How fast did this season go?  Seems like we were just building the track, putting up the wall, installing the caution light system ,and sending out reminders and the season has already come and gone. Championships have been won and planning has started for next year. Certainly life is going by in a blur.

 

Before we get into the season wrap up I would like to apologize to # 79 Bea Courtnage for messing up her very fine 2nd place 100 lap Junior results by inserting the name that went with # 9 instead #79. Am I bad. Sorry Bea. Once I made the mistake it carried onto the program and into the banquet. I must say she has way more cool than I do since she waited to have it nicely pointed out on Monday Instead of jumping all over me at the banquet. My hat off to you Bea.

 

Otherwise I think the Banquet was a tremendous success. The company was good. The slide show provided by Jamie Maudsley was fun to watch with lots of candid shots thrown in. It was interesting to see all the racers dressed up and I had a hard time putting names to some of them without their karts. I really got a charge when many of the competitors ditched their parents and set up their own racers only table. Seems there were some friendships formed this season. Again the food of Dave Beres was terrific.

Getting to introduce the racers is always a highlight for me and presenting the awards that the drivers and teams worked so hard to get just has to put a smile on your face. Having witnessed first hand the progression of this group of competitors from not having a clue about race track procedure to having the program down pat was an extreme pleasure. To the driver meeting on time. In the kart and staged in the pits on time. Out to the track in the correct order waiting for the light to go yellow. Double starts, single restarts, look out for karts or tires or cones on the track, caution speed, going fast without hitting their competition, watching for the flagman and the traffic lights and sometimes even enjoying the victory lap. When we had the out of town kart club attend it reminded me how far we had come in a very short time. In only two years we have progressed from having very fast drivers from other tracks come to our races to having our own home grown fast drivers going to other tracks and kicking butt. That is something I would have expected to take way longer to happen. Anyway, with the awards presented the night was almost done. Just to make it exiting we threw in a little controversy and then on to the door prizes. Night done and on our way we went. I would like to thank everyone who made it such a fun race season and am already looking forward to the next.

 

 

 

So next year.

 

The Beginners will be learning to drive, the Juniors will start working their way to Senior, and the Seniors may work towards the Expert class. Whichever way, the progression is such a blast to observe.

The vision of providing competitive fun economical racing in a controlled environment with equivalent roll cage equipped karts continues. Keeping this a grass roots fun for everyone club is the target.  Having machine shops, welders, tube benders, engine dynos and hop-up parts must not only be not necessary, it must remain to be no advantage. On the track or at the bank. Engine building will remain low tech, reliable and equivalent. All racers will continue to have an equal chance to be competitive at a reasonable cost. If we do our job correctly, it will be driving experience and skill that determines the winner, not money, not trade secrets, not a different kart, not a better motor. Yes we are holding back and limiting the guy who 'knows' how to build a different kart or a faster motor. Isn't that the point?  Equal karts, equal engines, equal chance to win. 

 

Hang on to your seat. I sense another hotly contested season coming up. One with multiple winners, tight, exiting action and overall, a great time out with the family working towards the same goal-- to go as fast as you can and try to win. All the rest is just a bonus.

 

Keep your chain adjusted and your oil changed.----Just 5 weeks til Christmas

 

The gang at Chesterman's

PS if anyone got a got bright digital shot of the group of racers at nights end I would certainly appreciate a copy.

2009 Spring  and Summer series Tuesday nights.

Entries $30 per class includes driver and two pit crew. Spectators $5, under 13 free with adult.

Spring Series May 5, 12, 19, 26   June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30(75 lap)

Summer Series July 14, 21, 28   August 5(merritteville),11,18,25    Sept 1, 8, 27 (sunday)

October 4    100 lap season final race  Pot Luck Picnic (Sunday)

Road trips BEG, JR & SR to Merrittville July 6 & Aug 5 2009

EX to Wonderland  July 3 2009

November 14 2009 , 2nd Club Banquet at Tillsonburg Royal Canadian Legion

5 pm social hour, 6pm supper followed by awards presentation and general discussion.

($25 adults, $15 kids 12 and under)

 Tillsonburg Indoor Speedway Results

Oct 4 2009 100 Lap Wrap up.

Get a coffee and a chair and settle in.

2009 Season races wrapped up on Oct 4 2009 at Chesterman Power Products, just west of Tillsonburg  with the summer series having been completed the week before, what was up for grabs was winter long bragging rights for winning the year end 100 lap feature for each division. We started the Sunday afternoon with individual pictures and an on track group shot. The club has grown so much this year that it will possibly be the last time we can put all divisions in one photo as the banked corner was full as we stacked the karts 5 wide and 7 or 8 deep . Definitely a good problem to deal with.

Being the finale for the year we started with the Merritville Club practicing first which broke the track in nicely for the 1^st ever time trials to determine starting order based on Qualifying times.

Each member took a turn to do a warm up lap, 2 timed laps and a cool down lap. The faster of the two laps was used to determine their starting position for the 100 lap features.

Before I get any further into the racing let me make a few comments about the terrific group of people that have made the weekly pilgrimage to Tillsonburg. Certainly first is the racers. Without them we have no races. Without a doubt every one of them has had a fun time trying to get to the front of any given race.  Without any trials and tribulations? Certainly not, that’s what makes the racing fun. It has been my pleasure to be the track Marshall for this fun loving group. So, once you have a race, someone needs to keep track of the on track chaos. This difficult task has been capably handled by no less then 4 scorers. Lisa Stafford, Connie and Sharron Christie and Helga Thompson who have done such a fantastic job of this that we were able to do without transponders for another year. Down at the track the flagman needs someone to count laps and watch for wrecks. Nicole Chesterman and Courtney Day were usually on the stand with the occasional substitute. These girls took the usual heat that most officials take and still did their jobs well. They both took a hand at flagging as well which took the pressure off myself or my brother( I am the better looking one) Lawrence Chesterman if we were not able to flag a race. Obviously when we were both driving someone else was flagging. Absolutely without Dennis Stafford the nights program would almost not run as Dennis looked after the pre race practice, pre race staging, race restart organization, crashed karts retrieval, Expert kart bump starting and end of night track shutdown. Does it sound like he is busy every night? You bet. Once all the action got so organized , spectators started attending in numbers and we had no way of keeping them informed during the race program. In stepped Jamie Maudsley  who took on the announcing job with incredible quickness as he memorized racers names, kept track of their seasons standings mid race and often announced points leader changes before they were even “official”and between races he ran up and down from the lobby to take pictures of race winners. Jamie's pictures from this year are all available on line at www.maudsleymotorsports.com

Keeping all these spectators and race teams fed was the fine doing of  Maddie Moes from Norwich who made the weekly trip to the track to make sure no one went without.

