[Robert Lawson]

I guess making a commitment scared a few guys away.

Understandable I suppose if you take into consideration the way a standard race or event is handled. It’s been quite some time since we were able to even change classes in the same day at an event let alone be allowed to transfer an entry to the next day because of rain.

This isn’t an “event” though. As I stated before if it is raining in the early AM or forecast to rain all day we can call it off and try again the next day. IF it were forecast to rain all weekend we would be allowed to reschedule for the last available weekend offered which is the 25th-26th. You will NEVER see that at a race event.

So, its not exactly a “guarantee” so to speak but it is the next best option. If you paid in advance and didn’t show up for the scheduled date and it was rescheduled I’d still hold your spot on that day as a paid participant. You may not get on my Christmas card list but you would still be welcome. On the other hand, if you paid in advance and did not show up and we ran the day anyway you are out of luck!

Looking at the long range forecast I don’t see anything in the way of us getting this done on the scheduled day. We should still be seeing temps in the 60’s. To have this course exclusively to yourself with 14 others is a unique opportunity and will probably never happen again.

I do not generally do this but I will accept same-day at the gate entries. They will be at an elevated rate of $200 per driver and will be on a cash basis only.

If anything changes you will be updated here.

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Its that time fellas!

As I mentioned above I secured the date so it’s time to send a check or MO.

Please include a note with driver or drivers name and kart classification. Need the names for the Track and kart formula helps to determine any massive difference is speeds. First and fore mostly we practice the SAFETY of all involved. This is OUR track day together as a group, each persons comfort level must be considered and respected.

The total number of karts will be very limited so finding open space should be easy to find. We are not there to “race” one another, it is a TEST day. Testing is very much like a qualifying session, clear running fast laps. You’ll only be able to accurately compare data from other runs if you can simulate those runs.

There will be plenty of time at the end of the day, when most if not all “testing” is done. Maybe we can talk JW into setting up his famous “handicap” run-off from past test days. Tons of fun packed into just 4-5 laps. The theory is to start karts off at predetermined intervals so each will finish at the same time! JW has been pretty close with this in the past and Mr. Howden was present at one event and did his inspired announcing of it as well. I have that on VHS tape and it was a pretty unique and fun way to end the day. I STILL think I was cheated out of a lap but we won’t get into that!!!! ;)

If nothing else we can do a 2 x 2 rolling start (or 2!!!) with all of us starting together, that is always fun at the big circuits as well.

To some this is a repetitive message but there will be some drivers attending in new-to-them rides and some new to Grattan altogether so for them…..it should be really exciting!

Shoot me an e-mail and I’ll get you and address to send your entry.

More soon,

RPM
f-125@hotmail.com

[Robert Lawson]

Noah,

take a look at that Daytona video. During that race I point out to the cam that the H2O is not right…..I start driving with my left hand on the clutch. It was a loose lead connection that becomes evident when it doesn’t blow-up!!! :)

I’ve been pretty lucky, have gone “for the ride” a few times but have caught it with the clutch more times than not.

As long as were not racing on street courses with concrete tunnels I guess it doesn’t concern me all that much. Every part of what we do is inherently dangerous. We accept that each time we get in the kart……hence my pausing to Pray!

Watched the Race Monitor from M-O, ya’ll were killin it there. Glad to see you have not been polluted by them-there-sit-up-type karts!!!!!!

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

It only took 8 months, 10 days, and 336 minutes of upload time…..but it’s here:

Enjoy the ride, I know I did!!!!!!

RPM

PS: Jeff Meter was driving a PVP/Gas-Gas, not an Anderson

[Robert Lawson]

I have to be honest…..I certainly do not mind being visible in that rear shot!

BW, you were not that far off! The speed of that rig made it very hard to overcome the Oval distance you put on us.

Noah, uhhh….no! Not to my taste I guess….old habits are hard to break. It just seems (and sounds) unnatural!!!

Hollywood, I’ll get that Daytona video uploading tonight. Just for you!!!! ;)

[Robert Lawson]

Ron,

If it IS in fact paint and not powder coating you can take it to your local automotive paint supply store and they should be able to “shoot” it.

Not sure of the “official” name of this tool but when I worked for a supply shop that carried all of the Dupont line products they had a hand held tool that would read the paint and spit out a mix formula. It may not be exact but it should be very close. If you are completely recoating it shouldn’t matter.

This gadget only works on “paint”.

Hit the Yellow pages or Google your nearest supply shop and ask them.

Good Luck!

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

I’m sure we’ll have more than 15 guys so the deposit will go out on Monday.

The 18th will be secure and if no one rents Sunday that will be our rain date.

As usual, the call to cancel will have to come by 7am Saturday. If it’s rrrning (not a type-O!) already and is forcast to continue then its a no brainer. If not, ya’ll better be there early if you want a vote in how to move forward.

There is no refund but they always give us a chance to make it up if we call it off by the cut off time.

JW has talked me into doing Lunch for ya’ll so that will be included as well. We have volunteers to do pick-up so all the angles are covered.

