FINAL RESULTS

The final race at Arthur Raceway was this past Saturday, Oct. 6th.  The scenario we needed to happen was for Mason to finish two places ahead of the competitor sitting in the first place championship position.  He started the feature on the pole and several of the other drivers were able to get around him right off the starting line.  We had Mason's kart geared for top speed so lap after lap he was able to pick off the other drivers and eventually gained his way up to the other kid we needed to beat.  He got to his back bumper but didn't stay there for very long.  He drove around him and then drove away from him.  He looked good and would have won if a caution wouldn't have come out.  They lined back up and the same scene played out again.  In the end he raced a good, clean race and ended up in fourth position for that race with the other kid ahead of him.  The results are posted and Mason officially took the 2nd place championship position for the purple plate alcohol class. He may not have won but we are ok with that.  Mason didn't race 6 races out of the entire season.  We missed 4 when we were out of state racing and 2 we just tried focusing solely on the gold plate class for those particular nights.  We have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of and feel good about what we were able to accomplish this season.  We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel to the races together as a family and even more fortunate to have met some really great people and new friends along the way.

Our program for the 2013 season is going to be fine tuned over this off season.  Newer and better equipment is needed in order to be more competitive in the national level racing events that we plan on focusing the majority of our attention on next season.  We may run locally here and there but not on a regular basis.  As we have stated before, being successful in the local level racing isn't going to get Mason where he needs to be.  If he is going to continue to race and improve his racing skills, we need to get him (and ourselves) out of our comfort zone.  We know we have a lot to learn yet and realize we can't do it all on our own.  We need to build good, honest contacts and relationships to keep going and advancing Mason's racing career.  Hopefully we are on the right track and will be able to make some changes for the better for the 2013 season.

We would like to thank our sponsors once again for your support!

Dietrich's Collision, Imlay City, MI  810-724-8540

T.G. Priehs Paving Co., Dryden, MI 810-796-2600

DieTech Tool & Mfg., Imlay City, MI  810-724-0505

Don's Auto Repair, Imlay City, MI  810-724-3147

United Automotive, Imlay City, MI  810-724-6174

P.S.  Once the Burris thunder tour results are finalized, I will post his position finish.  We are thinking he finished around 7th but aren't positive at this point.  

IT IS WHAT IT IS...

A lot has transpired since my last post.  On September 15, Mason won the feature race of the purple plate alcohol class, putting him just one point behind the leader for the championship.  We were scheduled and registered to race in Illinois for the last round of the Burris Thunder Tour on September 22.  When we first began this season, we had our schedule all planned out.  We knew we would miss a few races at Arthur to be able to participate in the Burris Thunder Tour.  We figured out the dates and determined that we would be able to make it to all the Chase races at Arthur for a chance at the championship.  We knew the chances of being in that position would be slim, but there was a chance, nonetheless.  A few weeks ago we were threw a curve ball and Arthur decided that their schedule was not correct and they were in fact racing on September 22.  At the time we found that out, we were disappointed but still planned on going to the tour race.  After Mason won and closed the points up, we were now faced with another choice.  We could go out of state, which costs a ton of money, or we could stay home and see what we could do at Arthur.  Mason was sitting in 5^th place on Tour and 2^nd at Arthur for the purple plate alcohol class.  We were not able to better our program for the tour, therefore, if we did go, we would most likely still be sitting in 5^th position.  A chance at the championship seemed like the better decision.  Staying home would allow us to save money, making being able to get into a newer chassis that much more likely.  We went to the race feeling pretty good as Mason did so well the weekend prior.  Mason struggled a bit and Rick made some adjustments throughout the night.  Mason was to start the race in the rear of the pack.   He left our trailer saying his competitor was faster than him, which he was.  But the only reason he was faster was because he had brand new tires and we didn’t.  A fellow racer was so generous and loaned us a set of right side tires so we were hoping for a bit more speed.  I assured Mason that he had the capabilities to get to the front; he just had to want it.  I told him that we couldn’t predict what might happen out there and that anything was possible.  He just needed to do his best and be ready for the challenge and believe in himself.    I guess I should have believed my own speech a little more, because I for one didn’t have much confidence at that point that Mason would finish in a very good position.  Mason must have taken it to heart though and went out on that track and made his way to the front, from the very last position.  He led 19 of the 20 laps.  With two laps to go, the competitor, that was on his tail the entire race, drove himself off the track.  They called a caution and that kid was sent to the rear of the field.  On the first attempt at a restart, Mason jumped it and they waived the start off.  They made another lap around and that competitor that was running in 2^nd the entire race went from the rear of the pack to right behind Mason.  What I haven’t mentioned up until this point is how rough of a driver this competitor had been all night.  I’m not saying anything bad about him, in fact, I like the kid, however, his driving style leaves a bit to be desired to say the least.  He tends to turn into the other drivers as he is attempting to pass.  Mason has been a victim of this several times throughout the years and last night was no different.  On the last lap, he managed to drive up next to Mason and beat off the side of him to get Mason loose.  This allowed him to get around him and take the checkered flag.  It’s really hard to swallow, even today that Mason lost that race.  When Mason was done racing for the night, he got out of his kart and told us he should have spun that kid out.  We agreed at the time, however, Mason’s choice on the track to not retaliate makes him who he is.  He’s an honest and fair competitor and that’s one thing that no one can ever take away from him.  I am very proud of Rick and Mason for their accomplishments last night.  They alone figured out how to get to the front and made it happen.

We are in the position now to decide if we even want to return to the track for the final race in two weeks.  I’m sure we will leave it up to Mason, as we don’t want to take that away from him.  However, some other things went down last night that have opened our eyes to what and who we are actually dealing with at that track.  For the most part, I have always enjoyed the track and the people there.  It really has been a joy to see these kids grow over the past few years, both physically and with their driving, but there are just some things that are hard to get past.  Looking back, we have really taken a beating on certain things from points being calculated incorrectly, to bad calls, to not being invited to the State banquet that Mason worked so hard to achieve because of a track oversight, to schedules being wrong and rules being changed.

One thing is for certain, however, and that is that next season we will be making changes to our program and focusing most of our energy and attention on the national level.  YWe will be moving on to bigger and better and continuing to get Mason as much experience and recognition as possible.

One more thing, this is MY blog and MY feelings created by ME for MY family and friends.  Thank you! 

STILL GOING...

Mason raced this past Saturday at Arthur Raceway.  He ran both the purple plate alcohol and gold plate classes.  This was the first race day for the chase toward the championships.  Due to Arthur changing the race schedule, we will be missing the race that is scheduled for Sept. 22 since we will be at the Burris Thunder Tour, therefore, Mason is pretty much out of contention for a championship this year.  We are still waiting for the points to get straightened around for the Burris Thunder Tour as well.  As it stands right now, he is sitting in 5th place on the tour.  This year is really testing us as we have be faced with many challenges from vehicle troubles while on tour, chassis and setup troubles, engine and exhaust issues to points and scheduling errors.  As frustrating as it all is, we are still going...

Mason finished 4th in the purple plate alcohol class.  He had a handful with his kart and the track conditions. Track officials have tried and tried to get the track to come back to what is normally a very nice track with lots of grip.  It's been a very difficult track to race on for the past couple of races.  During the feature, Mason  was in a pretty rough wreck.  A couple of karts spun out in front on him and he ended up t-boning one of the karts.  Mason slumped is his seat, leaving people to think he was knocked out.  He wasn't and thankfully he just hurt his knee on the steering shaft.  He was in tears after the wreck but insisted on continuing the race.  He even kept going and raced the feature in the gold plate class.  He and another racer competed for 2nd position through the entire race and ultimately, Mason finished 2nd.  He showed great dedication and perseverance once again.

ROUND 4 BURRIS THUNDER TOUR

I am actually laying in bed typing this post.  I am pooped.  This traveling is really taking a toll on us.  The trip went fairly uneventful, only one minor hiccup on the way down to Covington, IN.  Good 'ol State cops sitting in the pouring rain on the freeway making drivers uneasy and brake checking.  Things came to a stop really quickly in front of us and our rig isn't the smallest to get slowed down in a hurry.  Thank goodness for the median.  The good news is no one was hurt and our hearts all seem to work really well.  Once we got through Michigan, the weather changed and was beautiful.  It was the weather we had been hoping for.  Every race so far has been high 90 degrees and scorching but this time it was low 80s and sunny.  We went in to the race with good weather, a new set of tires and a good attitude.  None of it really helped with our race results, however.  Mason timed in his usual position for the series and no matter what adjustments we made, nothing seemed to help him gain.  He looked great on the track and the kart handled wonderfully, he just flat our didn't have any speed.  Mase tried and tried and after all said and done, ended up with an 8th place finish, his worst yet of the series.  He was a bit upset but we assured him that he drove great and did what he could.  All in all, once again, he made us proud and we know that our son has one of the best sportsman-like attitudes on the track, many of which can't say the same.

I need to go check our lottery tickets...

CAN YOU SAY "DEDICATION"?

I am a few races behind on my blogs.  I apologize for not getting them together sooner.  Finding spare time to blog isn’t an easy task.   This particular post is probably going to be pretty bland since the details aren’t fresh in my head.

Saturday, July 7, 2012:  Mason actually won the gold plate class at Arthur Raceway.  It was such a relief after working so hard on the setup to finally get him back to the front of the pack.   He ended up placing second in the purple plate class.

Friday, July 13, 2012:  Earlier in the week, Rick asked Mason how he felt about going back to Owosso to race.  Mason responded with “as long as I don’t lose another tire this time”.  So we headed out to the track for only our second time ever.  Mason made a lap and ½ of practice, when one of his wheels flew off.  I was stunned.  What are the chances of us only racing that particular track two times and both times, losing a wheel?  I was ready to pack up and head home.  Truth is though that it wasn’t any fault of ours this time that he lost a wheel.  I had purchased a used set of wheels and tires off of a karting forum and we were scammed big time.  They were complete junk and I totally got taken on them.  The rims were just trashed and didn’t even match.  We fixed the studs in the hub and got him back out on the track.  Mason came in third place. 

Friday, July 20, 2012:  We woke up early and took off headed for Cerro Gordo, IL.  It was supposed to be about an 8 hour trip.  Trenton decided to stay home with grandma and visit a buddy rather than go with us this trip.  So, Rick, my dad, Mason and I were chatting along in the truck when we got about 2 hours away, just on the other side of Lansing, when the truck just completely died.  Rick got us off onto the shoulder of I-69.  We waited for it to cool down and tried and tried to get it to fire but it wouldn’t.  I made call after call to repair shops in the area to see if they could even get us in if we were able to get it started.  Finally, one shop agreed to tow us and the trailer to another diesel shop to have the truck checked out.  So after waiting another hour or so, two tow trucks showed up; one to tow our truck and one to tow the trailer. The diesel mechanic checked out our truck for about an hour and a half only for it to fire up and not find any solid problems.  At that point we at least needed to get home.  We elected to leave the trailer over there while we took our chances on limping the truck back home.   I guess Rick decided to put the truck to more of a workout and we ended up driving an extra 120 miles out of our way.  Actually Rick just missed his exit and didn’t realize it for like an hour.  So we backtracked.  Between Rick, my dad and I we had the cellular towers burning up trying to find a vehicle to use to get us back on track to go racing.  We weren’t ready to give up on the trip just yet.  At this time Mason was only 4 points out of 4^th place for the series.  If we missed this race, we knew we would never be able to catch up and might as well call it quits at that point.  So we called and called and after no luck we finally decided to attempt to take my dad’s truck on the adventure.  About 30 minutes from my dad’s house, we realized that his truck didn’t have the correct trailer plug on it to even be able to hook the trailer up to it.  As we sat at my dad’s house trying to decided what to do (we at least had to get back to get the trailer), my mother showed up with her Trailblazer.  Mason took a look at the trailer plug and said “grandma’s truck has the right plug”.  We all pretty much looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders and piled in.  It was a really sketchy ride and we could only do about 60 mph but we eventually showed up to the track at 3:00AM Saturday morning.  Just a little bit longer that our original destination time of 4:00PM Friday afternoon.  (Note:  during this time we also had a 30 minute detour trying to find a gas station at one point in the middle of nowhere.  I swear we were probably running on fumes.  Rick was pretty relieved when we found one and I have to say, I truly thought I was going to throw up.)  Talk about an emotional roller coaster we went on during this trip.  We kept asking ourselves, “At what point do we just give up?  Is there some higher power that it trying to keep us from this race?”  When we arrived, we all climbed into the trailer where Rick and my dad slept on their gravity chairs and Mason and I slept on the bench in the trailer.  A few hours later, we were up and being greeted by our fellow racers.  As usual, the racing was hard.  Mason was running pretty much in 10 place for the practices and time qualifications.  We tried this and tried that, only to come up with the conclusion that we just couldn’t find any speed.   These races are so hard to tune in because there is so much time in between that the track conditions change every time Mason is out on a run.  Finally come feature time, Mason went out and looked good.  I was so nervous and uneasy.  I just kept pacing the dirt thinking about all we went through to get to that race.  I just had a bad feeling that I couldn’t shake.  During the race there we a couple cautions and they had to restart the race a couple of times.  The officials left the lapped two karts in the middle of the pack which just so happened to be right in front of Mason by one kart.  This just meant Mason had to work that much harder to get around these karts that weren’t even technically on the lead lap.  Well, he eventually made it around the kids in front of him and the lapped traffic.  He ended up taking the checkered flag in 5th place out of 14.  We were ecstatic!   Even though at this point, I would have been happy with a last place finish, as long as my baby wasn’t hurt, it felt great to get that 5th place finish.  We are so proud of Mason and the way he pulled himself together after such a bad start to the trip and such a long day of struggle.    We ended up sleeping another night in the trailer and woke up early Sunday for the long agonizing trip home.  The trip home went very smoothly.  We walked in the door and… no power!  Really?!?  Lol.  Ultimately, I have come to the conclusion that the lesson we were supposed to learn on this trip was that we can do anything we put our minds to.  When you have to work hard for what you want, it means so much more that if it were to just come easy.  Dream Big…Work Hard.

"It's good to be back" ???

