The Mid-American Sprint Series race 4 took place at USA International Speedway (US Air Motorsports Raceway).  If you are into motorsports (motorcycle road and dirt, kart, and Drift and Autocross) you should make the effort to visit and give it a go.  It was built in the early 2000s by a group who had a lot of money and didn’t know what to do with it.  Somehow they decided to build a state-of-the-art kart track and amusement park in Shawano, WI.  The support buildings are nice –  on the scale of what you would find at a large track like Road America or Blackhawk Farms.  The track itself rolls up and down over the area hills and is very configurable, including a dirt section.  The configuration of the track for the weekend included 3 fast straights, lots of technical corners and a monza corner just over the start/finish line.  The only down side is you can’t really see all of the action.  There is one spot near near the tower where you can see a lot, but most of the track is hidden below a hill from the pits.

We arrived late Friday morning.  We unpacked and got on the track to start practicing and fine tuning the kart.  USAIR is a technical track with a variety of corner combinations that require some thought and planning to stay fast in straights.  Jason took to this track pretty well.  Right off the bat he was running laps in the 1:19-1:20 range and starting to approach 1:18 by the end of the day.  Since this is the first kart race on this track in awhile, and not with the LO206 sportsman, it took a bit of guesswork to find the sweet spot.  It turns out that it is much like Concept Haulers with long straights and fast corners.

The race day Saturday was an exercise in frustration.  Partly because Jason was distracted by a video game all day, and partly because qualifying is not Jason’s favorite thing.  He prefers to chase or be chased.  It gives him something to immediate to work on.  During qualifying, it’s just him out there by himself, without motivation.  In the end he qualified 5th of 5 with a 19.720.  Not even his fastest practice time by a half second, a few seconds behind the front and a fraction behind the fourth fastest.  In the pre-feature he was not able to gain any positions on the start and was not able to find a way around a slower driver, so he finished 5th, and was really irritated in his inability to get around.  USAIR is a difficult track to pass on, especially, if you are only a fraction of a second faster than your competition.

The feature started with #7 (Ashton) on the pole, followed by #88 (Seth), #55 (Christian), #91 (Riley), and #59 (Jason).  Jason got a pretty bad start and even dropped back from #91 while the front 3 pulled away with #55 in taking the lead through the monza and down the hill.  #55 made the turn at the bottom of the hill but overshot the next turn and ended up riding backwards through the grass as the field drove by.  He recovered but it was too late to catch up.  The front two (#7 and #88) pulled away and Jason began to search for away around #91.  After about 5 laps the rear sprocket on #91’s kart loosened up and her chain came off and she pulled off.  Jason continued on with #55 slow catching up.  After a bit of nail biting during the last few laps Jason finished 3rd.

Sunday started a little better.  The games were put away, Jason was more focused on the day and it showed in his driving.  Still, he qualified 5th again, with 1.19.129.   He was dismayed that he would be starting in the back again and would have to figure out how to pass.  Like Saturday, he did not get the best start.  He was going to have to find away around.  There were several pass attempts and opportunities, mistakes by #91 and attempts on the inside of the monza, but none of them stuck.  Finally, just after the white flag, he entered the monza with the right speed and headed to the outside of #91 to set up for the inside of he next corner for the pass.  He kept on going, making some distance in the last lap finishing 4th.

All weekend long I worked with Jason to adjust his line and increase his corner speed.  He has been consistently turning too early for the feature.  I gave him two instructions: Turn late and break late.  It seems he finally took this to heart.  Starting the race in the 4th spot, he had a better chance of getting off to a good start.  He did, using the same technique as in the pre-feature.  He stayed on the outside and was in 3rd place by the exit of the monza, with Seth in first and Aston in second, Christian in 4th and Riley in 5th.  He kept his foot on the gas and was hitting the corners just right and keeping up with them.  It was nerve-wracking to watch.  Eventually, Aston pulled in front and started to walk away from the pack.  Jason then started to work on Seth and Christian worked on Jason.  Halfway through, Jason got clipped by Seth in the back field and slowed up.  This  let Christian catch up and eventually make a pass on the inside of the monza.   They stayed together for like this for a few more laps.  When it started to look like Jason was being left behind for a few laps, but then he cleaned his lines and caught up.  In the 11th lap Christian got loose in the back field and dropped a lot of speed and Jason got by.   With two to go Seth started to pull away, and try as he might, Jason was not going to catch him.  Jason stayed on the ball and finished third, giving lots of fist pumps and shouts as he crossed the line.  His lap time was 1:17.45.  The top lap of the class is in the area of 1:16.