Several weeks ago we announced that all teams,parents and spectators were welcome to attend our year end Pot Luck race and everyone responded in amazing fashion with tremendous food and appetites. I know I was not the only one who over ate LOL  and there was still food left over. Thanks to Maddie Moes for supplying and cooking the pile of  BBQ'd Hamburgers that I saw on peoples plates. Our little picnic easily had 200 people attend. My hat off to every one who made the day such a success.

Now where was I? Oh yes--- we had some 100 lap races too. The Merrittville group ran a pair of 40 lap features but the Tillsonburg Club ran for all the marbles in one big extended endurance race per division.

Fastest qualifying time for the beginners was #77 Alex Hill/Oshweken which gave her the coveted Pole position to start the 75 lap Beginner race with a 9.7 second lap. Although Alex and # 95 Jayven March/London were likely the fastest two karts on the track it was the consistency and crash free performance of #6 Derian Prout /Ridgetown taking first and #17 Brandon Norris/Brantford following in second. #95 Jayven March/London overcame several spinouts to finish third. #93 Amber Meyer/Tillsonburg drove a smooth consistent race to grab forth followed by #51 Paige Mahoney/Hamilton, #77 Alex Hill/Oshweken,#48 Andrew Marshall/Dorchester,#15 Alix Christie/Beachville, and #2 Dylan Watson.

Using a combination of skill and age guidelines as a measure, most of this group will make up a big part of the Junior division in 2010.

Speaking of Juniors , this was one of the biggest Junior classes of the year as two of the faster Beginners already wanted to make the jump up. Fastest qualifiers were #20 DJ McRae/London and #9 Dustin Churcher/Tillsonburg, each with a 9.1 second lap time. Running the 100 laps #20 DJ McRae was able to hold off all challengers which pretty well made him King of the Junior class all year. DJ will have lots of challengers trying to knock him out of top spot next year so we will see what happens as DJ is not old enough to move up to the Seniors yet. In second place was #79 Bea Courtnage/Harley who just started racing this rear and she made her presence felt almost immediately. Running third was #34 Dylan Doer/London who ran a good race and stayed out of mischief. Making the jump to the Juniors for this race, #8 Hannah Ferrell/Windham Center followed in forth. Josh Beecroft, Brad Perrott, DJ Christie, Cody Day and Kate Courtnage rounded out the field in that order.

The Seniors also put on a good show as we all forgot that they may not have enough fuel to make the full 100 laps. Although it was close the QRC’s  made it to the end with a very little to spare. Not a single kart bowed out due to fuel shortage.  Fastest qualifying in the group was 8.8 seconds, achieved by #40 Cody Coburn/Mt Brydges and #57 Chris Waters/Springfield. Finishing in that order as well they were followed by #5 Conor Mahoney/Hamilton and #88 Devin Jarvis/London. Rounding out the top 5 was #41 Mark Courtnage/Harley driving his daughters kart and even wearing her pink helmet. Sixth went to #8 Tim Ferrell/Windham Center , #75 Nicole Chesterman, Ron Parker, Copy Day and Dylan Chesterman. Indication has it that several of these racers are moving into the Expert class for 2010.

We won’t mention that #1 Holly Porter/Dorchester won the Expert race again. For 2010 the Expert class will no longer be an exhibition class as the field will grow enough to thicken up the kart count. We used 2009 to prove what engines were competitive and how well drivers could adapt to 50-80 horsepower and a 1/11 mile dirt track. Sling shot racing would be a good way to describe the results. Other things proved---Holly showed maybe girls are the fastest and maybe having the least power is a good thing. Lawrence proved no matter how much power you have , if it won’t run you can’t race, Scott showed that even with a very heavy 4 stroke ATV engine you can be competitive but it is not the best choice and I proved that even a 200lb almost 50 year old can have fun with the “kids” with a 250cc crosser engine, (Oh ya, and maybe our walls could be a bit stronger)

That about wraps up our race report.

Did I mention that we all ate too much afterwards?

So what’s left? How about a Terrific Banquet with lots of bench racing, a bunch of trophies, a lot of food and some great story telling. I get to look after the story telling and I have lots of dirt on the racers but, I need more, so teams, this is your chance to get even with your drivers who got most of the lime light this year. Send me your stuff…..Age, schools, sports participated in , ambitions, you name it. Not too much is off limits  . Hanna – did you find your pants yet??  LOL

Banquet--- Sat Nov 14 2009

Starts at 5 pm

Racers, teams, family and spectators all welcome.  – Advance tickets only.

Sept 27 2009

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Sept 8 2009

Sept 1 2009

Can you believe a night with only a bit of drama?

First off a gentle reminder to start working on your family and friends to come have a good meal at the Oct 4 Pot Luck race & dinner at the track and also the Awards Banquet on November 14 in Tillsonburg.

So here we go. Race 8 of the Tillsonburg Indoor Outlaw Kart summer race series held weekly at Chesterman Power Products just west of Tillsonburg. See how nicely I slid that little plug in there?

The Beginners provided their usual entertainment with some great race action and enough wheel to wheel action to keep every one on their toes. This week #48 Andrew Marshall/ Dorchester finally caught a break and had 3 good runs. Andrew has had his share of bad luck and wrecked karts. Right with him for the night was #17 Brandon Norris/Brantford who had to work his way through a bad clutch and the minor setback of getting sent to the rear of a restart for not going slow enough(we were trying to get the race back under green) while leading a race. The race gods also turned their back on #77 Alex Hill/Oshweken (last week’s winner) who found out that when you get your wheel jammed in someone’s nerf bar you may be buying a new tire. The series points leader #5 DJ Christie likely had the worst race karma of the night when he arrived late at a wreck but was unable to avoid a two car jamb and the resulting derailed chain. After rushing to get the kart mobile again the team decided the chain/clutch guard was an optional thing and sent the driver back on the track good to race. (Not a bad call when you are trying to win a championship but a terrible call if you are the track Marshall in charge of safety so after verifying that indeed the exposed chain and clutch was just too close to the drivers arm to risk injury in search of a few points, he got sent off the track to get things corrected.) There is a limit to just how long we can hold up a race waiting for repairs and things got underway before they were completed. DJ got sent onto the track under green which is a no-no and a caution resulted to pull him back off. You cannot cause a caution to get sent back on so he had to wait until the next caution. Certainly a frustrating situation but a common one in the race world to stop cars from pulling onto a track that is already up to race speed. When all was said and done it was #87 Hannah Ferrell/Windham Center and #95 Jayven March/London who ended the night tied for first overall. That was enough to leap frog them up a spot in the series as well. #6 Derion Prout/Ridgetown conquered the rest of the field finishing 3^rd for the night.

