by Ched Follis Sunny blue skies and warm summer weather heralded our arrival at SIMA Raceway for round 3 of SIMA’s summer series. We were treated to the fleeting and roaring jets overflying Sumas from the Abbotsford International Airshow just north of the border. ![]() FKR was very excited for this event as we decided to consolidate our resources (thanks for the advice Michael V.) and join our friends from B.C., Richard Basford and Teddy Sin, racing under our banner along with young racer Austin Tadlock from Kirkland, WA in Jake Mann’s OTK kart. Teddy raced his 2016 CRG kart and Richard raced an Italkart leased for the event from Italian Motors USA. ![]() With Jake Mann in our Italkart Rapido VI chassis, all four drivers would be competing in the LO206 light class. Our intent was to also have Jake debut our Arrow/ROTAX kart in the highly competitive TaG senior class (more on that later). Joining the field today would be several drivers from Italkart’s Bermuda team. The day started out well with Michael Valiante delivering a lightly-used, nicely-prepped Italkart for Richard to race. Jake, Reno, Austin, and Monroe Jordan tested on Friday and had our equipment in good order for race day. Monroe provided driver coaching and tuning for Friday’s testing and would be a part of SIMA’s trackside crew for the Saturday event. Monroe’s track walk with Jake and Austin on Friday was extremely helpful as he was able to point out nuances in the track and driving techniques that allowed both drivers to achieve success on Saturday. FKR had another pleasant addition as team engineer/driver Leonard Borrego has returned from groomsman duty and was on hand in our pits to support all our drivers. ![]() This would end up being a particularly special day for everyone involved and the excitement started in the driver’s meeting when Michael V. announced that there were over 90 entrants - that’s gotta be a record for a club race at SIMA! Also, we were thrilled to have karting sensation, Derek Wang, join us in the LO206 light class. Derek is perhaps the premier ROTAX driver in the nation and also one of the best LO206 drivers in the country. Jake was stoked to be able to compete against Derek. The day just kept getting better, as I (the “big boss” as Monroe likes to say) was awarded a set of MG Yellow tires for contributing to the sport. An anonymous donor does this at every race and I was humbled and very appreciative. Even got a little choked up. Pretty sure I know who’s responsible for this – thanks so much! Qualifying started out well, with Jake in second, Richard in fourth, and Teddy in sixth. Austin didn’t receive a time as he had transponder issues in this session. Derek Wang took the pole. The Arrow was a different issue, as we were experiencing run ability issues and brake problems. After a short meeting it was decided to put all our energy into the 206 program and work the bugs out of the Arrow down the road. Heat one was a good indication of the excellent racing we enjoyed throughout the day. Jake was passed by Kevin Janders, starting third, soon after the green flag. Kevin was debuting his Italkart Rapido VI kart he had just purchased from Italian Motors. There was very competitive racing throughout the field. A scary moment when Teddy tangled with a lapped car and went for a ride, nearly flipping over. Teddy was fine, but his kart needed new tie rods, steering column, and fuel pump to make it into the main. He would also be starting at the rear due to his DNF. The finishing order was Derek in first, Jake second, Kevin Janders third, Richard fourth, and Austin driving up through the field for a respectable 12th place finish. The beautiful summer weather would also prove to be challenging as the track temp increased over 30 degrees from qualifying to the final race. All FKR drivers made adjustments and repairs on their karts between the heat and main. Teddy was very busy assessing damage, sourcing parts, making repairs, and aligning the front end and steering system. Leo worked with Austin to make major changes in front-end geometry and also moved to a higher gear. We were surprised and delighted to have Jon Jordan pop in for an appearance and put his masterful tuning abilities to use on our Italkart. We were all confident that our equipment was getting more competitive with each session and looking forward to racing with Mr. Wang and company. Good news/bad news in the first lap. Bad news first: Richard’s chain came off on the out lap and he was unable to even start the event. Not the way we wanted to end the day with Richard, but we’re very grateful for his effort and team spirit. Now the good stuff… Jake had an excellent start and passed Derek immediately after the green flag dropped. At that point, Kevin and Derek started battling and Jake got out to a significant lead by the end of the first lap. Kevin and Derek started cooperating after a few laps, got in line and closed the gap. Spectators were treated to a great competition for the rest of the race as three of the best 4-stroke karters around swapped positions several times a lap until the end. Derek eventually pulled out and finished first, Kevin second, and Jake third. Austin had a great race, finishing sixth, and Teddy did an awesome job driving up to eight place after starting 24th. It was a truly amazing race to watch and everybody had fun. One of the drawbacks to working with the team on race day is the inability to watch all the races. The team gathered to watch the last event – shifters – as our work for the day was done. I have been to hundreds of races of all kinds, and seen well over a thousand if you count TV. This race may have been the best race I’ve seen! Remo Ruscitti and Adam Isman swapped first and second position several times each lap and Remo made a final pass for the win at the checkered flag winning by 2/100ths of a second. Kevin Janders finished a strong third and was also trading positions with Adam and Remo early on. A wonderful way to end such a great day, with an epic race. Needless to say, we had a successful and enjoyable weekend.
Richard and Teddy are very talented drivers and fit in perfectly with our team. It was awesome having Leo back at the track and watching his skills progress. Austin’s going to be an excellent driver. He takes care of equipment, moves up in the field, and finishes races. Nicely done, Austin. Thanks to all those that contributed to this awesome day: Michael Valiante, the Valiante family, Italian Motors USA, SIMA Raceway and all its employees, Derek Wang for providing excellent competition, JMD Signs and Graphics, Roger Semro and Kart-o-Rama, Seattle Area Tees, Richard and Teddy and the entire team. And thanks to YOU for following us and cheering us on! #kartingrocks
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September 2017
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