Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Qualifiers
Good news is we are all in one piece after the qualifiers. I am sorry I don't know where everyone finished. I finished second after starting on the pole. Which means no passing points. TJ Heil finished second in his qualifier. Trey Gustin looked really good in his qualifier and led the first few laps until he got in a little to hot and spun. Unfortunately we don't know if any of us made it in yet. Would be great to know before bed.
Sent from my iPhone
After 1st round of heats
Fasse - 2nd
Gustin - 3rd
heil - 2nd
Semple - 3rd
Gustin - 3rd
heil - 2nd
Semple - 3rd
Qualifying races later this afternoon. a lot of carnage this morning
Sent from my iPhone
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Still practicing
Morning session was pretty uneventful. Wasn't real fast. Just turned some laps. They had to work the track a lot early but it seems to have come in pretty good now. Will be anxious to see how it is after another 53 sessions.
Weather is awesome, sunny and 65. My daughter asked why they don't run outside? The shuttle driver told us that their weather is extreme this time of year either blustery cold or pretty mild like it is now.
Colorado lightning sprints
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Airport security
We're on the way!
Its been a busy couple of weeks leading up to our departure for Tulsa. It doesn't seem to matter whether its the first practice of the year or getting ready for a big event like this, it always seems that everything comes down to the last minute. Throw in the general business of the holidays and it causes everyone a little bit of stress. The good news is that the cars have arrived in Tulsa. My dad and Phil Heil left yesterday morning with my car and his son TJ's cars. Although they ran through a bit of snow and nasty weather early in the trip, they reported that things cleared up once they got through St. Louis. My daughter and I will be leaving today and hope to make it in late tonight. T.J. and his mom are traveling out this afternoon. We also talked with Spud Gustin who reported that they expect to arrive mid afternoon today. I guess next up on the agenda is the long wait (from what we understand) to get the cars into the facility.
We'll be attempting to bring you as much in the way of photos and news as we can from the event. We are also very excited to have Lynsey Tilton and Kevin Greer reporting from the Rumble Series in Ft. Wayne. Be sure to check it out as Lynsey as already started to post some information. Click here for the Ft. Wayne Report We wish everyone competing this weekend the best of luck.
Here is a photo of the cars TJ and I will be running in Tulsa -- just before loading them into the trailer.
We'll be attempting to bring you as much in the way of photos and news as we can from the event. We are also very excited to have Lynsey Tilton and Kevin Greer reporting from the Rumble Series in Ft. Wayne. Be sure to check it out as Lynsey as already started to post some information. Click here for the Ft. Wayne Report We wish everyone competing this weekend the best of luck.
Here is a photo of the cars TJ and I will be running in Tulsa -- just before loading them into the trailer.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Counting Down to Tulsa Shootout
We are a little more than a week away from it being time to load the cars into the trailer and head out to Tulsa for the Shoot-out. I am looking forward to going, but there is still a lot of work to be done to get our car ready. I am hoping to wind things down at work early this week in hopes of spending a full day to tie up all the loose ends.
Here is a photo of my car with the engine back in. Just a few short days ago it was spread across the shop floor in a hundred pieces. As noted earlier, mid season a gear disentigrated in my motor sending metal throughout. A special thanks goes out to Hud Horton for getting everything cleaned up and put back together.
Boomerang Cars - T.J. Heil and I are sharing a trailer for the Shootout this year. T.J.'s dad Phil has been busy putting a car together for him to run out at the Shootout. Both the car I am running and the car T.J. is running are boomerang cars -- meaning they came back to their original owners. The car I am running was mine three or four seasons ago before being sold to Ronnie French and Hud Horton. I wish I could have racked up the number of wins Hud did in it. They upgraded to a new FOZ G2 last season and we bought the chassis back. Since we didn't want to take a brand new car to Tulsa last year we put on new components on the chassis and prepared it for the Shootout. When we were forced to miss the Shootout and got behind on our plans for 2011, we just decided to run it for the season. The car T.J. will be running is also a boomerang car. It is the original car that he started in mini sprints with just a couple of years ago. When they decided to move to a G2 the chassis was sold. When they heard about the number of non winged races the MMSA had planned for 2012, they sought the car out and bought it back to build a non winged car.
Here the two cars sit in the shop being readied for the trip West.
Putting on the graphics - I've gotten to where I really enjoy putting the graphics on a race car. While I've mostly done stuff on my car, I have started to do some cars for customers. Here are a few shots of the scheme I am applying to T.J. Heil's car. I continue to place updated photos on the blog so you can see how it is coming along. While I've started to use wraps more and more, I am going old school on this one and actually using layers of vinyl.
Check back soon for more.
Here is a photo of my car with the engine back in. Just a few short days ago it was spread across the shop floor in a hundred pieces. As noted earlier, mid season a gear disentigrated in my motor sending metal throughout. A special thanks goes out to Hud Horton for getting everything cleaned up and put back together.
Boomerang Cars - T.J. Heil and I are sharing a trailer for the Shootout this year. T.J.'s dad Phil has been busy putting a car together for him to run out at the Shootout. Both the car I am running and the car T.J. is running are boomerang cars -- meaning they came back to their original owners. The car I am running was mine three or four seasons ago before being sold to Ronnie French and Hud Horton. I wish I could have racked up the number of wins Hud did in it. They upgraded to a new FOZ G2 last season and we bought the chassis back. Since we didn't want to take a brand new car to Tulsa last year we put on new components on the chassis and prepared it for the Shootout. When we were forced to miss the Shootout and got behind on our plans for 2011, we just decided to run it for the season. The car T.J. will be running is also a boomerang car. It is the original car that he started in mini sprints with just a couple of years ago. When they decided to move to a G2 the chassis was sold. When they heard about the number of non winged races the MMSA had planned for 2012, they sought the car out and bought it back to build a non winged car.
Here the two cars sit in the shop being readied for the trip West.
Putting on the graphics - I've gotten to where I really enjoy putting the graphics on a race car. While I've mostly done stuff on my car, I have started to do some cars for customers. Here are a few shots of the scheme I am applying to T.J. Heil's car. I continue to place updated photos on the blog so you can see how it is coming along. While I've started to use wraps more and more, I am going old school on this one and actually using layers of vinyl.
Check back soon for more.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Its been way too long
Its been way too long since my last post. I can't complain, this year has been a very busy year at work. Unfortunately things didn't go the way we had hoped at the track and we only made it to five races this year. We had to cut the season short when a gear in our transmission disentigrated sending particles of metal throughout the engine. It's amazing how much you miss doing this stuff once it gets in your blood. I am definately looking forward to next season.
The Shootout – The good Lord willing, we are headed to the Tulsa Shootout to end out our year. We are busy trying to put together a car and motor to take to the Tulsa Shootout this year. Driving at the famed Tulsa Expo Center has been on my bucket list ever since my first visit to the Chili Bowl several years ago. Up until the lightning sprints were added to the Tulsa Shootout racing card it was however near the bottom of the list. I had checked into renting a midget for the Chili Bowl, but quickly discovered that it was beyond my pocket book. Last year when the lightning sprints made their first visit to the Expo Center I was loaded to go when we received news the evening before our departure that my father-in-law had passed away. So this year we’ll be giving it another shot. I do have mixed feelings about going since I would like to support the Midwest Mini Sprint Association who will be running that same weekend just a few short hours away in Fort Wayne, Indiana as part of the Rumble Series. I am hopeful that the event at Fort Wayne goes well and becomes an annual thing. We have received calls and e-mails from several drivers that plan on attending and are scratching their heads on setup. Unfortunately when it comes to racing on concrete we don’t have much advice to offer—due to our own inxperience. If I didn’t have a desire to drive at the Expo Center at least once, it would be impossible for me to justify the added expense of the trip to Tulsa when there will be great racing going on so close to home. I am however looking forward to the opportunity to meet lightning sprint drivers from around the country. We’ve done a few events that pulled in drivers from multiple states and have always found the off track banter to be almost as fun as the racing. I would like to wish the best of luck to drivers competing at both events this year.
