Mason Ludwig

Mason Ludwig
Mason Ludwig, Driver #31

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

HE DID IT!

Mason is officially the 2011 Arthur Raceway Purple Plate Alcohol Champion. He made it look easy this past Saturday at the race track. He went out and won 3 of the 4 races. His point lead over 2nd place ended up to be by 21 points. We are looking forward to the Arthur Raceway Banquet in November where he and all the other drivers will be honored with their accomplishments. We are so proud of him! He is equally proud of himself too. He was twirling and spinning and just so full of excitement and joy after the race was over. They did end up teching our motor but it passed with flying colors.

Now we have some things to think about and some more money to spend. We need to decide what class to put him in next season and refresh his engine. He's also going to need a new body and other odds and ends.

Monday, October 3, 2011

CAN'T CELEBRATE YET

Well we were hoping to come home from this past Saturday's race knowing Mase had the championship wrapped up. He ended up coming in 4th place. Rick (setup), Mason (driving) and myself (everything else) really need to work on better finishes and set ups for poor track conditions. We just don't seem to be able to pull off a 3rd or better finish when conditions are less than perfect. It will take some really bad luck for this next (and final) race for Mason to not win the championship. Still, until we are certain that he has won, we aren't going to celebrate.

Monday, September 19, 2011

SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF

What a race. This past Saturday, Sept. 17, we celebrated Trenton and Mason's 9th Birthday at Arthur Raceway. This race night was non-points, however, it was the State Championship. Dave Hausbeck, Arthur Raceway Owner, made the night free for everyone who attended and raced. The racing started off really well. Mason qualified in second place and won his first 2 heat races. He was in a small accident that broke off a piece of the lexon we had protecting the nose of the kart. During the dash race, where he started in the rear of the field, he came around turn 3 and ended up on top of a kart that was tangled up with another driver. They lined the kids back up and they took off again, this time getting tangled up in turn 1 where Mason's cracked piece of lexon was snagged and ripped a hole about 1 ft. x 8 in. in his nose piece. We waved him off the track so he didn't end up finishing the dash race. He was so upset and crying that his kart was messed up and he didn't get to finish the race. We calmed him down and used good old duct tape to hold the kart back together for the feature race. He was lined up in second place with Steven #66 on the pole. They took off and just couldn't hold off the 3rd and 4th place karts. Steven and Mason were running 3rd and 4th. With just a few laps to go, both Mason and Steven finally found their fastest line and enough speed to go by those other two karts and claim 1st (Mason) and 2nd (Steven) place for the State Championship Purple Plate Alcohol race. It sure was an emotional night, especially for being non-points. There were several of us women that had tears in our eyes as he took the checkered flag. We are so proud of Mason for being able to put the bad stuff behind him and go out there and continue to race his little heart out. He received a big trophy and we look forward to going to the State banquet we have been told so much about. :)

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

New Tires

We purchased 2 new right side tires today. Here's to hoping they will help. I'm not real excited about the rain they are calling for this coming Saturday. Mason sure needs to win this next race or his good season will quickly turn to bad.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

BUMMED OUT

Mason had a rough night last Saturday at the track. We waited through rain storms and racing began around 7pm. There was no practice and they eliminated one heat race. The track was like ice due to the water. Mason just couldn't manage to get where he needed to go. After all said and done, he ended up 3rd for the night. 3rd isn't bad, except now he is tied for 1st place points, rather than having the lead. We received information from the track owner that admitted to a calculation error and Mason should have started the feature race on the pole, rather than the second row. This may or may not have changed the outcome; we will never know. We are really bummed that there isn't more of a point gap. Mason has won so many of the races, yet he is tied for points now due to one 3rd place finish. I don't know how this is going to pan out, we are just hoping Mason will be able to pull it together and stay in the top.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

BACK IN THE GAME

Last Saturday started off really badly. Mason just couldn't get out of his own shadow. He qualified with a rotten time. There was obviously something wrong with the kart but we just couldn't pin point the issue. Finally toward the end of the night, someone suggested checking his clutch. It was hanging up and not engaging all of the time. We borrowed a clutch from our engine builder and he made his way to a 2nd place finish for the feature race. We are really proud of him.

We ordered replacement parts for his clutch. Now we really need to consider tires too. The points have been reset to start "the chase". He is ahead by only 6 points now and has 5 races in the chase for the championship. Everyone else seems to have newer skins than us so hopefully it won't hinder his chances at the championship. Wish us luck!

