Challenge of the Americas - Race 1
| Date | Jan 30, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Track | Musselman Honda Circuit, Tuscon, AZ |
| Total Drivers | 24 |
| Qualify Position / Time | P23 / :52.113 |
| Heat Race Position / Best Lap | P16 / :52.389 |
| Main Race Position / Best Lap | P18 / :52.421 |
| Points Earned | 16 |
| Standings Position | 18/24 |
We arrived in Tuscon mid-day on Thursday, so we were able to get a day and a half of practice on an entirely new track he had never driven before. The practice time was extremely valuable as it gave him a chance to learn the track and get comfortable with the increased speed relative to what he has been used to on the smaller Simraceway track at Sonoma. Nick did a fantastic job getting the kart ready in advance, and Kyle was able to get a ton of useful insights from Nick and Donald to help prepare him for his first National level race.
Kyle had just one goal going into this race…to finish and keep the kart in one piece. Not only did he achieve this goal, but he exceeded both of our expectations with how he performed over the course of the 4 days.
Qualifying
During the practice days/sessions, he was able to lay down some decent lap times, but given this was his first time on this track, his qualifying times were only enough to put him in P23 (out of 24 drivers) to start the Heat race. The nice thing about starting in the back, you can sometimes avoid the mayhem up front as drivers arejockeying for position.
Heat Race
Kyle was able to push up to P17 in the Heat race by driving steady, staying close with the pack, avoiding mistakes and making some key passes. One driver got disqualified at the end of the race for tech violations, so Kyle was able to finish the heat and start the main in P16. Getting 16th out of 24 drivers in his first National race was pretty amazing.
Main Race
The Main race was just as exciting to watch. He lost a few positions during the first few laps, but was able to stay competitive and claw his way back up. The end of the race was the most exciting as he made a pass on the second to last corner to move up 1 position during the final lap of the race to get to P18. Despite the fact that he ended 2 positions lower than the Heat race, it was actually a stronger finish since 3 drivers crashed out of the Heat, whereas only 1 did not finish the Main so there was more competition on the track for the Main race.
Full Results:
Read about the other races from 2016 Challenge of the Americas