Mike, threatening to put me in the wall if we ever raced again is a pretty low class thing to say.   Threats of physical violence toward me, or anyone else for that matter are ill advised.  Not only is it petty and immature, it’s illegal.  They call that assault in this state.  Just like in the Metro Las Vegas Police report filed Sunday alleges the race director assaulted a 13 year old racer.  I’ll have a copy of the report Monday afternoon.  Please, let’s get some perspective Mike.  You are a middle aged man racing a go kart (albiet an expensive and fast one) for a purse of a pair of sunglasses and a 20 dollar throphy.    I don’t think Flav is going to be calling you, babe.  Not unlike the former King of Pop, he likes his boys younger.  Like I said in my reply, whomever you caught in the bus stop might have cost you a couple of tenths.  Maybe.  You were beat by about 3.5 seconds.  I might be slower than a second cum but I do know how to do math and interpret data.  I also know that you can’t win a race if out of the 30 laps, you’re only faster than the leader on 9 of those laps.  The middle of the race is really where it all went south when in laps 12-19 you dropped a cumulative total of about 2.5 secs.  How is it that lapper on 5 make you drop about half a sec for a few laps in a row about 10 laps later into the race?  Remember, he was off the you were about 7 miles further into the race.  Looked the leader had a pretty big bobble on 21 with a 1.3 sec difference but I wasn’t watching the race at that point.  You’re going to find another windmill at which to tilt.  You came to win and had a pretty good shot at doing it.  It wasn’t lapped traffic that was the cause.

Craig Sender seemed fit to post something though perhaps he had me confused with the 60X kart that was behind me. Either way, I wasn’t shown the black nor did they have a yellow stripe to show.  I was honored to be in the class with you, but acting like an unsportsman like ass pretty much negates that.  Bummer.  I’ve been following your career (or shall I say another middle aged guy racing karts) and this isn’t the first time we’ve been on the track together.  We met at the APD shop about 7 years ago.  Didn’t think you would remember.  I almost didn’t until now.  On the lap you claim I hung you up you had Jennings by 23 100ths of a sec.  And you had Conte by 3 tenths.  Show me that you got hung up by me.  What color was my helmet or number plate?  I might be a backmarker but when you are faster than the leader on only six of thirty laps, you aren’t going to win.  Looks like you lost perhaps 4 tenths to Jones in 5 but when you’re behind him and for 18 laps you can’t best his time, at times 4 to 8 tenths off his pace, how do you expect to pass him.  I was long off the track at that point.  Want to blame someone for your performance?  Get a mirror.

I used the budget I’d saved for my sports car program next year so I could race out this season in karts, instead of running TT and HPDE to get the miles for my big car license without fast tracking school.  I’d do the SNATS again if I had the equipment and support but realistically that money would be or have been better spent on a form of motorsport that was more suited to my build. That 6K would have paid for fast tracking my SCCA license (and in turn my NASA license) and gotten me a ride in at least one or two weekend local club races at Willow Springs or Buttonwillow.  Or it would have gone a long way toward building the car or buying one that’s been for sale here in town for the better part of the year.  Either way, I’ll keep at least one of the karts because I enjoy them and I hear that MRP may open the Xplex after the first of the year.  At least the shifter will help me develop the sports car program.  The current plan is after we get settled in the new house (we close Dec 15) to go to Skippy at Laguna and do the one day Mazda test drive to see if I like the car before we spend another 20 grand on getting a race program off the ground.  If I like it (which I’m sure I will) I’ll either fast track the license with Skippy school or buy/build a car and go the cheaper, longer route using HPDE and TT.  Either way, my days of doing anything other than lapping sessions and our local club track in my kart are done.  Just wish I could have gone out on a higher note.

I give my team for the week an enthusiastic A+++.  The entire gang at Evolution Karting was incredibly supportive and helpful.  Thanks to Jason Lee for the driver coaching and tips, Garrick Miller for the tuning and generously sharing your knowledge and Kurt Mathewson for allowing me to rent the ride under the tent.  Hope I didn’t stink up your program too badly.  The best part of my week was hanging with those guys.  These guys don’t have the biggest tent in the paddock but they can hold their own against the best.  If you’ve got a young ‘un that you want brought up through the ranks, give Kurt a call.

