Friday Fundays

Friday Fundays

Friday Fundays

Friday Fundays

And good luck to all the drivers competing right now at the 3 biggest races you've never heard of: the Baja 1000, Rotax World Finals in Italy and the 14th annual SKUSA SuperNationals in Las Vegas!

Friday Fundays

Late Models @ Knoxville

Friday Fundays

NTK Shifter Super Prix from John Shofner on Vimeo.

That’s all she wrote

What an anticlimactic ending to the 2010 season. Rained out again 9.25.10, nobody showed to do a little roundy-round NASCAR action on the oval last weekend, and noone signed up for the 61 Challenge this weekend. Done. I’ve got shit to do the remaining weekends racing is still goin on somewhere in the Midwest. So everything is getting packed away for another winter. 

Finished 3^rd in the final TAG point standings. Eh, missed 11 of 20 races thanks to the broke chassis and blown motor. 

RIGP vid and Race Report

Well, 2^nd win of the season in the books. 9/11/10 was Race # 18 at 61 Kartway. Sat on pole, won the heat race and final. It wasn’t easy though...had an epic battle with “Doc” Al Cram in the final. Doc got the jump on me in the final only to spin out with a couple laps to go from my constant pressure! Ha! Coasted to an easy checker...

9/18/10 was Race #19 at 61 Kartway and promptly got rained out. Bummer. What a boring freaking day at the track. So we started drinking when the race was officially called at 4:30 and then went and watched Iowa get thumped by Arizona. Saw that one coming from a mile away...Stanzi does give handsies!

Next up: the season championship races this weekend.

And finally, the helmet cam vid from the Rock Island Grand Prix. Quality kind of sucks! Eh, it’s better than nothing. I’ll definitely be rocking an upgraded HD cam next year. I don’t know...it looks like #1 spun me around at the start, who knows. Thanks dude.
RIGP 2010 from Morgan Schuler on Vimeo.

Rock Island Grand Prix - King of the Streets 2010 from eKartingNews.com on Vimeo.

Your friend and my favorite,
Morgan

The Rock! Race Report

Every Labor Day weekend 250 drivers descend on downtown Rock Island to battle at the Rock Island Grand Prix. They close the city streets and set up a race track right there! You REALLY have to be at the fencing to get an idea of just what exactly the F is going on out there on that track with these guys. Things get very crazy very very fast! Speed? We hit 90-100 mph. Words cannot describe the feeling of piloting a kart ½ an inch off the ground bouncing over man hole covers and bricks. Talk about controlled mayhem. Talk about intensity. Talk about holy f'ing shit.

Everyone is going hard and everyone is coming fast and no one is backing f’ing off. The whole spectacle is just awesome. You’re on the gas and sliding and bouncing and shaking every inch of the way. It really truly is awesome displays of nerve, grit, guts, and big f'ing cajones. Street racing is no joke. You just know everyone is going to end up in a heap but...just another day at the office.

The kart was just bad ass fast from the first practice session. Tons of grip it went wherever I wanted with no over/under steer. I did stuff it into the turn 1 barriers during the second practice session. Woopsie kiddies. Bent the spindle and steering shaft. We absolutely thrashed getting new parts put on before qualifying. Said screw it, eyeballed the alignment, and got ready. Qualified 5th in Rotax Senior putting it on the inside of row 3! Hells yeah!

F’ing only to get punted in the first corner in the final. I saved it but was back in 10^th or 11^th. Freaking cowards. Words can’t describe how pissed I was in that moment. I ended up making it back up to 5th or 6th but the contact from the first lap cut my right front tire. It was flat by lap 10 and I pulled in with 4 or 5 laps left, finishing 10th. I had the speed, I had a chance to contend, just didn't make it to the finish again. Make plans for Labor Day weekend next year, we’ll be back. This year...nothing but bad luck and frustration.

5 or 6 races left this year...I’m going for checkered flags. Thanks to all my friends for the help and support throughout the weekend! It was hectic as all hell at times, hope everyone had fun! I’ll get the helmet cam vid edited and posted up when I get some time.

Your friend and my favorite, Morgan

Race Report: 61 Kartway Race # 17

Wow! A month out of the driver’s seat, it was good to be back on track. Nothing is more fun than holding it pinned deep into a corner, pitching the ass end out like a dirt car, and holding it wide effing open all the way to the 14k redline! Mother mary big baby Jesus holy dude!