I am hoping that we can revive the Tulsa Shootout Journal we did last year. You can revisit all of last year's entries still by at http://tulsa.blogspot.com/ I would also love to do one from the Rumble. If anyone is interested please let me know. I can set it up so you can e-mail or text news in from your cell phone. Just drop me an e-mail at sfasse-at-fozmarketing.com.
visit: www.speedpartz.com
A recent FaceBook entry caught my eye. It was a photo of Ryan Broughton’s ride for 2012 – a full size winged sprinter. Ryan is coming off a stellar year in the mini sprints that saw him notch a string of wins. It was only a few short years ago that I used Ryan in my book, Mini Sprint Racing 101, as an example of the type of driver the sport was attracting. Ryan made the step from go-karts to upright mini sprints—just as his dad had done several years earlier. Now continuing with the family legacy he makes the step into a sprinter. This got me to thinking about how the lightning sprints / mini sprints have really gained favor as a training ground for tomorrow’s open wheel stars. 2012 promises to be a year that further extends the value of the lightning sprints / mini sprints as a training tool for tomorrow’s stars. Schedules across the country point towards a class that allows its competitors first hand experience in similar equipment at the very same tracks were the big series run—for a fraction of the cost and effort. The Midwest Mini Sprint Association alone has put together a full schedule at several of the midwest’s premier facilities.
Early on I had the pleasure of writing stories about two of our sport’s success stories, Craig Kinser and Brad Sweet. That has been several years ago now and there have been many, many more that have come along since that time. I sat down and tried to list all the local drivers that I have run against that I know have made the transition from lightning sprints, mini sprints to full size sprints or midgets cars. It’s a pretty impressive list – I apologize for those I have left out. Hud Horton, Logan Hupp, Spud Gustin, Jason Soudrette, Nick Bilbee, Beau Stewart, Tom Rhodes, Tim Allison, Lewie Christian, Kirk Jeffries, Jimmy Kite, Brad Kuhn, Shane Cottle and Dane Carter.
As a long time competitor and fan of the mini sprints I am excited about the interest and growth this class is receiving right now. Hopefully young, aspiring drivers continue to find the class as an important stepping stone in their climb up the ladder. Hopefully the class’s fan base discover the class as an opportunity to catch a rising star.
www.shoxskinz.com
Viper Pipes offering stainless header sets – We have decided to offer stainless steel header sets for upright mini sprints. To start with our stainless steel headers will be offered as a special order item that will take a few extra weeks to deliver. We hope to have photos posted on our site in the next few weeks. Stay tuned to www.viperpipes.com for more information.
Here is a photo of our stainless collector.
www.viperpipes.com
Karting – A great way to keep the rust knocked off during the winter – This winter my daughter and I have joined an indoor karting league in hopes of adding a little racing excitement to the cold winter months. We joined a 10 week winter league at new facility in Cincinnati, Ohio called Full Throttle Karting. The league has proven to be a blast. We’ve had the chance to race against several road racers, auto-crossers and track day enthusiast. As a guy who has not turned left and right for a very long time, it has been a bit humbling.
The Full Throttle facility just opened in the fall of 2011 and is operated by a group of Sports Car Club of America enthusiasts. It was obvious on my first visit that they had done their homework. Full Throttle Karting is easily one of the nicest karting facilities I have ever visited. It is well thought out in every facet. Drivers sign in using a computer system that expedites the entire process. Drivers are assigned to a heat right at the time they purchase the session. I really liked this since at some of the other karting facilities I have visited you were forced to simply wait in line. At Full Throttle you are provided a heat number and time. As a member you can even call ahead and reserve a time. Waiting is not a big deal though as they have a very nice lobby area with big screen televisions, game and a slot car track.
When its time to go racing, the facility is even more impressive. A neat, clean equipment room is where you get your protective gear, if you didn’t bring your own. This is also where first timers go through a short orientation session. I thought this was a nice touch as everyone wants to get the most out of their session – and waiting around for folks that don’t understand the flags or the general flow of things can easily waste precious time in an eight minute session.
I was most impressed with the track layout. Most of the tracks I have visited have been a lot of fun, but offered very little grip and were not very technical. On my first visit to Full Throttle, I realized that getting around this track required some thought. Concepts like entry, apex, exit, braking zones and an analysis of which corners were most important all required some consideration if you wanted to achieve a reasonable time. It is one of the first indoor kart tracks I have been to where you don’t just keep the loud pedal mashed the whole time—at this track you can actually overdrive the kart and cost yourself on the clock. One of the owners explained to me that they had gone to great pains to design the track – even to the point of doing serious computer simulations with both novice and experienced drivers. I have been told that at this point it is believed that Full Throttle has one of the fastest indoor karting tracks in North America.
After your session you can get a print out detailing every lap of your session and how you stacked up against the competition for your session and the week. This information as well as all of your past sessions can also be accessed via the internet – using the password you created on your first visit.
I have taken several of my friends to Full Throttle and my experience has been that once you run your first session, they’ve got you hooked. For that reason it is nice that they actually offer the opportunity to compete in supervised racing events that give you the opportunity to do more than just turn laps—but to actually race.
The first event that I competed in was an hour long, endurance race. Three driver teams qualify and then race for 1 hour. Each team is required to rotate their three drivers during the event. I teamed with a couple of friends that race lightning sprints and we had a blast. At the end of the event we missed winning by 17 seconds. Which ended up being the cost of some really slow driver changes—its no fun being old.
The leagues have also been fun. While they run leagues several nights during the week, we are in one that competes on Saturday mornings. I run in the adult league and my daughter runs in the youth league. The format is pretty simple. They start with a short driver’s meeting and followed by an eight lap qualifying session. The twenty five lap feature is started straight up based upon qualifying times. As noted earlier I have been really surprised at the level of competition. There is a very small gap separating the entire field each week. You would be shocked at just how much energy it takes. I know that part of it is my forty something body, but even some of the younger guys have said they are thoroughly spent at the end of the session. I’ve joked with a few of them that it is probably one of the best deals in racing right now. For a very small investment in time and money I can go have fun racing equipment that I don’t have to do maintenance on and be back home by noon. Be sure to check it out at http://www.cincykarting.com
Here is some video from a few weeks ago. Not the greatest quality, but I think it will give you a pretty good idea of the track layout.
Be sure to LIKE our FaceBook Fan Page. Everyone who likes are page is automatically in the running for one of our monthly give-aways. Congratulations to November winner Stephanie Davis Lovell. Stephanie won a pair of Shox Skinz shock covers. CLICK HERE to visit our FACEBOOK PAGE.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.
The Shootout – The good Lord willing, we are headed to the Tulsa Shootout to end out our year. We are busy trying to put together a car and motor to take to the Tulsa Shootout this year. Driving at the famed Tulsa Expo Center has been on my bucket list ever since my first visit to the Chili Bowl several years ago. Up until the lightning sprints were added to the Tulsa Shootout racing card it was however near the bottom of the list. I had checked into renting a midget for the Chili Bowl, but quickly discovered that it was beyond my pocket book. Last year when the lightning sprints made their first visit to the Expo Center I was loaded to go when we received news the evening before our departure that my father-in-law had passed away. So this year we’ll be giving it another shot. I do have mixed feelings about going since I would like to support the Midwest Mini Sprint Association who will be running that same weekend just a few short hours away in Fort Wayne, Indiana as part of the Rumble Series. I am hopeful that the event at Fort Wayne goes well and becomes an annual thing. We have received calls and e-mails from several drivers that plan on attending and are scratching their heads on setup. Unfortunately when it comes to racing on concrete we don’t have much advice to offer—due to our own inxperience. If I didn’t have a desire to drive at the Expo Center at least once, it would be impossible for me to justify the added expense of the trip to Tulsa when there will be great racing going on so close to home. I am however looking forward to the opportunity to meet lightning sprint drivers from around the country. We’ve done a few events that pulled in drivers from multiple states and have always found the off track banter to be almost as fun as the racing. I would like to wish the best of luck to drivers competing at both events this year.
