In our never-ending quest for fun and intriguing editorial, the EKN staff is offering up a new interview series for 2022. We’re calling it ‘10 Questions’ and it’s a series that will spotlight many of the important people in our community who may not otherwise find their way on EKN. If you know someone who would be a perfect ’10 Questions’ candidate, drop us a line.

If you’ve been around the sport in SoCal for any time in the last 10 years, you likely know Shelby Jocelyn. The entire Jocelyn family, led by Taylor and Lydia, has been a core part of Southern California for a couple of decades, beginning as a family team for their young son Cameron. The family’s involvement has evolved over the years, with Taylor and Lydia moving through series administration to become long-time staff of the Challenge of the Americas. These days, Taylor is the Race Director for the COTA and California ROK Championship programs, and Lydia handles registration. Cameron’s career behind the seat eventually came to an end as he has transformed into a well-respected mechanic and driver coach.

This brings us to Shelby; the bubbly, energetic, and lovely Jocelyn who you won’t see much during race days. Why? Simply because she’s locked away in Timing and Scoring, doing what she does best. Timing and Scoring is one of those crucial jobs at an event that no one really ever thinks about until there’s a problem, and Shelby is one of the absolute best in the business. Simply put, you could drop her in front of the timing computer at ANY race in the country and she’d handle it like a rock star. The ability to remain calm and focused during the often-occuring chaotic times during a race weekend is key, and we’ve never seen Shelby flinch in over a decade of work.

So, as we launch this new interview series, why not put the spotlight on one of the unsung heroes of our sport.

EKN: Shelby, welcome to ‘10 Questions’. Thanks for playing along. Let’s get things rolling. First question, how did you get dragged into Timing and Scoring in the first place?

Cameron, Lydia, Shelby and Taylor Jocelyn

Shelby Jocelyn: Thank you for having me! I think the only time I’ve been on EKN was when you decided to sell the website, I was going to quit karting, and we were going to open a food truck together (April Fools)!

It’s been over 20 years since my brother and dad started karting. I was always there to support and cheer them on and turn a wrench every now and then. But, as a 7-year-old, I got bored pretty quickly and the club (San Diego Karting Association, running at El Cajon) needed some assistance at scales. I helped at scales one race and the next race they needed assistance in scoring. This was before transponders and computer timing. There were four of us in the timing building, using pen and paper. At the end of each race, we would compare finishing positions and finalize the results. We made multiple handwritten copies of results for postings and did starting grids by hand. As Cameron and my dad continued racing at different local clubs, I made sure to help wherever I could. I was a ‘runner’, delivering grids and posting results.

Eventually, when the clubs implemented computer timing, I became the hand-scoring backup, alongside Sara Barros, who ran the timing software. Working at the local clubs, and eventually traveling with Sara to IKF Region 7 races, I worked at every race my family competed in. Eventually, I was working events that they didn’t race. I was in my early teens, and didn’t have a drivers license, so my dad would drive me to CalSpeed to work and pick me up at the end of the day. Sara retired and handed the reigns over to me, and the rest is history. I’ve worked all over the country, and Canada, to score races.

EKN: What do you like most about the position?

SJ: This is my 15th year with Challenge of the Americas, and I think I can speak for most of us who work on this side of the fence that we do it for the love of the family we have built and the love of the sport. I work a 9-5 corporate job, and I get so excited to take my PTO and see my karting family.

EKN: What’s the most stressful part of managing T&S on a race weekend?

Shelby had her try at karting as a kid, and elected to stay off the track

SJ: I have done this job for over a decade, and I like to joke that I just press the green flag and the checkered flag, and my job is done. A lot more goes into T&S, and I play a role in every position at the track. If we are behind schedule, I can make up that time with the assistance of the grid. I need to be in constant communication with the on-track staff to make sure that every penalty is communicated to the event secretary, then I make sure that those penalties are assessed, and if protested, properly taken care of. I also am in constant communication with scales and tech to finalize results from a post race perspective. I juggle a lot and making sure I don’t ‘drop a ball’ is the most stressful part of the job.

EKN: What are some items you would add or change to the timing systems or even the live timing apps we use in karting?

SJ: We don’t get updates to the timing software very often; I’ve been in the T&S building for close to 20 years and we are on software version five. I am all about efficiency and minimizing any manual processes. The more I manually input, the higher risk there is for a mistake. Many times, in scoring, I must remember that the software we use is just that…software. This makes things like penalties a manual process that I need to out-logic the computer for.

