December the 22, just 3 more days until Christmas.............I love this time of year, although not a big fan of the cold weather I love the Christmas holidays, I like everything but probably the thing I love the most is just seeing the excitement in all of the youngsters eyes.
Christmas reminds me of the importance of family and friends.I personally have family coming into town on the 23rd so it will be fun times around the Whaling family home this holidays.
I was just talking to Tim Shaw this morning and he mentioned how strange it was not to be preparing to go to a race this time of year, and it got me to thinking when the last time I had a relaxing stay at home Christmas holidays and to the best of my recollection it was in 1988, which I believe was the first time I travelled to Florida to race.
Karting has been such a huge part of my life over the past 32 years, and I have come to the decision that it is without a doubt the best family sport ever. No where else can every member of a family become so involved with a sport. Sports like Baseball, Football and Hockey are all individual family sports where one member competes and everyone else watches. In Karting every young driver needs a mechanic, which generally becomes Dad, and a data keeper to collect and keep track of all pertinent information, which usually becomes Mom's job.
Aunts, Uncles,Grandparents and even Siblings will all find their places on the karting team, it is a wonderful site to see the team work that it takes on any given weekend to have success in this sport, and to see a family unit come together like that is a wonderful thing.
I miss not going to a race this holiday season but not having one to attend reminded me how much I missed spending the holidays with my family as well................So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everybody out there and I hope you have as much enjoyment as I plan on having, doing nothing and spending time with Family and Friends.
Francis
Friday, December 22, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Progression In Racing
It seems that a drivers progression into big time motorsports has more to do with dollars then talent these days, even the sport of Kart Racing is getting more and more expensive to compete at a high level.
There is an abundance of young driving talent in America right now but the problem is there are too few rides available, and the extremely high costs of racing in the big time are just too high for the majority of the people to afford.
It is a shame to see this talent go to waste strictly because of financial restraints but that seems to be the nature of the beast. On a positive note, with the emergence of television shows like Jack Roush's The Gong Show it seems like this trend may start to turn around. Although I never really have been a huge fan of reality television this is an unprecedented idea in motorsports.............Find some talented drivers and make them race for the ride............Brilliant.............It is my wish that more and more teams would undertake this type of talent search.
I feel that the drivers that we have in North America rival that of anywhere in the world, but racing it seems, is taken alot more seriously in other parts of the world, like Europe, and drivers begin their training at a much younger age then they do here. It's a lifestyle, here in America it's Football, look at the variety of levels of play that a young boy can do starting at the very young age. In countries like Italy, Germany and France Racing is so extremely popular that us North Americans can't even imagine.
Around 1995 or 1996 I had the opportunity to travel to the Karting World Championships in Lonato Italy, and let me tell you this was an experience like no other, there were 50 000 spectators at a Go-Kart race. This amazed me because I was used to seeing maybe 20 spectators here in the US. I actually had the privilege of meeting two people from Germany that had been backpacking across Europe for a couple of months just to attend some races, and yes believe it or not the Karting World Championships was one of them.
It amazed me that these two people actually ranked the Kart race up there with the Formula 1 race at Monza, and the Italian leg of the Moto GP as a must attend event..................However it seemed that 50 000 people agreed with them.
Racing is a very fickle sport, sometimes I think it would be easier to become an astronaut and land on the moon then it would be to land a seat in a race car and that is a shame, an American Race car driver is a rare occurrence anymore in open wheel racing and that is a huge disappointment to me because I feel it is a huge waste of our talented drivers.
Francis
There is an abundance of young driving talent in America right now but the problem is there are too few rides available, and the extremely high costs of racing in the big time are just too high for the majority of the people to afford.
It is a shame to see this talent go to waste strictly because of financial restraints but that seems to be the nature of the beast. On a positive note, with the emergence of television shows like Jack Roush's The Gong Show it seems like this trend may start to turn around. Although I never really have been a huge fan of reality television this is an unprecedented idea in motorsports.............Find some talented drivers and make them race for the ride............Brilliant.............It is my wish that more and more teams would undertake this type of talent search.
I feel that the drivers that we have in North America rival that of anywhere in the world, but racing it seems, is taken alot more seriously in other parts of the world, like Europe, and drivers begin their training at a much younger age then they do here. It's a lifestyle, here in America it's Football, look at the variety of levels of play that a young boy can do starting at the very young age. In countries like Italy, Germany and France Racing is so extremely popular that us North Americans can't even imagine.
