CHMS April 21st race report

[CIR-Reed]

What was the report from today?

Who won and who didn't?

Is no news bad news or good news?

Those of us not priveleged to be at the track on such a beautiful day would like to know how things went.

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

What was the report from today?

Who won and who didn't?

Is no news bad news or good news?

Those of us not priveleged to be at the track on such a beautiful day would like to know how things went.

Couldn't ask for better weather for a race day but the day was full of action. My buddy Jerry didn't race because we had some unforeseen problems with not one but two of the RM1's. By the time we got one ready for him, he decided to withdraw because he missed all the practice. Martin was set to make good on his prediction of finishing ahead of me in the feature but he blew it...well his kart did. Rick finished ahead of me in the second heat but in the feature we had contact on the start spinning both of us. Peter drove by both of us, waved and said bye. We both got going again, waved and said bye to a stranded Peter in turn 4 :grinno: He was so pumped up from leading, he pushed the throttle stop way past it's limit and ripped the cable out of the carb....bet you guys didn't know Peter had that kind of foot power :grinno:

[Rick]

:puke:Wow, I woke up drunk and sick to my stomach. Martin and I stayed until 10pm and drank a lot.

My best laptime of the day was 47.44. I think there is still a lot of tuning I have to learn. My engine also cuts out intermittently. I'm not sure if the problem is fuel delivery or electrical. If I fix the problem, I think I could potentially be in the 46's. I think Martin's best laptime was a 47.43 in his vintage Birel.

I started on Pole which really made me happy. Unfortunately Phil and I had contact before the start/finish line. That was the first time I've had all 4 wheels in the air. It was not fun. Matthew Bigos, Mark Hirt, Jerry and Peter saw the whole thing. Martin missed it because he was taking shots in the garage. :buzzin:

I felt really bad about the incident and went up to Phil after the race and told him I would pay for the damages if it was the general consensus that it was my fault. Thankfully for my wallet, no one (Jerry, Matthew, Peter, or Les) thought it was my fault. But I still felt bad. I felt like I should have hugged Phil before he left. He didn't look like a happy camper.

Martin's kart broke down twice. Once in the second heat race and in the feature. The problem was electrical. The ignition just cut out. :confused:

Matthew Bigos finished 6th in the feature in HPV heavy.

I have to go :puke:some more now....

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

:puke:Wow, I woke up drunk and sick to my stomach. Martin and I stayed until 10pm and drank a lot.

I started on Pole which really made me happy. Unfortunately Phil and I had contact before the start/finish line. That was the first time I've had all 4 wheels in the air. It was not fun. Matthew Bigos, Mark Hirt, Jerry and Peter saw the whole thing. Martin missed it because he was taking shots in the garage. :buzzin:

I felt really bad about the incident and went up to Phil after the race and told him I would pay for the damages if it was the general consensus that it was my fault. Thankfully for my wallet, no one (Jerry, Matthew, Peter, or Les) thought it was my fault. But I still felt bad. I felt like I should have hugged Phil before he left. He didn't look like a happy camper.

You just had to go there. We talked about it and I thought we were going to leave it at that. I have my opinion of what happened and you have your opinion. Well actually you have the opinion of the guys watching from the sidelines because you told me and everyone else, you still don't know what happened. But since you're opening this up to the forum I will voice my side. First of all, when I talked to two of the 'witnesses', I get the understanding that they didn't even see the point of impact. Second of all, the laws of physics dictate that when wheels touch, the kart behind is going to jump up on the kart in front so if you went up and over my kart, my front tires must have been in front of yours so if you didn't see the impact, it means you were not looking in the direction you were going. I have done 100's of close side by side starts, a few you have witnessed at CHMS between Timmy and myself and you've never seen me climb on top of another kart. I am saying this not to put you down or defend myself but rather to help you become a better racer and that is the honest truth. The only reason I ran on Saturday was to help you, Peter and Jerry benefit from the little I know about racing. That's why I started in the back and ran behind Peter for a half lap and behind you for the rest of the race. There are guys out there much more qualified than I am to do this but unfortunately for one reason or another, they're not doing what I am doing. Yes I was upset, or 'not a happy camper' as you put it. It bothered me on Saturday that I got my kart tore up by the same person I am trying to coach. It reminded me of the time I loaned my extra kart to a guy when his kart broke only to have him use me for a brake and climb over the back of my kart, taking out my radiator mount and a bunch of other parts. The question you should ask yourself Rick is, why are you involved in so many incidents? You seem to come on this forum more than anyone else asking the same question? Who's fault was it? The question to yourself should be, why the incident....period. For me Martin said it perfectly....whether he was sober or not, it was right on target.....I should've known better. I was racing with you as if you're an experienced racer and this is only your 1st full year. If I didn't hold you tight when you tried to intimidate me by pushing me outside, we wouldn't have been that close in the first place and I might still have my kart in one piece. The next time we race I will make sure you have plenty of room and I will leave the driver training to practice days only.