Monday, August 15, 2011

EASTERN MICHIGAN FAIR

Once again Rick started off strong. He got the whole shot and had 1/2 track lead on the rest of the field. Drivers were actually racing decent, until he came up on a lapped car that turned into him and blew out his right front tire. He made it around a few more laps but with a flat, it put way to much pressure and stress on that right front tie rod and axle and they broke, leaving him stranded and everyone else free to go by. The night wasn't a total bust though. Rick's good friend, Joe Kirchoff #544 won the race. :)

Sunday, August 7, 2011

BAD NIGHT

Out of four kids last night, Mason took fourth. :( We honestly don't know what the true problem was. None of the karts were very fast due to bad track conditions because of rain. Was it the motor? Driver? Tires? You could look in Mason's eyes and see he didn't have any fight in him, which didn't help matters. He is so afraid of spinning out or crashing that it appeared he wouldn't push the kart to see what he could do so he chose to ride in the rear for way too long before passing. By then he was too far back to do anything. We are beside ourselves and don't know what to do to help him.

Friday, August 5, 2011

OCTANE ACADEMY

We made Rick a video for Octane Academy submission. Check it out and vote "FAME". Here's the link... www.octaneacademy.com/video/ju​st-want-to-drive

Monday, August 1, 2011

MO MONEY!

Mason's motor is at the shop being gone through to make sure everything still looks good. Our engine builder recommends this service mid-season just to freshen it up and check things out. It's costing us another good chunk of change but it's better than the alternative, blowing up the engine. We have seen recently a new engine on a fellow racer's kart throw the rod. We are hoping to avoid any issues. Man this stuff is expensive! I love my son...I love my son...I love my son. :)

Saturday, July 30, 2011

HEADING HOME

We are on our way home. Charlotte was alot of fun and there is so much more we could have done if we had an endless supply of money. We were able to see and visit all the race shops we had hoped too and then some. The Hall of Fame was alot of fun for the boys especially. We all drove in the NASCAR simulator race with a bunch of other people. Apparently the wrong members of this family are racing as I am the one that won the race out of everyone there! And do you think I would get a "good job". Nope. Oh well, I was proud of myself. This morning we did a tour of Charlotte Speedway. They drove us in a van around the track and the boys thought that was pretty cool. Over all we had a really good time with no issues except for this darn drive home. Next time we will be splurging and flying there and back. :P

Thursday, July 28, 2011

DAY 2 VACA

We spent the majority of the day at Carowinds Amusement Park. It was only 101 degrees. Needless to say, we are whooped. The boys enjoyed the roller coasters and water park. We spent way too much money but they had fun. We also took a trip to Ikea since it's right around the corner from our hotel. :)

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

RACIN VACA

Today was our first day in Charlotte, NC. We arrived around Noon and headed to a couple race shops. Michael Waltrip Racing was our first stop. That's a super nice facility and very visitor friendly. We then went to JR Motorsports which is a smaller shop. They had a life-like statue of Dale Jr. and Mason thought it was a real man. Trent had his picture taken with him but Mason refused. He said it was "creepy". After that we went to a drive-thru zoo, Lazy 5 Ranch. They had alot of animals including goats, deer, long horn cows, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, water buffalo, "pork-belly" pigs (as the boys call them) and much more. Tomorrow is Carowinds amusement park, a division of Cedar Pointe. Should be fun. :)

Monday, July 25, 2011

HE PULLS OUT ANOTHER WIN!

Racin' Mason has won his last two feature races. He's been struggling on the heat races and dashes/shootouts but he knows what he has to do for the feature. He's learned that he doesn't like to lose. For the past two weeks there is one driver that has been giving him a hard time and appears to be intentionally driving into Mason to keep him from passing. This week he actually spun him out as Mason was on his way to the front and Mason was not happy. He held his composure though and finished the race in 3rd. Mason ended up with the ultimate payback though by winning the feature race. :)

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

NO WINS :(

Both Mason and Rick raced this past weekend. Unfortunately, neither won brought home a win. Here's the details...

Saturday, July 2: Mason raced at Arthur Raceway. His practice times were good. Rick added wedge here, took out air there, and he was off to qualify. He had the fastest time out of his class with a 10.16. A storm came through during qualifying and completely changed the track. His first heat race, he was once again stuck in the rear of the pack due to winning the prior week's feature. He made it up to 4th place for the finish. After a couple other adjustments, he went back out for his 2nd and 3rd (dash) heats and took 1st place in both of them. This sat him on the pole for the feature. Due to lapped traffic, track conditions and gearing, he wasn't able to get to the front. He made it to 2nd place. Rick and I have always said, we don't want Mason to dominate, we want him to be competitive. We feel he will learn more from having to race the kids, rather than drive out in front of them. It's still hard to accept a loss though, especially after so many wins. I was a bit disappointed until Mason and I went to tell the driver that won "good luck". The smile on that other driver's face made Mason's 2nd place finish acceptable. The kid was smiling from ear to ear. Other good news is that he doesn't have to start in the rear of the pack next week. And next week is Mid-season Championship for double points so it's a good week to not have to start in the rear. :)

Monday, July 4: Rick's race started off on edge after being drawn in the same heat as the "bad seeds". He went out on the track not knowing what direction to go in... keep a level head or get pissed off. He jumped out in the front early on and was going strong until he wasn't going at all. After leading 8-9 laps out of a 12 lap heat, the car had mechanical problems. He went over a jump and didn't hardly make it up the next one. The passenger side motor mount broke, allowing the motor to shift and pretty much everything else to fall out of place. The car was carried over to the trailer and his night of racing was over as quick as that. That's the downside of the Bump-N-Run. You work so hard on the car and get so excited and something happens that's beyond on your control. Way too much is being asked of these cars and it's bound to happen. Maybe next time...