As we pulled up to Arthur Raceway this past Saturday the first words out of Mason's mouth were "It's good to be back".  Little did he know what the night was going to bring.  During practice he looked really sketchy.  He wasn't running very good lines and having so much experience at this track, Rick and I were a bit confused as to his thinking.  Well Rick had some words with him that ultimately led to a not so great outcome.  Mason has a tendency to pick and choose which words he hears during a conversation and this was certainly one of those times.  He was told by his dad not to pass on the inside, needless to say, there was more to the conversation but none of that translated.  I guess, he is only 9; small attention span.  Anyway, come feature time, he ran in second place during the purple plate alcohol class and ultimately that is where he finished.  (He should have attempted to pass but didn't want to get in trouble.)  The kart looked fairly good.  It could always be better but we put more focus and attention on the gold plate kart because that's the one we are struggling with so badly at Arthur.  The race started pretty poorly for him as he seemed to keep going backwards in the lineup.  Mason finished in 2nd, however, was awarded with 3rd place.  I'm not going to try to sugar coat it, Mason truly was a 3rd place kart, but the way the race played out, he should have took 2nd place.  On the final lap, Mason was running in 3rd place.  He and the 2nd place kart approached a lapped kart and each took a different route to go around.  Mason took the inside and Hunter #22, took the outside.  Mason made it by the lapped kart but Hunter didn't and they spun off to cause a caution.  In the meantime, Raven #33 took the checkered flag and Mason followed, also taking the checkered flag.  After deliberation by the officials, they somehow came up with the call of freezing the field to the last completed lap, where Mason was running in 3rd position and Hunter in 2nd.  In my opinion, this was a really bad call.  I'm not saying that Hunter didn't deserve 2nd place, because that boy raced his heart out Saturday night.  Hunter is a great driver and a super nice kid.  Just as we were a 3rd place kart all night, he was a 2nd place kart but the way the race played out, Mason clearly should have been awarded the 2nd place.  I was pretty upset and once again had to calm myself down.  What's done is done and there's no going back.  I will admit though that I do agree with Mason, it was nice to be back at our local track and see familiar faces.  The kids at Arthur are all great kids and really good drivers.  They are really polite and courteous  to one another off and on the track.  I get a kick out of seeing all of them improve their skills as drivers.  We have a couple more Saturdays (not this coming Saturday though) of racing at Arthur before we go back out to the Burris Tour, hopefully we can pull ourselves together.  Ultimately, we wouldn't have to worry about shady calls if we were running in the front.  :) 

Here is the video, you can make your own conclusions...

Arthur Raceway Gold Plate Feature 6/23/2012

Here's his first feature race of the night...
Arthur Raceway Purple Plate Alcohol Feature 6/23/2012

Don't forget...Rick is racing in the North Branch Bump-N-Run this coming Saturday, June 30th.  The car's ready to go, as long as Rick doesn't blow it up racing it around the field first.

BACK FROM ILLINOIS - Round 2 Burris Thunder Tour

First of all I just want to comment on how we must be getting pretty popular.  My blog has received the most page views ever today and I haven't even created a blog about this past weekend yet!  Either that or we have a stalker.  Lol.  And before I begin, I just want to take a minute to recognize all of our sponsors, especially Dietrich's Collision in Imlay City (810-724-8540) and our silent contributor (you know who you are) for making funds available for us to make this particular trip possible and continue to race this season.  We truly appreciate your support.

Dietrich's Collision, Imlay City, MI  810-724-8540

T.G. Priehs Paving Co., Dryden, MI 810-796-2600

DieTech Tool & Mfg., Imlay City, MI  810-724-0505

Don's Auto Repair, Imlay City, MI  810-724-3147

United Automotive, Imlay City, MI  810-724-6174

Our trip to Illinois for the second round of the Burris Thunder Tour was pretty productive.  The travel went great with us leaving Friday morning, arriving at Cole's County Speedway around 6:00 pm, EST.  It took us a couple of hours to realize we changed time zones and were actually an hour behind now in CST.  We made camp pretty quickly, checked out the track and pit area and settled in to watch the Friday night racing.  Luck must have been on our side though as the very nice, intelligent and talented guys we pitted next to at the previous race in Indiana at Ben Hur ended up pitting right next to us again.  I can't say enough good things about these two guys.  The driver is Jeremy Howe #48 and races in the Sr. Champ class and is an incredible driver.  His buddy and mechanic, for lack of a better word, is Don and he is literally a walking dictionary when it comes to everything karting.  They were incredible and helped us so much throughout Saturday's racing.  The day was extremely hot and the track was pretty tough.  There really isn't too much to say about how the practices and qualifying went.  Mason was consistently running mid pack throughout the day.  It just appeared as though he was glued to the track.  The engine seemed to run really good and we were getting the correct RPM's out of it.  Rick and I (more Rick) have been pounding the Internet and karting books trying to pick up any amount of knowledge and tips we could possibly use to help Mason gain speed.  After Don checked out the kart and informed us of some changes we needed to make, we went out for the feature.  Mason had some tough moments during the race and he wasn't looking all that great.  About half way through the race though he seemed to gain speed by running a few really good laps with clean lines and he positioned himself in 4th place.  After running a couple of laps in 4th a caution flag was thrown.  They attempted to line the kids up correctly several times and they never did get the line up right.  Mason was restarted in 6th place.  As you can imagine, I was livid.  Ultimately, Mason finished in 5th place out of 10 karts.  He was quite upset when he came off the track, knowing full well that he was not put back in the correct position.  We assured him that it was no fault of his and that he did everything right.  I made the decision to allow myself to cool down and not make a big deal out of the mistake.  I had to keep telling myself what's done is done and there isn't anything we can do to change it.  I will admit though that when I saw the tears on Mason's cheeks as he pulled off his helmet, mama was ready to pounce.  We won't let it get us down and we aren't going to quit.  Those that know our family and how we operate, know that we take these setbacks and use them as fuel to drive our determination to be successful.  Quitting isn't an option and we will keep going, dreaming big and working hard, knowing that our persistence and determination will ultimately pay off in the end.


As an additional note, related to my first comments of becoming popular (I mentioned this on Facebook but forgot to mention it in my blog)...
When we went out to Owosso to race a couple of weeks ago, an older gentleman came up to us and asked "Is this Racin' Mason?"  We had no idea who this man was.  We replied with "Yes it is!"  He proceeded to tell us he was a fan and it turns out he had been voting for Mason everyday to win the "Search for a Champion" contest that I had him entered into.  He was randomly reviewing the entries and found that Mason was local and liked his video so he continued to vote for him.  Pretty cool, huh?

TRY, TRY AGAIN

Well, this Friday we will be heading out to IL to run our second race of the Burris Thunder Series.  We feel good about our program at this point and are looking forward to the challenge.  There are so many different directions we could go with the racing but it's difficult to decide which one to take.  We are giving up points at our local track every time we miss a race there but in our minds, it makes more sense to try different things while time and money allow.   We learn something new from every race we go to. 

"You can never cross the ocean

unless you have the courage to

lose sight of the shore."

                                                                                             Mahatma Gandhi, India Spiritual Leader

BACK ON TRACK?!?

Saturday, May 26th we went for the first time to Owosso Kart Speedway to race.  Mason ran in the Purple Plate Clone class.  There were 4 other kids registered.  Everyone was so nice and the track was nice with large pit areas.  When the kids weren't racing, they were all playing ball in the center of the pit area.  We were really impressed.  We really wanted to check the track out because it's slightly larger than our regular track, Arthur Raceway in Reese.  I know, I know, you want to know how he did, right?  He went out for a couple practice sessions and he looked pretty good.  During the second practice, however, he had to exit the track early because his body was falling apart in the front right.  Of course it's nothing a little (or a lot) of duck tape can't fix.  So we made some adjustments and he was ready for the first heat.  He started on the pole since he drew the lowest number for his position.  He went out and ran his little heart out, winning the race.  We made a couple more adjustments and changed tires hoping to be even faster and he went out for the second heat.  Unfortunately, he ended up with a 3rd place finish as our adjustments didn't seem to do any good.  I changed his tires back to the first ones we were running and Rick made even more adjustments to get him ready for the Feature.  He started the race in 2nd place.  He looked good and was running strong when another driver tried to pass him where there wasn't really room to pass.  They both spun and Mason took a big hit.  They lined the drivers back up again and they took off.  Mason was running in second place with just a couple of laps to go when a tire went shooting across the track.  From my stand point, it was hard to see whose kart it came off of as they all kept racing.  I quickly realized it was Mason's kart that lost the wheel.  So, needless to say, he didn't finish the race.  He very likely would have took second place but that's not going to happen on 3 wheels.  It appears that the damage may have been caused from the wreck he was involved in or by some fluke thing, the lug nuts started to back off of two of the wheel studs.  Either way, we have to replace a wheel stud and possibly get a new rim.  Mason took losing the tire pretty hard and was crying when he came off the track.  We assured him there was nothing we could do and that he did a great job driving at this track, especially being his very first time.  He actually had some pretty big fears of this track too.  The very first time we visited the track, just as spectators, there was a kid that crashed badly right in front of the grandstands we were sitting in.  Come Saturday morning, Mason flat out told me he didn't want to go to Owosso and didn't want to race there.  We talked it out and I explained to him that there are dangers in every track and that he has raced on much more dangerous places than Owosso.  I reassured him that he is a good driver and he knows what he's doing and how to control the kart.  We are very proud of him and all in all, accomplished what we set out to do.

Same old story

We are on our way home.  Mason is bringing a 5th place finish with him.  Once again, we shouldn't be disappointed with that, but it eats away at us because we know he has more talent than a 5th place driver.  The trip down was fairly uneventful and after blocking the driveway with our big rig, the event promotors decided they better get us parked, against their initial plans to not allow anyone in once Friday night racing started.  We felt good going up to the grid for practice.  Right up until a fellow competitor from Michigan pointed out that we were not running the correct clutch.  Our hearts sank.  Especially considering it was a clutch and gear issue that had us so far off the pace in South Carolina.  Luckily the father/daughter team we drove down with had the shoe clutches we needed.  Shame on us as we read the rules and asked our fellow competition about it before we left.  Obviously we asked the wrong people.  Lesson learned.  From now on we will question top authorities when it come to equipment and rules. There was still a problem, however, as now we didn't have the drivers and gearing to try different setups.  We endend up scraping the borrowed clutch and buying a used one off another competitor.  This gave us more options so once again, we were feeling ok about the situation.  That quickly went south after we tried and tried and tried different setups and gearing than chassis adjustment to get the kart to go.  It refused.  Poor Mason came off the track wanting nothing to do with this new clone engine.  He told us before we left that it was slow and he didn't like it.  We don't really know what the real issue is, whether its the engine or the chassis.  All we do know is something is going to have to change.  We can not keep going out of state trying to better Mason as a driver if his equipment isn't competitive.  There was a huge difference though as far as the competition goes from the Pro Kart Tour (southern states) versus the Burris Thunder Tour.  When we went down south, we felt so completely out of place, mostly due to money, or lack thereof.  Here we fit right in and there were mostly just family teams running.  DonKt getme wrong, there were still big dogs here, but nothing like what we experienced in South Carolina.  What a difference in the kids too.  The kids here came off the track humbled rather than angry.  It was nice to see, but at the same time, seeing kids crying because they tried so hard and didn't achieve the results they wanted was heartbreaking.  I certainly can feel their pain but wwe also have to give it to them for sticking it out and finishing the races.  We were up at 6:45AM Saturday, after just a few hours of sleep.  We worked our tails off all day long, non-stop in 90 degree weather.  Our pit area was what seemed like miles from the starting grid and up hill both ways. :) The feature race finally started around 1:15AM.  There was a point when both Rick and Gary told Mason thd Victorya that competing in the race was up to them.  They were so exhausted.  Mason told Rick he would stick it out and not 5 minutes later, he turned and told Rick he couldn't do it.  Rick took his helmet off of him and  to allow he to get some fresh air and he went out and finished the race.  Victorya, on the other hand wasn't as fortunate.  She drove two classes all day long and was set to start the Jr. 1 Clone class with Mason.  She was lined up in 3rd place position and her kart stalled.  Several other dads and officials tried and tried to get it to fire and it refused.  In all reality she had a top 3 kart but didn't get a chance to try.  The problem ended up being an issue in the fuel line.  Mason ended up winning $60 for his 5th place finish.  I sure hope we can get this figured out.  Looks like now that I am done with getting my degree in business management, I will need to check into getting my degree in kart chassis dynamics.  :P

Burris Thunder Tour Results

Next Stop...Indiana

Saturday's races turned out good.  Mase finished 1st in the purple plate and 3rd in the gold. the competition is fierce in the gold class this year.  The competitors are all kids Mason has raced with in the past but they have their game plan figured out.  We are still struggling with the setup but we are confident we will get if figured out here shortly.   One thing that is getting old is the way the other families act at the track.  I am getting really fed up with all the negativity and rude behavior.  Rick and I have always said we just want Mason to be competitive, which he is at this point.  We leave the track happy in knowing we did all we could to try to win but never get mad at the ones that finish ahead of us.  That just means we have to try harder the following week.  I am really seeing the true faces of our competition gloat in our weakness and anger in our wins.  I hope I will be able to maintain my composure this season and keep my cool when it comes to their actions.  We will continue to be the better people for it.  Now onto more exciting news...we will be leaving Friday, May 18 for Ben Hur Kart Speedway in Indiana.  Mason will be racing in the Jr clone class of the Burris Thunder Tour.  This will be the first of a series of 5 races and once again, nationally recognized.  We are expecting to be more competitive at this tour as the equipment will be more of what we are used to.  As another bonus, we will have friends at the track that know what they are doing and will be able to help us in case of trouble.  :)  I will keep you posted!

ONE IN THE BOOKS

We have our first race for the 2012 season under our belts.  Mason drove his little heart out.  He came home with a 1st place in the purple plate class and a 2nd place in the gold plate class.  The new kart looked great and he liked the way it handled, even though it was extremely loose.  He didn't let it slow him down and held the wheel to the right in order to turn left all the way around the track.  (It reminds me of the movie Cars.)  We had a hard time getting the old kart to turn in the gold class.  Rick has since done some research and tweaking on the chassis and rearranged the weights to hopefully correct the problem.  Rick has really learned alot within the last couple of days of playing around with the setup. 

It still amazes me how poorly the other parents react to losing.  We didn't win the gold class but we came home happy with our performance.  It means more to us that we were competitive rather than run out front and not have any competition.  We like to see Mason challenged and continue to improve his skill while other parents just get all bent out of shape about not winning.  He has certainly had a change in style this year.  He is still a smooth and smart driver, but he went out to his races with his mind set on winning and was more confident with himself as a driver.

We are going back tomorrow with the newly set up kart.  Hopefully it will handle for him better.  The following weekend we will be headed to IN for the Burris Thunder Tour.  We will be taking one kart and making the trip with a fellow competitor. 

LET'S GO RACIN!

The new racing season starts this Saturday, May 5th.  I once again have mixed feelings.  I'm ready to get going but there is always that worry in the back of my head.  Worry that we won't be competitive, worry of something breaking and worry of Mason getting hurt.  It's funny to watch Mason at this time too.  He won't tell you as much but I know he gets nervous.  He is just like his dad.  He is really quiet and just kind of keeping to himself. 

