Brag on my kid time - Finally got his 1st national win!
 

We've been at the karting deal for 4 years now, wouldn't trade the good times my son and I have had for any amount of $$$ in the world. Really made progress last year, with numerous top 5 national finishes and really should have won a couple. For 2011 he had to move up a class so we just hoped to maintain our strong finishes. Well, this past Saturday he finally got his 1st national win at the WKA Gold Cup event held in Jacksonville, FL. The track is famous for it's 1000' straightaway where the draft is in full effect. My son led most of the heat race, only to get freight-trained on the last lap by a group drafting together. So he started the feature race in 4th place, and worked his way up.. this video really shows the draft in action:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TAflYpm3PaY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The #1 kart my son passes about 1/2 way thru the race drafts with him the rest of the race, and pushes him by the leaders on the last lap. You should have heard the crowd!

This class is 10-12 years old running a restricted Briggs "Animal" engine on Methanol. HP output is about 8hp at 6800 rpm. Our GPS was showing 68mph at the end of the straight, where you pretty much go flat into a hairpin turn. Pretty amazing how well these kids race.

Wow.. as good as the feature race was, I just downloaded the Heat race, and what a last couple laps! I couldn't see what happened on the last lap:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aQQDLM-jNJI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


DT

****ing BAD ASS! Is his dream to be an F1 pilot when he grows up? You should have him take a trip to the racing school on Road Atlanta when he gets a little older.

did he unlock the rainbow track?

Was he checking out the chick at the end?

Cool stuff. Was he getting weighed there at the end?

Awesome, Congrats!
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I wasn't devoting 12 minutes but I watched the last 3. Yeah, pretty cool. Makes me pine for a son.

:rockon:

Looks like a good time. Enjoy your kid.
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Awesome!

Yes, you have to weigh when you come off, and then his engine promptly got torn down :)

And I think he -may- have been checking out the scale girl... all the more reason to be a proud pappa!

DT

Everyone yearns for a son that lives his life a quarter of a mile at a time. Congrats.

Of coarse he dreams about cars, but he also knows how much it costs just to race karts competitively on a national level, so I think he realizes that we'll just have a good time racing karts and if an opportunity comes along great.

DT

Yeah, if he is talented enough, though, I'm sure he'll find a way. Don't kill his dreams, pops!

Dude that was sweet.

That was an awesome final lap.

Grats to you and the son!

So you got your kid on meth?

I like how he began and continued to tilt his head downward every time he got onto the straight-away, but what was the deal with his sticking out his left hand just as he entered the straight-away?

LOL - I noticed that too. Anyway congrats DT. very cool video too.

Congrats to you and the little one. Cool cool cool.
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I wouldn't trade my time with my son on little league baseball fields for 10 years for any amount of money. You can't make a better choice in life than spending time with your kid sharing in something they enjoy.

THIS

We had the Indy Cars run a Grand Prix in the streets of St. Petersburg yesterday. They were about 5 mintues from my place. Really cool. You get down this way for racing, look me up.

Very cool. Congrats!

Nice Video congrats to your son and good luck in future races.

Congrats!!

Does drafting speed up the first car? I always thought it just made the second car more efficient and let them go further on the same amount of fuel.

Pretty cool.

Yes. This explains it better than I can.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drafting_(aerodynamics)

A kid from here in Joplin used to just race karts......Jamie McMurray.

That's almost as cool as when I won the Southeast District of South Dakota's Pinewood Derby championship when I was in 5th grade.

so while watching, Im thinking your son is probably 15 - 16. Holy shit those are little guys, that is awesome.

Probably next year, plan to start running more 2-cycle stuff, Anderson Race Park in Palmetto, and OGP in Ocala. Lots of great tracks in FL.

We passed a few of the Indycar haulers on the way home last night. We honked :)

DT

Very very cool!!! I watched the whole thing and I do have to admit to having my eyes water a bit on that last lap...

We're also a racing ramily, we race BMX on a National level... myself a 41+ Expert, my Daughter (12 Girls), Son Dare (9 Expert), other Son Egan (6 Rookie)... and my wife cheers us all on.

It is the coolest thing watching your kids progress through a sport... that moment that you can tell that they were listening, learning and actually working towards a goal.

:thumb:

Congrats to your son and you! Thank you for sharing the moment with all of us!!! Too cool...

You got me.

awesome video. congrats to you and the boy.


that pass was Epic.

Everything about this post was dead on.

That was truly cool.

Did he ever race at South Park in Quincy, IL? I loved going to the cart races they have each summer.

I have absolutely ZERO interest in NASCAR or Indy Car, but that was AWESOME! Congrats to you and your son! So cool that you get to have that video too!

Added the heat race video, wow.. I didn't see what happened at the end of the straight on the last lap, pretty amazing control considering he was going around 60 when he got pushed off in the dirt. Leading is not the place to be on the last lap :)

DT

dt, ever hear or race against a kid named Hunter Baize ? He is a local guy here in Ky that has won out there on the track. I use to work with his dad and grandfather, good people and close friends.

BTW, Congrats on the win. Yes it is expensive.

Not as much as racing is, but so is travel basketball year round, going to tournaments 2 to 3 times a month and the Nationals add up.

Do those karts ever flip over? That's some serious speed they're putting out there entering those turns!

They're very hard to flip because the center of gravity is so low, but it's possible and it happens.

Most people don't understand how tiring racing like that is. You're constantly fighting the g's exerted on you when you try to take the proper line during those turns at the highest possible speed.

Yeah, i saw something about his big win. Here he is making the final pass to overtake the lead.

http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/...0853244851.jpg

This thread is audiophile approved.

Awesome, what's this running you $$$$wise? What age is good to start them at, 6?

I like how he went back to the kid that helped him draft into the lead and thanked him. He showed some class there.