- This topic has 33 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 6 months ago by
.
- Posts
:type:
Woke up at 4:37 AM to a loud tapping sound. Went to the window…more rain. Breakfast at 6:30 AM and at the track by 7:00 AM for a 7:30 drivers meeting and sign-in. Mark & Ben Schermerhorn and Anthony hopped in with us for the short ride over to the track.
After staying late last night to set up the kart for dry (predicted, depending on which report you watched) , it started raining again this morning as we pulled into the track. I opted not to use a set of rains for a practice when the rest of the day was predicted to be dry or ‘slight’ showers. Here, ‘slight’ showers is what we would describe as ‘cats and dogs’. It stopped raining two sessions before mine and the DD2’s were the first ones out with a mix of dry and rains. That was some interesting viewing. Thankfully, no more rain throughout the day.
The Drivers Meeting: it was the typical drivers meeting, starting procedures were explained, safety, and much discussion about penalties and what one might do to earn one. Something of note…NO BUMPING ALLOWED before the :green, PERIOD. If you bump, you are penalized 10 seconds onto your time at a minimum. No discussion, it happens. Jumped start? 15 seconds. Due to weather, the day was called a ‘driver’s choice’ for tires with one note…should it start to rain mid-heat they do not stop the race, it is up to the driver to keep it on the island.
Time for Qualifying. Parc Ferme is an interesting ordeal – first time through was a little daunting but you get used to it pretty quick. Stacey helped me get through for qualifying and out on the grid. I ran a few laps and came in through the hot pit where Stacey adjusted my tire pressure and sent me out again. I continued to work on my lines and my times, but as you will see in MyLaps, I’m about a mile off the pole. I continue to improve each session and that’s what we came for…to improve. While I would very much like to doing better, I’m not disappointed and having a blast in spite of the weather! I qualified 17th; welcome to a national race. BIG SHOUT OUT FOR CURT KISTLER WHO HELPED ME PUT MY KART ON THE STAND AFTER QUALIFYING. CURT SAID HE’ WANTED A SPOT IN THE BLOG’ – NOTED AND DONE. THANKS CURT!
Heat 1. I had a little more comfort in Parc Ferme but still don’t feel like I have enough time to get everything ready. I do, but it doesn’t feel that way with all that is going on around you. The staff here are great and RMax is running a very good event. Back to Heat 1…how to put this…what one would consider a punt worthy of an argument in the scale lines at home is merely a love tap here; welcome to a national race II. I had a good start in the heat and picked up a few positions by corner two. I haven’t checked MyLaps so I have no idea how many I picked up and if you keep reading, you’ll see it’s irrelevant. Lap 2, Turn 1 I was not defensive in my line, experienced a ‘love tap’ and watched a train pass me. Fought back a position and finished 20th I think. Still improved on my time, but took a beating in placement. After debriefing with Stacey, Greg and Dominic, the consensus is…BE MORE AGGRESSIVE. Tomorrow, I think I need to show a little ‘love’ of my own. Looking for a much better place tomorrow.
Colorado Update: Both Sabre and Greg Welch were punted in their heats but finished. Not sure how Ben finished…top 10 I believe. Mark K and Scott Falcone did well today. Scott finished about P15 and Mark was top 10 I think. Mark was bumped in turn 2, lap 1 but came back on track and kept fighting. Blake moved up 5 spots in his MiniMax heat race and I don’t know about the rest of the Shockwave Team or the other Colorado drivers.
Thanks for reading…
It really is a whole different ball game at a national event like this, these boys and girls play rough! Keep your head down and keep pushing, you’ll only come out of this a better driver.
Thanks for posting, Troy! I’m sure this takes a big effort after you come back to the hotel after a long day and all you want to do it hit those freshly made sheets. I know i’m enjoying the read…it’s like i’m there! :win
Thanks for sharing Troy, Sure wish I could be there getting all giddy before each heat of battle.
It’s OK to leave some Love in Oklahoma. Just a note, Don’t Bump them after the race either. :joker
GO GET EM Colorado!!!:type:
Thanks to John and Rodney – I can use all the support, as can all of the Colorado drivers!