[Rick]

You just had to go there. We talked about it and I thought we were going to leave it at that. I have my opinion of what happened and you have your opinion. Well actually you have the opinion of the guys watching from the sidelines because you told me and everyone else, you still don't know what happened. But since you're opening this up to the forum I will voice my side. First of all, when I talked to two of the 'witnesses', I get the understanding that they didn't even see the point of impact. Second of all, the laws of physics dictate that when wheels touch, the kart behind is going to jump up on the kart in front so if you went up and over my kart, my front tires must have been in front of yours so if you didn't see the impact, it means you were not looking in the direction you were going. I have done 100's of close side by side starts, a few you have witnessed at CHMS between Timmy and myself and you've never seen me climb on top of another kart. I am saying this not to put you down or defend myself but rather to help you become a better racer and that is the honest truth. The only reason I ran on Saturday was to help you, Peter and Jerry benefit from the little I know about racing. That's why I started in the back and ran behind Peter for a half lap and behind you for the rest of the race. There are guys out there much more qualified than I am to do this but unfortunately for one reason or another, they're not doing what I am doing. Yes I was upset, or 'not a happy camper' as you put it. It bothered me on Saturday that I got my kart tore up by the same person I am trying to coach. It reminded me of the time I loaned my extra kart to a guy when his kart broke only to have him use me for a brake and climb over the back of my kart, taking out my radiator mount and a bunch of other parts. The question you should ask yourself Rick is, why are you involved in so many incidents? You seem to come on this forum more than anyone else asking the same question? Who's fault was it? The question to yourself should be, why the incident....period. For me Martin said it perfectly....whether he was sober or not, it was right on target.....I should've known better. I was racing with you as if you're an experienced racer and this is only your 1st full year. If I didn't hold you tight when you tried to intimidate me by pushing me outside, we wouldn't have been that close in the first place and I might still have my kart in one piece. The next time we race I will make sure you have plenty of room and I will leave the driver training to practice days only.


I think there are many guys that are involved in more incidents than I am. And there are probably those who are involved in a lot less. I do make a real effort to avoid contact. That was my first and only incident in a 2 stroke outdoor kart. And I'm sure that won't be my last. All I can do now is try to learn why this happened. The reason I discuss incidents like this is on the forum so much is because I want to learn how to prevent or avoid them in the future. I understand that some would just rather forget about them.

So far I have learned the following:

1. If you're on the outside front row, it's advantageous for you to crowd and force the driver on the inside as far as he will go to prevent him from getting a good start. During this incident, I was all the way on the rumble strips on the inside of the turn prior to the straight.
2. If you're on the inside, don't let the outside guy force you in. Maybe next time I'll force the outside driver all the way to the right side before the start.
3. Our situation could probably have been avoided if I just let off the gas let you by me at the start.
4. Phil can drive a damaged kart faster than I can drive a non-damaged kart.

Question: does the guy on the inside normally get to dictate position on the track before the start?

[peterjank]

Many thanks to Phil for helping me out with a lot of niggling issues on my kart including a leaking valve stem and some adjustments required to pass tech.

Going to the shorter hubs in the rear was a good idea as well. The kart felt noticeably better in the three turns I had before I pulled my throttle cable loose. :whistle: I'm looking forward to see what I can do with that setup next time I race.

I will be installing my new throttle cable and adjusting the throttle stop later this week.

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

Many thanks to Phil for helping me out with a lot of niggling issues on my kart including a leaking valve stem and some adjustments required to pass tech.

Going to the shorter hubs in the rear was a good idea as well. The kart felt noticeably better in the three turns I had before I pulled my throttle cable loose. :whistle: I'm looking forward to see what I can do with that setup next time I race.

I will be installing my new throttle cable and adjusting the throttle stop later this week.

Peter

I'm glad things worked out for you. It would've been a shame for you to come out and not be able to race. I just wish I had thought about running behind you in the first heat so you could've had a chance to race with the short hubs. I believe I got my RM1 down in the low 46's so we'll keep working on yours until we get you there.

[Rick]

I've been informed that I have broken one of the sacred rules of racing by offering to pay for another racer's damages. I apologize to all the racers who thought that I might have increased their liability or set an unwanted precedence. I hereby fully retract any offer of payment or any notion that I might be liable for any damages that might have occurred on a racetrack.

:cheers: