Pro Kart Invitational
Barber Motorsports Park
October 10, 2004

Wow...what a track! This weekend we ventured off to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham to race as a support series to the Grand Am.

We got there Thursday and were ready to go early Friday for our first of three practice sessions. Being the support series is different for us, usually we have the track to ourselves. This track has a lot of elevation changes and every kind of turn you can imagine. I took it easy the first session and just tried to learn the track.

There are a lot of blind spots, especailly when you are an inch off of the ground. I'll run throught the track real quick....Turn one I'm at top speed. It's a quick left hander that goes down hill into turns two and three. Turns two and three are like one sweeping, right-hand bowl. You can carry a lot of speed into the turn and get a good run coming out of turn three. Turn three goes up hill into turn four, which is a right-hand kink you don't even notice.

It is a little over 1100 feet to turn five, and down hill. Turn five, also known as the hairpin, is a sharp lefthander that goes down hill until the middle, and then it goes up hill onto an upward, 1100 foot straight. Turns seven and eight (the corkscrew) are very difficult. You have to slow down for turn seven and then just when you think you are going in the right direction you have to turn back to the right and drop 20 feet into turn eight. From turn eight it is flat out through turns nine, ten and eleven. Turn twelve is a flat out right hander that leads to an up-hill, blind section. You then dip down into turn 13. Turn 14 is a little over 90 degree right hander that goes down hill to turn 15 which leads onto the front straight.

Every practice session I learned a little more and got faster and faster. Saturday morning rolled around and there was a lot of rain!! Our only practice of the day was rained out, so I would have to make a decision on gear and go with it for the Sunday morning race.

The rain stopped mid morning and we had the rest of the day to check out the track and the museum. Seeing the track from the other side looks totally different. It was amazing how much elevation change there was and how much you don't notice on the track!!

A lot of people left because the Weather Channel rumors were for rain all weekend. Of course there was no way we were leaving, so we stuck it out. Sunday morning wasn't bright and sunny, but it was dry!!

After a driver's meeting and gridding we got suited up and walked our karts to the grid. Because of the nature of this event we had to start on pit lane, make a warm up lap, then grid on the front straight (never shutting the motor off). Then wait for the flag. Usually we only crank 15 seconds before we take off because of the possibility of fouling a plug, so this was going to be a challenge. Another difference was we were on the track with about 30 other shifters and TAG karts.

As we were in line and running my motor started to shut off. There were several people down there to help and someone ran over with a starter and Bill Spaude ran over to help. He pinched my fuel line and sat there with me until we got to go. I was so happy he was there to help me!!

We made the warm up lap and I kept thinking of the clutch. I tried to keep it from slipping too much. When we lined up we must have sat there for two minutes before we got our flag to go. Once we were off I got a great start. I knew I had a fast kart and wanted to get out off all of the traffic I could. There was a jam up in front of me before turn one, but I got by it along with Dad and Dave. Going into turns two and three I passed Dad on the outside and pulled him going up the hill.

I had momentum going into the hairpin and pulled to the inside of Dave. He motioned me by (later he said he knew I was "on a mission!"). I went up the hill and was just trying to not mess up on the first lap. Apparently some didn't have this idea. As we went through the fast back section of the track up to the blind turn 13 the corner workers were frantically waving their yellow flags. As I crested the hill I saw a shifer all torn up sitting right in the line. I went around it and tried to avoid all of the pieces and parts from the five or six karts scattered every where.

As I came down the straight Philip was waving the red flag. I slowed down and made my way around. When I got to pit road I followed the guy in front of me into the pits. That was wrong, I was supposed to go onto the front straight. I then had to push my kart to the end of pit lane (which was down hill and I rode in it for a while), the back up turn one and onto the straight.

I never realized how steep that turn was until I had to push my 260lb kart up it. The corner worker came over and helped me push some of the way, then one of the WKA officials came and pushed with me. He moved so fast I almost fell on my face and then just ran behind it. After a while he quit and I started pushing myself again. Then Terry Russell came over and told me to get in and he pushed me the rest of the way. I was beat by then and sweating like a pig. Because I messed up I had to start at the end of the grid, behind everyone in my class!

Someone came over with a starter and cranked me when it was time to go. The start was better that time and I tried to pass as many people as I could. I once again passed dad on the outside in turn three and set my sites on Arthur in front of me. We went into the sharp left hander and I was behind him. I stayed there until after the corkscrew, then I pulled next to him on the long "straight" (turns 9-12) and got by him. By the end of lap one I could see Amanad Holenski (first in PP Can). After the hairpin turn on lap two I had caught up to her and was right behind here trying to feel where I might be able to pass.

Because of the red flag I had no idea how long the race was going to be, so I decided to go for it when I had the chance. I pulled up on her in turn three, but she had me pulling out of the hairpin. I got a nose up on her, but not enough that she could see me, so I backed off that lap. There was also a Sportsman in front of her, so I didn't want her to get away with him and the draft. On lap four I made my move going up the back straight and into turns 11 and 12. I moved to the inside of her and completed the pass by turn 13.

Going down the front straight into turn one I passed the Sportsman. I thought if I could put him in between us tha would be better. I stayed in the lead for about three laps when I caught the top two 80cc shifters. I passed one in turn three, but couldn't get by the other, then they were both ahead of me. I battled with them for a lap, then going into turn 5 (the hairpin) I almost hit one of them in the back and lost all of my momentium going into the turn. As I was pulling out and going up the hill to turn 7 the Sportsman and Amanda went by me. We battled with the shifters being in the way the rest of the time.

I could never get another run on Amanda with them in the way. After another three laps or so we came up to the checkered flag and I couldn't get past her. It was a great race and we had a blast! That track is really awsome and I can't wait to go back when we have the track to ourselves. One of the great things was how excited the corner workers seemed to be. They came out of their stations and were clapping and waving and giving the thumbs up...it was great.

We have another month before we race again at Road Atlanta. I guess the smile might wear off by then!