On to the Juniors. This group gets tighter every week. Some how #20 DJ McRae/London got from the rear of the field (his usual points leader starting position) to the front in the 10 lap sprint but was unable to repeat it in the two mains as #79 Bea Courtnage/Harley proved her time in the Juniors is limited and snuck by DJ in the final laps of both mains. Great racing kids. #30 Josh Beecroft/Ridgetown managed to put three decent runs together and bested the rest of the field for 3^rd overall. It’s getting harder to write stuff about this group. The teams know what they are doing. The drivers are racing like experienced racers and overall it’s just plain fun to watch. (Now watch next week blow up. LOL)

Again the Seniors had their acts together and provided some real action all night. The battle that caught my attention was somewhere mid pack and had to be one of the best duals of the season. #4 Cody Day/Tillsonburg and #5 Conor Mahoney/Hamilton looked like they had a bet that they could get 50 passes in a 30 lap race. Never more than a few inches apart they passed each other from low to high, front to back every corner. They gave each other room when they needed to and took it away when they could. Non-the- less they had to have 50 passes in only 30 laps. I really have no idea who was winning the race because it was just too exiting watching those two. Congratulations to them as it is one of the funnest experiences they will ever have while on the track. After checking the results to see who actually did win, #40 Cody Coburn/Mt Brydges tore it up again with 1^st overall but did get beat in the 2^nd main by #88 Devin Jarvis/London (who went 2^nd on the night) and #57 Chris Watters/Aylmer who finished 3^rd overall.

News flash---- #63 Lawrence Chesterman/Tillsonburg finally wins a race! Now it is true that he was the only one left running after 4 laps but since finishing races has been his biggest challenge this year we will still give him full points. #1 Holly Porter and #34 Scott Chesterman seem to have developed fuel issues late in the season and both had to leave the action early in the first main. That left guest driver #7 JR Fitzpatrick to beat out #63 but he ran out of gas while under caution. The cause?  No, not a sleeping pit crew but rather BIG feet. While climbing into the unfamiliar kart and being careful not to stick his foot into the radiator fins, he stood on the fuel pump and pulled off the carburetor return line. That let the fuel pump do its job and empty the tank in short order. So, Lawrence wins by default.  LOL  The next race was much better as everyone kept running for 30 laps. Again Holly Porter proved that she has no intentions of finishing the series in her current 3^rd place position and took the win handily but Scott was wanting by bad. While trying to rope her in JR surprised him and cut underneath and stole 2^nd. They stayed in those spots until someone drug a tire up onto the driving lane and a caution resulted. Not content to let the "wet behind the ears" rookie JR Fitzpatrick(yes the one you see on speed channel driving the Canadian Nascars and USA trucks) beat him, charged hard on the restart and took back his spot. Everyone dealt with the slick track and stayed out of trouble for the most part. (Well, we did have to beat JR’s rim back into shape with a big rock so it would hold air again )  

The points standings are on the web site at www.chesterman.ca/cartclub.htm

See you next week for our last Tuesday night of the series(still two Sunday races as well).  Don’t forget to send the kids to school.   YAHOO  LOL

Imagine if.

My Two Cents worth.

Pull up a chair and get a drink. I love scenarios and here is one for this week.

Picture a hockey game between two towns, yes one that had penalties, tripping and roughing and charging, one that had a long time rivalry between teams.

Sadly one team lost after a questionable goal and emotions were high. You might even say hot. Now picture all the fans and spectators and coaches forming a gauntlet which all the players and coaches from both teams must work their way through and then go to only one dressing room. Yes lets put everyone together. One where they also let the spectators and parents and coaches go into as well. Even better, lets make the referee’s accessible to the parents and coaches as well after the game.

See any potential for conflict?????

Ya, me too, Hockey parents couldn't handle it.

Instead they keep the parents behind glass. They keep the referee’s away from everyone(that was me). They keep the opponents as far from one another as possible. And they for sure don’t let the opposing fans/coaches/parents in each others dressing rooms. Occasionally they even call the police to bring the peace.

So substitute the hockey game with an Outlaw Kart race. The competition is just as fierce. There may or may not be penalties resulting after a race. And then everyone heads to the parking lot, mingles and hangs out afterwards.  Think about it for minute.

I feel it is a testament to our great club that this mingling is possible. There is no cool down time after a race. Just emotion and excitement. It  comes at you so fast it controls you. Possibly making you act in a way that would embarrass you if anyone viewed it on video afterwards. Certainly lots of opportunity to have things heat up.

My compliments to all the level headed participants who either take it in stride or are smart enough to take a breath and let it subside.

The rest of this message is for the 2% of our participants that feel they have a divine right to spew verbal diarrea (yes profanity) all over the place for everyone to slip in.  This is first and foremost a club existing mainly of kids and families. Kids that do not need to hear the ranting and raving (usually 90 % profanity) of someone who wants to share their views to anyone who likely does not want to listen.  Here is the simple guideline I would like you to go by. If you would not say it in church---- do not say it here. Always always always wait , the longer the better before you approach anyone. Hopefully after some time it won’t even seem that important or at least both of you will not be so hot and maybe, just maybe you can talk with out resorting to profanity. Kids are like sponges and soak up everything around them. Lets not fill them with words they are not supposed to be using.

  

I honestly feel we have way less of this then you see in a typical hockey arena but because everyone is close by, when it does happen you are more likely to witness it first hand.  Lets clean it up here and now and lets have some fun.

In regards to our restart procedure we found (had it pointed out to us) that when not a whole lap is recorded our double restarts often got messed up orders. We now have a handle on this and should be able to run through it quicker and more accurately in the future. Turns out I need to keep a copy of the nights starting order in my pocket. As for the results, I honestly don’t know how the lap scorers keep the scoring as accurate as they do with 11 or 12 karts and 9 second laps. Good job scorer’s. For anyone that thinks they can do better—the pay is zero and the thanks are few and far in between. If you see one of them maybe point out how much you appreciate them giving up their time so that your team can have fun racing.

On a totally unrelated note, the following members have lapsed memberships and they need to be renewed. Please remind us the next time you sign in.

Hannah Ferrell, Alix Christie, Cassidy March, and Kevin Norris

AUG 25 2009 Race highlights and recap

In the Beginner division we have another 1^st time winner as #77 Alex Hill/Ohsweken made full use of a good starting postion and went 1-1-2 for the night for the overall this week. Current points leader #5 DJ Christie/ Beachville finished strong despite starting at the back and ran 3-4-1 giving him 2^nd overall on the night. Not for lack of trying #95 Jayven March/London drove 100% better this week and finished out 3^rd with a 6-2-3.  For anyone watching Jayven closely. Yes he jumped a restart in the last main, yes he was docked two positions and yes we are watching.