I am hoping that we can revive the Tulsa Shootout Journal we did last year. You can revisit all of last year's entries still by at http://tulsa.blogspot.com/ I would also love to do one from the Rumble. If anyone is interested please let me know. I can set it up so you can e-mail or text news in from your cell phone. Just drop me an e-mail at sfasse-at-fozmarketing.com.
visit: www.speedpartz.com
A recent FaceBook entry caught my eye. It was a photo of Ryan Broughton’s ride for 2012 – a full size winged sprinter. Ryan is coming off a stellar year in the mini sprints that saw him notch a string of wins. It was only a few short years ago that I used Ryan in my book, Mini Sprint Racing 101, as an example of the type of driver the sport was attracting. Ryan made the step from go-karts to upright mini sprints—just as his dad had done several years earlier. Now continuing with the family legacy he makes the step into a sprinter. This got me to thinking about how the lightning sprints / mini sprints have really gained favor as a training ground for tomorrow’s open wheel stars. 2012 promises to be a year that further extends the value of the lightning sprints / mini sprints as a training tool for tomorrow’s stars. Schedules across the country point towards a class that allows its competitors first hand experience in similar equipment at the very same tracks were the big series run—for a fraction of the cost and effort. The Midwest Mini Sprint Association alone has put together a full schedule at several of the midwest’s premier facilities.
Early on I had the pleasure of writing stories about two of our sport’s success stories, Craig Kinser and Brad Sweet. That has been several years ago now and there have been many, many more that have come along since that time. I sat down and tried to list all the local drivers that I have run against that I know have made the transition from lightning sprints, mini sprints to full size sprints or midgets cars. It’s a pretty impressive list – I apologize for those I have left out. Hud Horton, Logan Hupp, Spud Gustin, Jason Soudrette, Nick Bilbee, Beau Stewart, Tom Rhodes, Tim Allison, Lewie Christian, Kirk Jeffries, Jimmy Kite, Brad Kuhn, Shane Cottle and Dane Carter.
As a long time competitor and fan of the mini sprints I am excited about the interest and growth this class is receiving right now. Hopefully young, aspiring drivers continue to find the class as an important stepping stone in their climb up the ladder. Hopefully the class’s fan base discover the class as an opportunity to catch a rising star.
www.shoxskinz.com
Viper Pipes offering stainless header sets – We have decided to offer stainless steel header sets for upright mini sprints. To start with our stainless steel headers will be offered as a special order item that will take a few extra weeks to deliver. We hope to have photos posted on our site in the next few weeks. Stay tuned to www.viperpipes.com for more information.
Here is a photo of our stainless collector.
www.viperpipes.com
Karting – A great way to keep the rust knocked off during the winter – This winter my daughter and I have joined an indoor karting league in hopes of adding a little racing excitement to the cold winter months. We joined a 10 week winter league at new facility in Cincinnati, Ohio called Full Throttle Karting. The league has proven to be a blast. We’ve had the chance to race against several road racers, auto-crossers and track day enthusiast. As a guy who has not turned left and right for a very long time, it has been a bit humbling.
The Full Throttle facility just opened in the fall of 2011 and is operated by a group of Sports Car Club of America enthusiasts. It was obvious on my first visit that they had done their homework. Full Throttle Karting is easily one of the nicest karting facilities I have ever visited. It is well thought out in every facet. Drivers sign in using a computer system that expedites the entire process. Drivers are assigned to a heat right at the time they purchase the session. I really liked this since at some of the other karting facilities I have visited you were forced to simply wait in line. At Full Throttle you are provided a heat number and time. As a member you can even call ahead and reserve a time. Waiting is not a big deal though as they have a very nice lobby area with big screen televisions, game and a slot car track.
When its time to go racing, the facility is even more impressive. A neat, clean equipment room is where you get your protective gear, if you didn’t bring your own. This is also where first timers go through a short orientation session. I thought this was a nice touch as everyone wants to get the most out of their session – and waiting around for folks that don’t understand the flags or the general flow of things can easily waste precious time in an eight minute session.
I was most impressed with the track layout. Most of the tracks I have visited have been a lot of fun, but offered very little grip and were not very technical. On my first visit to Full Throttle, I realized that getting around this track required some thought. Concepts like entry, apex, exit, braking zones and an analysis of which corners were most important all required some consideration if you wanted to achieve a reasonable time. It is one of the first indoor kart tracks I have been to where you don’t just keep the loud pedal mashed the whole time—at this track you can actually overdrive the kart and cost yourself on the clock. One of the owners explained to me that they had gone to great pains to design the track – even to the point of doing serious computer simulations with both novice and experienced drivers. I have been told that at this point it is believed that Full Throttle has one of the fastest indoor karting tracks in North America.
After your session you can get a print out detailing every lap of your session and how you stacked up against the competition for your session and the week. This information as well as all of your past sessions can also be accessed via the internet – using the password you created on your first visit.
I have taken several of my friends to Full Throttle and my experience has been that once you run your first session, they’ve got you hooked. For that reason it is nice that they actually offer the opportunity to compete in supervised racing events that give you the opportunity to do more than just turn laps—but to actually race.
The first event that I competed in was an hour long, endurance race. Three driver teams qualify and then race for 1 hour. Each team is required to rotate their three drivers during the event. I teamed with a couple of friends that race lightning sprints and we had a blast. At the end of the event we missed winning by 17 seconds. Which ended up being the cost of some really slow driver changes—its no fun being old.
The leagues have also been fun. While they run leagues several nights during the week, we are in one that competes on Saturday mornings. I run in the adult league and my daughter runs in the youth league. The format is pretty simple. They start with a short driver’s meeting and followed by an eight lap qualifying session. The twenty five lap feature is started straight up based upon qualifying times. As noted earlier I have been really surprised at the level of competition. There is a very small gap separating the entire field each week. You would be shocked at just how much energy it takes. I know that part of it is my forty something body, but even some of the younger guys have said they are thoroughly spent at the end of the session. I’ve joked with a few of them that it is probably one of the best deals in racing right now. For a very small investment in time and money I can go have fun racing equipment that I don’t have to do maintenance on and be back home by noon. Be sure to check it out at http://www.cincykarting.com
Here is some video from a few weeks ago. Not the greatest quality, but I think it will give you a pretty good idea of the track layout.
Be sure to LIKE our FaceBook Fan Page. Everyone who likes are page is automatically in the running for one of our monthly give-aways. Congratulations to November winner Stephanie Davis Lovell. Stephanie won a pair of Shox Skinz shock covers. CLICK HERE to visit our FACEBOOK PAGE.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Still some good racing yet to come
There is still some great racing to go this year. Unfortunately I threw the towel in early this year after all the rain outs and finally destroying a motor. Time to start working on things for next year.
