Happy doesn't even begin to describe how we were after our final this past Sunday. As we sat there eyeing up the side pod on our LM30 and the remnants left behind from contact between a few of the drivers I couldn't have been more proud. We finally finished a race with what looked like a kart that had gone through battle. And it didn't just look that way, it actually did this time.
I've been telling Sam for a while now that if there's one thing that we're missing it's a bit more aggression. We have great equipment, a fair amount of knowledge of this whole sport, skill to go with it, but no fangs! When someone pushes their way through the field we let them. We don't guard our spot with tenacity, nor do we go in and take from others when a few inches of daylight are shown. Up until this past weekend we just sat back and waited for the right opportunities to come to us but now we barge in and create them for ourselves. In this sport you have to. Most of the time there aren't enough laps in the race to sit back and construct a way around others, you have to take what little opportunity you see and run with it. And if incidental contact occurs you have to be ready for it.
For years now we've had the cleanest kart in the series and it's partly because of our apprehension to put ourselves in the thick of things. Nine times out of ten it meant we finished behind opponents that we were clearly faster than but could not find a way around. I'm hoping habits like this are all a thing of the past now. I'll trade the trailer queen look for a beaten and battered winner any day.
Our second TaG event of the season this past weekend at the Badger Kart Club found us gridded in 4th spot for the final. Pre-race strategies were discussed and I told him to feel free to tear the graphics off the thing if he had to. Be safe in doing so, just don't give anyone an inch. The drivers along side and behind him today proved to be a bit physical on the starts and I just wanted him to know what to expect and be prepared for anything.
As planned, at the start several drivers made the entry into turn one very slim but there we were smack dab in the middle of it and holding our own. Unfortunately when the dust settled we found ourselves back in 5th with a guy who let's just say makes his kart very wide when he has to. This went on for several laps while the leaders continued to distance themselves from our pack. Then just as I had begun to think that there was no way out of this spot for us, he stuck his nose in at the entrance to five and muscled his way past. Not a moment later and he had the third place spot sealed up, he was on a mission and he didn't look back. Although we didn't catch the leaders who were by now almost seven seconds ahead of us, we finished three and a half seconds ahead of the fourth place finisher.
Granted the "damage" I speak of is nothing compared to what you could really tear up in most cases of this type of physical play. It was mainly cheap plastic and vinyl graphics, both of which can be affordably replaced. But anyone who knows me knows that having a race vehicle in any state less than show quality is not an option. When I worked for a professional race team years ago we would clean and polish our cars completely before tearing them down and rebuilding them. Not this time though, I might just leave it on for next week.
I've been telling Sam for a while now that if there's one thing that we're missing it's a bit more aggression. We have great equipment, a fair amount of knowledge of this whole sport, skill to go with it, but no fangs! When someone pushes their way through the field we let them. We don't guard our spot with tenacity, nor do we go in and take from others when a few inches of daylight are shown. Up until this past weekend we just sat back and waited for the right opportunities to come to us but now we barge in and create them for ourselves. In this sport you have to. Most of the time there aren't enough laps in the race to sit back and construct a way around others, you have to take what little opportunity you see and run with it. And if incidental contact occurs you have to be ready for it.
For years now we've had the cleanest kart in the series and it's partly because of our apprehension to put ourselves in the thick of things. Nine times out of ten it meant we finished behind opponents that we were clearly faster than but could not find a way around. I'm hoping habits like this are all a thing of the past now. I'll trade the trailer queen look for a beaten and battered winner any day.
Our second TaG event of the season this past weekend at the Badger Kart Club found us gridded in 4th spot for the final. Pre-race strategies were discussed and I told him to feel free to tear the graphics off the thing if he had to. Be safe in doing so, just don't give anyone an inch. The drivers along side and behind him today proved to be a bit physical on the starts and I just wanted him to know what to expect and be prepared for anything.
As planned, at the start several drivers made the entry into turn one very slim but there we were smack dab in the middle of it and holding our own. Unfortunately when the dust settled we found ourselves back in 5th with a guy who let's just say makes his kart very wide when he has to. This went on for several laps while the leaders continued to distance themselves from our pack. Then just as I had begun to think that there was no way out of this spot for us, he stuck his nose in at the entrance to five and muscled his way past. Not a moment later and he had the third place spot sealed up, he was on a mission and he didn't look back. Although we didn't catch the leaders who were by now almost seven seconds ahead of us, we finished three and a half seconds ahead of the fourth place finisher.
Granted the "damage" I speak of is nothing compared to what you could really tear up in most cases of this type of physical play. It was mainly cheap plastic and vinyl graphics, both of which can be affordably replaced. But anyone who knows me knows that having a race vehicle in any state less than show quality is not an option. When I worked for a professional race team years ago we would clean and polish our cars completely before tearing them down and rebuilding them. Not this time though, I might just leave it on for next week.