The team will be headed back to the track that started this all, Road America, in two weeks for the RAKC race 6.  Jason will be using this race to get ready for the last Mid-American race in late August.

This race’s thanks go to the guys that currently run USAIR, with the hope that the track is soon in good hands.  To Katie, who is currently at the Lake County Fair showing her lamb.  Karen, thanks for taking me to Wagner Farm so my kid knows where things come from.

This was Jason’s plan for the weekend at Grattan.
Friday: Drive to Track and Fish till dark then bed
Saturday: Wake up, Practice, Fish, Race, Fish, bed
Sunday: Wake up, Practice, Fish, Race, Fish, home
That and as it turns out that is how it pretty much went.  He raced very well and caught many bull heads and bluegill in the pond at the track.

This weekend we went to Grattan Raceway for the 5th and 6th race of the Championship Enduro Series.  From what we had heard it is supposed to be a spectacular and very challenging track. We were not disappointed. It is a 2 mile course that starts with a very long front straight and and heads back around in a twisted writhing snake of hills and curves that includes three off camber turns.  Jason loved it.

Carol and Karl Watching their first Kart race.

Jason’s Grandma and Uncle Carl came to watch him race on Saturday.  There were expecting sprint oval racing but got something very different.  This was the first time Grandma Diener got to watch him race.  I am not quite sure what she thinks of all this but she seems to have a good time as did uncle Carl.  We where both very happy to have them around and appreciated their company.

Saturday’s lap times started slow, as expected, first time on the track and I had the gearing all wrong.  First laps where in the 2 min 40 second range during the first practice.  With some more tuning and more practice we got it to a respectable lap time of just over 2 min, but there was still more to go.  Finally, I checked my notes from Gateway and Blackhawk Farms and found I already had knew the right gearing 17/55.  I did that late on Saturday after the race.  I take notes, I should look at them.  Sunday before practice, I got the kart set up right and he was off and chasing the grown ups.  I wish I had the video for the Sunday race, he was battling with #31 a senor heavy  Briggs LO206.  Jason would pass him in the straights and #31 would pass Jason in the corners.  It was great racing right down to the end.

2 Firsts and a Championship

Weekend Stats:
Saturday Best Lap 01:57.915
Finished 1st in class (7th overall)
Sunday Best Lap 01:50.406
Finished 1st in class (7th over all)

As a bonus this weekend was the Briggs Animal Road Racing Nationals.  Jason’s first place finishes in the Novice Junior also gave him that trophy as well.  Thanks to Reagan, Briggs, and 4 Cycle Central for setting this race up.

Thanks this week to the Losches and Ed and Ben Leonhardt for letting share your garage and playing with us, your insite and enthusiasm is invaluable.  Stardust Memorials for sponsoring us for the weekend your support is invaluable.  Last but not least to my wife and her mother we are very glad you are around an let up play with our fast toys.  Our next race is August 3rd Concept Haulers and then back to Blackhawk Farms with CES on August 9-11.  Karen is going to run a 5K on the track before Sunday’s race to please cheer her on too.

We are back from Blackhawk Farms.  We spent the weekend camping at the beautiful track.  It reminded me of Road America with the natural surroundings and and excellent facilities.  Once we parked the truck it never moved until it was time go home.  If you race karts or cars get out here and give it a try.

On Saturday we found that some of our good friends from Concept Haulers came out to race with CES.  That was an unexpected surprise.  Jason and his CHMS buddy had a blast racing each other.  After the racing was done, 4 Cycle Central and River Valley Kart Club threw BBQ parties and showed everyone some great hospitality.  Sunday brought the The Badger Karting club.  The field doubled and so did the racing excitement.

Jason raced really well taking 3rd on Saturday and 5th on Sunday.  Now that we have figured out the formula for the class he is picking up speed.  He needs to learn patience when running these long races and wait for the right time to make a pass.  Trying to make a pass in the wrong place can cost you position and speed.

On Monday night we did something different and took the kart to the a local car show.  This was more fun then we expected.  Folks would stop by pause to look at the kart and then start telling stories about how they used to race.  I let a number of little kids sit it the kart while their parents took pictures.  This is really something other karters should do to promote the sport.

Next race is at Concept Haulers then we are going to take some time off to rest before the first night race of the season.  We plan on entering the car show at Glenview’s Street sale on June 29, look for us there and say “HI”.

Once again we would like to thank C&M Auto Service for sponsoring us.  They really are part of the community.  To Karen without whom none of this would have been possible.  Thanks to Jason who lets me play with him.

