Southern Road Racing Series
Roebling Road Raceway
May 8-9, 2004

This weekend was the second of four regional WKA races in the Southern Road Racing Series. I headed down to Savannah Friday night and Charles and I met Dad early Saturday morning to get ready for the big race.

I practiced Saturday and got ready for the PP Can Lite race. Charles, George (Charles' uncle) and I all three were in the same race, which happend to be the first of the weekend. I got a really good start and was hanging with the top two Sportsman guys going into turn one. I stuck with them until we came up the hill and onto the straight (where they have more power). I wasn't sure where anyone behind me was, so I just kept trying to keep up with them. As I went through turn 3 (a long, flat out left hander) my kart almost cut off. It felt like it was starving for fuel. After I turned back to the right for turn four everything was okay. When I went by start/finish Dave gave me the pit board that said P1, +10, so I knew I had 10 seconds over second place. I spent the next seven or eight laps playing with the carburator trying to make it run through turn three. I finally found a happy spot and if I stayed to the inside of the turn the whole way it would only cut out for a second or two. I worried about it the entire 45 minutes. I finally got the checkered flag (it seemed like hours) and brought home the first place trophy. When I came in and told Dad and Dave what was going on, they said Charles had the same problem!

We were planning on changing motors anyway, so we went ahead and did that while waiting for Dad's race. Dad had a really exciting race and he WON!! Dave finished a close second. Then they came across the scales. They were both 2 pounds lite!!

Sunday Dad, Charles, Dave and I were all in the PP Can Medium race that was at the end of the day! I practiced that morning and played with the gearing a little, but went back to what I started with! I also had a real bad vibration in the second practice session. I came in and looked at my tire. I could see the cords....time for a new set. I put new tires on the front and went out for one lap in the final practice session. The new fronts with the old rears didn't do so hot (it made the back end really loose). For the race I put on new tires in the back too.

I got another good start, but Dave got a better one. I stuck to his bumper and would have to let off in the turns to miss him. Then coming up the hill he would pull a little on me. We stayed that way for the first three laps. Then coming up the hill there was a Sportsman sitting up on the right of the track. Dave went to go to the left of him and the guy started coming over on him. Then the guy went to lay down and jerked the wheel to the left and almost hit Dave. I went to the right and went around them both. I hooked onto a Sportsman and drafted with him for the next five laps. I knew if Dave was back there I needed to draft away from him. After five laps and not seeing a sign of Dave, I passed the Sportsman and gained a second a lap. From there I just drove my race. I started losing my concentration in the middle, so I made it a game to see if I could bring down my lap times every lap. On lap 28 of 31 I set my fastest lap of the race! That also happened to be the lap I saw my dad and passed him. There's nothing like a little incentive.

I was very happy with the way the kart ran and the lap times I was able to get. I set a new fast lap for myself on Saturday, so I was happy with that. Now I'm ready for the National at VIR (Virginia International Raceway). It will be Memorial Day weekend.