This weekend was GTM’s inaugural Karting Showdown held at Mid-Atlantic Grand Prix (MAGP) in New Castle, DE. MAGP is an indoor Karting facility with a 0.5 mile track consisting of 9 turns. The course design has a great rhythm and is a blend of speed and complex corner combinations. We were provided Honda-powered Sodi-Kart chassis Karts which are capable of 40+ mph.
We were very proud to have an overwhelming number of GTM members (as well as their families and friends) register and participate in this event. The format for the showdown was 3 – eight minute qualifying rounds; where the results would determine how drivers were assigned to their teams for a 90 minute mini-enduro. On average, the drivers settled into lap times in the 23-24 second range. Teams would be assigned based on Fast – Middle – Not-so-fast times. Teams of 3 drivers assembled to represent 10 karts using our military inspired naming convention of Teams Alpha through Juliet.
Should we run our fastest driver first or at the end? We have a 2 minute pit window, When should we pit? — Pit stops, Driver change and other strategies were left up to the teams to debate on. Each teams’ Kart would be on track for a total of 90 minutes giving each driver a 30 minute stint to complete…
GTM Member: Garrett L (Team Echo) in full attack mode. #peanutbutterjellytime
Lets’ pause to extrapolate that out for a moment: 90 minutes of racing at an average 23 second lap time, that’s roughly in the neighborhood of 235 laps. Which means, each driver would have to complete about 78 laps, not counting their qualifying round… I just want to point out that the “next day muscle pain” becomes ever more clear and present when you put math behind it, right? Two advil and a nap afterwards, really helps.
Qualifying was awesome! Drivers getting immediately amped up, talking about how good they will be, the session and how well they did; The trash talk was pretty epic. But when the rubber hit the road and it was time to race, you really saw the teams come alive, work together and the competition heat up.
What’s the first thing a race car driver learns? How to make good excuses… and Karting really brings out the best of them! Here’s a sample:
– It wasn’t my fault, my kart was: slow, broken, or tires were terrible.
– It wouldn’t grip, I was sliding everywhere.
– Why the heck was I given a penalty?
– This Kart MUST be defective!
– Ooof, Oww, Ouch … my back.
There were some great moments throughout the race, a few memorable ones during Qualifying/Round 1 would include: Sam H running out of fuel midway through his battle with John R – oddly reminiscent of his Forza League race just 2 weeks ago. A couple of epic drifts and a spin or two, but let’s not forget the successful 4 wide pass through T9 onto the start/finish straight. I believe Kerwin W put it best “never seen anything like that, that was hella crazy.”
By the start of Round 2 it seemed like there was going to be a runaway win from Team Alpha which carried the pole position qualifier (at 21s) Sean Roberts from HOD; and nearly 3 laps ahead of 2nd place. Most folks were paying close attention to the real fight which was brewing between 2nd through 6th positions; where many drivers were on the same lap. Pit strategy, mechanical problems and other issues turned the tides of the race during the second stint, shuffling the deck entirely. A highlight of Round 2 requires us to take a moment to give a huge shout out to Anessa S the 12-yr-old daughter of GTM member “Mountain Man” Dan S who made her Karting debut this weekend. Qualifying in the 28 second range, she learned quickly, adapted and overcame – pulling lap times in the 23s and giving the more seasoned drivers a run for their money! An absolute stellar performance! Applause.
Anessa S, seen here in the Green Hoodie and Motorcross Helmet exiting T8.
Many teams opted to hold their fastest drivers until the final round; but unlike the previous two stints the facility decided to pull the fleet in and refuel before going back out. This meant the karts were now all together in the pits, would be running heavy and the tires would be ice cold – requiring 3-4 laps to return to normal operating temperature. Realistically, the tires on most karts were heat cycled out, which meant no amount of warm up was ever going to help, but the drifting was surreal.
Round 3: Admittedly, some of the most hilarious or maybe we should say: calamitous moments were during the final stint of the race. Where should we start… ah yes, apparently “rolling start” didn’t make sense to folks which resulted in the first black flag penalty in over 60 minutes of racing. Granted, you’ve had these “caged racers” waiting for over an hour to get on track; there is no doubt that Full Attack-Mode was engaged from the moment helmets went on; and this was the last-ditch effort for a lot of teams to make a comeback. Let’s just say, this “pent up aggression” results in some demolition derby action, pit maneuvers and the like, during the next 6 laps. Bewildered by this sudden uptick the MAGP staff had to quickly take action, which meant each Kart was subsequently brought in for a stop/go penalty of their own. Each penalty stop was anywhere from 5-20 seconds depending on the marshals’ mood at the time. Let’s just say they were a bit miffed.
Once traffic cleared up, the lap times began plummeting into the low 22s as drivers were giving it their all. And all the while trying to make up for lost time (and laps). Each penalty stop puts a smile on your face – when it’s not you – and an additional opportunity to catch up. Unfortunately, biggest upset happened when one of the top teams (Team Charlie), being piloted by John C – in his neon pink hoodie – suffered a mechanical failure which required him to switch karts, not once, but twice, before even leaving the pit … and if that wasn’t enough, he got stuck behind his original broken down Kart which was blocking the exit to pit road – why? Because all 3 course marshalls were still busy dealing with black flag penalties. By rough calculation he lost a minimum of 4 minutes in the pits which shook up the standings once again.
It was really motivating to see everyone standing by and watching intently during the last round cheering on their teams and friends. That sense of comradery really does give you that extra bit of incentive to give it your all. Thank you to all the fans. #goteamjuliet.
1:37 left on the clock; 5 laps to go… there is still hope.
In the end we had some real underdog stories, upsets and broken hearts…
However, Team Bravo, piloted by Kyle Null (long time friend of GTM member: Shane S), Steve Fureman (HOD) and Corey Turner (GTM member Doug T’s wife) were able to come from the shadows and win the race, taking home some very nice trophies provided by GTM Prize Master Brad N and MAGP. The 10th place finishers of Team Golf (Brian S, Parker H and Adam E (son of GTM member Ken E)) took home HOD gift certificates so that they can get some extra practice throughout the 2018 season. Congrats again to everyone, good game!
Left-to-Right: Steve F, Corey T and Kyle N (Team Bravo) – Winners of the GTM v HOD Karting Showdown. (update: all 3 of these drivers are now members of GTM!)
We really want to thank Mid-Atlantic Grand Prix for hosting us and putting on such a great event. Their facility is top notch and we hope to return. Another shout out to our event co-Sponsor HookedOnDriving for helping us make this event a great success we look forward to working with you again this season. And with special thanks to Mike C for all the great photos from this event which are now available on https://gtmotorsports.shutterfly.com/2018/4408. And lastly to member Mike B for setting up an awesome post-race lunch at Ironhill Brewery. This was really a great way to get psyched for the upcoming 2018 season and we look forward to having another event like this, and seeing everyone very soon.
And remember, Karting is gateway and side effects may include: muscle pain, aggressive behavior, red mist, lower back issues, dehydration, profuse sweating, hpde, time trails and club racing. #redmistracer
 in New Castle, DE. MAGP is an indoor Karting facility with a 0.5 mile track consisting of 9 turns.){kind=link}