The Juniors also had a new winner this week. #9Dustin Churcher/Courtland also taking advantage of up front starts this week by getting the job done with a 2-1-3. Nice to see that kart works after you tested our wall a few weeks ago. #30 Josh Beecroft/Ridgetown took a mid field start and turned it into a 2^nd overall after missing a week. #10Blake Westman/Aylmer had himself positioned to break out a win this week but a tangle with the wall took him out of the final main which dropped him to 3^rd on the night with a 1-2-8.

Lots of good racing action this week in the Senior division as mostly everyone on the track has an honest shot at the win. This balancing of power that has occured has made this the most interesting class to watch for some. For the second week in a row #40 Cody Coburn/Mt Bridges has taken his smooth and efficient driving style and turned it into an overall win. This time doing it in the same dominating style as the class elite have done going 1-1-1. We will see if he can keep it up since his points count is now second for the season meaning back row starts next week. Taking 2^nd this week was the quiet #88 Devin Jarvis/London who doesn’t seem to get much lime light but is always standing on the podium somewhere. Going 4-2-2 did the job. #75 Dylan Chesterman/Tillsonburg managed to squeak out a 3^rd even after getting sent to the rear of the field late in the final main, narrowly over #5 Conor Mahoney/Hamilton by only one point. Currently Conor is in the mix being only 4 points out of  2^nd for the summer series. #4 Cody Day and #44 Ron Parker had an end put to their fun in the second main for playing rough. #81 Cassidy March was penalized his nights points for intentionally ramming a kart after the completion of the last main.

The Expert division is setting up a party to celebrate the #63 Lawrence Chesterman kart actually finishing a race without being pushed off the track. #34 Scott Chesterman reclaimed the season lead this week and Holy smokes #1 Holly Porter has almost closed the points gap after missing the first week of the Summer series. I guess I better quite playing around .LOL

Team Spot-Light.

 #20 DJ McRae Hanging out

Several weeks ago there was a young racer and his team that were having a terrible time trying to get the hang of this racing and kart setup thing. It was getting bad enough that they were considering packing it in. Not doubt there were some signs of frustration in the pits which the #20 McRae team noticed. Rather than sitting back, the McRae’s stepped in and assisted the struggling team with the needed knowledge and assistance to sort out their handling issues. I only caught wind of this from the team that got the help after the fact. My hat goes off to the McRae team and all the others that have lent a hand to anyone that has needed the help. This truly is what our club is made of. Not the nonsense that happens once in a while that everyone wants to dwell on but rather teams helping teams and hopefully building some life skills in the process that our kids can use in the years ahead.

See you next week

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Tillsonburg Indoor Speedway ran the second race of the Summer Series on July 21, 2009 at Chesterman Power Products. Unlike events at other venues, the forecast rain storm was never a concern and as it turned out was one of the nicest nights we have had in a while.

The evening started with a BIG driver, crew and spectator pre race meeting and it was easy for everyone in attendance to see that our little club is growing in size---- a lot.

The Beginners this week had 11 drivers in attendance including #77 Alex Hill from Oshweken and #51 Paige Mahnoney from Hamilton. Both girls making their debut this week. Look out boys, with girls making up 5 of the 11 racers there will be a night the girls take a top 3 sweep. This is one sport the girls compete head to head with the boys.

With this large of group including some very green rookies you have to expect the unexpected but honestly things went pretty smoothly.  This group of mostly 5 to 7 year olds are doing a fantastic job of learning to race. Part of this learning is figuring out that during a season a driver is going to be on both ends of a call good and bad and no matter if the track Marshall is right or wrong, the driver has to do as told on the track. In the Senior class there is no problem as racers comprehend more fully what’s going on when told. The fun is helping the beginners and their teams to evolve to the same point. Thats why we call this the Beginner class. Please do not get too wrapped up in Beginner class championships. The goal of this class is to aclimate new racers into the world of competative racing without scaring the daylights out of them. If a team is starting to feel comfortable with the speeds and the on track action, with an eye on trying to "beat" everyone, it is likely time to graduate up a division.

Anyway,when the non existent dust settled(track was nice and tacky this week) #8Hannah Ferrell/Windham Center took first with #48 Andrew Marshall/Dorchester taking 2^nd. Tied for third were #5 DJ Chistie and #95 Jayven March both of London.

It was the Junior’s turn this week to get a lecture about racing etiquette and as the Seniors did the week before, followed up a race full of unnecessary contact with one of the best races of the season.  Good job turning it around group. # 20 DJ McRae/London did a good job of staying out of the wrecks and took overall with 1-1-1. Moving well up in the results this week was #30 Josh Beecroft /Ridgetown for 2^nd going 2-2-4. Down only by a point was #15 Mitchell Anderson/Ridgetown in third, 4-3-2. Testing the water this week was beginner Hannah Ferrell who looked very capable of running in this group. Next week will tell if she signs up for action in this faster class.

The Seniors appear to have turned the corner and presented the best race action to date. Although not without incident, these drivers are running incredibly quick lap times and doing so without crashing each other out (Usually LOL) Best crash award for the night has to go to #75 Dylan Chesterman/Tillsonburg who had his back end taken out when another driver tried to tuck in behind him. The resulting sideways kart at top speed down the straight resulted in a violent 2 ½ times roll. 10 out of 10 for being spectactuler to watch on the video afterwards. Really only a broken chain and a bent steering wheel prevented him from continueing on in the 10 lap sprint. Good effort to those that helped get the kart back raceable again as he followed up in the next main with a 2^nd. When the races were averaged #81 Cassidy March/London made certain he took the win with his first sweep going 1-1-1. Again #88 Devin Jarvis/London proved that consistency scores well with a 2^nd after racing to 2-3-2. Tied for 3rd were #4 Cody Day and # 75 Dylan Chesterman both of Tillsonburg. Most improved award this week has to go to #18 Jeremy Chatterson/Villa Nova as he and the Kart that he built over the winter went from getting lapped often to staying at lead group speed and staying with the pack the whole night. Good Job Jeremy.

Expert action was fast and furious again this week as the 6 drivers are pushing their karts to the limit, as in a couple of track marker tire mashing incidents by myself #7 Dave Chesterman and a pair of locked together karts as #1 Holly Porter/Dorchester didn’t clear on a pass  when she swung out not expecting another kart (4 or 41)to still be right with her. The only upsetting part is she came back and passed me in the remaining 28 laps.  #34 Scott Chesterman and #1 Holly Porter tied for the night overall after trading wins. Rookie Experts( that sounds funny) have their own battle going as #4 Mark Courtnage/Harley bested his friend #41(get that number on your kart) Kevin Norris in both races. Will Kevin put up with that??? Only time will tell.