Viper Pipes Website
35 Raceway is running their Fall Fest racing event tonight. It will be the Fall Nationals Open for 1000cc Mini Sprints there tonight sanctioned by the Midwest Mini Sprints. I recently spoke with Bill May who told me that it is something that he wanted to do to say thank you to all the guys from Ohio that made the effort to come over to Indiana and race this year. Bill also told me that he is already hard at work on next year's schedule. Sounds as if he already has a great schedule put together with several additional possibilities in the works. Hoping to get all of the notes I took during our discussion into a story in the next few weeks.
Speed Partz
I recently recieved the third printing of my Mini Sprint Racing 101 Book. This has been a fun venture for me. It is kind of gratifying when you get e-mails or talk with new drivers at the track that tell you the book helped them get started. Prior to the last printing I had to go in and update much of the information to keep it fresh. New cars, new series,etc. Check out the book at www.minisprintbook.com
Last Saturday I tried a different kind of racing - a go kart enduro at a new track in Cincinnati, Ohio. The format was pretty neat. A short qualifying race and then an hour long enduro race for a team of three drivers. Each driver was required to turn at least eight laps. At the end of the event we ended up in second place. We Should have won, but unfortunately our driver changes took too long. I guess we'll have to start working on our driver changes in the shop. Hoping we get to do several more of these during the winter as I think it will be a great way to keep my driving skills dusted off. If you haven't had the chance to visit Full Throttle Karting - you need to. It is a first class facility with a very well thought out track and all new karts. Be sure to check it out at www.cincykarting.com. The enduro race we competed in was for the BMW Club. I was thinking it would be fun to put one together for the local open wheel community. Stay tuned, I will see what I can find out.
Upright mini sprint racing continues to grow across the country. One of the new groups that has been very active is the Illinois Lightning Sprint Association. This coming weekend they are putting on the Al Archdale Memorial at Peoria Speedway which will pay 1500 to win and 100 to start. I know that several of our local drivers are making the trip. Best of luck to everyone. For more information visit Illinois Lightning Sprint Series Home Page
Its getting to be that time of year and some nice used cars are starting to come back into the shop. If you are thinking about getting into a mini sprint for the 2012 season be sure to visit Speed Partz
That's all for now!
Viper Pipes Website
35 Raceway is running their Fall Fest racing event tonight. It will be the Fall Nationals Open for 1000cc Mini Sprints there tonight sanctioned by the Midwest Mini Sprints. I recently spoke with Bill May who told me that it is something that he wanted to do to say thank you to all the guys from Ohio that made the effort to come over to Indiana and race this year. Bill also told me that he is already hard at work on next year's schedule. Sounds as if he already has a great schedule put together with several additional possibilities in the works. Hoping to get all of the notes I took during our discussion into a story in the next few weeks.
Speed Partz
I recently recieved the third printing of my Mini Sprint Racing 101 Book. This has been a fun venture for me. It is kind of gratifying when you get e-mails or talk with new drivers at the track that tell you the book helped them get started. Prior to the last printing I had to go in and update much of the information to keep it fresh. New cars, new series,etc. Check out the book at www.minisprintbook.com
Last Saturday I tried a different kind of racing - a go kart enduro at a new track in Cincinnati, Ohio. The format was pretty neat. A short qualifying race and then an hour long enduro race for a team of three drivers. Each driver was required to turn at least eight laps. At the end of the event we ended up in second place. We Should have won, but unfortunately our driver changes took too long. I guess we'll have to start working on our driver changes in the shop. Hoping we get to do several more of these during the winter as I think it will be a great way to keep my driving skills dusted off. If you haven't had the chance to visit Full Throttle Karting - you need to. It is a first class facility with a very well thought out track and all new karts. Be sure to check it out at www.cincykarting.com. The enduro race we competed in was for the BMW Club. I was thinking it would be fun to put one together for the local open wheel community. Stay tuned, I will see what I can find out.
Upright mini sprint racing continues to grow across the country. One of the new groups that has been very active is the Illinois Lightning Sprint Association. This coming weekend they are putting on the Al Archdale Memorial at Peoria Speedway which will pay 1500 to win and 100 to start. I know that several of our local drivers are making the trip. Best of luck to everyone. For more information visit Illinois Lightning Sprint Series Home Page
Its getting to be that time of year and some nice used cars are starting to come back into the shop. If you are thinking about getting into a mini sprint for the 2012 season be sure to visit Speed Partz
That's all for now!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Finally....
Finally a pretty good weekend of racing all the way around. It appears as if Ryan Broughton is going to be a tough act to follow or maybe better put, 'catch' this season as he scored his fourth victory of the 2011 season at Waynesfield Raceway Park on Saturday evening. Broughton was followed to the line by Nick Daughtery and Kevin Roberts Jr. The hard charger of the race was Lee Underwood who passed thirteen cars during the feature. Best of all with the M.M.S.A. also in action on the same evening there were 22 cars in attendance. In looking through the results it was also very nice to see several new names -- showing that the ranks of mini sprint racers in our area continues to grow.
The Midwast Mini Sprint Association (MMSA)was in action at Brownstown Speedway on Saturday evening and Kokomo on Sunday. We were lucky enough to make it to Brownstown Speedway after a week of trials and tribulations (more on that later). I believe 26 cars is the number that I heard in attendance for Brownstown on Saturday evening. Again it was good to see several new names and faces at the track...along with some of the old ones that we haven't seen in a while. When the dust settled for the night it was Colin Ambrose bringing home the victory, Kevin Rice second and Rod Henning thrid. As I noted last year, Brownstown has to be on my list of favorite places to run. The facility is really neat--sitting just outside of town and the well maintained county fairgrounds. The racing surface is smooth and relatively flate making for some really good racing action. I hope to return there a few more times this year.
It appears that the Midwest Mini Sprint Associations version of Sprint Week could be one of the biggest ever with (hopefully I've got this right) 7 nights of racing in 8 days. Beginning on Friday July 8th a special Shootout race has been scheduled by T&E Promotions at the Madison County Fairgrounds that will pit non winged mini sprints against TQs. On Sunday July 10th the group will run the Allen Rupenthal Memorial at Windy Hollow Raceway in Owensboro Kentucky. The Ambroses have worked hard to ensure a big purse for the event in honor of their friend and former car owner. Next up on Monday the 11th is a non winged race at Bartholomew County Fairgrounds and then a race that was just announced Saturday evening at Brownstown on Tuesday the 12th. The next stop on the MMSA Sprint Week will be Brownstown again on the 14th and then on to Bloomington Speedway on the 15th. Things wrap up on the 16th at Paragon Speedway. That's a bunch of racing in just a few days. I hope that everyone will support their efforts to tackle such an undertaking.
The sport of mini sprint racing is growing not just in the United States, but also across the pond in Australia and New Zealand. The shop (www.speedpartz.com) has been doing an ever growing business with competitors in both countries giving us the opportunity to make the acqaintance of several drivers and fans. Two of these folks are Adam Raw (NSW Australian club president & D.J. Raws, club champion) The pair have planned a trip to the states during the Midwest Mini Sprints Speedweek and are hoping to put D.J. in a car for a few races if they can locate a ride for him. Adam has worked hard to bring an international flavor to our sport and recently setup the first challenge series between Australia and New Zealand. They are hoping if they can get DJ a ride here that they can respond in kind by giving one of our drivers a shot at competing in Australia. If you've got a car that you can put DJ in, please contact Adam Raws at adam.raws@hotmail.com.
As I mentioned we had a few trials and tribulations with our car over the past week and a half. I bring them up just as a learning exercise in case anyone else runs into similar problems. It all started a few weeks ago at Lawrenceburg when we through a chain cracking our block and breaking the shaft that runs between the water and oil pumps. After getting the case on our motor welded back up, we also replaced the oil pump with a used (but what we believed to be, good oil pump). Once reassembled we were unable to get any oil pressure in the engine. We talked to several fellow competitors who explained various methods for getting the oil pump primed - which can be a difficult tasks. Despite all the good advice, we were still unable to get any oil pressure. As a last resort we finally replaced the new (used) oil pump with our old oil pump...instant oil pressure - after a bunch of frustration.