This weekend was our First Championship Enduro Series (CES) race in St Louis at the Gateway Motorsports Park.  CES is road racing on a full size race track.  Gateway has an oval with banked turns and an infield section for other styles of racing such as karting and motorcycles.  While Jason and other folks run standard sprint karts, others race specialized karts that are very long and low so that the driver lays down.  Road races are also much longer the a sprint race.  They are timed instead of a set number of laps.  Jason’s race was 25 minutes, which is almost twice as long as his longest sprint race.  This was going to be a interesting change of pace and should provide some valuable racing experience and yet another adventure.

Jason and I played hooky on Friday, skipping school and work for the 5 hour drive to St Louis.  After a brief stop at the track to register and get a quick look at the track, we traveled on to St Louis to hang out with my Aunt Judy and Uncle Mark and their little dog Toby, and to prepare ourselves for the weekend of racing.

On Saturday, after a hearty breakfast we headed out and arrived with plenty of time to set up Wild Duck HQ in the pits and join the drivers meeting.  Since Jason was new it was suggested that he go out with “break in” group to get a taste of the track.  This is supposed to be a slower run for folks that are breaking in new motors.  They ran a a couple of laps slower than usual, and then took off.  Lesson learned, though we may do it again if offered.

Jason went out for five more 8 minute practice sessions before lunch.  Before the 4th session, I changed out the the rear gear to a 59 to eek out a few more hundred rpm and mph.  He went out and drove it off the track on the first lap, and had a fun ride on the trailer back to our pit.  The last practice session did show some improvement with a top speed of 68 mph and a lap time in the 1:45 range.

Coming in to the pits at the end of the session, he had some trouble finding our spot and managed to burn out what was left of our aged clutch.  After a few minutes of fretting and pondering, I started asking around for someone who might have a spare we could use.  Thankfully, a neighboring driver had an extra clutch and it was even already set up with the right gear.  I pulled the engine and after about 30 minutes of work, the kart was ready to go again.

The feature race was very short for Jason, he started the race without incident, but came in after a two laps.  He complained that his head was hurting and he wanted to stop.  I made sure this is what he really wanted to do and then helped him out of his kart.  It turns out his new collar was not set up right and was pushing his helmet to the side and pressing on his head.  I’m sure he was also hungry and physically tired from the day.  It is amazingly difficult keeping a kid fed and “rested” on these very long days, mostly because there are so many other distractions for him.  We packed up the truck and headed back to St Louis.  I hoped that if we came back on  Sunday, it would go better.

On the last lap, as they ran through the infield turns, the other boy got by Jason.  Jason then put his foot to the floor in the big curve riding close behind for a little draft to get by and beat him by a little over a kart length.  If you listen carefully to the video above you can here another dad exclaim, “That was worth the price of admission, right there!”, and it was!  It was really great to watch these boys learn the craft of racing right before our eyes.  When he came off the track he was exhausted and said “I am alive, I am alive”.  He had to dig deep to endure the 25 minute battle of wills, machines, and “men”.

Thanks to Mark and Judy for putting us up and for their outstanding hospitality.  To Mike and the Greenwood Restaurant for your support.  Ben for the quick clutch help.  All the folks at CES for making the weekend happen. And last but not least thanks to our moms.  Kart moms are the best!  Happy Mothers Day!

Another interesting race day at Concept Haulers for race number 2.  We had a quick breakfast at the Greenwood and headed off to the track.  We had previously planned to play baseball on Saturday and then race at Badger on Sunday using the Briggs Animal but all of that was canceled, due to wet fields.  The weather was, of course, wacky.  It even snowed briefly during set up and again during the first kid kart practice.  Soon it was our turn to hit the track.

Last year CHMS started the Briggs LO206 senior for 15+ year olds.  Open chassis, open body, sealed motor, if the rules say it is allowed, then it is allowed.  Otherwise it’s not, and you can’t do it.  This keeps costs down and the focus on the on kart setup and driving.  The LO206 Jr 1 (Sportsman) is usually limited to 7 to 12 year olds, and LO206 Jr 2 (Junior) for ages 12-15.  Concept Haulers does not yet have a Junior class so one 14 yr old (Brandon) has joined the younger kids.  The younger kids are either just out of kid karts or have never raced karts before.  Brandon has raced for 3 years in the Yamaha classes and should have some interesting things to show us.

