May 26th 2006
I'm going to try and get a jump on things before the races this Friday! Monday morning I went out and got a new rim for the rear leaking tire ($30). I had it mounted at a motorcycle shop ($10) We also received racer girl's new helmet, it was shipped down from the Polaris shop in Norfolk, NE ($79) Very nice helmet with a flip down sun visor. Wednesday I got a seat cover for her kart ($45)
Friday afternoon I got the seat pad mounted, oil changed with 16oz Valvoline 10-30, cleaned air filter and checked tire pressures. Things were really going smooth, I even got the license plate on the trailer. It was also the last day of school for the girls as they got out at noon and helped me get things ready for tonight.
Pint sized racer girl did not have a very good night...
When we signed in at the track they realized they forgot to charge a $10 race fee last week so it will cost us $60 to go racing not the $50 I had thought previously (Mom, Dad, 2 kids with 1 racing). We got to the track early (or should I say on time). They had not started watering the track down so racer girl and I walked around the track talking about where she should run. I have been thinking of ways to explain to her how to run and I thought a picture was worth a thousand words. I have a motorcycle license and I remembered that the study manual had a diagram on how to handle curves. I went to the Iowa Transportation's web site earlier in the day and downloaded the manual and showed her the diagram. I think seeing the picture and walking the track helped her understand. I told her during the hot laps to try it out and see if it worked out for her and if she didn't like it she could go back to driving like she has been.
She said the kart was driving fine and not to change a thing. She started in the 2nd row on the outside for the first heat (5 karts showed up for the night). She was driving fine and behind the #3 when he went too high exiting the 4th corner and slid, she got blind sided as he pulled out of a slide right into her at full speed. It was a heck of a hit and she slowed to a stop as the track officials got to her. I met her as they pushed her off the track, she was in tears complaining about her elbow. We got her out of the kart and my wife took her to the medics for an ice pack, it looks like the shoulder belt also pinched her shoulder. I borrow a hammer from the guy next to me and start banging on the kart to try and straighten things out. The front end is out of whack and the side panel is bent but I think she can still run it. She informs us that she is a little shaken up and her elbow hurts and would rather not run the rest of the night but thinks she will be fine for next week. At this point I am very upset because I have worked on the kart all week and paid $60 to race and get taken out, no fault of ours and not once has the other driver said sorry or even asked if we were OK. I decide to take the high road and show my daughter how to handle things the right way. Jaz and I go over to the #3 pit to make sure he is alright. As we approach the pit, the driver's Dad and I both ask if the kids are alright at the same time, that was cool! It was a racing thing, the kids are alright and I can always fix a kart.
We stayed and watched the feature race so Jaz could see the other racers and how they ran. She still got a trophy because she had started the night even though she never actually finished any of the races. At least she is ready to get back on the horse and race next week. As we are unloading the trailer later at home my wife finds a metal bracket laying in the trailer. It looks like a motor mount in the dark. I will have to check out the kart in the daylight - perhaps Jaz was wise for not wanting to go back out!
Feature race results:
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