No rain today, bonus. Tough day at the track for me personally today. I’m finally getting used to the Parc Ferme routine, however, I’d much prefer to have a tuner. I would rather have the ability to think only about the race rather than putting on tires, fuel, warm motor, grid position, etc…note to self; next year – a TUNER!
Morning started off well. Took another .3 off my best time in practice on old tires. Time for Heat 1. While sitting in the hot grid watching Sabre’s race, I saw her get absolutely run over in Turn 1. Radiator, driver fairing…out of the race. We went out and things were looking good. I was in P18 just like I’d qualified. About 3/4 of the way down the straight into Turn 1, Lap 1 I realized that I had karts on all four sides of me and a major pileup had just occurred. Not ideal. LOTS of carnage…and somehow, someway, I did not get touched. I had to stop mid-corner so as not to t-bone another kart, but I got away clean. I then struggled to get into a race rhythm and finished up in 17…only to be called to the tech tent. This is never good unless you’re one, two or three! I was penalized for passing under yellow in Turn 1, Lap 3. I argued that I was alongside the other kart 3/4 of the way down the straight when the other kart spun. I lost the discussion and started Heat 2 back in P18.
Heat 2, I was determined to move into the top 15. Things started better (meaning no Turn 1 pileup), until my motor bogged coming out of Turn 1 and I waved as a train drove by (lost three positions). I was fighting my way back and cooked it into Turn 8, the slow left hander and shot it off going into Turn 9. For some reason, there is a small pile of sand about 12 inches in diameter right next to the track between Turns 8 & 9. The sand magnet on my kart must have been in the ‘on’ position and I hit it going about, oh, 40. The spray of sand was pretty impressive, I must say. Finished the race somewhere around 21 and the extra pound of sand I was carrying helped me in the scale line.
Back in our pit, I spent an inordinate amount of time, even for me, cleaning the sand out of every area of my kart that contains a lubricant or liquid. Right about this time, Sabre came running into the pit telling Stacey that she had to run the Jnr. LCQ. They made it to the grid with about 1 minute to spare! Sabre ran a great race and finished 3rd only to be penalized 10 seconds for being ahead of the pole position (she started in P2) at the acceleration cones. She still transferred to the Final! Blake had a good day today and transferred to his final without needing to participate in the LCQ.
I’m still learning a ton and enjoying every minute of this craziness! Tomorrow we race and fight for positions again. And Rodney…I did ‘spread a little love’ today! :lol
The new site for the broadcast is http://www.rotaxmaxchallenge.com. Opening Ceremonies at 12:15 PM CST, 11:15 PM MST.
OK,
Sorry I have not returned calls, or made any calls, but here goes.I am tuning for Scott Falcone under The Track At Centennial tent. I have to admit, when Scott and I flew into Norman on Monday things looked very bleak to say the least. We were pointed to the direction of our original pit spot and even though I have a scuba divers liscense, I knew we were in deep dodo. I will say no more about the conditions since Troy has that covered very well.
Scott and I worked on the Rotax officials all day, and night, for an upgrade for some kind of high ground. We had them convinced that we needed at least 250′ of pit, or we were going to split up and fill in a few spots that were availabile. Jim and company showed up early Tuesday morning with all the rigs and we were offered a spot at the entrance of the facility. Turns out, this is the best spot on campus. High ground, grass, close to the hospality tent, pre grid, tech, vending, rest rooms, good parking for the rental cars, easy push to track-on……..
As most of you know, rolling with The Track is pretty upscale. Lots of fun, music, visitors from all over, large tent, bright lights, Yeager, Greenies, food, seating, fast karts, good looking tuners…You know the rest of this chapter.Scott and I have been chasing the air, track, motor, tires, competition and not having much luck. We have had some fast sessions, but like Troy stated, you need some racers luck and good carma. The Masters class pole was set at 48.30, and today we ran a consistant 48.2, so things for the semi and main look good tomorrow. We now have a solid set-up, motivated driver, and great equipment. We just need some good luck tomorrow.