There are now 5 racers in the class with 1 or 2 more still out there but not yet ready.  The first session was the usual except for Brandon.  He spent most of his time in a spin while he broke in new tires on a cold track.  For the 2nd and 3rd sessions Brandon flew around the track.  He was running laps close to 60 seconds.   Jason and the other boys were running upwards of 65 seconds.  We now had someone to show us the way.  The only real problem we had was that our MyChron computer’s battery died and we were not able to find a good one.  This only meant that we did not have any data to study after the races.

Heat 1 started Brandon on the pole and Jason in second, followed by Chad in 3rd, Logan in 4th and Kyle bringing up the rear.  Kyle’s kart pooped out on the first parade lap so they went for another and picked him up at the kid kart cut off.  When the green dropped, Brandon shot off into the lead with a really great start.  Jason kept the second spot followed by Chad, Logan, and Kyle.  On the second or third lap Brandon’s chain fell off and he dropped out.  Jason was now in the lead.  The green flag waved for the second to last lap.  Jason caught up to Logan in the back stretch but hesitated passing him and got passed by Chad and Kyle.  He got by Logan in the monza but the other two were far ahead.  Jason managed to regain his composure and catch up to them by the hair pin and chased them to the white flag.  Try as he might he couldn’t overtake them in the final lap.  As they exited the last corner Chad, still in the lead, spun and drove off the road into the infield.  Kyle and Jason zipped by him for first and second respectively.

The starting order was reversed for Heat 2.  Jason started fourth.  He was a little slow at the start and was waylaid by Logan as Brandon slipped by them both.   Jason passed Logan in the first corner and is fourth.  By the time they hit the hairpin it’s Brandon, Chad, Kyle, Jason, followed a ways back by Logan.  The rest of the race is a battle between Chad and Kyle for second.  Jason is not making good time, his line is not quite right, as the 1, 2 and 3 pull away.  They finish Brandon, Kyle, Chad, Jason, then Logan.  He was disappointed but kept his chin up and went to play with his friend before the feature.

The Feature positions are determined by the heat finishes.  Kyle is on the pole, Chad 2nd, Brandon 3rd, Jason 4th, with Logan in the 5th spot.  At the start Jason stays in 4th and Brandon jumps past Kyle into turn one and starts his attack on Chad.  Suddenly, Chad spins in the middle of turn turn two.  Thankfully, everyone pass by him safely as he tries to recover.  Jason is hounding Kyle for the first 2 laps.  In turn 14  of lap 2 Kyle turns too sharp and slides, losing momentum and Jason gets by.  Kyle tries to get by Jason all the way to the last lap when Kyle spins out in the hair pin and passed is by Chad.  Jason runs clean. while he is lapped by Brandon and then leads the rest of them home and takes second place.   A good end to the day.

I was very proud of Jason today.  He kept his cool when he was not doing well.  He was pretty happy to just to race.  He was very excited to place second in the feature only being beaten by a more experience driver.  We both have lots of work to do for the next race.  Jason needs to watch some video and try to find the racing line and hopefully play some baseball too.  Watching Brandon should eventually help Jason and the rest of the boys get faster laps.  I need to put the new body on the kart.  This will give a few weeks to shake down the kart again as we get ready for the first CES race weekend at Gateway Motorsport Park in St Louis.

Thanks to Danrr Autobody for the really cool paint and Atomic Decals for the stickers.  

The first race of the season was all over the place with highs and lows.  Let’s start with the wacky weather.  The temperature was between 50 and 60 degrees but it was windy with intermittent showers.  So all day long we were either too hot or too cold every few minutes.  On the good side Jason’s grandma came along to help out and cheer him on.  The moral support meant a lot to us.  The actual racing was a similar mixed bag but still a good time.

This was the first race on the new LO206jr class at CHMS and everyone, including the track folks, was a little lost on what needed to be done.  Our first mistake was going out to practice with the Yamaha rookie and sportsman class.  Jason held his own but it was a little sketchy – those karts are fast!  For the second and third practice sessions he went out with the other LO206 and LO206jr.  That was better but the Senior drivers found the slower karts distracting.  Hopefully, next race, they will split the classes up so the everyone is safe.

For the first heat, Jason was in the number 2 spot in the first row on the outside.  He got a kick out of hearing his name announced.  The 4 racers started off down the track for the warm up lap and then promptly slowed to a crawl.  They were so intent on staying together they came to a dead stop and then Jason’s engine died.  The track crew did not know they could just pull start it. So, a few of us ran out and gave them some directions and they kids were off to a crawl again.  At the green flag Jason jumped out into the lead and lead for most of the race but he was passed in the back stretch before the monza and ended up in second place.  I had been messing with the gears again and got it wrong.  After consulting with more experts it made a change for the second heat.  Still pretty impressive to take 2nd place in spite of my error!