Things sure have changed from the first season we started karting.  We went from the bare bones necessary to race to what seems to be spare everything.  From one kart, one engine, one set of tires and a small trailer to two karts, three engines, lots of tires and lots of everything else and a large trailer.  But even as much as we have grown, it's never enough.  I really need to take a minute to thank our sponsors for helping make our growth possible...  Dietrich's Collision, Priehs Paving Co., Dietech Tool & Manfacturing and Don's Auto Repair.  Also special thanks go out to Mason's Grandpa Don (Taylor-Made Welding & Salvage) for making us a powered kart lift.

We have many different racing opportunities this season and will have some tough decisions to make as far as where we go racing and when.  We want to run the Burris Racing Series in IN and IL but we will have to give up some races (and points) at Arthur Raceway to do it.  I try not to think about it too much and tell myself we will just figure it out as we go.  Rick on the other hand, won't let that happen and sat last night trying to figure the points out, one race at a time, assuming Mason is going to be winning.  He is too funny.  We are hoping to get Rick into a kart this year, if for no other reason than for him to feel and see what Mason feels and sees on the track.

All in all, I think we are looking at a very good year.  It will be one full of challenges.  Challenges that ultimately transform into knowledge.  Here's to wishing Racin' Mason a fantastic 2012 season!

FIRST PRACTICE OF THE SEASON

Mason's first practice of the season was yesterday, Saturday 21, 2012.  We have put a ton of work and effort into this coming season so we were very relieved when everything went good yesterday.  He looked really good and both karts seem to be in tip top shape.  We look forward to a great season.  I only have one request...warmer weather.  :)

What an Experience!

After over a month of preparations, we left home Thursday afternoon at 4:00pm. We stayed the night in Lexington, Ky and were back on the road again by 7:00am. The drive was fairly uneventful until we got a measly 70 miles from our destination. Rick looked in his mirror and noticed the tire on our trailer was sticking out past the wheel well. He quickly pulled over and accessed the situation. The bearing was gone on the front axle assembly. Luckly, it is a two axle trailer and we were able to limp it to an auto repair shop called Heatherly Brothers in Pelzer, SC that I managed to contact after trying to figure out where we were actually at (thank goodness for smartphones). Upon investigation, the repair shop told us that they couldn’t help us with our trailer. They were nice enough to send us to a trailer repair/sales facility, TNJ Trailers in Pelzer, SC. We arrived and they got the trailer in after a short wait. He wasn’t sure to begin with if it could be repaired and I found myself looking at the trailers he had for sale, anticipating a purchase would soon need to be made. The owner was very knowledgeable and was able to repair our trailer. He told us that was only the 2^nd time in twenty plus years that he was ever able to repair what had actually happened without having to replace the entire axle assembly (which he wouldn’t have had if we did need it).

We finally arrived at the track around 2:00pm. We unloaded and spoke with some people when we were told that Mason would probably be running a 21-22 tooth driver at this track. The largest driver we brought with us was an 18, which we thought would be plenty big enough. (A driver is the gear that goes into the clutch.) We made it through tech and purchased our purple plate and attached the transponder as required. Rick went to the parts trailer and attempted to purchase the driver we needed for our clutch, only to be informed that they run a different clutch down south than most of us run in the North. After digging through his parts, the man at the parts truck stumbled across a 21 driver for our particular clutch. We thought we caught a break again until Mason went out for practice and instantly, we knew we were in trouble. The engine didn’t make nearly the RPMs it should have, therefore, Mason didn’t have the speed he needed to be competitive. After much deliberation, Rick attempted another driver/sprocket set up.

This track was so big that the karts had to draft and looked like they were running the Daytona 500 out there. The adults were running 85+ MPH. The racing consisted of two very short practice sessions, a 4 lap qualifying run and the feature race. There wasn’t much time to try different options. At these big events, the races are run different that we are used to. Once the leader starts to near the back of the pack, the slower karts are flagged to exit the race. Friday night, Mason ran the Purple Plate Heavy class and after several laps he was flagged to exit the track. Once he climbed out of the kart, he was quite disappointed about it but he was able to maintain his composure and I am very proud of him for being able to do so. There were a lot of kids down there that didn’t handle themselves very well at all, be it sad or mad. We aren’t really sure what place Mason finished but we will know shortly once they figure the results and post them. When all was said and done, we ended up being short the driver/sprocket combination that was needed for this track to get the engine to top speed and there was absolutely nothing we could do about it.

We returned Saturday knowing that we didn’t have much of a shot but we stuck it out and he went on to race his other two races. Mason looked great and drove nice and smooth like he always does. The kart was handling great. Especially considering we haven’t had any experience with prepping tires before. The first race of the day was the Purple Plate Lite class and he ended up being flagged off the track. The last race he ran was the Purple Plate Pro class and the way the cautions cycled, he ended up staying out on the track for the entire race. Mason had his first experience with drafting during this race and thought it was pretty fun. A couple of times, there were karts that spun out and had to go to the rear of the pack and ended up behind Mason, pushing him. Once again, we aren’t sure of the exact position he ended up with but we do know it wasn’t dead last.

