Round 2
Newcastle – 15th/16th March 2009
Race Time: 6 Hours
Qualified: 4th B Grade (15th outright)
Race Result: 5th B Grade (11th outright)
Newcastle proved to be a very interesting round. Firstly we spent all day Saturday chasing setup. With our new driver Rob joining the team he bought with him a mountain of knowledge when it comes to karts and setup. With this in mind the first thing to do was check the setup of the kart. Luckily we did, we found worn tie rod ends that where causing all sorts of front end problems. The faulty parts where replaced and the kart was given it first ‘real’ wheel alignment, interesting it was only out by a degree or 2.
The kart was now setup ready to go. All 4 of us had a go and all 4 of us had the same thoughts, ‘this is crap!’ After adjusting tyre pressures up and down all day and with no real difference to the kart Rob went off looking for answers. He talked to the Road Runner guys who run the same chassis as us and they told him to put the tyre pressures right up. So we did, made a little improvement but not much. Rob was confident that it was just the worn tyres that were the problem, the rest of us had reservations about this but went along with it.
Qualifying came and I was not that confident, Chris went out first and did a respectable time, then Rob went out and went even quicker. It was then my turn to finish the qualifying session. First thing I noticed was the kart actually was a lot better, Rob was right. At the end of the qualifying session I was amazed at the difference in the kart, it was a real pleasure to drive, nothing like it was in practice. This showed on the lap times and we managed to qualify 4th in B grade (15th outright).
Sunday: Race day. All started really well, Eric was the first out and soon made up several positions. Both Chris and Rob drove really well doing longer stints due to me having a stomach bug. Eric, Chris and Rob drove the wheels off the kart and were running as high as 3rd in B Grade (4 B grade teams all on the same lap) and 8th outright. The highest we have ever been. With this in mind I decided I was feeling OK and I would jump in the kart for the final stint, as decision I am still regretting. With 5 minutes of the race remaining I stuffed up. I came into the corner at the end of the straight a little too quick (thinking of where I was going to put the trophy). I locked the brakes and spun off into the gravel trap. I managed to get out of the trap but only on 1 motor. I threw a chain and it wrapped around the clutch. I limped back to the pits and had the chain put back on. Back out but lost several laps. How embarrassing, sorry guys, hope they forgive me! Finished 5th in B grade and 11th outright, still respectable but very disappointing.
The good news was that we all realised that we had a good kart and we can be competitive with the others. The tyres after 6 hours looked like they could easily do another 6 hours, it’s the best tyre wear we have ever had. For our second season it was a huge effort to get where we did and here’s hoping that I will get a chance to redeem myself and get a podium finish one day for the team.
See you at Canberra
Gil
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