That about wraps up this weeks action. Next race is July 28, 2009

Awards presentations at 7pm- spectators and pit crew should attend. Racing starts right after.

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Tillsonburg Indoor Speedway Summer Series kicks off with race one this past July 14 2009 at Chesterman Power Products. Your local Polaris power sports and Cub Cadet Lawn and garden products dealer.

First up the Beginners had some new racers out this week. #15 Alix Christie from Beachville was out with a fine looking kart in her 2^nd ever race. Also out was #2 Dylan  Watson of St Thomas with a kart so new that they arrived at the track after the races started due to last minute details  Dylan did get a chance to do some test runs between races but after shaking the walls decided to practice a bit more before getting into the thick of things. We look forward to seeing Dylan in action soon. #6 Derian Prout from Ridgetown also made the first of many trips to the track this week and was competitive all night. After tying for the spring series, Co Champions #5 DJ Christie and #95 Jayven March were set to do battle. A little to set though as Jayven March tried to run way low and hooked a wheel on the track marker tire. When the kart turned in so abruptly over went Jayven and crumpled that nice looking wing. I always go have a chat with the kids that end up on their lid to see what is going on emotionally. Well, Jayven was so exited about how cool it was to flip his kart that I was concerned he was going to do it again on purpose. He was like a kid at Christmas and couldn’t wait to get going again, so on with the race. For the night #5 DJ Christie locked it up with 1-1-1 and #95 Jayven March going 6-2-2 for second and #93 Amber Meyer/Tillsonburg 2-3-6 tying for 3^rd with #48 Andrew Marshall/Dorchester 3-4-4.

The Junior class was a new shake this week as the #5 team moved up to the Seniors which opened up a spot for anyone willing to take it. #20 DJ McRae/London fresh off of a week of summer camp ran a perfect 1-1-1 for first with #15 Mitchell Anderson/Ridgetown going 2-2-2. #79 Bea Courtnage/Harley went you guessed it 3-3-3 despite having some handling troubles in the corners. Not too far off the pace though was Josh Beecroft, Cody Adcock and Beginner Graduate Dylan Doerr. This group is going to provide some great race action all summer.

The Seniors this week were all out to make a name for themselves and seemingly forgot how to race without crashing each other out but after a quick reality check between mains, came back with almost a caution free 30 lap Feature. Glad to see they can gather it up and race for real. Although #75 Dylan Chesterman had his act together despite his cousin trying to run him off the track went 1-1-1 the rest of the field all took turns getting top 3 finishes with 5 different drivers doing so. #57 Chris Watters/Aylmer has figured out that staying out of wrecks can give you good results took 2^nd with 2-5-4 , 3^rd went to # 5 Conor Mahoney/Hamilton 4-6-2 in his first ever Senior race.

The Experts pace is starting to quicken and tighten as all the drivers are looking comfortable flying around the corners almost backwards just like the BIG World of Outlaw Cars. With Spring series champ Holly Porter missing, the action was just as tight up front as #63 Lawrence Chesterman finally stepped up and ran the pace most of the night. Fast fun and frenzied would best describe what goes on in this class. That’s all for this week. See you Tuesday.

July 2, 2009 Race and Springs Series recap for the Tillsonburg Outlaw Kart Club held weekly at Chesterman Power Products just west of town.

Triple AAA+ to all the racers fast and slow who came out to race this week and put on a heck of a show. For a change of pace the last race of the spring series was changed to a sprint followed by an endurance race instead of the double mains program.  A 75 lap race is not the easiest race to finish not only mechanically but lady luck has to be on your side as well. A race of this length is more often than not won by a team who normally runs mid pack. The sheer length of time that a racer must stay out of trouble is an obstacle in itself and the faster you run the more likely a lapper is going to mess you up. Definitely a different strategy is needed to win an endurance type race. That being said, even the best laid plans are prone to foul ups so just finishing can be considered an accomplishment. I have to say most of the teams grasped the concept as the passes were made with a bit more patience than normal. Certainly it was a great night of racing to watch. Word of the night must have got out as spectator attendance was double that of a regular Tuesday night.

 

So here we are the end of the Spring Outlaw Kart Series. Not only was the race action fast and furious but the whole series went by just as fast. Two of the divisions were not settled until the final race and in fact the Beginners ended the series with a tie for first overall. That’s as close as it gets in a 10 race series.

First off a welcome to new beginner racer #15 Alix Christie from Beachville who came out for her first night of racing this week. Apparently Alix could no longer stand seeing her brother DJ have all the fun. DJ went into the night with the points lead but without any cushion to spare. The 10 lap sprint saw the 3 points leaders get from the back of the grid to the front with #95 Jayven March of London managing to wiggle through for the win and gained 1 point over #5 DJ Christie from Beachville. #34 Dylan Doerr came in 3^rd  making the race between himself and #93 Amber Meyer of great importance for the year end standing as only 2 points than separated them. Next up the Beginners ran 60 laps which is 3 times their normal race length. There was a big question mark as to whether on not the 6 year olds would have the arm strength to complete the race. #95 Jayven March who arguably has the best handling kart in the field also likely has the stiffest steering one as well. Being the youngest driver this week he was up for the challenge. More than once it looked like he was going to get wrapped up in a wreck but somehow managed to stay out of the big ones. Not so lucky was #5 DJ Christie who was taking the fast line when it was blocked by his sister #15 Alix after contacting and spinning with another kart. #93 Amber Meyer was not able to capitalize on it though and with a 3rd place finish was left only one spot short of winning 3^rd for the season.  When the math was done #95 Jayven March/London and #5 DJ Christie/Beachville share the championship for the Spring Series. They are followed by #34 Dylan Doerr/London, #93 Amber Meyer/Tillsonburg, #8 Hannah Ferrell/Windham Center, #48 Andrew Marshall/Dorchester, #17 Brandon Norris/Brantford and #15 Alix Christie/Beachville. This group of racers has gone from green as spinach to seasoned veterans in one series and I look forward to watching them in the summer Series. Several of them are capable of moving up to the Junior division if they choose.

