2012 Results

NO_GOATS web page copySeptember 15, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 5 karts – Started 4th – Finished 2nd
Heat 2 – 5 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 2nd
Feature – 5 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 2nd

Saturday night at Shimek Speedway with five karts in our class in the first heat I started 4th and ended 2nd. Second heat I started 2nd and ended 2nd. In the feature I started 2nd, dropped back to 4th after fighting a very hard to handle kart and ended 2nd. I feel very fortunate to have that kind of finish. At one point coming out of turn 3 my kart didn’t turn at all and it headed straight toward the outside of the track. I thought I was going to pick corn. Scared the heck out of me. That’s when I dropped to 4th. It took a bunch of strong-armed driving to get back into 2nd.I ended the year 2nd in points. It was fun racing with the guys in the Animal class. If it wasn’t so far to drive, I would have been there every week. There were quite a few people talking about joining us in the Animal class next year. I’m looking forward to it. My Faster Motors Animal kept me very competitive this year.

September 8, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 3 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 1stNGR logo
Heat 2 – 3 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 1st
Feature – 3 karts – Started 1st – Finished 1st

Racing Saturday night at Shimek Speedway in Farmington, IA was one of the most fun times I’ve had on the track. Firstheat I started second, got a good jump at the start and finished first.Second heat was the neatest race I’ve ever been in. I started second. Near the end of the first or second lap (the whole race was a blur) I got tagged in the rear tire and the guy who hit me bounced off me, spun in the air, then ended up in the hay bales. I don’t know how he didn’t flip. The left side of my body was torn loose and dragging the ground. I tried to hold it on with my elbow so I wouldn’t get black flagged, but gave up on that idea when the green flag was waved. Then it really got wild. We were racing three wide two different times. We raced two wide for two laps with me on the outside. The three of us were bumping, passing, diving under, moving up, pushing and shoving with umpteen lead changes. As soon as someone got the lead, somebody would make a pass. Afterward, the flagman said he wanted to point the black flag but couldn’t decide who to point it at and even thought about pointing it at us in general since we were all side by side. I won that one, too. Dang, that was fun. We were all smiling, laughing and doing high-fives afterward. I also won the feature by leading all the laps. It wasn’t nearly as fun as that heat race. The Animal class is such a good group of guys.

August 18, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 3 karts – Started 1st – Finished 2nd
Heat 2 – 3 karts – Started 3rd – Finished 3rd
Feature – 3 karts – Started 3rd – Finished 2nd

Great day of racing at Shimek Speedway in Farmington, IA but it could have ended a little better. Finished second in the first heat. Second heat my mind left before I did. I forgot to keep my foot on the throttle as I pulled from the staging area. My motor died as soon as I pulled on the track, so I didn’t get to run. I had made big changes after the first heat to tighten the kart up and didn’t get to find out if they worked. Started last in the feature and ended second, right behind the leader. I might have caught him but in an effort to scare the hay bales, I went a little wide two laps from the end. Then there wasn’t enough time. Never enough time when you are in second. I had faster lap times than the leader but his were more consistant. Dang that’s fun! I’m missing the next two races then running the last two of the year. Second in points isn’t bad for missing some races.

August 11, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 7 karts – Started 1st – Finished 4th
Heat 2 – 7 karts – Started 1st – Finished 2nd
Feature – 7 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 2nd

Last night at Shimek Speedway in Farmington, Iowa was an enormous amount of fun. My kart with the Faster Motors Animal was extremely fast and we had a good class with seven karts. I started the first heat on the pole but didn’t have it quite dialed in. I was in third but ended in fourth after killing a hay bale. Because I thought my kart was close to being right, I only made some minor adjustments before the second heat. It was a rocket. I started last and finished second. For the feature I only tweaked the air pressure a little. I started on the outside in second place. I dropped back to fourth before I could get in the racing line. I ended in second right behind the leader. When you’re in second, you always need a few more laps and that was me. I was faster but didn’t have enough time. Dang that was fun! Can’t wait until next week. Oh, and I’m second in points even though I’ve missed a few races.

