year....he was having a little 'too' much fun around the neighborhood!

"Well Eric, looks like I’m getting faster. Had the pleasure of meeting a Jefferson County Sheriff last night in my garage with tools in hand after testing the kart with new jetting. He was pretty cool and said he understood that I needed to test the new set up. The engine is a kick in the pants. Taking it to the track next week. Thanks again for everything.

Pat"

gearing up for another saturday of lapping at ELKT. Should have 7-8 tag karts again. Thinking about throwing on some 'older' bodywork in case we end up racing before the end of the day! There is never a shortage of excitement at an ELKT race. Even if it is only pride and bragging rights at stake....

ELKT Practice day

A great day was had last Sunday. Weather was perfect, 7 tag karts in attendance and LOADS of track time! We turned over 100 laps before everyones arms were ready to call it a day. The Rotax ran flawless all day, some minor tweaks on the chassis gave me some improved lap times through the day....36.8's were the best I could get out of the kart. The MOJO tires are proving to be as long lasting as any tire I have used. I have 4 race days, and 6 practice days on a set...and NO reason for replacing them yet. The grip level has been consistent through each heat cycle thus far.

Two days advance planning, and we pulled together 7 tag karts at ELKT on a weekend that every neighboring track in the three state area had club races....something tells me that with NO professional track within a 3 hour drive from metro Detroit = a need for a TRACK!

Weather permitting, headed to ELKT for a practice day. Looks like we have 6-8 tag karts lined up...we are on the way to starting our own league! 20-30% chance of rain and highs of 72degrees are in the forecast.....

New TOY in the stable!

This is to pass the time on the long breaks between racing weekends!

Grosse Ile

The race at the Grosse Ile airport proved to be a short weekend for the TKZ team. We arrived on Saturday morning to see what we thought to be....well....less than desirable racing conditions. In an attempt to utilize two runways of the airport and maximize space, the racing circuit was very tight, not much room for passing, and in my opinion, rather unsafe. I decided to run a few practice laps and make the best of the track we had to race with. There was an incident on the first practice session, and a few close calls.....the next rounds of practice seemed to go O.K. On to qualifying...on my second of three laps I came towards the chicane section of the track to find a TIRE in the middle of the racing line (with no advance warning!), and on my third of three laps, had a slower kart pull from the side of the racing line into the middle of the track. After the qualifying session was complete (and no weigh in?) I found that the tire in the track was due to a flip that occurred on lap one. Whew! What a morning....

...needless to say, with the questionable race circuit, we decided it would be more cost effective and safer if we packed the trailer up and called it a weekend, with everything, and everyone in one piece. The one unknown variable in going to a temporary circuit is the track layout, and the thought behind the layout in advance. Not all temporary circuits are created equal!

Gingerman

A great weekend for racing at Gingerman is in the books. Great weather and large fields for the action at the 1.9 mile 11 turn road course outside of South Haven MI. The TKZ performance was respectable. I raced two classes on Saturday. Entering the stock moto in the CIK shifter class, and racing the Rotax with the tag class. The tag class had over 20 entries, and the CIK shifter with 30+ karts. The start of the tag race had me dead last by turn 1. A horrible start left me with a great challenge for the 30 minute race. I managed to work my way up to 3rd place by the end of the race. I landed a strong 10th place finish with my stock moto with the full modified CIK 125 shifter class....

I was only entered to race the tag class on Sunday. The fields were just as big for Sundays action...and I again finished 3rd in the tag 30 minute race.

Ready for a race weekend at Gingerman Raceway. The trip to Gingerman always is a great weekend. Competitive racing, close to Lake Michigan, and great times in South Haven! Final details wrapped up tonight. Weather should give us a great weekend for racing. This will be the start of a back-to-back race weekend.

GLPS Race 1-2 New Castle

The first race weekend of the season is in the books. As usual, no race weekend goes without some type of excitement...some racing,  some technical. Friday's practice session went smooth. Weather was in the upper 70's all day, with winds gusting in the 30mph range!

