Kate says… Last weekend was a little rough. Although Ched has been feeling remarkably well (knock on wood), he’d been overdoing it, and when race time came on Sunday, he was barely upright. And that’s where teamwork kicks in. Everyone did their part and supported one another, making the time on the track the biggest focus. I only spent a few minutes at the track for a pseudo rescue mission, but I was impressed by the coordination, camaraderie, and passion for racing I saw in the pits. Our team keeps growing as we gather momentum and there’s a ton of positive energy to tap into. I knew that it was going to be a challenging day, as rain followed me all the way from Everett to Spanaway, but the mood in the pits was nothing but positive. These guys make me really proud. Picking up pit reporter duties for us is Monsieur Monroe Jordan, journaliste du jour. Over to you, Monroe… Trying on another hat By Monroe Jordan Waking up last Sunday morning full of excitement and ready for race day was no out of ordinary routine. But, on this particular morning before the PSGKA club race I walked out of the door with no helmet bag in my hand. This day differed from any past kart races I’ve experienced. I was out of the driver's seat and into the role that makes up the other half of karting - the mechanic. The restless Follis Kart Racing squad was set up and prepared for the day with driver Jake Mann, mechanic Reno, big boss Ched, and new to the crew, rookie Austin Tadlock and his two good friends all under the tent. On top of giving a hand on the wrenches, I decided to take on another challenge and utilize my time off-track to provide coaching/spotting for the quickly developing Jake and the rookie Austin. This proved to be a fun challenge of handing down the knowledge to two completely different drivers with far from equal levels of experience.
The day started out with a team track walk to get the drivers oriented with the unfamiliar track and to wash down our burnt coffee. Rain was on the forecast, as is usual for Spanaway, which made for getting the right setup a bit tricky. We had two different chassis under the tent, the FKR bannered ItalKart and Austin’s Tony Kart. This meant that finding the right setup for one kart was not interchangeable to the other, and put more pressure on the drivers to relay info, making my job that much more important. I focused on getting as much info out of the drivers after every session on how the kart felt, as I knew we would be chasing the setup all day. I stood out at various critical corners every time our drivers were on track - assessing, observing, and criticizing. A debriefing took place after every session, chipping away time and bringing our new driver up to speed while fine-tuning our experienced one. The hard work paid off, resulting in Austin qualifying an impressive P7 and Jake P2 just 1/10 behind the undefeated club champion. Rain was on and off all day making for ever-changing track conditions which both drivers handled impressively. Mechanic Reno put in the work and rushed to change the setup all day getting our drivers on track. Jake had the speed to win and was on the leader’s bumper all day until a mishap in the heats put him down in the running order for the final, where he finished 4th. Austin improved every time he was on track and successfully overcame the challenge of learning how to drive on such a technical circuit in the worst conditions possible, all while chasing setup. It was yet another race day but with a new challenge. A familiar routine but in another role. This day was as beneficial to me as it was to everyone. Experiencing racing in this perspective opens my eyes to this side of karting. I give even more gratitude to my dad and to everyone who gets me out on track for their hard work and expertise. It’s all about what you do off track to make you better on track and it’s the first time I can truly say I enjoyed being on the sidelines. My appreciation goes out to Ched Follis, my parents, my mentors, and to everyone who helps make my dream become a reality. Thank you! Thanks to you, Monroe, for being an awesome team player and taking the time to contribute in every way you can. Vous êtes un merveilleux jeune homme.
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Follis Kart Racing
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September 2017
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