As for the event itself, overall a solid B.  The presentation and stature was outstanding for a kart race.  Top notch, and A++ for that but other areas were lacking.  For those outside karting it was a great way to expose them at a fantastic venue.  The problem is that I saw zero publicity in town surrounding the event.  The circuit layout was fantastic, I quite enjoyed the little time I had on it.  It was however, very rough and bumpy and it took race control a day or two to work out run off areas in the plastic canyons.  It’s a trade off to fit the track in the limited space but there were a couple of areas that could have used a bit of run off.  There was also angst and unnecessary drama with respect to how race control communicated with the racers.  At times the lack of professionalism was surprising.   Thursday’s session was at times I thought unnecessarily dangerous.  With flaggers doubling as security guards during hot track sessions all of the focus wasn’t on the green, crowded track.  In some classes, particularly TaG SR race control did not appear to be able to exert any discipline or control on the class as there were several red flags. Eventually a couple of people were parked (or so I’m told) but based on what I saw first hand, it was anarchy out on the track for the first day or so and it seemed they did not have control of the racers.  You don’t get control of the situation by making whiney announcements over the PA.  You do that by laying down the law and enforcing the rules.

All in all even with the few misteps and faux paux it was a premier karting event.  The presentation was excellent, the racing was fantastic and the track was a blast to drive.  While at this point the promoter is operationally and logistically at the limit of what they can achieve given the current resources, the event will still continue to be the ass slapping daddy of karting events in the US.

Good luck, race safe and we’ll see you from the bleachers next year…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47305609@N00/sets/72157610185317944/

Doug Hopkins

“I’m slow, I’m not new”

Dave Stevens

Contrary to what some of the mental giants on the karting “news” site think, entering the Supernats wasn’t a decision I made lightly.  In fact it was about a year of hard work and at times equal parts of frustration and joy.  When I decided to stop touring the second time, I wanted it to be for good this time.  Previously in 2000, selling my dot com business and retiring from touring the first time is what lead me to karting.  At the CART race in Portland in 2001 there was an open kart class running as an exhibition early morning class.  I had been doing a bunch of indoor karting and was instantly hooked when I toured the big tent with all the karts in the paddock.  There were booths from the regional tracks and shops and that next Tues after the shops and schools reopened, I signed up at Racer’s Edge driving school and started making the decision about which kart to get.  I settled on shifter, focusing on road racing as at the time I was nearly 300 lbs.  Far, far too big for any race vehicle let alone a go kart.   Over the years road racing I got to drive some great tracks with some great people.  People like the late Dave Clift, the Hagars, the Holmboes, the Blasckes, the Tacketts, the Millers and many, many others whose names escape me.  All of them very, very helpful to the fat guy who at the time had more money than sense.  These days I have little of either.  Dave Clift, always generous with his time said something at my first race that stuck with me over the year.  ”You’ll never run at the front.  You’re too big.  That’s just the way it’s going to be.  You will though find people to race in the middle and the back of the pack and have fun doing it.”  He was a great guy, we lost him far too early. Even armed with the knowledge that I was going to perma-suck I endevored to get all the seat time, training and every little wiz bang item for the kart I could find.  I was addicted to racing.  Still am.

After the dot com cratered I returned to touring.  It took me a few years to decide I was far too old to be a touring big time show business roadie.  Touring is a young mans game.  After 26 years (save for the 30 months of the dot com) traveling the world working with who you’ve been listening to on the radio for the last 30 years or on MTV for the last 20, I knew it was time to stop.  Past time to stop.  I was having health issues from abusing my body during my younger years and had recently been diagnosed with a couple that were chronic and severe.  I had a couple of choices. I could continue consulting with manufacturers on making high end pro audio gear and selling it, something many old sound roadies do.  I could go back to managing touring audio vendors, something I’d done quite a bit or I could remain in the creative side and move to the boom town of Vegas where there was a shortage of gray beards with mad skills and were needed to teach these young turk how this sort of thing is done on a large scale way.  I decided that I wanted to keep mixing shows, so off to Vegas I went where now I mix one of the largest, most technically elaborate shows known to mankind.   