I need to give a shout out to Kevin Rice. We've raced with Kevin for the last several years, but haven't seen him around for the last couple of seasons as he toyed with TQ midgets and even retirement. He was back at the track at Brownstown last Saturday evening in his new FOZ Car and picked up where he left off with a second place finish. Nice job Kevin and its good to see you back at the track.
Another intersting tidbit that we learned on Saturday night is that the Ambroses have a 410 sprint car for this season. Didn't get any of the particulars on where and when they plan to run, but wish them the best of luck.
I also enjoyed speaking with Andy Bradley on Saturday evening. Andy has a pretty cool occupation as a commercial pilot. After spending the last few years flying an Indiana medical examiner around the state, he has a new job flying an 80 passenger commercial jet. Andy also told me that since his schedule will be difficult for a while, he has made arrangements to give another young driver a chance at competing when he is unable. Andy has told me before that Allen Ruppenthal gave him an opportunity when he needed it and he plans on returning the favor.
Looks as if Waynesfield is the place for racing over the 4th of July holiday. If you've never been there, the Shobes are a great bunch with a really nice track and facility...well worth the trip.
The Midwast Mini Sprint Association (MMSA)was in action at Brownstown Speedway on Saturday evening and Kokomo on Sunday. We were lucky enough to make it to Brownstown Speedway after a week of trials and tribulations (more on that later). I believe 26 cars is the number that I heard in attendance for Brownstown on Saturday evening. Again it was good to see several new names and faces at the track...along with some of the old ones that we haven't seen in a while. When the dust settled for the night it was Colin Ambrose bringing home the victory, Kevin Rice second and Rod Henning thrid. As I noted last year, Brownstown has to be on my list of favorite places to run. The facility is really neat--sitting just outside of town and the well maintained county fairgrounds. The racing surface is smooth and relatively flate making for some really good racing action. I hope to return there a few more times this year.
It appears that the Midwest Mini Sprint Associations version of Sprint Week could be one of the biggest ever with (hopefully I've got this right) 7 nights of racing in 8 days. Beginning on Friday July 8th a special Shootout race has been scheduled by T&E Promotions at the Madison County Fairgrounds that will pit non winged mini sprints against TQs. On Sunday July 10th the group will run the Allen Rupenthal Memorial at Windy Hollow Raceway in Owensboro Kentucky. The Ambroses have worked hard to ensure a big purse for the event in honor of their friend and former car owner. Next up on Monday the 11th is a non winged race at Bartholomew County Fairgrounds and then a race that was just announced Saturday evening at Brownstown on Tuesday the 12th. The next stop on the MMSA Sprint Week will be Brownstown again on the 14th and then on to Bloomington Speedway on the 15th. Things wrap up on the 16th at Paragon Speedway. That's a bunch of racing in just a few days. I hope that everyone will support their efforts to tackle such an undertaking.
The sport of mini sprint racing is growing not just in the United States, but also across the pond in Australia and New Zealand. The shop (www.speedpartz.com) has been doing an ever growing business with competitors in both countries giving us the opportunity to make the acqaintance of several drivers and fans. Two of these folks are Adam Raw (NSW Australian club president & D.J. Raws, club champion) The pair have planned a trip to the states during the Midwest Mini Sprints Speedweek and are hoping to put D.J. in a car for a few races if they can locate a ride for him. Adam has worked hard to bring an international flavor to our sport and recently setup the first challenge series between Australia and New Zealand. They are hoping if they can get DJ a ride here that they can respond in kind by giving one of our drivers a shot at competing in Australia. If you've got a car that you can put DJ in, please contact Adam Raws at adam.raws@hotmail.com.
As I mentioned we had a few trials and tribulations with our car over the past week and a half. I bring them up just as a learning exercise in case anyone else runs into similar problems. It all started a few weeks ago at Lawrenceburg when we through a chain cracking our block and breaking the shaft that runs between the water and oil pumps. After getting the case on our motor welded back up, we also replaced the oil pump with a used (but what we believed to be, good oil pump). Once reassembled we were unable to get any oil pressure in the engine. We talked to several fellow competitors who explained various methods for getting the oil pump primed - which can be a difficult tasks. Despite all the good advice, we were still unable to get any oil pressure. As a last resort we finally replaced the new (used) oil pump with our old oil pump...instant oil pressure - after a bunch of frustration.
I need to give a shout out to Kevin Rice. We've raced with Kevin for the last several years, but haven't seen him around for the last couple of seasons as he toyed with TQ midgets and even retirement. He was back at the track at Brownstown last Saturday evening in his new FOZ Car and picked up where he left off with a second place finish. Nice job Kevin and its good to see you back at the track.
Another intersting tidbit that we learned on Saturday night is that the Ambroses have a 410 sprint car for this season. Didn't get any of the particulars on where and when they plan to run, but wish them the best of luck.
I also enjoyed speaking with Andy Bradley on Saturday evening. Andy has a pretty cool occupation as a commercial pilot. After spending the last few years flying an Indiana medical examiner around the state, he has a new job flying an 80 passenger commercial jet. Andy also told me that since his schedule will be difficult for a while, he has made arrangements to give another young driver a chance at competing when he is unable. Andy has told me before that Allen Ruppenthal gave him an opportunity when he needed it and he plans on returning the favor.
Looks as if Waynesfield is the place for racing over the 4th of July holiday. If you've never been there, the Shobes are a great bunch with a really nice track and facility...well worth the trip.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Anytime Soon!
Hoping to go racing anytime soon. We were ready to go to Waynesfield last week and made a last minute decision to stay home based upon the weather channel. The later in the day it got with no rain, the more I started to think I made a bad decision. Around 8 o'clock I learned that they had called the event due to rain. The news came with mixed emotions as I had hoped that they would get the first race of the year in up at Waynesfield, but a little glad I didn't miss anything. I guess will give it another shot this weekend. I understand there was 21 cars in the pits. I was anxious to see how some of the guys that were new to the FOZ cars would do in their first outing including Garry Loney and Lee Underwood.
The bigger surprise for the weekend was that the Midwest Mini Sprint Association was able to get their first race of the year in at Brownstown Speedway. My original plans were to go to Brownstown for the non-winged event. Again based upon the radar and the amount of rain over the previous week I was betting against them running - I was wrong. I haven't seen any results posted yet, but understand that they had 16 cars in attendance, considering that we counted several cars that were just not quite done yet. The winner was Colin Ambrose. Not a bad start. They had a few pretty good tumbles. I am anxious to go to Brownstown this year. We did the non-wing event last year and despite a tommy tip-over (that was my own fault) really enjoyed the track. www.midwestminisprints.com
It appears that 35 Raceway Park is considering making a move from 600cc upright mini sprints to 1000cc upright mini sprints. We were asked to send one of our Viper Pipes mufflers for testing late last week. I understand that Ryan Broughton and Ricky Taylor turned some laps. I was pleased to hear that our 14" muffler met 35 Raceway's stringent decibel requirements. www.viperpipes.com It sounds as if they are planning a race for the 1000cc mini sprints at 35 Raceway late in May on a date that doesn't conflict with any of the other series.
This weekend should be a real test with the mini sprints scheduled to appear simulaneously at 4 different area tracks including the MMSA at Kokomo, AMSA at KC Raceway, Waynesfield's weekly show and Twin Cities running their own special event.