The Junior division championship was not up for grabs as much but that didn’t make the racing any less exiting. The 75 lap final takes on a life of it’s own as the hot shoes in this class all wanted bragging rights for winning the BIG race of the series. We did not cut the points leaders any slack and again started them at the rear of the field. Normally this makes it tough enough but half way through the series we attracted a great little racer called Bea Courtnage running the #79 kart. She took to it like a duck to water and started running with the front runners almost immediately. Because she proved competent so quickly she no longer had to start at the rear of the grid and with the late start to her season she was basically in last place in points which let her start( you guessed it) on the pole. Not unexpectedly Bea managed to hold on in the 10 lap sprint for the win followed by points leader #20 DJ McRae, #15 Mitchell Anderson and #5 Conor Mahoney. For the 75 lap race McRae and Mahoney were out for revenge and wanted that win for themselves. Mahoney’s luck ran out when his kart which was already suffering from a practice incident finally threw the chain for good.  #15 Mitchell Anderson took up the chase himself and stayed out of trouble for 3^rd. So back to #20 DJ McRae, he had the race covered and was comfortably out front after passing the #79 Bea Courtnage kart mid race. Well the race is not over until it’s over and there is lots of traffic in a race this long. As I have said before you are either passing or being passed and sometimes both at once. By this time in the race there were a couple of karts that missed the setup for the night and were struggling to just finish. This is where the racing gets interesting for the spectators. With only a few laps to go race leader McRae got forced up high and just barely got it under control as he was scrubbing the wall on the corner. Unfazed but definitely lost time which gave #79 Courtnage the chance to sneak by as #20 tried to build back his speed. Only a few laps remained and it looked like it was going to be a very close finish as Bea’s lead shrunk with every lap. At the checkered flag despite my watching exactly who won, I had no idea and we had to go upstairs to see just who had the 1” lead at the line. Just by a nose #79 Bea Courtnage took the win. Congratulations to all who ran. Whether fast or slow, every racer plays a part in the overall results and thus keeps the racing interesting. Spring Series Champioship goes to #20 DJ McRae/London followed by #5 Conor Mahoney/Hamilton, #15 Mitchell Anderson/Ridgetown, #30 Josh Beecroft/Ridgetown, #73 Cody Adcock/Simcoe, #87 Brad Perrott/Strathroy, #10 Blake Westman/Aylmer, #79 Bea Courtnage/Harley, and #81 Courtney Marche/London

The Senior drivers still had not settled the championship by the last night and again made for intense action. No less than 3 drivers could have easily walked away with the series. The 10 lap sprint saw #75 Dylan Chesterman and #81 Cassidy March go one two which closed the series lead on #88 Devin Jarvis who was only able to work his way to 5^th. #96 Scott Chesterman and # 4 Cody Day were 3^rd and 4^th. Reset the field for the 75 lap and turn them loose. #75 Dylan Chesterman who has been off the pace a bit lately jumped to the front like he was shot out of a canon. Not far behind were 1^st and 2^nd in the series, March and Jarvis. Although these two are friends it is clear there are no freebies when it comes to racing. At the checkered flag the trio went 1, 2, 3 and we had to get out the calculators to see who our champion was. Spring Series Senior Champioship goes to #75 Cassidy March/London, followed by #88 Devin Jarvis/London, #75 Dylan Chesterman/Tillsonburg,#4 Cody Day/Tillsonburg, #57 Chris Waters/Aylmer,#44 Ron Parker/London,#40 Cody Coburn/Mount Brydges, #61 Nicole Chesterman/Tillsonburg, #79 Mark Courtnage/Harley, #18 Jeremy Chatterson/Villa Nova, #96 Mark Chesterman/Kitchener, #52 Mark Martineau/Walsingham, #8 Tim Ferrell/Windham Center.

Last but not least are the Experts. Defined by way too much power and a hang it out driving style this bunch is just plain fun to watch (even more fun to race but you have to earn your strips). Midway through the season this group caught a break when Kevin Norris and Mark Courtnage joined in the fun with a pair of 125’s that are surprising fast considering the drivers were thrown immediately into the fire so to speak. Although they did not jump to the front they made the racing way more fun to watch and even more so to drive. This weeks results are interesting as when the points were tallied, #1 Holly Porter/Dorchester, #34 Scott Chesterman/Langton,#7 Dave Chesterman/ Langton finished in a 3 way tie for 1^st. #63 Lawrence Chesterman/Tillsonburg, #4 Mark Courtnage/Harley, and #41 Kevin Norris/Brantford finished in a 3 way tie for 4^th. The season ended in the order as above from 1^st to 6th. Holly Porter had the combination of a reliable kart and blazing consistent speed when needed to take the first ever Expert division title.

Congratulations to racers/spectators and teams who endured the action and I look forward to seeing you all for the Summer series to once again do battle on the track.

Merrittville Road trip .

For anyone wishing to see a big race on Sunday July 5^th , get yourself to Merrittville Speedway in Thorald. You can find most needed details at http://www.merrittvillespeedway.com/burristire5025.htm

 Our outlaws will be running as well in our own divisions

Next Tillsonburg Race on July 14^th

June 23 2009 Report

Welcome club members and visitors.  This week we will start out with some housekeeping before we get into the race action.

There are still some karts that are not clearly numbered and it is high time to get it done. Our lap scorers have the karts memorized but we are heading to a different track that will have their own scorers. In the Junior division we need big clear contrasting numbers on the hoods of #10 Blake Westman, #87 Brad Perrott, # 73 Cody Adcock as well as Seniors # 96 Mark Chesterman and #4 Cody Day and Expert #4 Mark Courtnage. #34 Expert Scott Chesterman also cannot be identified due to poor contrast of decals. It is the lap scorer’s privilege to say NO score and you are out of luck so don’t press the issue any longer.

This week the senior class top 5 racers had their engines removed and dyno tested for maximum horsepower numbers. Someone thought they could not keep up with the rest without cheating. You will have to check out the season points to find out who lost the whole seasons scores.

And speaking of cheating, #10 in the junior class jumped the start and passed several karts in the 10 lap sprint. Back of the field points for that race. The track owner is a big bad man and if you get caught early passing expect a penalty of some description. Enough chit chat………..

The beginner division decided to entertain the spectators with the most messed up starts of the season. A double start just did not work out well this week. #48 Andrew Marshall of Dorchester had wing parts falling off and a bent up bumper but still made the green flag start. Eventually it was apparent that they just wanted to get racing so the starter turned them loose, sloppy start and all. #8 Hannah Ferrell turned her front row start into a dash win in convincing fashion. It looked to be all Hannah when see one the first main but the racing bogie boo got her in the final for a good night of 1-1-5. A little more patient was #5 DJ Christie who ended up 2-2-3 to tie overall for the night. This broke the series tie with #95 Jayven March who also was having an exceptional night until a last lap spin and stall took him out of contention while racing for first with Hannah. Still a good night though with 3-5-2. Not bad for a 6 year old. With 25 points up for grabs next week it is going to be a two man race for the championship. Stay tuned……

Finally this  week we saw some glimces of the old #5 Conor Mahoney 6-2-1 as he finally slowed down to go faster and absolutely killed the field in the last main as he patiently worked his way through traffic. One race doesn’t get you the overall though and the spoils  go to series leader #20 DJ McRae with a 1-1-2. Mathematically this series is done as Conor could only catch up for a tie with a 1-1-1 and DJ staying home. Pretty sure DJ will be here even if he had to push his kart around the track to get a point. #79 Bea Courtnage is settling into the action nicely with a 4-3-3 which was a tie for 3^rd on the night with #15 Mitch Anderson 2-4-4.