I’ll be asking you to pre pay shortly, Big Daddy isn’t loaded and can not afford to take it in the rear boys!

At 15 drivers were going to start at $170 each, if we get more I’ll hand you each a few bucks back at the track. No cost to spectate but Lunch is reserved for EMT’s, Corner Personnel, Drivers and Crew. (unless your from DKC and drop in!!!!! ;) )

Got my spare pipe blasted and cut, need to fit it up and mark it so I can weld it together for the test.

Looking forward to seeing ya’ll!

Robert

[Robert Lawson]

That explains it! Was bummed out, this cam takes sweet footage.

I have to remember to turn on the Mychron display backlight on days when there isn’t bright sunshine.

[Robert Lawson]

It took 5 hours to upload to YouTube but it finally finished.

This is shot on an HD VIO cam, it takes super sharp video but for some reason it didn’t upload in that form. It’s clear & sharp from the file viewing on my PC. The disc’s and flashdrive copies also turned out very clear, so clear you can easily read the data.

Bummer it didn’t load in full effect. My Daytona video is longer yet and if it won’t upload in full HD I won’t bother. That was some good video and an insane first few laps!!!!

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

If I run into that corner like you do all my laps would be “in the grass”!!!

Flyin Brian was at it again, that Pavesi has a killer 6th gear!!!!

I’ll see what I can do about the video.

(We missed you Mitch!!!! ;) )

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Wow, that was sooooo much fun!!!!

Love and hate the onboard video…..

Love it, you can learn so much that you don’t remember when you step out of the kart.

Hate it, because it just doesn’t lie….the mistakes are undeniable!

This is a big help to me, my view doesn’t show how close (or far) my line was from the apex/curbing. Super cool to see the other view, priceless!

Your still killin me through that infield left but I’m pretty happy with the top speed of that stocker.

You Tube will only let me post 15 min of video so I’ll have to figure out how to edit it down.

Can’t wait for next time!!!!!

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Maybe I should change the title of this thread to “International Test Day at Grattan Raceway”.

Yes, we have interested participants from the Great White North of Canada!!!

Super surprised at how many AND how quickly guys have shown interest in a late season test.

We still have room for a couple more…..

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Andy,

What is on your wish list? Aluminum, Carbon, a certain brand????

I have a no frills standard aluminum ICC silencer I’ll give away for $50….where are you located????

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Good to see the interest, keep the e-mails coming guys. At this rate we’ll have 15 in no time!!!

It’s got me wound up now, checked into having my shattered pipe copied and will probably alter my spare to test. I was ready to call it a season but….ah what the heck!

The 18th sounds the smartest choice to me, the sooner the better with the impending doom of Winter looming. Well see what the majority wants to do.

More soon,

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Of all 3 Oval to Infield creations (cones) to date I preferred this one best.

We (f-125’s) could actually get through this one in 2nd gear!!!

Not impossible to pass there but a bit narrower which seemed to keep the dive-bombing to a minimum. With that said, I still blew through it at least once this year!!!! :)

With more volunteers, a second pick-up vehicle would be nice too. Keeping that extended practice moving quickly could result in another short round before the racing program gets started.

Again, Bravo….had a great time!!!!!

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

What a great weekend of racing!

The storm Friday evening and forecast for Saturday may have keep some from attending but once again…..if you don’t come you won’t know!

The paddock was wet in the AM but the track dried very rapidly and the program started on time and ran without being condensed. The day got better and better weather wise and Sunday was beautiful!!!!

My races did not produce the results of the past 2 years but it was still a great way to spend my Anniversary with the Wife.

Thought the F-125 video was lost to an “unformatted” card but it was all there. WOW…..what an exciting handful of laps with Brian and Jeremy!!!!!! Using all the track surface, the curbs, and yes…..even the grass! You would have thought we were at the local rental kart track the way we went at each other. As happens in most cases, traffic was the factor that separated us….but THAT is what racing is about! Jeremy and I hurt our chance of closing up by fighting each other but…..THAT is racing too!!!! Trying too hard is very easy at this track, it “invites you” to try harder and convinces you that you can! Then you over shoot the infield, totally miss an apex, run into the grass or have to take an escape road and turn around…..take your pick…..everyone “listening” was doing it.

A broken pipe resulted in a DNF but it was the most satisfying failure I have ever encountered.

Thanks to a bunch of good friends we found a pipe that would fit the kart and got it all prepped, it wasn’t the right pipe but it did get us out in the last race and we did the best we could. THAT is also what racing is all about…..the friends coming together to help out. You guys are awesome, thanks so much for the help!!!!

Jeremy, always good to race with you. Your ambition behind the wheel is infectious and sometimes hilarious! :)

Brian, was good fun finally getting up to you….if only briefly! You make the rest of us want to work that much harder.

Thanks to both of you for the sportsmanship!

Anyone whom claims an Oval is no challenge has not tried this place. I hope this wasn’t the end of MIS. The turn out was not what we wanted to see. You had better try it, it will not disappoint!

Thanks MKC and volunteers for providing us the opportunity!

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Couple questions…..