Saturdays racing schedule proved to be a physical challenge for my first outing. Racing two classes, that of course, were back to back. That basically means race one kart, fly into the pits after the checker flag flies, park it, and run to the other kart on the grid and GO RACING again! I am a junky. A good way to get my fill of racing. The line up had me racing the 125 shifter class first, and the Rotax 2nd. The final for each class consisted of 18 laps. That meant 36 laps of non-stop racing fun! The Rotax ran flawless all weekend, and I placed 3rd overall for the day. The shifter on the otherhand...gave us some technical challenges through the day. During qualifying we were WAY off with our jetting - 10th place result. Prefinal = broken coil wire, 8th place finish. Final = broken coil wire, 6th place finish. All-in-all not a bad day, and GREAT FUN. Oh, I forgot to mention...during the first Rotax race, the gas cap seal was missing. That meant that during the first few laps with a full tank of gas, my knee pad that I wear to soften the blow of my knee slamming against the top of the gas tank managed to become soaked with GAS! That lead to a nice BURNING sensation while I raced for 20 minutes. Needless to say, I needed a little aloe vera to cool my knee. 

Sundays weather proved to be more of the same. Beautiful morning, sunny skies and highs in the upper 80's. I opted out of the two class deal (muscles were a little sore!). I decided to race the shifter for the day, and one Rotax race. Believe it or not....NO technical issues for the day! Races went well. Great starts, some awesome clean, fun racing! Qualified 8th in the shifter, finished my prefinal in 3rd (after what was an AMAZING launch on the start for me!), and finished the final in 4th. I battled for the 3rd place spot for a few lapps with Eric Batt before he make a pass stick after his 3rd attempt. I tried for a couple of laps to real him in, but no luck.

I did race the Rotax in the prefinal on Sunday....starting in the back of the field. I had some great racing, and managed to work myself up into the 3rd place finishing order in the Rotax class. 

Another great race weekend in the books. Looking forward to the next outing in May. Gingerman Raceway in South Haven MI.

1 week and counting! Spring is here and I can't wait to hit the track for the first race weekend!

....here is the FROZEN cylinder. Now replaced with the new latest and greatest 2009 updated cylinder from ROTAX. The good news is that these can be repaired. Now I have a never used 'spare' once I have it welded. And after our Rmax training program completion...we are certified for the removal/replacement of the cylinder. Should prove to be a valuable resource.

First NCMP outing of the season

After a late morning we arrive at NCMP to mid-40 degree temps C.O.L.D.. At least the sun was out!! The karts are unloaded and some minor track prep is done to get everything ready to drive. Chain and gear installed on the newly mounted never raced ROTAX. During tightening of the motor mount, I notice a small amount of water...strange, but I proceed with my prep work. OK everything is ready, tape on the radiators, air pressure set on the tires, suit and helmet on...lets start this Rotax and get on the track. As SOON as I hit the start button the motor fires, and water begins to SPRAY from the head of the cylinder....SHUT IT OFF! Well my worst thought that ran through my mind upon seeing the small amount of water on the bottom of the motor while tightening the motor mount was in fact the worst imaginable scenario...the motor has froze and cracked overnight during the freezing temps! There goes that motor...guess that's racing!

On to the shifters...(there are advantages to having more than one kart in the stable)...shifters start with no issues. I proceed to log several on-track sessions, making minor tuning, and chassis changes in-between. All with positive results and making lap time improvements along the way. We had the radar gun in use along the back straight, and monitored the MPH changes with the tuning changes. All good information to log. Top speed of the day on the 800' straight was 81MPH. Not bad for a 30HP motor....

The temps finally broke the 50 degree mark, just about time to load up and call it a day. All-in-all, a good spring day! Clear blue skies, fast karts, and if not for the ROTAX debacle...it would have been a perfect trip :)

....tomorrow I am off for training on the rebuild certification for the Rotax Service Center requirements. Bright side is, I have a motor that needs to be rebuilt!

First test weekend

getting packed and ready to head out to NCMP for our first test weekend of the year. Weather forecast is low 60's buy SUN! I am hoping for the best, and at least the sun can make me FEEL warm. Have three karts to get on the track for testing, and season preparation or 'shake-down'. The first weekend out of the year always presents a 'challenge' or two....I am hoping that those will be to a minimum Saturday.

march 17

60+ degree day = SPRING fever!
Ready to get the racing season underway. Schedule is lined-up, equipment is ready, spare parts are on-order...the countdown has begun for the first race of the season.
New Chrome shield from OGRacing is mounted on my Arai....I'm ready to get the racing season underway, and help get the gang at OGRacing excited about kart racing!