Wow! What a difference that change made. We decided to try a different engine builder (our third in two years) and I think we got it right this time.
Saturday we got to the track late in the day hoping there would be some sort of a track to work with. The club had been off for two weeks and people had been saying that times were off due to no rubber on the track. We found no break either as we struggled to get to the times were were hoping for. Although the kart felt good and looked very quick, time comparisons were going to have to wait until Sunday.
Something must have been in Sam's Wheaties on Sunday morning because he was clearly the fastest during the warm ups and he managed his first heat win of the season by a considerable margin to boot. Our luck wouldn't prove good enough for the feature race as we had to settle for second place. One more lap though and it would have been a much different story.
The start left little to be desired. Tyler Lucich got a good jump on him at the green and Sam remained behind him for most of the race. He did manage to cut a deficit of about four kart lengths down by lap eight, but a last minute swing out from behind the leader at the checker was a bit too little too late. We had to settle for the number two spot literally one foot behind him.
Still quite an achievement in my mind. His uncle said it best in his own colorful way when he asked if he woke up with a bit of an anatomy change, (I'll spare you the details) because he drove better and more aggressive than anything we've seen in the past. I have not one body panel that doesn't have tire marks ground into them. He's stuck his nose in every concievable spot where a pass might have been possible with some having worked and some not. A testament to the fact that you can no longer read his sponsors on the front of the kart.
But if broken bodywork and smudged decals are the trade off for a good strong finish then I say grind away. A small price to pay for the accolades that we've been waiting so long for.
