2016 Rotax Grand Nationals
| Date | Aug 6, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Track | Simraceway, Sonoma, CA |
| Configuration | Reverse National |
| Total Drivers | 20 |
| Qualify Position / Time | P16 / :50.897 |
| Heat Race Standings / Total Points | P18 / 51.016 |
| Pre-Final Race Position/ Best Lap | P14 / :50.825 |
| Final Race Position / Best Lap | P12 / :50.761 |
Practice
Throughout practice, I set a good pace and observed several small details that made me faster than the other drivers, and what made the other drivers faster than me in certain areas. I noticed that A lot of people tend to pull away from me on corner exit, but I catch back up to them right before I have to take another coroner. This meant that my engine needed more attention coming off the bottom end. At the end of the practice sessions, I was running a very strong pace that could have potentially competed in the top 5 and very easily in the top 10.
Qualifying
As a driver, I made no mistakes in Qualifying, but I lost a lot of time because the jetting on the carburetor wasn't quite dialed in right. I qualified in 16th ahead of Zach Pettinicchi.
Heat Races
Heat 1: I had a fairly decent start until I made contact with kart no. 326 on lap 2, coming out of Monaco. That upset my momentum, and ruined my chances of making up more spots that could have helped me start higher up in the Main Race.
Heat 2: Once again, I timed the race start perfectly, but got messed up by the same driver on the same corner. I fell back several spots once more and had to make them back up. No luck for that heat race either, since I wasn't able to make any progress.
Heat 3: I got involved in an unavoidable accident on the first lap, which ultimately led to a DNF for the final heat race. As My teammate Nic and I were heading into the right hairpin, kart no. 355 collided with Nic from the outside, then blocked my path through, giving me less than 5 feet of track ahead to react to the collision. As a result, I had to start the Pre-Main in 18th the following day.
One driver took out 3 people in the opening lap, including my teammate Nic and I. The first driver was able to get back on track, but Nic's tire got pulled off his wheel and my tie rod got bent so we both had to retire.
Pre-Final
Similar to the three heat races, My timing on the starts were great, as I was able to make up quite a few spots within the first couple corners. Not much happened for me during the Pre-Main, and so I finished in 14th, which was only a little bit higher up on the grid than where I qualified.
Final
The race start once again worked out in my favor, as I was able to maintain my position and move up a couple spots. One thing I could have done better on the start was drive more defensively, despite not losing a single spot on the first lap. On lap 2, kart no. 326 went into the dirt (for the 5th time this event) and recklessly swerved back onto the track, almost making contact with me (again). My only option was to brake in the middle of one of the fastest sections of the track and give up the spot because I wasn't planning on getting in a wreck on the second lap of the Grand Nationals. The price I paid was once again almost all of the spots that I moved up on the first lap. Halfway through the race, I was able to pass Zach Pettinicchi and catch up to my other teammate, Dominic. As Dominic and I were battling, Zach went for a risky double overtake on the same corner where I crashed on the 3rd heat race. I foresaw the move and decided not to block, knowing that Zach would overshoot the corner if I broke deeper than I normally would. Unfortunately for the three of us, Zach collided with Dominic, and I found myself right in the middle of the incident. Zach and Dominic were taken out of the race, but I was able to finish in 12th with a bent frame, holding off kart no. 326, who once again went into the dirt before my collision with Zach and lost a lot of spots.
After the Pre-Final, I moved up from P18 to start the Final at P13 after one of the drivers in the top 10 dropped out. I had a decent first couple laps, moving up to P11, but then a driver in front of me went off track going into the esses and decided to pull back on right in front of me. I had to swerve to avoid hitting him, but that killed my momentum and allowed 3 drivers to get past me. I ultimately made the ground back up and finished P12, but with a damaged front end due to another incident in lap 16 where i got dive bombed. Fortunately I was able to get around it and still finish the race. Others weren't so lucky.
Photo by Cody Schindel, International Karting Media Group, Inc.
Despite having a lot of bad luck this race, the Rotax Grand Nationals was a great learning experience for me and the team. Big thank you to Cambrian Go Karts for providing excellent support throughout the event, and for teaching me to appreciate my ability to race even more than I did before.