The Seniors were entertaining this week as Grampa Day filled in for his Grandson Cody driving the # 4 Kart. Even with a Saturday practice the team was not able to secure many points but I am sure there was some respect earned for the skills it takes to race in a tight pack. Once again we had some great battles  between #81 Cassidy March 1-2-3, #88 Devin Jarvis 3-3-2 and #75 Dylan Chesterman 2-1-1. These three are running virtually identical karts and the action is equally as close as they work their way from back to the front in every race.  At this point it is the same 3 way race for the championship with only a point separating the top two positions. Next week will decide the spring series in this division with a new Senior class champ regardless of which of the 3 wins. One more race…..

The Experts saw the sneaky #1 Holly Porter win both races again with #34 and #7 Scott and Dave Chesterman taking turns for 2^nd.  I hate to say it but I think the first ever Expert division  champion is going to be Holly. (Maybe if I hide her kart so she can’t race). A reminder to the Experts, Friday the 26^th we will be running an exhibition race at Wonderland Speedway in London.

The Spring Series final race wrap up will feature 10 lap sprints followed by 1 main for each division that will be 60 laps for the beginners and 75 laps for the Junior and Senior groups. Yes there will be some tired arms and some low fuel tanks but I would point out that last year most of us made the 75 lap final race after doing the 70 laps from the normal night of racing. This would be a good time to check your karts over very well. The race to the end will be exiting!

 

June 16 2009 the Tillsonburg Outlaws descended on Chesterman Power Products for the 7th race of the 9 race spring series. After a brief discussion on the upcoming July 5 2009 Merrittville Speedway Invasion we commenced with last weeks winners presentations. There were some very big smiles as #8 Beginner Hannah Ferrell and #4 Senior Cody Day accepted there first ever overall wins from the previous week. Not to let any secrets out early but Hannah did it again this week.

Beginner Division had lots of excitement this week. # 48 Brad Perrott from Strathroy tangled with the wall and ended his night early in the first main. #5 DJ Christie from Beachville must have been experimenting with low tire pressure and when hit popped there was tire slime/sealant all over the place. When it was done #8 Hannah Ferrell of Windham Center put together 1-1-3 for the overall but was followed very closely by #34 Dylan Doerr - London 2-3-2 and #95 Jayven March- London 5-2-1. Most of this class is capable of running in the Junior class but their young ages have them relegated to the beginners. Time will change that and soon we will see some very competitive young racers stepping up to the Juniors.

The Juniors had by far their largest field of the season with 9 entries challenging for the front position. After firing them up at the drivers meeting they were all ready to go out and win their race and what great action resulted. This is the group that can run very fast but is still learning what works and what doesn't when it comes to contact on the track. Other than a couple of drivers that need to worry more about trying to pass the kart in front of them rather than trying to block the kart behind them, the race action was awesome. Overall the points leaders are having a harder time moving from the rear of the grid which is a sure sign that the drivers lower in the points totals and starting from the front are getting faster.  A shout out to Courtney Marche who borrowed her cousins kart for her first race in Tillsonburg. She ran a very respectable 5-2-3 but because she did not have a restricted engine she gets last place points. Now I know you had more fun in Tillsonburg than that "other" track you race at Courtney so keep bugging your Dad for a QRC to race with us full time(we have one here ready to go)grin. Surviving all the chaos was #20 DJ McRae of London with a perfect score for the night going 1-1-1 even with the occasional off track excursion. It really is something to see these kids get tangled up with a kart and never lift. Through the infield,over the tires, heck, DJ tried to kill the finish line cone not once but twice. (I just know his Dad will have a cone gift for me next week).  When DJ is in race mode you don't want to be in his way. LOL Grabbing 2nd overall was #15 Mitch Anderson of Ridgetown who ran 2-3-4 which was enough to gain some points on #5 Conor Mahoney from Hamilton who went 9-4-2. Conor is always at the front when able but his team wanted the challenge of developing a new frame and for some reason the chain won't stay on when the kart gets a bump.  Conor likes to be in the thick of things so bumps happen and this week it cost him some points in the 10 lap sprint. I saw Conor after the racing finished and he seemed quite happy and enjoying an ice cream. Keep up the good work Conor.

Out for a good time racing were the Seniors this week with some of the best racing yet. This group is getting so fast that the points leaders were not able to get from the rear of the field to the front this week in the 10 lap sprint. And so the stage was set for  redemption in the 25 and 35 lap mains. #75 Dylan Chesterman of Tillsonburg managed to work his way to the front of the 1st main after "borrowing"  his sisters engine to replace the poor running one he limped around with in the sprint. His luck ran out in the 35 lap main though when he underestimated his cousins drive to get back to the race leader after spinning out in traffic. #96 Mark Chesterman of Kitchener lost the lead when he lifted to get around a lapper and got a bump from #81 Jamie Marche (ho was filling in for his cousin Cassidy) The lapper survived and the #96 got back on the track after #75 passed him but the #81 was in the lead for good. Current points leader #88 Devin Jarvis of London was consistent all night but was a couple points out of 3rd on the night. When the dust settled it was #96 and #81 tied for first on the night with # 4 Cody Day of Tillsonburg in 3rd.

This week the Experts had two additional karts fresh from Iowa USA. The drivers were more local though and we gave them some extra practice time to make sure they knew which way to go around the track. #4 Mark Courtnage and #41 Kevin Norris set up the new (to them) karts pretty good for their first time (once they figured out there were carburetor jets missing) . This made for some action that was refreshing in the division. The extra karts brought the field to 6 for the first time and this made for a lot more passing even amongst the front runners as the Scott, Holly and Dave traded positions at least 10 times in the 30 lap final. Lawrence continues to struggle with running issues with the big 500cc Honda as he was beat by the two rookies with 125cc engines. At this point it seems that almost any motocross engine can run extremely fast and the driver who can tame the beast is going to win the most often. For now Holly Porter of Dorchester holds on to the season points lead but Scott Chesterman is closing the gap. Will she be able to hold on? We will have two more races to see.

Until next week

Tillsonburg Outlaws race at local Speedway

The 5^th race of the season is in the history books as Chesterman Power Products hosted the Tillsonburg Outlaw Kart Club as we reached the ½ way point of the 9 race Spring Series.

This week’s action was on the wettest roughest track of the season but the race action was as intense as always. Before the racing got underway the membership decided to trash the “race to the yellow format by majority vote” but the last minute change messed up most of the beginner division. That’s okay because the beginners were due to get more write up time anyway. In brief, when the caution light comes on the drivers are now to slow to a non race speed while we get the kart order sorted out. I can just here the conversations on the way back to the pits after the drivers meeting.” Tonight Suzie when the caution light comes on, stop racing”. Well little Suzie must have heard “Caution – Stop” and that is exactly what they did the first two cautions. No harm done but it made for some interesting avoidance maneuvers when the back karts were faced with a stopped field under caution. We eventually got them going and finished the 10 lap sprint which #8 Hannah Ferrell from Windham Center won followed closely by #34 Dylan Doerr of London. The Dual 20 mains were another story though as #5 DJ Christie and #95 Jayven March took control in both for 1^st and 2^nd. We had to watch the instant replay to determine the finish of one main as the #95 kart passed the #5 for a possible win but the video showed that the front two karts actually got a checkered flag twice as they went through the pack fast enough to get a second checkered flag. Sorry guy’s first flag is the one that counts.

The Junior drivers did not have the same problems but did not get the 10 lap sprint in much faster. #15 Mitchell Anderson/Ridgetown was the first across the finish line followed by #5 Conor Mahoney/Hamilton and #20 DJ McRae/London. And there goes this week’s dilemma as the student passes the Master. As has been our Policy, drivers can run in a division lower to get their feet wet so to speak but when they start getting on the Podium with class illegal engines it starts to mess up the season points. As we did last season the drivers that have declared that they want to get used to racing in a lower class without restricting their engines can do so but the points cannot count so as to not mess up the legal karts running for the championship. Sometimes the extra power has nothing to do with the driver’s improvement but fair is fair. Run legal or don’t expect to have top finishes count. A good example of this is #79 Kate Courtnage from Harley who did not want to jump right into the senior class her first time out and ran the Junior class this week. She improved with each race going 5-4-2 for the night. She was so exited with her 2^nd place finish that right after the checkered flag she waived at Dad and drove straight into the wall leaving a rather large mark on the wall. I’ll bet she won’t do that twice.

Don’t worry about the kart though. Dad hopped in it and drove to a 2^nd in the following race.

The Senior class continues to grow and most of the racers have figured out you can’t win the race in the first lap but they sure have fun trying. The 10 lap sprint win went to #88 Devin Jarvis of London. His first win in the Seniors and I could see the grin through his helmet as he paraded around with the checkered flag. He finished the night well and although did not win the mains he grabbed his first overall of the season. Also very excited was #81 (I think that is his number- it is very hard to read- maybe you could do something about that?) Cassidy March who scored big with double wins in the mains. Honourable mention goes out to #57 Chris Waters of Aylmer,2-4-7 and #44 Ron Parker of London 3-6-6. Although lacking the consistency of champions yet, they are putting in some great finishes. #79 Mark Courtnage had a handle on it this week as he went 4-3-2 which gave him third overall but I have a feeling his daughter might be kicking him out of her kart soon to run the class and let sister Bea give the Juniors a try. Time will tell but I would say the racing bug has bit another family.

The Experts had a rough night but lets just say that arguably the 3 fastest drivers were on the track and #1 Holly Porter spanked the field by lapping them all in the 30 lap main. I just might have to let the air out of Holly's tires next week.  LOL . Way to go Holly, I guess bigger motors don't always win. Also out for a visit was Canadian Tire Nascar driver JR Fitzpatrick who is intriqued by the fast little karts. After watching him on TV last weekend spin out in Dover during the Truck series I was not sure about letting him try out my kart.  After about 20 fairly decent laps JR climbed out with a grin on his face and out of breath. " Man, am I tired" (This from a guy that races 400 mile races at 180 mph)  

Hopefully we can get JR and his buddy to join in the fun when he is not racing with the big boys.

For Details on joining the fun---519-842-5977

June 2 2009 marks the ½ way point of the spring series.

The Junior division started the year out with some great racing but managed to end the night with a controversial call the ultimately left the two hotshoes tied in points. Rookie troubles hit as #15 Mitchell Anderson/Ridgetown and #73 Cody Adcock/Simcoe made the start but chain and engine troubles took both out almost immediately in the first of 3 races but both would return for with better results in the next two. #87 Brad Perrott/Strathroy who was still sporting a primer coloured hood managed to grab a 5th in his first race ever but a roll just after the finish line took him out of the 2nd run. His team had things going again by the start of the last race. Another pair of rookies had better results as they settled in to the race action. #10 Blake Westman/Aylmer and #30 Josh Beecroft/Ridgetown ran well and garnered 3rd and 4th in two of the three races. Remaining is the returning drivers, #20 DJ McRae/London and #5 Conor Mahoney/Hamilton who both had new karts for this year. #20 McRae running a nicely painted new QRC and #5 Mahoney a unique one off creation that looked different but ran very well with the experienced and smooth driver Mahoney behind the wheel. The 10 lap dash saw the #5 grab the win leading from green to checker. The results reversed for the 2nd 30 lap race when #20 got out front and led all but one lap including the only one that counts, the checkered. The next 30 lapper saw some incredible wheel to wheel action as this pair wanted to break the tie and show who was the man to beat. Midway through the race #20 McRae got loose and spun out and although he was able to rejoin the action just as two other karts got hung up in the infield causing a caution, unnoticed by the flagman McRae went down a lap just as the caution came out. Thinking the caution saved the spun out leader, #20 McRae restarted the race placed at the front of the pack and ultimately finished the race with a bit of a lead and took the checker after several more cautions. Here is where it gets dicey. Watching the slow-motion instant replay(the next day) it was clear the #20 kart got lapped and therefore should have started at the back of the field (which was not real big at this point in the race). Now the way racing works if #20 had got put to the back and managed to repass the #5 kart before another caution came out(there were several) he would have be back on the lead lap and put to the back of the restart again. From there is would have been a race to see who is fastest. Well that didn't happen so we will have to wait to next week. Once again two wrongs don't make a right,error one took away #5's chance to be put out front and the second error took away # 20's chance to get the lap back. Well in fairness to both racers the track will take the chickens way out and award them both 1st place points for that race which interestingly leaves them tied for the night as well. I guess we will have to settle it on the track next week to see who brought the stuff to win.