Will debit/credit cards be accepted at the Speedway? (pit passes, race fuel, entry, etc., etc.)

If a spectator comes out after noon (or at noon/12pm) on Saturday do they have to go to the US 12 gate for the pass then go to the tunnel to enter??

Thanks guys,

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Hard to understand the lack of “buzz” around this here on EKN.

This is a 2 mile oval, a Superspeedway!

Were fortunate to get this opportunity, anyone in the tri-state area (MI, OH, IN) should be making plans to attend. The rooftop view from the pit lane terrace is fantastic for spectating.

Were local, kinda, so its a bit different in our case but I’m trying to get as many friends and co workers to come out and just take it all in. Even told them I’d provide lunch if they buy a pass and spend an afternoon looking around. Got to get new folks involved people, it really is up to us to invest a few bucks for the future of our hobby. Hot dogs, chips & sodas are cheap and easy enough for anyone to spread out for some friends. Get um out there, show some hospitality, beat up their senses with speed and fumes, and they will talk about it all week. You may get lucky and find a new racin buddy and we all get the benefit of having more people involved!

In it’s 3rd year I hope we get a good size turnout, not just for the sake of the MKC but for all of us in this region that love to RR.

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Alan,

Mid-Ohio gearing will get you real close. On a CIK, 19-23 or so?

See you there,

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Joe,

I can’t believe no one has answered this for you. Not a sprint kart driver but have helped quite a few with this issue in the past. Being a composite guy its very basic to be honest. Each material, and thickness of materials, will have significant flexibility differences.

Material thickness is the most basic way to identify a seats “stiffness”. Stiff seats will not allow your chassis to transfer weight across the chassis as easily as a thinner one. The older/more use a seat has the more easily it flexes as well, regardless of thickness, in comparison to when it was new.

Identical seats from the same Manufacture can have altered characteristics depending on the weather conditions when produced, and the ratio of catalyst to resin, and the individual laminator (human aspect!).

In our enduro or “laydown” chassis we do not bolt the seat to a strut or mount. We use a post and pin so the seat can move freely with the chassis and will not adversely effect its handling.

Placement is still very vital. Much of the placement and seat flex is trial and error (we test often!!) as each driver wants or likes a different feel.

Where should you start???? Good question….if you have 5 seats all of different weight (thickness) I’d suggest right in the middle!!!! To give this an honest comparison care will need to be taken in mounting them in the same position. Once you find the best feel then you can fine tune with placement.

So, in recap…..Stiff/Thick seat tends to stiffen chassis (which could lead to lack of or less rear grip). Soft/Thin seat tends to allow more flex than its thicker counterpart (and could lead to more rear grip). Placement will effect both ends of the kart, note the front end attitude at turn in with all seats you test.

Piece of cake right???? ;)

Look at it this way, it gives you multiple reasons to head out to the track!!!!!

Happy Testing!

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Bill,

It’s evident you guys are working hard to get this event the proper attention. I got a flier in my parts box from CKS Saturday!!!!! :) Don at LAD said he has also been packing them in orders, good job from all involved in the effort to help get the proportionate numbers this facility deserves.

Hope to see a LARGE turn out this year!!!!!!

Just a quick tip for those looking in…..

Getting an “RV” spot with power and H2O is a great way to go, and its a good value for $20. Best part is its located to the far left of the designated area (see paddock map) and the push to pit lane is really not very far.

I’ll be in line early to get a good spot. ;)

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Have a good friend whom drives big rigs……he freaked when he drove by and saw the new track right off the Interstate.

Checked into doing some test days there myself a couple months ago. They mentioned a “National Org” related to karting potentially visiting but nothing had been signed at that time.

Nice N/S central location…….maybe a GN in the future????

Love M-O but if folks keep getting lifted out of there (or anywhere else for that matter!) days for karts will be numbered. Think RA here.

Not sure October was the best time of year but probably all that remained.

Good Stuff!!!

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Kelly,

The infield at MIS gets very little use each year. The “cream” has not yet been knocked of it and there really is no abrasion to it. SL4’s don’t work, DDM or DEM’s also were no better. I would like to get my hands on some DDS or DES compound 5.50 5″ tires but they just don’t exist in any inventory!

Not knocking Jim, I know how the shipping game works from dealing with Maxxis. A boat load of tires doesn’t help anyone when Summer is over!

I hate having to settle for whatever IS in stock. Can’t gain anything if you have to deal with the same tires.

Bummer.

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

Has anyone contacted Jim Russell about future availability of Dunlops in ANY compound???? Seems to be a shortage of all types.

I’m sure Hoosier makes a fine tire, I’ve actually purchased 5″ and 6″ tire sets from them but had problems and could not use them.

Jim, can you help us out here????

Thanks,

RPM

[Robert Lawson]

WOW….just looked at the schedule.

Gonna be tough to do back to back F-125 and Unltd. races both days.

Not sure I could do that when I was a kid, ehh…..but I am crazy enough to try it!!!!!

Talk about a high intensity weight loss plan! Oh boy….

RPM

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