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

4TH OF JULY BUMP-N-RUN

North Branch's Bump-N-Run is almost here. It's scheduled for July 4 @ 6PM. We are getting excited. The car is looking good. We just had it tuned up at Don's Auto Repair. Hopefully everyone can keep the racing clean and we will be able to enjoy ourselves without any drama this year. :)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

JUST CALL HIM SPEEDY!

He pulled it off again! Mason came from behind this past Saturday, June 18th, in all 3 heat races and took 1st place in all of them. Therefore, he sat on the pole for the feature and took 1st place! We aren't making very many friends in his class as the other parents are getting frustrated with our good fortune. They even checked his plate after he won to make sure it was legal.

It was amazing to watch as Mason drove through the pack like they were standing still. He even drove to the front during the "dash" or "shootout", which was only 4 laps long (one lap per kart involved). We told him not to worry about that race, thinking there was no way he would get to the front, knowing that he would most likely be sitting on the pole anyway. He showed us! Ever so smoothly, he drove around them one by one and made his way right to the front. So many people are coming up to us and saying how impressed they are with his "cool" attitude and ability to drive. We even had the lady in the pits next to us take a pic of Mason with his 1st place trophy and her husband with his 1st place trophy. :)

Monday, June 13, 2011

TO THE FRONT!

Racin' Mason took the win again this past Saturday evening. Arthur Raceway changed the format a bit by adding another qualifying race to the evening. They are calling it the "shootout". The field is inverted with the fastest driver in the rear of the pack for 6 laps. This race goes into calculating where you will start the feature race. Since Mase won the prior week, he had to start in the rear of the field for all 3 of the qualifying races (Heat 1, Heat 2 and Shootout). He qualified with the best time for his class. Between his finishing positions for the races and his qualifying time, he sat on the pole for the feature race. The good news is he was able to hold on to the lead for the entire race but it wasn't as easy as last time. The bad news is he has to start in the rear again next week. It's really something to see him improving his skill every week. We have so many people come up to us at the track and comment on what a good driver he is. When it's your kid, you always think they are the best, it's nice to hear other people say the same thing.

Monday, June 6, 2011

ANOTHER WIN!

Mason raced this past Saturday and made the other guys look like they were standing still. He qualified at 10.36. This is the fastest he's ever gone. His time was faster than alot of the big modified and open class guy's times. It is really cool to see him improve his skill from week to week. He looks so calm, cool and relaxed out on the track. Mason found his line on the track and blew the doors off the competition. His first heat race, he spun out just as he was about to lap the last place kart. The officials put him in the rear of the pack to restart and he made his way through but they threw another caution before a full lap was made and put him in the back again. He made it up to 3rd place. His second heat and feature race, he got out front and stayed there. He took the checkered flag and drove by us pumping his little fist. After the win they attempted to hand him the checkered flag for a victory lap but he passed it. I said "he's too fast to stop for that flag." He was just so excited. Eventually he got a hold of it and made his lap. With this win, he will have to work hard again next week to get through the traffic as he has to start in the rear of the field. But he can do it!!!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

BETTER THAN 3RD?

Mason's last race was May 21st and he ended up with 3rd place. The track conditions changed for each race and the other kids were brutal. He did some damage to the kart but that's to be expected. Rick is getting a bit more comfortable and beginning to experiment with the kart set up. His next race is Saturday, June 4...we will see what we can do.

We also received word that North Branch's Bump-N-Run will be on July 4th. As long as everything works out, we will be there!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

OFF TO A GREAT START!

After a long winter of getting the kart ready to race, we are off to a great start. Mason got his very first feature win tonight at Arthur Raceway. He did everything perfect. He qualified with the fastest time and ended up sitting on the pole for the feature race. He got out front and stayed there the entire race, caution after caution.

This season a lot of time and money went into making sure he is competitive. We really had no choice on getting him a new engine since he blew his flat head up last season. We purchased a new Briggs and Stratton Animal engine and hired Chad Bennett (also races at Arthur) to build it up for us. It sure feels good to see our investment pay off! We were fortunate to pick up a pretty good sponsor for this season; Dietrich's Collision of Imlay City. Other sponsors include Don's Auto Repair, Imlay City and Castle Sign Co., North Branch.

We look forward to a season of good, competitive racing. We have high hopes for this kid!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Almost Ready

We have been working hard to get Mason all set with a (almost) new kart. We changed the body, graphics, engine and tires. Now were are just waiting for the weather to cooperate so he can see what that baby can do. Hopefully we will be going to test it this Saturday. We are getting excited!