2017 Results

September 9, Shimek Speedway

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

It was an uneventful evening. And that was nice. Nothing broken. I had a push during hot laps. But after a small adjustment it was much better for the rest of the races. Even only racing three times this year, I finished second in points.

August 19, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 7 karts – Started 2nd – Didn’t finish
Heat 2 – 7 karts – Started 6rd – Didn’t finish
Feature – 7 karts – Started 7th – Finished 3rd

We had seven Animals for the biggest class of the night. My summer of multiple broken stuff continued on. My GoPro camera mount broke right off the bat. I started the first heat in second place. Got hit in the rear, causing the chain to pop off. Same thing happened in my last feature race. Got it back on and the throttle stuck open. A rock was stuck in the throttle spring, of all things. DNF…less than a lap.
Second heat I started sixth. Got hit in the rear and the chain popped off. DNF..less than a lap. There is a great picture of me leaning back in my seat naming off some ancestors then rolling out of my kart after the chain came off…again. I looked kind of, well, dead. I haven’t used a chain guard for five or six years. Borrowed one for the feature with the hopes of running more than one lap.
Started the feature last. By the end of the first lap, I was in first. I led several laps then my throttle started sticking again. I’d let up going into the corners but the throttle didn’t. So I had to slow down and ended up third. Ta-da! I’ll take it. Only one more race for me this year.

June 10, Shimek Speedway

Heat 1 – 5 karts – Started  – Finished 1st
Heat 2 – 5 karts – Started  – Finished 1st
Feature – 5 karts – Started 1st – Didn’t finish

This was the first race this year. It was good seeing all my friends again. I won both heats. But my chain came off one lap into the feature. Congratulations to Ron Taylor for winning the feature. We had a good laugh after the second heat. Ron was leading, saw the checkered flag and slowed down. He didn’t know I was right behind him. I beat him to the line by about two inches. Kart racing is fun but the friends you make at the races is the best part of it.

The race track had a few bumps that, with my amazing and skillful driving ability, I kept repeatedly hitting. It would bounce me over to the right and made it difficult to sit normally. I finally ended up leaning on something. I wasn’t really aware of what I was leaning on but was glad it was there.

After the race I noticed a discoloration on the exhaust pipe. Then I looked at my new breathable fire suit, which I just got to replace my 12 year-old extra heavy race suit that was way too hot. The upper shoulder had a burn mark where I was leaning on the exhaust pipe most of the race. However, my arm was not burned at all. The fire suit did it’s job! I didn’t even feel the heat. My old suit was not fire proof, just thick. It would have burned along with my arm.