Sat on pole, 1st place in the heat race, and 1st feature win of the year. About time. No drama, nothing broke, just flat hauled ass all day!

Now I’m really looking forward to the Rock Island Grand Prix this weekend. Pumped, excited, can not wait!

Your friend and my favorite,
Morgan

Back in the Saddle

The new bullet is bolted down and broke in. I waffled back and forth but in the end decided to get a new engine, same as the old one. Checkbook racing at it’s best! I almost switched engine brands but I’m not sure the grass is greener on the other side.

With that said, I’m planning on racing at 61 Kartway this Saturday. After that, prep starts for the Rock Island Grand Prix, Labor Day weekend.

Race Report: U.S. Rotax Grand Nationals

I’ve put this race report off long enough. When the weekend and racing experience goes all to hell, it’s not very fun writing about it...


The U.S. Rotax Grand Nationals took place at New Castle Motorsports Park in Indiana, July 13-17. The track is 1 mile long with two very long and fast straights where drafting, believe it or not, actually comes into play. It’s just a great karting facility with a restaurant, bar, and VIP lounges.

It was hot and humid all week. Not gonna lie, it really kicked my ass. Though rain never played a role in the racing action, it rained almost every night with a couple big thunderstorms that pounded the area.

Even with the rain, the track just builds up a huge amount of rubber. This was a new experience for me not only driving but also setting up the chassis. The track constantly changed giving everyone a huge challenge. I know I’m better off gaining that experience. It was just difficult in the heat of the moment and very frustrating. My goal going in was to finish in the top 15, although I knew it would be a stretch to get a finish like that in only my third year of karting.

Let’s face it, my experience is lacking considerably when it comes to these big races. Just getting used to the race format is hard to handle. There was basically one day of official practice, qualifying, 3 heat races where we had to start in our qualifying position each time, a pre final where we would start on the average finishing position of our heat races and at the end a final where we would start where we finished the pre final. It’s just a huge amount of racing. The key to success is just getting through all of the heats without wrecking or getting caught up in someone else’s mess.

I finished the last practice session Wednesday night not really knowing what to expect going into qualifying Thursday. I was definitely doubting my chassis setup and tire pressures.

Yep that hurt and a huge ego blow. Qualified 35th out of 43 karts. I ran a 1:06.5 while the pole setter threw down a blistering fast 1:04.9. Do work son! I had a lot of ground to make up...I’m just not a good qualifier but there was still a lot of racing to do. Anyway I went out for the first heat race Thursday afternoon determined to improve, put my head down, and just race. Due to my underwhelming qualifying performance, I started my first heat race 17th out of 21. I got a freaking awesome start and went to work passing the other dorks.

Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta (ok, a midpack gangsta, ha!)...finished 12th out of 21 and made up ground compared to the front runners. Confidence was high and in my mind I was moving in the right direction. With Thursday’s action over I was looking forward to Friday.

I went to the track Friday morning focused and determined to improve throughout the day. I just had 2 heat races to get through. Again, I started 17th out of 21 in the second heat and got another amazing start. By the end of the 1st lap I had charged like crazy to 11th. Flyin high and feeling good. But...(there’s always a but):

DNF should be my F’ing middle name. Disaster happened. Halfway through the second lap, I was making a pass to get in the top 10. I was inside the dude on a turn when some Dilbert driving over his head decided to make it three wide. He hit the curbing while using me as his brake. I was now the meat in this cluster sandwich. With the contact, it pushed me into the guy on the outside and my right rear tire went over his left front. I somehow saved it into the grass never letting off the go pedal and made my way back on track. Pissed off and with the kart feeling fine I pushed on...for 2 more corners.

Unknowingly, through all that contact and off-road romp, it ripped off the lower radiator hose dumping all the water. No water equals overheating engine. I stuck the ever reliable Rotax. Blowed it up good too! Crank, rod, piston, cylinder, and power valve are all toast. And the case halves are probably warped. Not for sure yet but it might be a total loss. I’m not exactly doing this on a shoestring budget but I have my limitations. Most everyone in attendance has 1 or 2 backup chassis and motors. I don’t. The cheapest anyone would rent me a motor was $700 for the remaining 3 races. F that.

