S1, S2 and (yours truly) S3 drivers take podium in SGKC Race 2 Pro Stock Honda class

Date	Apr 23, 2017
Track	Simraceway, Sonoma, CA
Configuration	Reverse National
Total Drivers	6
Qualify Position / Time	P3 / :49.049
Heat Race 1 Position / Best Lap	P3 (P1 for Points) / :49.275
Heat Race 2 Position / Best Lap	P5 (P2 for Points) / :49.191
Main Race Position / Best Lap	P3 (P1 for Points) / :49.237
Points Earned / Series Points	245 / 465
Standings Position	1/7

Photo by Tony Leone, Dromo Photos — Photo by Tony Leone, Dromo Photos

With SKUSA Pro Tour Spring Nats coming up soon, SGKC Round 2 was the perfect opportunity for competitors to get some extra practice in before the big race. The turnout for Pro Stock Honda was twice the size as it was at the first race, which made for some great competition.

Practice

I arrived at practice late on Saturday, meaning I had only 3 sessions to get up to speed while everyone else drove 8 sessions total. Right off the bat, I showed some good speed. My only driving issue was fixed shortly after the first practice, thanks to some post-session feedback from Joe Morton.

Qualify

I failed to monitor my temperatures during qualifying. As a result, my lap times could only be as quick as 49.049. Perhaps if I paid more attention, I would have gone a bit faster and had a shot at P2.

Heat Race 1

I got a great launch on the start of the first heat. All was going well, until I saw the red flag being waved as I was coming down the front straight on the first lap. It turned out that S2 driver Kol Bailey had flipped his kart over at Tic Tac Toe after driving over a curb and putting himself on two wheels. Thankfully, he wasn't seriously injured, but had to sit out of the first heat race. On the restart, I was able to repeat the launch I had before and drove a steady pace to finish in 3rd place.

Heat Race 2

I wasn't able to replicate the same start as the first heat, and Kol Bailey was able to rocket past me and Zach Pettinicchi the moment the green flag went up. Richard Stock was also able to get by on lap one, and I spent the majority of the race trying to make up what I lost. After getting past Stock, I found myself slowly catching up to Pettinicchi, but there wasn't enough time for me to challenge him for P4, so I had to settle with P5, meaning I would be starting in P3 once more for the main race.

Main

After analyzing some GoPro footage with Daniel de la Calle, we were able to pinpoint my biggest weakness: Tic Tac Toe. Again. We studied the video over and over, and broke down the speed secrets that would help guide me to my first podium finish in a shifter kart race with more than 3 drivers. Focus was the key to maintaining solid consistency throughout the race. From start to finish, I managed my energy, hit my marks, and made minimal errors. I finished in P3 behind S1 driver Hunter Pickett and S2 driver Kyle Wick.

Being able to compete against the likes of Hunter Pickett, Kyle Wick, and Kol Bailey made for an amazing learning opportunity. This race really showed me where my pace stands in a competitive field of S1 and S2 drivers, and the team and I were not disappointed. It was a huge honor to share the podium with Hunter Pickett and the "ghost" of Kyle Wick this weekend, and I look forward to tackling the next challenge with more confidence!

Full Results:

Current Standings:

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View Full Standings

Read about the other races from 2017 Sanzaru Games Karting Championship