Due to the expense of the dot com cratering, me returning to touring, only in town (or even in the country) for only weeks at a time a few times a year, I shelved karting for a couple of years competing in only a few races.  One benefit to moving down here was an active road race club, a good local track in Xplex and not too far away Moran.  Just before I moved SCK went belly up and stopped promoting races.  A few months after I got here and before I had my karts brought down Xplex closed.  That’s OK, I still had Moran, my favorite sprint track and Grange, a track I like a bunch.  Then Moran closed last year.   And with that, I have less karting available than I did when I was in the Northwest.  Goddamnsonofabitchmotherfucker.   There is always Grange though I don’t know how many more times my kidneys can take the last mile or two of dirt road leading to the track.  Maybe I should see if Robby will build me a vest specifically for that road or at the very least loan me one of the models to make the ride a bit more enjoyable.

All that background to say…

My first race was in the day, but it wasn’t yesterday.  I do drive to the track in a truck, but it’s not a turnip truck.  I have industrial sized cans of both shit and Shinola and well know the difference.  Just because someone is slow, it doesn’t mean they don’t have a clue.  I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to spend five or six grand on one race as a whim.  It was a calculated move, the result of about a year of preparation and planning.  And finishing 33rd, getting pulled after six laps was the best you could do?  YOU SUCK!  Yep, I’m not that good.  I’m fine with that but it seems some others in cyberspace aren’t.  Bummer for them.  I’m safe and have an on track demeanor and etiquette that plenty of you faster guys should use as an example.

About a year ago, after being back in the kart on a regular basis I knew that I needed some help with fitness.  I was down around 285, or about 15 lbs lighter than when I was road racing but still without much stamina and greatly fatiqued in very short distances.  For a few months I tried to work out on my own at the little gym in the complex but it wasn’t working.  After a couple of conversations with Jim Leo at Pit Fit I signed up and started working on getting into shape.  Not so much for karting as it was to do something that all of the men in our family with the exception of my dad couldn’t do.  Make it past 60 years old.  That’s just over 10 years away for me.  In the resulting year, I’ve lost 35 lbs, gained a bunch of strength, agility and flexibility.  Lowered my BP and cholesterol to safe levels and generally feel better.  I can do a 6 1/2 minute mile and swim 2000 meters at a time.  A typical week would have me doing 15-20 miles of cross training, 2000-3000 meters of swimming, a couple hours reaction and flexibility training and two or three one hour upper body workouts for muscle strength and flexibility.  And it only took two trainers, a dietician, my primary care MD, my internist, my cardiologist (the docs are three of the best in the Las Vegas valley) and a membership to the Las Vegas Athletic Club to pull it all off.  These days a half hour in a kart or race car is easy.  Barely winded.

I suppose the irony is that something so dangerous could be used to motivate someone to do something that will prolong their life.

DAVE, I would like to know if you were in top 5 would you like to pass a guy that is 5.5 seconds a lap off the pace in the supernats. I have seen to many wrecks from drivers that are being passed. I understand your point that drivers should pass safely, but open wheel karts its not that simple. I am sorry you had issues with wrist bands,ass wipe,lighting, flagging,how tom asked everyone to sit down,and who knows what else you can think of. I hope all the people who put there life on the line for you next year will live up to your expectations. I will take your comments and all other comments good or bad and try to make things better for everyone.

I don’t really know where to start, but I’ll jump in anyway.  First, I was about six seconds off the pace.  If I’m that slow (which I was) and they can’t safely get around me that says more about their race ability (or lack therof) than it does about mine.  No excuses.  My size (6-4 255 lbs), my lack of ability on a sprint track and the fact that someone totaled my sweet rental ride arriving about 30 seconds after a track blocking incident and was not parked following that incident were factors.  Where were you when that guy barreled into me under yellow at race speed?  My goal was to be three secs off the pace and remain at the tail of the lead lap but that didn’t happen.  Regardless, you guys readily took my US$836 for entry, tires and fuel.  Had I not rented the ride it would have been another couple hundred for a 10×40 pit space.  