For example, if we have position penalties in an on-track session and the winner is disqualified for a technical concern, everyone that received a position penalty ‘benefits’ from the penalty delivered in tech. The software doesn’t perform this logic on its own, it doesn’t understand that penalties are issued in the order they are received, it can only accept the penalty itself.  Also, not that we see it a lot, but being able to have non-droppable DQs presented in the championship standings would just take another manual evaluation out of the equation.  I don’t know that we will see these changes anytime soon, as they are very specific to karting, but I can hope!

Remember, I started in T&S before the timing software even existed so I am easily impressed; I still just think it’s so cool that I can watch a race in Italy from anywhere in the world with virtually no delay. I just want to remind everyone watching at home that live timing apps are not official results, and they rely on the internet.  If it’s not working, just give it a minute, your friendly neighborhood announcer will let you know when everything is back up and running.

EKN: Your dad used to race and Cameron raced for many years? Did you ever race or did you ever want to? Have you even driven a kart?

Dinners with friends each weekend are a highlight of the job for Shelby

SJ: My talents really lie on this side of the fence, but I have taken to the track a few times. Cameron started racing at five-years-old in Kid Karts (he is my taller – but younger brother). I took a few laps around Apex in his Kid Kart and decided racing probably wasn’t for me. When he moved up to Cadets, I went out to Amago on an Open Practice Day and ran a few laps in his HPV. I overheated the brakes on track and crashed into the canopy, the cooler and my dad’s kart stand. No major damage, but I wasn’t going to be entering in any races anytime soon.

Finally, I wanted to make sure that I got a few laps in before Moran Raceway closed. Cameron hesitantly let me drive his Junior Rotax on an open track. This is a story my dad loves to tell because it’s his job to embarrass me. I had scored at Moran Raceway since it had opened, and was familiar with the term ‘downhill esses’, and for years I always saw the drivers disappear beyond the hill. When I arrived at the top, I didn’t realize how big of a drop it truly was, and I stopped on track. Cameron came running out on track to see what was wrong. I needed a confidence boost that the track DID continue, and I wasn’t going to drive off a ledge. I haven’t been in a competition kart since.

EKN: What’s your favorite track / city on your schedule?

SJ: The foodie in me really gets excited to go to every track and explore the local cuisine. I’ve gotten to travel all over the country, eat Creole cuisine in New Orleans, Tri-Tip onsite in Santa Maria, and gourmet pizza on a rooftop restaurant in Florida.  Over the years, you and I have shared several meals, but every year I look forward to visiting our favorite Thai restaurant in Sonoma. It’s become a tradition and our family table gets bigger every year. However, this year I am really excited to return to Pat’s Acres Racing Complex for the California ROK Championship race and spend some time with the Eggers.

EKN: It’s lunch time, and Andy’s line-up some food trucks for the weekend. There’s two trucks…one is gourmet mac and cheese, the other is a taco truck with the regular lineup of Mexican delights. Which do you hit, and what’s the order?

EKN’s Rob Howden has her side at lunch time, while Madison Park is her partner trackside for COTA events

SJ: Rob… we are tackling both…together. We will review both menus and choose a meal from each and share. You know we are also going to try any interesting side dish to make sure we sample the best each menu has to offer. Honestly, my mouth is already watering thinking of the lineup for Tucson this weekend, because Angel (Matta) sent us a sneak peek of the menus.

EKN: What is it that you do away from the track for work?

SJ: If I could make a living off timing and scoring, I would, but I do have to pay my bills.  I am a Government Affairs Administrator for an auto manufacturer. I am responsible for drafting dealer and owner notification documents for Safety Recalls and reporting completion rates to the government.

EKN: What keeps you busy when you are not trackside on a free weekend?

SJ: I used to travel 35+ weekends out of the year to racetracks around the country while I was in school. Now that I have reigned it in to about 15 weekends, but I am still traveling around 35 weekends a year.  This year I have trips to Boston, Cancun, Palm Springs, and Toronto to celebrate my friends getting married. I am excited to check out the cuisine everywhere I travel this year and spend time with my friends from all over the country.  When I am not traveling, I like to try out different breweries, participate in pub trivia, do escape rooms, and become a better movie buff.

EKN: If you could change one thing about the sport of karting, what would it be?

SJ: I think all of us have sat down over a beer with friends and had hour-long conversations on how we are going to “fix karting.”  We go over so many scenarios and the solutions really depend on why you are here in the first place. Are you a hobbyist? Is this a stepping stone in your racing career? Are you a karting lifer? My family started as the hobbyists, grew to thinking this could be a stepping stone, and have ended up as lifers. There is no ‘one size fits all’ resolution. However, during high tension times at the track, I wish we could all remember why we are here in the first place and how lucky we are to just be at the track, taking part in a sport we love, with the family that we have made along the way.

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