Our new tachometers have been a strong selling item, so much so that we've had trouble keeping them in stock. If you've been trying to get one - we finally had a large shipment come in. http://www.speedpartz.com/ace_1100.htm
One of the other new products that we have been working on is the Anti-Gravity Batteries lithium racing battery. These are pretty amazing little batteries. On our car we were able to save 11 pounds by using the 6900 model of the battery. This is the model recommended for 1000cc mini sprints and weighs in at just 2.9lbs. They also offer a model the 4600 that is better suited for 600cc modified midgets and sidewinders. One of our customers CJ O'Leary registered a victory with the UMRA TQ midgets using one of the new batteries. His crew chief said they were really happy with the battery. Click here to view product on website
I was recently invited over to a practice day at the Indianapolis. One of my earliest racing memories was skipping a day of school and riding over to practice on the back of my dad's motorcycle. I remember we rode out in the rain. It continued to rain for a while once we arrived at the track, but the weather finally broke and we ended up having a great day. In the recent past I have not been as big a fan of the 500 since it seems to be missing a lot of the good local stories of sprint and midget drivers getting a shot. I think one of the last good stories at Indy for me was watching Jimmy Kite turn laps. I remember being at 35 Raceway when Jimmy made the move up from Georgia. I would have never guessed that his career would have gone as far as it did. Hopefully there will be some more good stories in the future.
That's all for now.
The bigger surprise for the weekend was that the Midwest Mini Sprint Association was able to get their first race of the year in at Brownstown Speedway. My original plans were to go to Brownstown for the non-winged event. Again based upon the radar and the amount of rain over the previous week I was betting against them running - I was wrong. I haven't seen any results posted yet, but understand that they had 16 cars in attendance, considering that we counted several cars that were just not quite done yet. The winner was Colin Ambrose. Not a bad start. They had a few pretty good tumbles. I am anxious to go to Brownstown this year. We did the non-wing event last year and despite a tommy tip-over (that was my own fault) really enjoyed the track. www.midwestminisprints.com
It appears that 35 Raceway Park is considering making a move from 600cc upright mini sprints to 1000cc upright mini sprints. We were asked to send one of our Viper Pipes mufflers for testing late last week. I understand that Ryan Broughton and Ricky Taylor turned some laps. I was pleased to hear that our 14" muffler met 35 Raceway's stringent decibel requirements. www.viperpipes.com It sounds as if they are planning a race for the 1000cc mini sprints at 35 Raceway late in May on a date that doesn't conflict with any of the other series.
This weekend should be a real test with the mini sprints scheduled to appear simulaneously at 4 different area tracks including the MMSA at Kokomo, AMSA at KC Raceway, Waynesfield's weekly show and Twin Cities running their own special event.
Our new tachometers have been a strong selling item, so much so that we've had trouble keeping them in stock. If you've been trying to get one - we finally had a large shipment come in. http://www.speedpartz.com/ace_1100.htm
One of the other new products that we have been working on is the Anti-Gravity Batteries lithium racing battery. These are pretty amazing little batteries. On our car we were able to save 11 pounds by using the 6900 model of the battery. This is the model recommended for 1000cc mini sprints and weighs in at just 2.9lbs. They also offer a model the 4600 that is better suited for 600cc modified midgets and sidewinders. One of our customers CJ O'Leary registered a victory with the UMRA TQ midgets using one of the new batteries. His crew chief said they were really happy with the battery. Click here to view product on website
I was recently invited over to a practice day at the Indianapolis. One of my earliest racing memories was skipping a day of school and riding over to practice on the back of my dad's motorcycle. I remember we rode out in the rain. It continued to rain for a while once we arrived at the track, but the weather finally broke and we ended up having a great day. In the recent past I have not been as big a fan of the 500 since it seems to be missing a lot of the good local stories of sprint and midget drivers getting a shot. I think one of the last good stories at Indy for me was watching Jimmy Kite turn laps. I remember being at 35 Raceway when Jimmy made the move up from Georgia. I would have never guessed that his career would have gone as far as it did. Hopefully there will be some more good stories in the future.
That's all for now.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Announcing Al Archdale Memorial
On Saturday October 1st the Illinois Lightning Sprints will present the Al
Archdale Memorial at the 1/4 mile high banks of Peoria Speedway. The event
will pay 1500 to its winner with more money coming in daily. Place this big
event on your calendar early.
Archdale Memorial at the 1/4 mile high banks of Peoria Speedway. The event
will pay 1500 to its winner with more money coming in daily. Place this big
event on your calendar early.
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Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Off to a slow start
The challenge so far this year has not been on the track but instead with
mother nature. In Ohio and Indiana both the AMSA and MMSA have each had
their season openers called because of weather. I just heard that the
MMSA's opener was already cancelled as of Tuesday night because the track
at Brownstown was already under water.
mother nature. In Ohio and Indiana both the AMSA and MMSA have each had
their season openers called because of weather. I just heard that the
MMSA's opener was already cancelled as of Tuesday night because the track
at Brownstown was already under water.
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Saturday, March 26, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Peeks of Spring
It has has been nice to finally see a few days where the temperature tops 60 and the sun is shining. I've never been one to give much credence to the whole 'seasonal depression' phenomenom, but I'll have to admit this winter was definately tougher than most in the recent past. It seemed like the snow on the ground would never melt away. While I was looking forward to some of the winter time racing options that were available to the mini sprints, personal comittments were a priority and we ended up missing out on all of them. I'm really looking forward to our first few visits to the track as an opportunity to shake off those winter 'blahs'.
Although I definately didn't keep up on the blogg'n the way I had hoped over the winter, we did make a few significant changes to the site. One change that I am hopeful will catch on is a MESSAGE BOARD just for upright mini sprint racing. I know there are several good message boards out there, but there don't seem to be any that are strictly focused on upright mini sprint racing. I would encourage supporters of this form of racing to make use of the message board so that we can turn it into something of value. Also if there are businesses that are interested in advertising on the message board, please let us know. I have also created a few tools that should make it easier for organizations to post their results more quickly - with applications that will easily work from any Smart Phone. This should even allow updates to be done right from the track. If your organization is interested, drop me an e-mail at sfasse-at-fozmarketing.com.
Racers in the Ohio, Indiana area should once again be fortunate to have plenty of options when it comes to opportunities to race in 2011. I apologize, I am on the road and don't have them in a great format. I will try to put together a nicer downloadable version soon. This is a snapshot from available information a few weeks ago. I know that some of the groups still had a few TBAs on their schedules. We'll try to go back through and update when we have the chance. Good news is that all and all it looks like a great season with plenty of opportunities to go race your mini sprint.
April
16 Sat AMSA Law
23 Sat MMSA Brownstown
29 Fri AMSA Moler
30 Sat AMSA Law / Unsanc. Twin Cities
May
7 Sat MMSA Brownstown / Unsanc. Wayne
14 Sat MMSA Paragon / AMSA KC Raceway / Unsanc. Twin / Unsanc. Wayne
20 Fri MMSA Bloomington
21 Sat MMSA Brownstown / AMSA Law / Unsanc. Wayne
28 Sat Unsanc. Wayne
29 Sun
June
4 Sat AMSA Law / Unsanc. Wayne
5 Sun MMSA Kokomo
11 Sat Unsanc. Wayne
18 Sat AMSA Waynesfield
25 Sat MMSA Brownstown / Unsanc. Wayne
27
July
2 Sat Unsanc. Wayne
9 Sat Unsanc. Wayne
12 Tue
13 Wed
14 Thur MMSA Brownstown
15 Fri MMSA Bloomington
22 Fri AMSA Moler
23 Sat AMSA Waynesfield
28 Thur MMSA Brownstown
30 Sat MMSA Paragon / AMSA Law / Unsanc. Twin / Unsanc. Wayne
August
6 Sat MMSA Brownstown / Unsanc. Wayne
13 Sat AMSA US 24 / Unsanc. Wayne
19 Fri
20 Sat AMSA Law / Unsanc. Wayne
27 Sat MMSA Brownstown / AMSA Law / Unsanc. Wayne
September
4 Sun
24 Sat AMSA KC
October
1 Sat AMSA LaW
I have posted some photos from the Speed Partz race shop. It has definately been busier this year than any time over the past two years. This not only includes the old familiar faces getting ready for the new season, but many new ones. In the past month alone we have seen six new cars and four used cars sold. The sport still continues to pick up steem. I was recently at the shop on a Friday afternoon when a fellow rolled in with a Bailey with an old GSXR 1100 strapped on board. He was bringing the car in to figure out what updating he needed to do to get ready to race. His story was like so many others we hear. He had raced a multitude of different cars from go-karts to late models. He said he loved racing and the current economy had made the mini sprints look even more attractive--so he decided to take the leap. We'll look forward to seeing him and many others like him at the track this year.