Let’s do some math, shall we?  Let’s say US$836 for 420 entries.  That’s US$351,120 gross potential.  I’m sure there are many expenses with the venue.  I can say with certainty that I’ve worked at the Rio far more often than you (or any SKUSA principal) and know full well what the costs are associated with putting on an event at that venue.  The last one I did there for a major fast food franchise was well into the millions.  Now let’s add another couple hundred grand for pit spaces.  Call it a cool half mil gross potential before the Guard, Oakley and the others forked any cash.  I don’t think Tom is getting rich from the gig but it definitely pays for itself, plus a little more.  It’s all about the risk/reward. And good for them. 

Back to the black flag rule…

Let’s say that those of us that are lapped decide to shoot you guys the collective bird and not attend.  In reality, that won’t happen as there is more demand than available spaces but humor me.  Let’s say around the 40% of us that got the flag chose not to come back.  Could you make that up in pent up demand?  Could you do it more than a few years in a row?  Remember, Jim got all cocky and look what happened.  For those doing the math at home that would be a reduction in entry, tire and fuel revenue of around 40% or to about US$210,672 gross potential.  Could you guys still do the gig and be profitable?  I don’t know, it’s got to cost you a couple hundred K at least to throw that shindig.  My point?  Racers that are getting lapped make it possible for you guys to have the event.

Let’s touch on the flaggers “put their life on the line” so I can race and in the process feed a profit making enterprise.   Do you really think that’s more dangerous than going from 78 to 30 at the braking point of the bus stop with no room once you commit?   I’m not discounting the importance or danger of manning a corner stations.  Seems to me more racers went to the hospital than corner workers.  I don’t recall any ambulance rolls for corner workers though I could have missed it.  Let’s get a reality check, it’s karting after all.  Not Cup or even trucks.  Except for the anointed few, no one is making any money on this.  But you guys are.  I’ve raced at some of the most storied road circuits in North America.  Are you saying your corner crews are as good at those crews?  With all due respect to your crew, some of them have no business out there.  You may think that my race ability and pace are lacking or I have no business out there but I met the requirements and paid my money.  When statements are made about how hard they work for so little money it says more to me about your business model than it does enabling me to give you guys a grand to let me drive my go kart around the bumpy parking lot of an off Strip casino.  I look at our relationship no differently than I do my relationship with 7-11 when I want a Slurpee.  You have a product or service I want, I have money and desire and pay you for that service.  If I don’t like the Slurpee flavors, I might go get an Icee.  Or maybe a Slush Puppy.

If I were in the top five, would I want to encounter lapped traffic?  I have been in that position but only a few times in thousands of miles of kart racing over about 8 years.  You see, I’m not very good and do this for fun and relaxation.  Obviously, you weren’t paying attention to my on track behavior  and ability to race when being lapped.  Lapped traffic is part of racing.  If the lappers can’t hang, you park them.  One issue I noticed last week was the lack of enforcement of basic racing faux paux.  It took an overly amped dad assaulting a corner worker (unacceptable under any circumstance) for you guys to do anything.  And why isn’t the karting “media” reporting that incident?

Maybe I’m jaded for being in big time show biz for the last three decades or maybe the allure of racing at a casino in Vegas escapes me.  I can, however, say that I enjoyed the track and for most parts the event.  If you (or others) are so defensive you can’t see the sarcasm or humor in my posts, well, that’s on you buddy, not me.

Paul Newman

” That kart handles so bad I wouldn’t let a suicide bomber drive it”

Dave Stevens

After five days my wristband is starting bother me.  Seems it’s always in the way.  I wonder if these are the same kind of wristbands that the drivers in NASCAR and IndyCar use?  I’d say I’d had a rough week, but the week isn’t over yet. The beatings will continue until morale improves.  Today was pretty Whiskey Tango, real Beverly Hillbillies stuff.  I stripped the front end and brakes from an 8 year old kart that I hadn’t driven in probably three, maybe four years and put it on the race kart which already is mixed breed mutt of a kart.  It worked.  I did get some laps, some of which I actually had front brakes.  In all this isn’t unlike many of the large road race events I raced.  There were a few where I pulled thousands of miles, only to turn a few laps, break or crash then head home.  The difference is that I didn’t know how woeful my equipment and my expertise (or lack thereof) was.  Just getting a couple of sessions on a real kart, setup and tuned by real pros made all the difference in the world.  just too bad I found out at the time I decided to stop doing any karting but lapping sessions and the occasional club race.  