Cudos must go out to Andy Seeseman in our class. You will remember him at the Pepsi Center race as a front runner in TAG Masters. Andy has asked Gayle Vito’s permission to run the #51RV in honor and respect for Rich in his recovery efforts. Andy was the driver who set the pole with the 48.38 and has also won every heat race this week! He is one hell of a driver, and even a better person to know. Just seeing the 51RV Birel run up front will bring goose bumps to anyone who understands what karting is really all about. This is why I choose to stay involved in this sport even without Matt being able to drive during his college years. There are people helping people, good racing, great after race party’s, and just plain kartin. Yes Mother Nature could have been more coorperative, but it’s people like Andy that make all the trivial things seem unimportant.
It’s my understanding that there will be some sort of live feed tomorrow.I am not sure where to find it, but I am positive we will all have our stories to share next week. I need to go get my driver away from the black jack tables and get some rest for what I am sure will be a very trying, and fun, day.
Sorry for any spelling or grammer problems. I am very tired and just wanted to say hey, and thanks again to Andy. Keep your fingers crossed for all the CO Karters who made the finals tomorrow.
Nice review Big Daddy!
I am going have to bs on the good looking tuner thing though?
Good luck guys, bring us home some iron!!!
The live feed will be so much better, trying to keep up with anyone who is outside the top 10 is a wait till to ight thing?
Andy is one of the best people in karting! A real class act, thanks Andy (the other 51)
Rick
Just got home and looked at my laps. Good job Colorado!
What in the world happened in Masters to lose 1/2 the field? That is usually some of the cleaner racing?
And thanks again to Andy @ FTK for honoring Rich for the week. He would be proud.
Get it all home safely everyone.
Rick
Just got home, and a big thank you goes out to Scott for the air plane tickets :clap: I really feel sorry for the rest of the team for the long drive home tomorrow.
Rick,
The racing was thinned out all day with black flags. If you were on the straight as a back marker, at the same time as the front runners, you were asked to take a seat in the pits. Some do not like the rule, but today brought out the best weather of the week and karts were very fast. The officials wanted clean racing up front and did not want a lapped kart to decide anything, so they just waved a black flag and in you came. Troy did a great job in staying out for the entire race, but he was going to see it next had the race gone on another lap.Scott drove his butt off today to a 10th place finish in masters, and after a late DQ on John Crow, we finished 9th overall. Believe me when I say, That was awsome. Ben ended up passing over 18 karts in the main and had us all cheering him on for more. He finished 12th overall from a 30th place start in the main. (He got taken out in the semi and had to start in the back) Roger and Jim held there own in the DD2 main and that class really flew around that track.
I will wait to hear from the other teams, but that is all I have from our camp. I am tired, sore, ears are rinning, throat is burning, hands are swollen and I must hit my own bed right now. Barry had some good stories on the plane ride home tonight. Go see him sometime and I am sure he will share them all with you.
Thanks Again Scott. I had a blast.
CurtJust returned home after a relatively uneventful 10 hour drive. Sorry I didn’t post on Saturday after the race…I went to dinner with my family and was in no condition to post when we got back to the hotel. I was exhausted. I slept almost the entire time when Jen was driving today and part of the time when I was driving! 😯 Thanks for the kudos Curt…like Scott, I drove as hard as I could and I believe I would have seen the Black Flag in another two laps…but I didn’t!
Back to Saturday. Woke up an hour early due an error in setting the alarm on Friday night. Then, proceeded to call Stacey’s room at o-dark-thirty as he didn’t show up to breakfast at the agreed upon time and earlier in the week they did not give him a scheduled wake-up call. As usual, he was a good sport about it and we laughed when he did come down. On the bright side, it gave me about an hour to sit and study my track maps for a solid 45 minutes. As MyLaps will show, I continued to improve my times in both the PreFinal and Main and I’m happy about that.