As I've said before one of the things I enjoy the most about being associated with the shop is some of the product development tasks that I get to work on, two of our biggest successes in the most recent past have been the new digital tachometer and ultra-lightweight lithium battery. I've just started working on another one that shows early promise. It is a set of headphones that easily mount inside of your helmet--to stay. They have a quick disconnect tht hangs out the bottom of the helmet making it even easier to get in and out of the car. They should be economically priced at somewhere in the $30 range. I am currently doing some testing to see if they will provide enough volume for our application. Stay tuned.
One area that has been a point of struggle over the past year and a half since TP Wings exited the market, has been wings. We were lucky to find Aero Wings who builds an exceptionally nice product that is well priced for our market. Even with a strong supplier they continue to be a hot commodity in our area. My dad recently made a trip to pick up 12 wings and was down to 3 before he ever made it back to the shop. Aero Wings allows us to offer conventional wings and internal slider wings (special order). Another batch is due on its way, but I would caution if you are going to need a wing that you reserve yours early.
I am always getting myself into things that I really shouldn't. My latest purchase is a go-kart. Karting is where I got my start and something I really enjoyed. While I don't have any plans to race it, I do know that karting is one of the few forms of racing that offers the opportunity for easily accessible track time. With the ever collapsing amount of time I have available - there is a certain appeal to something that might let me go practice when I have the time. I know locally that tracks like Camden Ohio's G&J Kartway still let you show up pretty much whenever you would like, throw down a few bucks and turn laps til your hearts content. Now we'll see if I really find any spare time to make good on the promise.
We still have one used car in our shop that is looking for a good home. For the right person, it should be a great deal. It is a 1999 Henchcraft. It currently has a 600cc engine in it, but could easily be updated to take a 1000cc engine. It would be a great buy for someone wanting to get into the sport cheap.
Although I definately didn't keep up on the blogg'n the way I had hoped over the winter, we did make a few significant changes to the site. One change that I am hopeful will catch on is a MESSAGE BOARD just for upright mini sprint racing. I know there are several good message boards out there, but there don't seem to be any that are strictly focused on upright mini sprint racing. I would encourage supporters of this form of racing to make use of the message board so that we can turn it into something of value. Also if there are businesses that are interested in advertising on the message board, please let us know. I have also created a few tools that should make it easier for organizations to post their results more quickly - with applications that will easily work from any Smart Phone. This should even allow updates to be done right from the track. If your organization is interested, drop me an e-mail at sfasse-at-fozmarketing.com.
Racers in the Ohio, Indiana area should once again be fortunate to have plenty of options when it comes to opportunities to race in 2011. I apologize, I am on the road and don't have them in a great format. I will try to put together a nicer downloadable version soon. This is a snapshot from available information a few weeks ago. I know that some of the groups still had a few TBAs on their schedules. We'll try to go back through and update when we have the chance. Good news is that all and all it looks like a great season with plenty of opportunities to go race your mini sprint.
April
16 Sat AMSA Law
23 Sat MMSA Brownstown
29 Fri AMSA Moler
30 Sat AMSA Law / Unsanc. Twin Cities
May
7 Sat MMSA Brownstown / Unsanc. Wayne
14 Sat MMSA Paragon / AMSA KC Raceway / Unsanc. Twin / Unsanc. Wayne
20 Fri MMSA Bloomington
21 Sat MMSA Brownstown / AMSA Law / Unsanc. Wayne
28 Sat Unsanc. Wayne
29 Sun
June
4 Sat AMSA Law / Unsanc. Wayne
5 Sun MMSA Kokomo
11 Sat Unsanc. Wayne
18 Sat AMSA Waynesfield
25 Sat MMSA Brownstown / Unsanc. Wayne
27
July
2 Sat Unsanc. Wayne
9 Sat Unsanc. Wayne
12 Tue
13 Wed
14 Thur MMSA Brownstown
15 Fri MMSA Bloomington
22 Fri AMSA Moler
23 Sat AMSA Waynesfield
28 Thur MMSA Brownstown
30 Sat MMSA Paragon / AMSA Law / Unsanc. Twin / Unsanc. Wayne
August
6 Sat MMSA Brownstown / Unsanc. Wayne
13 Sat AMSA US 24 / Unsanc. Wayne
19 Fri
20 Sat AMSA Law / Unsanc. Wayne
27 Sat MMSA Brownstown / AMSA Law / Unsanc. Wayne
September
4 Sun
24 Sat AMSA KC
October
1 Sat AMSA LaW
I have posted some photos from the Speed Partz race shop. It has definately been busier this year than any time over the past two years. This not only includes the old familiar faces getting ready for the new season, but many new ones. In the past month alone we have seen six new cars and four used cars sold. The sport still continues to pick up steem. I was recently at the shop on a Friday afternoon when a fellow rolled in with a Bailey with an old GSXR 1100 strapped on board. He was bringing the car in to figure out what updating he needed to do to get ready to race. His story was like so many others we hear. He had raced a multitude of different cars from go-karts to late models. He said he loved racing and the current economy had made the mini sprints look even more attractive--so he decided to take the leap. We'll look forward to seeing him and many others like him at the track this year.
As I've said before one of the things I enjoy the most about being associated with the shop is some of the product development tasks that I get to work on, two of our biggest successes in the most recent past have been the new digital tachometer and ultra-lightweight lithium battery. I've just started working on another one that shows early promise. It is a set of headphones that easily mount inside of your helmet--to stay. They have a quick disconnect tht hangs out the bottom of the helmet making it even easier to get in and out of the car. They should be economically priced at somewhere in the $30 range. I am currently doing some testing to see if they will provide enough volume for our application. Stay tuned.
One area that has been a point of struggle over the past year and a half since TP Wings exited the market, has been wings. We were lucky to find Aero Wings who builds an exceptionally nice product that is well priced for our market. Even with a strong supplier they continue to be a hot commodity in our area. My dad recently made a trip to pick up 12 wings and was down to 3 before he ever made it back to the shop. Aero Wings allows us to offer conventional wings and internal slider wings (special order). Another batch is due on its way, but I would caution if you are going to need a wing that you reserve yours early.
I am always getting myself into things that I really shouldn't. My latest purchase is a go-kart. Karting is where I got my start and something I really enjoyed. While I don't have any plans to race it, I do know that karting is one of the few forms of racing that offers the opportunity for easily accessible track time. With the ever collapsing amount of time I have available - there is a certain appeal to something that might let me go practice when I have the time. I know locally that tracks like Camden Ohio's G&J Kartway still let you show up pretty much whenever you would like, throw down a few bucks and turn laps til your hearts content. Now we'll see if I really find any spare time to make good on the promise.