I figured I’d go out in style, though off the pace by renting a ride with a group that knew what they were doing.  Notwithstanding the questionable decision to enter the race in the first place the best thing I did was hire Evolution Karting in Indianapolis for race support and equipment.  After that chucklehead mangled my rented ride at least they were there to help get my kart in a place where it was at least driveable.  I knew long ago that I had neither the equipment (or talent) to run up front.  I’ve always known I’ve sucked, I just didn’t realize I swallowed as well.  I wanted it to be a good exit from competition karting, even though I’ve only competed locally the last year and haven’t done any national stuff for about four years.  For me the sting of now knowing how good the other equipment was then being teased with it was the worst thing. But, I paid my toll, I might as well hang in there and get some laps in.  I could have shoveled more money into the furnace and risked buy more parts (which at this place is a pretty good bet).  I was already well over my budget and the value/risk reward wasn’t there.  But boy am I pissed about not having a clean ride.  In the last post or so I said I was parked for about 5 sec before I was hit.  Looking at the data today, it was 30.6 seconds.  What kind of asshole drives full speed into a corner under a standing yellow a half minute after the accident?  I really wish I knew who it was because if he’s hurt or not, I’d like a word with him.  Several of those of the four letter variety.   I’m going to be pissed about this for a while.

The event has finally gotten it’s sea legs, as they say.  Race control is on the ball.  One of the few criticisms would be that when you’re giving the black, do it further out from the pit in.  There was one incident in TaG where a kart made an erratic move to obey the black, right into the path of the race leader.  You see, that’s how shit happens, when people don’t hold their line.  The traffic management issues seem to largely be resolved and the presentation is top notch.  One exemplary area has been the issuing of red flags and the medical response of the crews.  Well done gang.  A couple of drivers went to the hospital today and the response from track staff seemed to me to be very good.

Not much sleep and the “big day” is early tomarrow.  Cost so far is about US$165 per mile.

Agnes Repplier

If nothing else at least I have a different perspective on the world of “professional” kart racing than I did earlier in the week.  And by professional I mean spending 20 or 30 grand for a winning purse of 15 grand. Though to be fair most of those this week are imported wringers whose gig to drive karts for a living.  Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.  Or at least they did when people either a) had money (or used their houses as ATMs) or b) willing to part with what money they did have.  There have been a few discussions in the paddock about the almost Pythonesque  death of Super Pro.  No, really, I’m not quite dead yet. The competition at that level is migrating to TaG.  Why spend a ton of dough when the factory and importers are going bring guys over to race against you on money you’re giving them for the arrive and drive that is going to take any money you might get from winning to pay for that ride.  If by next year the importers are asking who killed Super Pro, have them hold up a mirror.  The local dealers are  getting squeezed too as the importers support (euphemism for sell direct) to those racers.  It’s not in any great number save for a few events but in a sport as narrow a market as karting, every little bit helps those shops keep the doors open.

At the drivers meeting during the promoters part of the gabfest I couldn’t tell if we were having driver’s meeting or we were watching Last Comic Standing.  Cause I heard some pretty funny shit.  The all out howl fest for me was the promoter lecturing racers and parents about how important this event is and how every one needed to present the most professional face.  This of course was at a meeting where he announced “shut up and sit down” as a way to start the gathering.  I imagine the director of the National Guard motorsport program, himself a karter was cringing because in the military of all places, one must lead by example.  Let me type that again, just for good measure.  Lead by example.  

Another whopper, the reason for black flagging lappers isn’t so the leaders have unimpeded track.  No, it’s because that’s where we would finish anyway.   Are you shitting me?  You can say that with a straight face and sober? Some of the fights in the back of the field are just as competitive as they are in front.   Look, we knew the deal was what is was when we signed up, backmarkers not welcome.  Because if they were, some of the racers in the lead pack might actually have to learn some race craft and strategy instead of bashing the way to the front.   When they do use bad judgement and tangle with a lapper and eat it they blame the lapper even though that’s how they do it in real car racing.  I guess they don’t do that in toy car racing.  Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining and don’t even try to think you know how someone else feels about battling for 30th place with three other slow guys.  It is what it is, don’t sugar coat it.  It insults our intelligence.  Just because we spend several thousand dollars to come race in a casino parking lot in Vegas for tee shirts and sunglasses doesn’t mean we’re stupid. It just means we’re addicted.  