PreFinal. Going down the straight into Turn 1 I noticed something I did not like; I had karts on all four sides of me! Just as this reality hit, so did a huge pileup in the corner. Somehow, someway, I did not get touched and dodged a major bullet! I was, however, sitting while I waited for another kart to move. Once moved, I struggled to find a rhythm for the race but finished with no damage to my kart. Right after the last of the PreFinals, it rained again and everyone sat waiting on setups.
Final. The sun finally came out about 20 minutes before the Finals were to start and it was very muggy! The drivers parade was a very cool experience. As I stood listening to the English announcer talk about how ‘he’s English but always gets goose bumps listening to our National Anthem’, I looked up to see Roger Bonham standing about 10 feet away and one thought went through my mind – thanks for your service, Roger. Because of people like Roger, I get to go karting in the best country on the planet! As race time approached, I went up to PF and prepped as usual. On the grid Stacey was with me as Sabre had just finished. He was cracking jokes and helped me to relax before ‘the big event’, which was nice. HUGE error on my part. I went out 1/2 lb. lower in tire pressure all the way around and should have gone out 3 – 4 lbs lower. Early in the race I was at the tail end of a pack including Scott and hoped to stay with them battling for position. Lap 6 (I think) was my best lap of the weekend but in Lap 12 I started to get a push into all of the corners. With 17 laps to go I knew I’d gone out way too high in tire pressure. I continued to push and drove my hardest. At the end of the day, I am pleased with what I accomplished and can’t wait for next year! I was working towards a top 10, but this trip it simply wasn’t meant to be.
In general, I learned a TON, had a great time in spite of the weather, and can’t wait to do it all over again.
Thanks for reading, thanks for all of the well-wishes, and a hearty congratulations to Scott and Mark K…both drove very well and deserve the positions they earned.
One last note…when I arrived I immediately saw the 51RV on Andy’s number plate. It caught my eye because the rules primer was very clear – no initials in the numbering. I did not realize that Andy had contacted Gayle Vito before the event. When I asked Andy about it, he humbly told me that he did contact Galyle to let her know that he intended to run Rich’s initials in tribute. Andy Seasman is a class act, period.
Here is a picture of the 51RV that sat on pole all week. I am sure there will be pictures of this in all the karting mags that were on hand.
I hope Rich is still improving and it would be nice if someone can point Gayle to this shot.
See you all next weekend.
@Troy Smith wrote:
I slept almost the entire time when Jen was driving today and part of the time when I was driving!
LOLOLOL… Thankfully there’s not much to run into between OKC and here as long as you remember to turn at Salina. My in-laws live in Norman; we’ve made that drive many times. :zzz:
@Troy Smith wrote:
The sun finally came out about 20 minutes before the Finals were to start and it was very muggy!
Having spent 13 years in Houston, I give thanks for Colorado weather each and every day. Well, just about. Still, I can only imagine how much your driving suit weighed after each run.
@Troy Smith wrote:
The drivers parade was a very cool experience. As I stood listening to the English announcer talk about how ‘he’s English but always gets goose bumps listening to our National Anthem’, I looked up to see Roger Bonham standing about 10 feet away and one thought went through my mind – thanks for your service, Roger. Because of people like Roger, I get to go karting in the best country on the planet!
1. Watching online, the driver’s parade was hilarious because they showed the kids at the head of the line running around, goofing off, and well, being kids. It was fun.
2. The Brit announcer did a great job, but I wonder if the Worlds’ qualifiers heard his warnings about how much more bumping goes on across the pond… Of course, I suspect those particular drivers already know.Thanks for blogging, Troy, and welcome home. :clap:
Garrick:
No problem! It was actually nice to sit down at the end of each day and recall the day’s events.
Driving suit – yes. NOTHING dries there like it does here. Nothing like pulling on a wet helmet every day…
Thanks for following.
Troy
I’d say that would be appropriate except for two things…general perception is that it is HOT in Hell, it was not in Norman. Also, in all depictions of Hell, I do not recall a swamp, which we had in Norman.
“Nine Days of ‘Are you kidding me?'” But, yes, I agree with the :bang !
At least we kept our sense of humor and laughed a lot!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.