103rd Street
Jacksonville, FL
April 8, 2000

Local Series Race

Dad, Charles and I met early for the race in Jacksonville. We got the clutch set up first to run with the A2 pipe. Then we went to work on the handling of the kart. There wasn't much we could do for the bind in the right-handers. We tried a lot of different things, and nothing seemed to help. There were five karts in my class. #88 (Eddie), #46 (Rodney), #85 and #4. I don't know where Matt was this weekend, but he wasn't at the track. I started third in the first heat. #4 started in front of me with 46 next to him. At the start of the race 88 and 46 got a good start and both passed 4. As soon as I was out of the "boxes" (in the starting boxes you aren't allowed to move out of your lane) I went around 4 as well. I was all over 88 in the turns, but couldn't manage to get by him on the straight. I tried laying back, no luck. I stuck right to his bumper, no luck. Finally on the 4th lap as we were going through the esses I got next to him and just kept the front of my kart in there and out broke him into the next turn! After that I pulled a little on him, but 46 was gone. I finished second. The second heat I started 3rd again. Of course this time #85 (the other new guy) was in front of me. 88 started second and 46 started next to me in fourth. 85 got a better start than 4 did and I settled into 4th place. As we came around through the esses I pulled next to 85 and passed him in the same turn I passed 88 in. By then I was right on 88's bumper. I changed my gear from the second heat, so I passed him on the straight and out broke him at the end. Now I was in second and right on 46's bumper. I followed him for a lap and then passed him on the straight. Pinkney waved the white flag, so I knew I just had to hang on. Well, seems Pinkney threw the white flag too early, so I had one more lap to hold 46 off. When we came around the sweeper he was bumping me bad (that's where I was binding, so I was slow, but he doesn't realize if you do that, you lose speed, so I was happy to let him bump me). I moved over a kart width, that way he had to decide where to pass me. He decided to try on the inside. I broke where I normally would and then he locked up his brakes slid into the side of my kart and took a ride over my toes! I never thought about keeping the kart running because my foot was in sooooo much pain. I sat there a while. They flagged #4 down ( I was lucky enough to be racing with a paramedic) and he came over and made me take my shoe off. My toes were already purple and swollen and the big toe had a mark on it and the middle one was missing a lot of skin. About that time Pinkney came over and said that he saw it all and it was all 46's fault, then he called over the radio and disqualified him from the heat race. I let 46 have it too. He came over to ask if I was hurt, wrong thing to do. I apologized later, but man, he's done this to Matt and Eddie and still can't figure out that when you're pinched down at the bottom of the track you have to brake earlier! As for the feature I still did well enough to start second and I was ready to go. 88 started on the pole and I knew I was faster than him. 46 was all of the way in the back and would have to contend with 85 and 4 before he could get to me to try and break my neck. We were all suited up, ready to go and there came the rain. It poured for about 15 minutes, long enough to wet the track. So they told us to pack up and pick up our trophies. I got one for second place, but I was disappointed, I wanted to race, just to show 46 that I"M FASTER!! Oh well, maybe next time. I won't be at the next Jacksonville race but we have a divisional the first weekend of May in Naples!