Hi, I’m Dave and I’m a recovering race-a-holic.

In yesterdays post I called him the RD when infact, unbeknownst to me, there is an actual, I’m told professional level race director.  My apologies.  No, really…

Some props… Covering items in the meeting with which I had issues, namely the lack of portable toilets delayed a day by the vendor.  Not knowing the plastic crappers came with TP, they stocked up.  They likely have enough that they can TP Seeseman’s house while he’s in Europe at the world finals of karts powered by sealed snowmobile engines.  If Governor Palin and the First Dude are reading, that would be a snow machine.

Garbage cans?  Vendor failed.  Parking?  Hotel juggling it to accomodate other events.  I bet they had no idea there would be this many trailers and large tow vehicles that couldn’t be parked in the paddock.  Unless of course you were on one of the anointed teams that could park in the paddock or use their golf carts in the paddock.  Everyone else, no parking, no powered transport.

More props…  Great presentation by the sponsors/vendors.  Registration was great, well organized and efficient.  Much more than I can say for much of the venue foot and kart traffic and access management in the venue.  Fuel desk, crowded but otherwise fine except for bad traffic management.  Hint, karts are 55″ wide, perhaps moving the entrance forward so all karts had to fight through the line at the desk wasn’t such a good idea.   VP guy on the fuel truck rocks.  PA broadcast on FM but is loud (too loud in some places) throughout most of the paddock.  Small PA for spectator area bleachers.  Those that know me know I have a soft spot for a proper sound system for the application.

The not so props…Flagging still inconsistent and very few getting parked for passing under yellow even though most do.  The problem is that the two fastest parts of the track have minimal runoff with the plastic canyons and at night the flaggers are difficult to see at times.  Lighting?  One word, Musco.  If not that, then getting someone that designs architectural or industrial lighting for a living.  Parking a bunch of Ahern towers and pointing them down isn’t varsity.   It doesn’t have to be Singapore GP level lighting but it should be lit better than my walk in closet.  Flaggers, bite the bullet and get some full time (or as full time as they get) SCCA corner crews.  My closet also has more consistent flagging.  The guy whose kart I was in that some knucklehead totaled Thurs agrees with me.  If you’re smart you should be able to figure out to whom I refer.  He agrees with me about the flaggers, not about my closet.

Gotta go get some sleep.  Well off pace, about 5.5 secs as my trusty old Rocket is nothing like the CRG rent a ride that will soon become a garage ornament, or cut up and reverse engineered or sent to China to have copied in the thousands and sold for fifty bucks each.  I haven’t decided though if I do ship it to China, I better at least straighten it so they don’t copy the bends.  The Rockets brakes and lack of adjustability is no match for the plastic canyons.  My fronts are only good for about four laps before spinning freely and the chassis setup options are minimal and not that precise.  You do get what you pay for and suppose it would help if I hadn’t hammered the old gray mare for almost five years before coming the the race.

There is no excuse for that sort of driving.  The enforcement of the flagging has been weak and I think the race direction has been questionable and at times his demeanor  unprofessional.  Particularly for an event this size.  There have been other cases where I’ve seen a couple of flaggers playing security cop on the access fence while trying to flag during a hot track.  That is unacceptable in my book.  A flagger needs to flag, period. I tried to speak with him about it but his minions wouldn’t let me cross the track to have a word with him during the session.  In our case that should have been a red flag.  The track was impassable at the end of the fastest part with three karts stacked together and several others blocking the way.  Rather than focusing on the track during that period the flaggers were looking at the accident.  

I’d be glad to tell him the same thing I’m posting here, but if I’m approached I would highly recommend it be in a professional manner.  Not that condescending, sarcastic tone of his announcements over the PA.  If cars are parked in fire lanes, make a professional announcement then tow them.  No need for drama, no need to insult those that are parked in the paddock.  Call the trucks and have them towed. Simple and professional.  Same with the black flag rule.  Make an professional announcement that not yielding the flag is unacceptable instead of sarcastic, condescending diatribes that do nothing but cheapen the professional tone of the event.  At this level there shouldn’t need to be an announcement to yield the yellows much less with that tone and demeanor.  It was embarrassing, it was an unprofessional display and for the caliber of the event and the money we are paying to be here we deserve to be treated in a professional manner.  Period.  Perhaps if the racing standard rules more enforced consistently parking the offenders would get the message across.  

