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!