The 2007 racing season is in the books with Sam finishing first in points and earning himself his first class Championship in HPV Junior.
This year was his third year in karting. It was also his third different chassis in karting. And to top it all off this was the third different powerplant sitting behind him so the learning curve had to be repeated every season. Just when he would get comfortable with the 4-cycle, we moved to 2-stroke. And just when he got acclimated to the powercurve of a 2-stroke, we moved into a much quicker class. He literally had to start over every year!
Out of all the transitions that he's had to make, this year had to be the toughest. we spent a lot of time trying to get up to speed with the new engine and just being able to trust his equipment at these higher speeds was a hard pill to swallow. In the end though we bettered our times by two full seconds and enjoyed the 2007 fast time of 38.90 seconds in our class. Even if it was for a very brief three week period. Another driver eventually bettered it by two tenths of a second and knocked us off our roost. It was to be expected as a lot of talented kids compete in this class, but no one can take away the fact that we were there with the best of them.
There will be people who will challenge the validity of a class championship when declining entries hampered us for most of the season. But in my mind, and anyone who knows Sam and knows how hard he's worked to come this far, it's no less of an accomplishment than if we had dozens of competitors show up every weekend. The real issue here that makes him a champion is the fact that he made the effort to go out and better himself every time he set foot on the track. Being within two tenths of a second of drivers who have much more experience than him is a strong testiment to what he has done and what he has yet to accomplish. This is worthy of noteriety all in itself and I myself as well as all of his friends and family are very proud of the accomplishment. Congratulations Sam!
Of course every year we can't forget to thank all of the individuals who've made this possible for us. First and foremost, Chris and Carla Heitman and everyone at Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies. Without their help we couldn't have done half of what we did. And I mention everyone else at the shop because if it wasn't for my co-workers who pull together and fill in for me while I'm away at the track then a lot of this would not have been possible.
OMP USA, and Gabriele Pedone and Danilo Oliveira. This is just the start. We have so much more we can accomplish and we hope you're on board every step of the way. Your equipment is head and shoulders above the rest and we're going to do everything we can to make everyone aware of this.
Margay Racing, and Keith Freber and Brandon Atkins. You've both put up with my silly questions all year and have been a fountain of knowledge for us. I'll be the first to admit that in all my years of racing I've never claimed to know much about chassis set up. You both are helping me overcome this.
Kent Laukaitis of Laukaitis Racing in Decatur Illinois. Thanks again for a good strong engine, your constant advice, and the patience with us when we needed it.
And none of this would have been any fun without the friends and family who joined us from week to week. Their support was very much appreciated. We are especially thankful to the other competitors and their families who were more or less on this circus tour with us. Being kind of your second family, these individuals were always there for a laugh or a hand when it was needed.
So now the not-so-long rebuild season is upon us. Like in years past we'll put together a list of wants and needs, (slowly whittling the wants away as the money is gone), and begin rebuilding for next year. I can promise everyone that we will be returning to HPV Junior next season. We do have an interest in this class and unlike before when my family would charge me alone with being the only one committed to it, I can say that Sam is excited to return as well. It appears that the entrants will more than double next year as we have firm committments from several individuals who will be joining us.
The caliber of competition will be going up as well. Another class champ will be joining us along with several other quick individuals from their respected groups. We will have our work cut out for us but as always, we welcome the challenge.
Thank you again to everyone and anyone who I may have missed. We'll see you all in 2008!