We thrashed for about 3 hours and got my personal chassis fitted with the rental engine.  I was really looking forward to racing the CRG.  Best kart I’ve ever driven.  It was like butter.  I’d like to thank Garrick Miller, Jason Lee, Kurt Mathewson and the rest of the gang under the Evolution tent.  They’ve been a big, big help and there is no way I could have done this without them.  Hopefully I’ll be able to finish the week.  Otherwise I’ve just lapped about 20 laps at the cost of about US$300 per lap.  I’m optimistic but at the same time I don’t know that my kart is up to the task.  Hence me renting the ride.  I could have had the rental kart rebuilt but at this point my budget is shot buying another frame if that one is totaled.  What was once a Hail Mary effort to try to stay on the lead lap is likely to be me riding around for 8-10 laps until I’m parked due to that inane lapped traffic rule.  It’s not the lappers you need to be concerned with at this race, it’s the unsafe guys fighting for position with an extreme lack of judgement.  But that’s a story for another time. Right now sleep.  Hopefully I’ll feel better in the morning but somehow I doubt it.

I’ve been karting for nearly 8 years as a privateer.  Not many, perhaps only a couple of karters are factory supported in the States.  If that many.  In other words,  most of us are privateers.   When I started karting in 2001 I was doing arrive and drives but with my own equipment largely because I wanted to shorten my learning curve and concentrate on driving.  It was a big help in getting me started those first couple of seasons.  Would have hated to do it alone and that may be one of the reasons so many new karters get frustrated and give up within a few years.  You have to do your own wrenching and driving.  Some are good at one, but not the other.  Some are good at both.  I am mediocre at both, though improving all the time.  I understand the physics and dynamics of driving and car prep/setup.  My execution much of the time is my limitation. That’s when I started looking at A&D.

Last season when I decided to return to racing regionally and limited nationals after not competing for a few years, I started looking at pro level arrive and drive programs for my semi pro class, masters, old and heavy.  The programs I was most impressed with weren’t interested in me.  Not that I didn’t have the money, I did.  It’s just most of the were looking for someone more competitive or willing to commit to a full season at a price with which I could go race cars and stand to make at least some of that money back.  I had a great conversation last year with one team principal when he asked how I thought I would do.  My candor answer suprised him in that I was out to have fun and realized I wasn’t going to be anywhere near the front returning to sprint racing.  I’d been primarily road racing all these years and it’s much more forgiving on a heavier driver and older body.  Of course you have to be able to have the testicular fortitude to hold it wide open for the duration of some long straights at some of the best big car tracks in the world. That means that you’re over 100 mph, a few inches off the ground, in a nose to tail pack of six or seven karts for longer at a time than most sprint track lap times.  It’s quite a rush.

During my time road racing I was able to attend some of the biggest road race events in the country.  On several occasions though, I’d DNF due to a mechanical or not make a grid due to equipment issues.  I saw arrive and drive as a way to avoid that.  Ultimately I decided that I should go back and spend a season at the local club running a Rotax in the master class.  In hindsight I wish I would have raced more in a non gearbox kart before jumping into a shifter.  That (and training six to ten hours a week) were big helps this season.

The cost is something that at first looks daunting, but in reality if you find a good program it’s not too bad.  It’s anywhere from US$500 to US$1500 per day depending on the program.  That might sound like a lot but if you start factoring in the costs of running a large regional or national program as a solo privateer with no help,  it’s more affordable than it looks.  Particularly if you don’t have the right equipment for the class.  For example, at SNATS XII by the time I rebuilt my equipment and hired professional help and rented pit space, it was only several hundred dollars more to rent a ride than it was to bring my own and thrash about with minimal help.  I’m in a tent with five other shifter kart racers, four of them established national competitors, a good selection of spares and if needed, importer level support.  For me it was that I could go on the cheap and risk not having fun and feeling like I flushed that money down the drain, or spending a little more and having the time of my life at one of the biggest karting bashes on the planet.  It was an easy choice.