After thinking back and breaking the weekend down, we don’t necessarily have any regrets. It was pretty stressful upon arrival and several times we made comments about packing up and heading home. We stuck it out though and I’m glad we did. This was a tremendous feat for us even though we would have liked to have run better. To have been able to go out there and know that we were just out of the running because of gearing is pretty darn good if you ask me. Especially when you take the following into consideration:

A. We were up against teams with $250,000 motor homes and $50,000 trailers and hundreds of brand new tires, multiple karts and chassis setups and all the knowledge money can buy.

B. This was Mason’s first time at this track, most of the other kids have run at Possum Kingdom before.

C. This was Mason’s first time in the kart since the end of last season. Most of the competition was from the South where they can run all year long.

D. We don’t have any experience with tire prepping at all. We were learning as we went.

E. There were kids that didn’t even get as far as we did due to equipment failure. Our equipment is all still in good shape and we didn’t have any mechanical catastrophes.

All in all, we are thankful for the experience and happy to be home.

STRESS, STRESS AND MORE STRESS

Plans are in place to leave home tomorrow evening and begin our journey to South Carolina. I am completely stressed out and nervous. We are still waiting on a couple of things to fall into place before we can actually go. People keep asking me if Mason is excited. Truth is, I really don't even know. He hides his emotions just like his dad. I did, however, find a journal entry he made that stated he will go to South Carolina and win the races, no matter who is in front of him, beside him or behind him. I thought it was cute and good that he is making a commitment to himself to try to win. :)

Hope We Make It...

Mason is officially registered for the Pro Kart Tour in South Carolina and the hotel room is booked. We have a lot of loose ends to tie up. Unfortunately, we are waiting on others to come through for us on different aspects of the kart. The engine is being refreshed, the body is being repaired and needs to be lettered. Once we get it all together, we have to get it weighed and tweak it here and there. There is much to be done and time is running out. I hope we can pull it all together before we need to leave. This week is going to be the make it or break it point...the 23rd is rapidly approaching. Can you tell I'm starting to stress out?

Another generous contribution!

We are so lucky to have received another sponsor for Racin' Mason. Thanks DieTech Tool & Manufacturing, Inc. in Imlay City!

DieTech Tool & Manufacturing, Inc.
385 Industrial Park Way
Imlay City, MI 48444

810-724-0505

www.dietechtool.com

Services Offered...

• Design thru development.
• New tool build.
• Die Maintenance
• Stampings
• Assembly
• Welding
• Packaging

NEW SPONSOR!!!!

We are super excited to have gained a new sponsor for Mason. Welcome, T.G. Priehs Paving Co. to our racing team! Click here... priehspaving.com to visit their website and learn more about the company or if you are in the market for asphalt paving, give them a call... 810-796-2600.

T.G. Priehs Paving Co.
4455 Casey Rd.
Dryden, MI 48428

Owner: Travis Priehs

South Carolina

We are still trying to get everything situated to see if we can make it to South Carolina. Here is a link to the website for the Pro Kart Tour. prokarttour.info

So far it looks like we will leave Thurs. Feb 23rd evening and return Mon. Feb 27th.

Rick took our motor to the engine builder to have it refreshed. He came home saying we need more money if we want to play with the big boys.

Raising Funds

We found a National Race in South Carolina that would be a great opportunity for Mason to get into the spotlight and really see what he is made of. He would be able to run in three different classes and it's nationally promoted. If he does place, there are prizes of money and tires. Unfortunately, however, we are calculating it will cost us $1,500 for the trip. This includes refreshing his engine, purchasing the required tires, gas, food and hotel expenses. We only have 4 weeks to attempt to come up with the money so any help is greatly appreciated.

GETTING READY...

It's been awhile since I last posted. It is now 2012 and we are getting ready for next racing season. Unfortunately, we were not invited to the State Banquet that we were so excited about going to. Our track failed to register with the Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club and since we were not members ourselves, we were not invited. I went around and around with them and our track to see if there was anything that could be done. The final result was we could attend, however, Mason wouldn't be recognized at the banquet, which wouldn't have been a big deal, except, how do you think a 9 year old is going to feel when he sees his fellow racers recognized and he isn't? Rick and I decided it was best to just not bother. Now we know about the Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club though and you can bet your butt we will be joining before the season begins! We did, however, go to the Arthur Racing Banquet where Mason was officially awarded the Championship of the Purple Plate Alcohol class. He also won the fastest lap trophy in his class at a 10.0 second lap.

We found another kart chassis that we purchased in order to hopefully be able to allow him to run in two classes next season. It would be nice to have him defend his championship in the PPA class but also bump him up to the next class, Gold Plate Alcohol. We will see...time (and money, lots of money) will tell.

I plan on getting pretty aggressive at finding Mason sponsorships and have a few ideas in mind. Champion Spark Plugs has a contest right now that I registered Mason for. It's a sponsorship opportunity and they are giving away $100,000 in sponsorship money. Wish us luck and GO VOTE!!! CLICK HERE!!! Remember, you can vote once per day!