We still have one used car in our shop that is looking for a good home. For the right person, it should be a great deal. It is a 1999 Henchcraft. It currently has a 600cc engine in it, but could easily be updated to take a 1000cc engine. It would be a great buy for someone wanting to get into the sport cheap.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Liquid Powdercoat Finish - Midwest Lightning Sprints Announce Season Opener
Track Address: 1649 Highway Y, La Monte, Missouri 65337
Track size: 3/8 mile
Other Classes running this night: 305 Sprint Cars, ASCS Warrior Region 360
Sprint Cars
Pit Passes $30
Pits Open: 5pm
Hot Laps: 7pm
Races:7:30 pm
Non members are welcome, NO temporary membership required for this season
opening event. ONE $50 Gas card will be given out at the drivers meeting Courtesy of
Lincoln Heating and Air, Columbia MO
Motels: Approximately 10 miles east of the track in Sedalia MO. Holiday
Inn and Express 660-826-4000, Comfort Inn 660-829-5050, Super 8, 660-827-5890
Contact information:
Track size: 3/8 mile
Other Classes running this night: 305 Sprint Cars, ASCS Warrior Region 360
Sprint Cars
Pit Passes $30
Pits Open: 5pm
Hot Laps: 7pm
Races:7:30 pm
Non members are welcome, NO temporary membership required for this season
opening event. ONE $50 Gas card will be given out at the drivers meeting Courtesy of
Lincoln Heating and Air, Columbia MO
Motels: Approximately 10 miles east of the track in Sedalia MO. Holiday
Inn and Express 660-826-4000, Comfort Inn 660-829-5050, Super 8, 660-827-5890
Contact information:
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Rambling...
I was disappointed to hear that there was a poor car count in Florida. I heard second hand that there was somewhere between 9-12 cars in attendance. I know that a lot of hard work went into putting the event together. It is hard to say if car count was a lingering effect of the economy or if there were just too many choices this winter. Not that I have much room to talk since I didn't make any of the winter events this year...not intentional just the way it worked out. I know that the trip to Tulsa was a very big financial comittment for those who went. I know for me it would have been tough to make two trips like that in one winter. I did notice that apparently Casey Shuman made some laps in a mini sprint. Would love to get in touch with him and see what he thought.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Looking to get started?
If you are looking to get started in mini sprint racing, here is a great car to do it in. This is a Doemelt Chassis with a CBR 1000cc engine in it. Nice looking car and a great deal for the price. More information and better photos available at http://www.speedpartz.com/used_doemelt55.htm
Another New FOZ Race Car
Just stopped by Speed Partz and snapped a picture of this new FOZ Race Cars G2 that is going together. It has a Yamaha R1 nestled into it and should be on the ground pretty soon. It is turning out to be a really nice piece. Seems like things are really picking up across the country for the mini sprints. A couple more are going out to Kansas this weekend and their are two more coming off the jigs headed for Indiana in the next few weeks. Was doing some work on the upcoming preview issue of Mini Sprint Racer for 2011. Looks like right now their are 44 events in the Midwest for the mini sprints, on 28 different dates. It sounds as if there are a few more dates that might happen also. There seems to be a lot of interest around some non-wing events too. Hopefully it is a good season.
Cool Stickers
Here is an item that we've started producing that is cheap, but has recieved a lot of comments. We call them idiot stickers, but a lot of people have told us that it really dresses the cockpit of a race car out very nicely. Unlike the actual panels that many people sell, these are just stickers that you place right on the cowling. Best of all, unlike the expensive pre-made panels these switch labels can be placed whereever you would like and are only $12.95 for a pack. They can be ordered through Speed Partz. Here is the link: http://www.speedpartz.com/panelpak.htm
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Shop work
sure seem to be popular this year particularly the 09.
Rob Winks seems to be lined up with some pretty good sources and says he
has been selling quite a few of them. He feels that we will probably see
prices on the upswing just based upon availability. The downturn in sales
in the sportbike market the past few years has meant fewer crashed bikes
and ultimately salvaged motors.
This sure has been a hard winter. Really makes you long for the sun and the
chance to go racing. I am not sure who all is headed to Florida. I talked
to Drew Dorsett at the recent Circle Track Expo in Indy and he indicated
that he was planning on making the trip.
I always enjoy seeing which open wheelers are making the move up into the
stock cars. Two names I recognized in this Saturday's ARCA race are recent
Chili Bowl winner Kevin Swindell and Dakota Armstrong. Best luck to both.
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Trip to the V-Twin Show
some pretty neat stuff. I'm not too much into the big customs, but did
really like this XR 1200. Looking forward to the Indy Dealer Expo in a few
weeks. It has been a great opportunity to scope out new products.
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Great for getting started
getting started. Priced to meet most budgets.
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Monday, January 24, 2011
Back to Blogg'n - Bigelow in the house
I was pretty excited about the group that stopped in the shop last Saturday. If you're slow on the take like me, you might not recognize the gentleman on the far left - he is famed midget, sprint and Indy car driver Tom Bigelow. Tom and nephew Buddy Luebke came in to pick up a few wings and additional parts. Buddy has pulled a couple of Sipple chassis out of the barn which he plans on runnng this season. Buddy has been running midgets the last year and was interested in what the Midwest Mini Sprint Association has planned for this year regarding a few non-wing races. When we were talking about the places that the MMSA runs, I brought up Kokomo. Tom perked up and said 'Oh you guys run at Kokomo, I've been busted up a few times there'. It was then that I realized that I remember a couple of years ago when Luebke and his uncle Bigelow were a team at the Chili Bowl. I came pretty close to having a racing legend in our shop and not even knowing it. I am glad he obliged us the photo next to our car. I went online and discovered that Tom is a member of both the midget and sprint hall-of-fame. Tom's a pretty humble guy and probably never would have said anything about it. I asked him if he ever thinks about getting back in a car again--he said he thinks he will leave up to the youngsters in his family. He did mention that he might try to get one of his grandsons into the mini sprints. Tom and Buddy L. are more proof that you meet some of the nicest folks in racing. I hope Buddy L. gets to come down and race with us a few times this year.
You've probably heard me make mention of a really cool new battery that we are going to start carrying. I recently had the chance to meet with the company's owner out in California. A really nice guy with what we believe will be a really neat product for the mini sprint market. Check out the story we put together after sitting down with Anti-Gravity Batteries, Scott Schafer. Click here to read the story
We will be at the Indy Circle Track Expo this weekend showing off our new Viper Pipes products. If you make it over to the show we will be in booth 509. We'll also have along our new tachometer and battery. They are really nice products that you will want to be sure to check out. We have also added new products and video to our Viper Pipes website. You can visit it at http://www.viperpipes.com/.
I was pretty excited to see the new Waynesfield schedule for this year. Looks like there will be plenty of opportunity for the 1000cc mini sprints there this year. This has always been one of my favorite tracks and Greg Shobe has been a supporter of the mini sprints since the very beginning. Good news in my book.
I am looking for someone to help the site out with updates from DuQuoin since we will not be able to attend. I have it set up so that it is very easy to do updates. If you are interested, drop me an e-mail at sfasse-at-fozmarketing.com.
That's all for now. Check back soon.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Viper Pipes T.V. Released
We recently released our first of what we hope will be many episodes of Viper Pipes T.V. In this first episode we are showcasing our new Viper Pipes R1 right side exit headers.
If you haven't checked out all the videos and photos from the Tulsa Shootout yet, go to Our Tulsa Shootout Blog
If you haven't checked out all the videos and photos from the Tulsa Shootout yet, go to Our Tulsa Shootout Blog
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