July 21, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 3 karts – Started 3rd – Finished 2nd
Heat 2 – 3 karts – Started 1st – Finished 1st
Feature – 3 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 1st

Finally figured it out. Shouldn’t have taken so long but when you’re old… In the first heat I came from a quarter lap down to miss wining by six inches or less. My kart was so fast that I dropped a half second off my best lap time ever at Shimek Speedway. A half second doesn’t sound like a long time, but when you’re running 11.5 second laps it’s significant. It’s my second feature win this year but more are coming. The last time I won my feature, I was so excited that I forgot to keep my motor running when the picture was taken so I didn’t get to run my victory lap. This time I kept the motor running but I forgot to take the checked flag with me. It’s a lot harder than it looks. I don’t know how those kids do it.

July 14, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 5 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 3rd
Heat 2 – 5 karts – Started 4th – Finished 3rd
Feature – 5 karts – Started 3rd – Finished 3rd

I was pretty average. All the karts were strung out evenly in the feature so it was more like running timing laps. Still fun, but I’d like to be up there pushing on someone’s bumper. After talking with a friend after the races, I made some changes this week to my setup numbers. Hopefully, it will drop my lap times down a few tenths. Even though I’m not running for points and have missed some races, I’m still second in points for the year.

June 23, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 5 karts – Started 3rd – Finished 2nd

We only got to run hot laps and one heat before the rain came (which wasn’t in the forecast when I left home). The heat was a pretty wild race. Turns 3 and 4 were very slick and had lots of people spinning in all the classes. We had five Animals, which made a nice class for a change. I started third and got up to second when I spun and went to the back. I got up to fourth with two laps left. The second place kart saw the green flag wave signaling two laps to go and thought the race was over so he pulled off. On the last turn of the last lap the second place kart spun, so I ended up second. Sometimes you don’t have to be the fastest, you just have to outlast them.

June 9, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 2 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 1st
Heat 2 – 2 karts – Started 1st – Finished 1st
Feature – 2 karts – Started 1st – Finished 1st

My kart was so fast, most of the competition were afraid to show up. At least I didn’t have to race against myself. That’s likely to be a close race with an uncertain outcome. I loaned my competitor a set of Hoosier tires to try. He liked them, too! In the first heat, I turned the fastest lap I’ve ever run at Shimek.

May 26, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 5 karts – Started 5th – Finished 1st
Heat 2 – 5 karts – Started 1st – Finished 1st
Feature – 5 karts – Started 1st – Finished 3nd

It was almost a great night at Shimek Speedway. Five karts in the Animal class. First heat I started last and won. Second heat I started first and won. Everything was working great. Feature I started first but finished third. It was another chassis adjustment error on my part. I should have loosened it up more than I did. At least I’m getting the setup closer. Everyone says it’s a Maxxis track, but I showed them that Hoosiers are just as competitive. My Faster Motors Animal is super powerful. I’m happy.

May 19, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 5 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 2nd
Heat 2 – 5 karts – Started 4th – Finished 3rd
Feature – 5 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 4th

The heats were good and I was very competitive. We were nose to tail in both heats. The chassis adjustment I made for the feature was too conservative. I had handling issues. However, in an after-the-race brainstorming session with a couple friends, I figured out what I needed to do for the next race. I’m ready.

May 5, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 4 karts – Started 3rdd – Finished 4th
Heat 2 – 4 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 3rd
Feature – 4 karts – Started 3rd – Finished 4th

So far, the season isn’t going like I planned, but it’s still early. My new Hoosiers were working great, making me very competitive and 100 percent better than the week before. All of us were running nose to tail. In the first heat I was running second when the leader bobbled going into Turn 3. I went under him to pass for the lead but I hit the disk in the track. It knocked me a little crooked and the guy behind me tapped me, which pushed me out of the groove. Everyone got by. The second heat we were nose to tail again. My right rear wheel rubbed on the frame and caused the tire bead to heat up and lose air. I finished with a flat tire. With no matching spare, I didn’t have a chance in the feature. More new Hoosiers on order. No racing next week.

April 28, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 5 karts – Started 2nd – Finished 2nd
Heat 2 – 5 karts – Started 4th – Finished 5th
Feature – 5 karts – Started 3rd – Finished 5th

My new Faster Motors Animal was working great. However, I didn’t have the right tires with me for the track conditions, but I will for the next race. I struggled with a very bad push in all three races. I kept adjusting and got it slightly better for the feature but the handling wasn’t there to make it competitive. On a positive note, I found two washers and a nut. No, I didn’t find them while I was racing. I wasn’t that slow.

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