Whew, it was a long race season!

We weren’t exactly prepared for the start.  No practice, no testing, no setup, a new motor, and a kart that was adjusted to hold a bigger Jason.  The first race was at Concept Haulers and he took a chilly second place.  From there the season raced off at top speed heading down to Mid-State Kart Club in Springfield, IL.  For the rest of the season, pretty much every weekend we were packing up the truck and heading someplace.  We visited 3 states and 11 different tracks putting on countless laps on the kart and untold miles on the truck.

We went into the season knowing it was going to be a challenge.  Last year he raced with a local club to get him in the new kart and figure out where he stood, and he did well.  This year we decided to move up from local club racing to the regional racing, pitting us against teams that had well more then 2 years of experience.  And I do mean teams.  Very skilled mechanic parent and child drivers working together on a single goal of finishing first.   Jason and I had to work together to find the speed he needed to keep up with these folks.   Last year he was at the front of the pack all year long.  This year he was not with the fastest but but in the middle and learning, getting faster every race.

I got us into this sport because Jason is a sports nut and I am not an athlete.  I did have some mechanical ability from years of working on VWs and motorcycles, albeit still limited understanding.  Add to this my enjoyment of technical minutia.  Jason loved to get in the kart and race and then get out and run around with his fellow drivers.  Traveling has led us on several great adventures and brought us new friends.  While I did not count on actually working with my son, this has been my greatest source of enjoyment.  We are both getting better at working together and learning skills that we never expected.

This years accomplishments

• Championship Enduro Series Novice Junior Champion
• Mid-Amiercan Sprint Series 3rd Place
• Road America Kart Club 4th Place
  

Media

• 2014 Briggs & Stratton Racing Calendar
• Glenview Journal May 31, 2014
• The Glenview Lantern April 14, 2014
• Heritage Days Kicks off in Belvidere, WIFR TV June 28, 2014

Some Statistics

• Finishes: 7 firsts, 4 seconds, 9 thirds, 3 fourths, 1 fifth, 3 sixths, 1 seventh
• 20 Blog posts
• 28 Races
• 10 Tracks (7 Kart Sprint, 3 Road)
• 3 Car Shows
• 14 Trophies
• 160 Video Clips, 55 YouTube Videos
• 2700 Pictures,
• 3 Race Motors, 12 Pints of Amsoil Briggs & Stratton 4T Race Oil, Race Gas!!!
• 3 sets of tires
• Countless miles on the truck
• Countless kart laps

Tracks Visited

• Concept Haulers Motor Speedway (Illinois)
• Mid-State Kart Club (Illinois)
• Badger Kart Club (Wisconsin)
• Road America (Wisconsin)
• US AIR (Wisconsin)
• Sugar River Raceway (Wisconsin)
• Oval Race in Belvidere (Illinios)
• Blackhawk Farms Raceway (Illinois)
• Grattan Raceway (Michigan)
• Gingerman Raceway (Michigan)

Jason and I would like to thank our sponsors.  The Greenwood Restaurant, C&M Auto Service, Danrr Autobody, Atomic Decals, Stardust Memorials,  GoPro, and AMSOIL.  We could not have done this without your support.  We look forward to continuing to work hard and promoting your businesses.

We must thank Regan and Bob Vehring at 4 Cycle Central for their support and advice this season.  Congratulations to Regan and Jennifer on their recent nuptials.

Karen, I know this racing drives you crazy and but we both love it.  Please let us do this next year.  Katie, I know these are not the kind of horses you love but we miss you every weekend we are away.