Rain delayed the second heat for about 20 minutes.  It started during the Yamaha rookie race and most of them drove off the track.  For his second heat Jason started on the outside of the first row and again leapt out on green for the lead, with #99 following right behind and dogging him around the track.  As they exited the last corner #99 had a better line and passed Jason as they crossed the start/finish line and into corner 1.  Jason stuck with him until the second to last lap, then ran right up to the back of #99 just before the hair pin turn.  I realize that Jason has just figured out how to handle this section.  They finish the lap, cross the line and get the white flag to start the final lap.  This is it.  Now or never. Through the monza, up to the hair pin.  #99 slows down and hugs the corner at the jog, giving Jason room to take the outside and pull next to him.  Jason now has the inside on the hair pin forcing #99 to brake and back off.  The pass sticks and Jason leads them to the finish for a first.

With the second and first in the heats, Jason earned a spot on the pole for the Feature.  After yet another rain delay, the kids took the parade lap very very slow.  This is something we will all have to work on.  It was so slow in fact, that Jason’s kart stalled again just before the flag dropped.  Thankfully everyone else stopped and waited for Jason’s motor to be started.  Next time he won’t be so lucky.  Finally, the flag dropped and they were off with Jason in the lead.   Unfortunately, on the very next lap Jason got confused and almost took a turn for the kid kart track instead of going straight.  #99 passed him and never looked back.  Jason tried to catch up but never had the opportunity to get by him again.  He finished with a solid 2nd place.  He is now tied for first in points at CHMS.

All in all it was a good day.  We are getting better and all this practice should help when we start running the road races.  Next week we are taking Saturday off due to baseball but might head up to Badger to race with the Briggs Animal on Sunday.  But that depends on the rain and it’s not looking good.  UPDATE: We are racing tomorrow at CHMS, baseball game was canceled.

Thanks to Grandma Pribyl the “Best Grandma Ever” for helping out and putting up with our nonsense.  We were glad to have you.  The folks at Concept Haulers for putting this together.   My stupendous wife Karen.  Our sponsors AtomicDecals for the number stickers and Danrr Autobody for painting the body.

Racing Kids Racing

The race season is now over and clubs and tracks are having their awards banquets.  Ours was at The Millhome Supper Club.  It was fun to see our karting friends again.  Jason spent most of his time either watching some other kids play a NASCAR video game, ogling the door prizes including a brand new Briggs Animal motor, and chatting with his kart buddies.   He got a his own chance to play the NASCAR game, he did pretty well for his first time.  It never hurts to dream big.

The club did a great job with pictures (1, 2, 3, 4) of the season.  Almost every kid kart was on the screen at some point in the evening.  There were lots of great pictures of some of the race winners and action shots.  I really liked to see the tired smiles of victory.  Congratulations to all of this years class winners.

Getting his Kid Kart award from Mike Kertscher.  Note the tie, he wore it to school too.

Jason was very excited to get his trophy, but dreams of actually earning some of the big metal.  “I like all the trophies I got this season but would rather earn them”.  He very much understands that trophies and hopefully things worthwhile in life are earned, and you need to work to earn them.

He and Logan were very excited for the door prizes.  After we watched and clapped enthusiastically this year’s winners as they receive their well-earned trophies, the door prize drawings started.  Jason really wanted the new Animal motor that was given away first.  Unfortunately his name was not pulled until late, so pickings were slim.  But he did end up with some pretty cool Road America clothing that where just his size.  I was able to trade a coupon for Streeter for some Briggs animal clothing and stickers from one of the 2 cycle racers.  He wants the small sticker on the truck and the giant 12 inch stick on the basement fridge.  The animal shirt is an XL and should make an excellent night shirt for him.

Jason, Logan, Emery, and Mason with their kid kart trophies.

It was a great last memory of the season.  I wish we could have seen Easton and Bryce and their support team and family but they had other plans.  We are looking forward to what next season brings and will keep posting updates as we make progress on the new kart and where we will be racing next year.

Thanks to RAKC for the great season and teaching us about this great sport.  The Millhome Supper Club for serving a great meal.  To my Dad for joining us and lending us his car.  Hey Karen, I should have the kart out of the basement by March maybe February,  thanks.

Bonus video from the oval race.  I like the way Easton gets the lead and Jason falls in right behind him back.  I was hoping that I had the on board video for this we we could see them side by side, but alas I forgot to turn the camera on.