Weekend and racing over early again. Complete bummer! This was my first Grand Nats and I learned a few things. Overall a lot of challenges and disappointment but also a lot of good things to take home. I now know I’ve got the race craft to compete with the big dogs and came out a faster and better racer, but...I'm not sure I can or want to compete with the money being thrown around on freaking karting in these type of events. Not to mention teams with multiple factory mechanics and NASCAR type haulers full of spares. People are just out for blood. Everyone's front bumper was bashed in due to all the bumping! One kid even broke his arm and multiple people left the track in an ambulance. I guess that’s what happens when the top 3 in my class get to punch tickets to the World Finals in Italy.

So what’s next? I dunno. My motor is scrap metal relegated to a wall ornament. Either buck up and buy a new motor or find a used one. For now I’m sitting on the sidelines, again. Frustrating year for sure! No video, they wouldn’t allow helmet cams.

Your friend and my favorite,
Morgan

Turning it to Eleven

“What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do? Eleven. Exactly. One louder.” – Spinal Tap.

I just wanted to throw up a quick note before the hop, skip and jump over to Rotax Grand Nats @ NCMP, Indiana:

Watch the 2010 US Rotax Grand National, Live, Streaming Online!

Watch me race, live in color!

There’s your link. Check it out. Practice is Wednesday, qualifying and heat races Thursday and Friday, and the feature Saturday. I’ll update here and Facebook when I know exact times I’ll be racing. How cool is that?

61 Kartway Race #9 Report

I finished prepping the kart Friday night and did a final nut and bolt check for the race Saturday. Would the newly welded frame hold up to the unrelenting abuse about to be unleashed? Nothing left to do but pin it to win it.

Days like Saturday aren’t my favorite to be at the track. It felt like you just got out of the shower as soon as you stepped outside. It was HOT, I saw 96° at one point! The first practice session I took it easy, seeing if the chassis acted weird or if anything fell off. Success! Yeah for not failing! After two more practice sessions and various chassis adjustments all was right in the world and the weld was holding up fine. Because of 2+ inches of rain during the week, the rubber was almost completely washed off the track. Add the heat beating down on the track and grip was at a premium. I went into qualifying telling myself slow in, fast out, be smooth, and hit my marks. Qualified second, a couple tenths and change off of pole. We were on our games and had a couple seconds on the rest of the field. For whatever reason, the TAG class has had a weak turnout for all races this year...

For the Pre-Final I got an awesome start when the green flag flew and jumped out to the lead! Hammer down, I lead all 8 laps green to checker, taking the win. Kyle pressured but couldn’t pass, even though a few attempts were made. With the temps dropping slightly, the track was finally starting to get grippy allowing me to lay down fast lap of the session.

Rolling out for the Feature on pole I knew whoever got the best start would probably take the win. My plan was to shoot inside and then drift out running like hell to get away. AAARRGH! WRONG! This time I got crappy start, banged side pods with Kyle through the first turn, which allowed him to get ahead me as we charged up the hill. He really turned the wick up and it was all I could do to keep pace. I never got close enough to make a real battle out of it, he was just faster throughout the entire race. With a big lead on 3rd place I coasted the last lap bringing it home in 2nd place.

Can’t complain, the frame seems like it wasn’t affected by the welding repair and 2nd place podium finish is cool by me! I was just glad to get out of my sweat drenched driving suit and crack open an ice cold NASCAR Light after a long, hot day!

And finally, actual video of the race! I still need to tweak the camera to get a better view of the action...something is better than nothing though! I should start recording both the Pre-Final and Feature...and I need another camera to use as a “loser cam,” pointing backwards to see the action behind me.

61 Kartway Race #9 from Morgan Schuler on Vimeo.

And here’s the vid from Kyle from the second race of the year. I was just behind him watching the action hoping someone would make a mistake...too bad he couldn’t make the last corner pass, I was waiting to come through too!

Not sure if I’m racing this weekend or not. I could go out to Indy or Road America up in Wisconsin...what does everyone have planned for the 4th? For sure we’ll be racing at the next 61 Kartway club race, July 10th and then take off July 13-17th for the Rotax Grand Nationals.

Your friend and my favorite,
Morgan

My Passion Bucket is Overflowing

Metal was melted and the frame stitched back together:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

An appropriate solute to the situation:

I got the frame back Wednesday, spent Thursday and Friday nights putting everything back together for the race Saturday. Hopefully it doesn’t rain...