Around 1995 or 1996 I had the opportunity to travel to the Karting World Championships in Lonato Italy, and let me tell you this was an experience like no other, there were 50 000 spectators at a Go-Kart race. This amazed me because I was used to seeing maybe 20 spectators here in the US. I actually had the privilege of meeting two people from Germany that had been backpacking across Europe for a couple of months just to attend some races, and yes believe it or not the Karting World Championships was one of them.
It amazed me that these two people actually ranked the Kart race up there with the Formula 1 race at Monza, and the Italian leg of the Moto GP as a must attend event..................However it seemed that 50 000 people agreed with them.
Racing is a very fickle sport, sometimes I think it would be easier to become an astronaut and land on the moon then it would be to land a seat in a race car and that is a shame, an American Race car driver is a rare occurrence anymore in open wheel racing and that is a huge disappointment to me because I feel it is a huge waste of our talented drivers.
Francis
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Yellow Fin Engines Awards Day
You see it all the time on TV, they have Awards shows for everything now, Music, Movies, Television, just to name a few, so I thought I would give out a few cudos myself.
Junior Driver Of The Year................Christian Pahud.........(Thunderous Applause)..............What a year for Christian 2 WKA National Championships, in 2 of the toughest classes out there. Absolutely fantastic if you ask me.
Most Improved Junior Driver................Sterling Shaw........(Thunderous Applause).......... Sterling drove his Butt off all year and showed consistant progress all season. Starting with new equiptment (again) for 2006 Sterling beat the learning curve and posted impresive finishes in the WKA as well as an OVKA Championship in the toughest class by far. Way to go Sterling I can't wait for 2007.
Junior Sportsman Driver Of The Year..............Chase Stempfley........(Thunderous Applause)................ This was Chase's season, he dominated the Junior Sportsman class at OVKA in 2006 taking home the Championship with ease. His consistency is scary and he will definately be one to watch in 2007. Excellent job Chase, howabout we do it again in 2007.
Junior Sportsman Most Improved Driver................Shinya Michimi............(Thunderous Applause)............. I have had my eye on this Hot Shoe for a while now and have seen nothing but improvement from him the whole time. His race craft has improved as well as his consistency, although he lacks a little aggression at times he will be a threat to win races in 2007. Watch out for this driver everybody he will be in the hunt.
Masters Driver Of The Year............Rick Coombs..........(Thunderous Applause)............. Rick is the man, His crafty race sence is only out done by his consistency. Rick struggled early with a weight issue but was still almost always the man to beat. A little weight loss later and he was lights out for the rest of the season. Heck of a job Rick next year should be even better.
Most Improved Masters Driver............ Doug Stempfley.........(Thunderous Applause)........Despite a rash of bad luck that seemed to strike all season long Doug still just missed the OVKA Championship.
If Doug could get a little more luck you Masters drivers better watch out cause this dude can fly.
Family Of The Year,,,,,,,,,,,,,,The Horn Family..............(Thunderous Applause)...............John, Maria and Olivia definately won this one hands down. This Family loves to race, their passion is fueled by Dad John an ex Motorcycle racer. Maria the Mom is the Anchor, the Rock of the family.......OK shes the Boss and a darn good one at that. And last but certainly not least is Rookie Sportsman Racer Olivia, She might be a rookie but you boys had better watch out.
Hard Luck Award...............Victor Hartings...........(Not So Thunderous Applause, Nobody Wants To Win This One).................Sorry Vic but I had to give you this one. Man what a Season, coming off of an OVKA Championship in 2005 Vic was looking good going into 2006 but with a seemingly endless string of bad luck and bent equiptment 2006 went to the crapper.................Untill the Tag Worlds at NCMP where Vic scored a second place in the TaG Expert class..............Finally some redemption.........Don't worry about it Buddy we'll get them next year.
That's all for now folks if I come up with any wore I will post them later untill then congratulations to all of these drivers and to everyone good luck in 2007.
Francis
Junior Driver Of The Year................Christian Pahud.........(Thunderous Applause)..............What a year for Christian 2 WKA National Championships, in 2 of the toughest classes out there. Absolutely fantastic if you ask me.
Most Improved Junior Driver................Sterling Shaw........(Thunderous Applause).......... Sterling drove his Butt off all year and showed consistant progress all season. Starting with new equiptment (again) for 2006 Sterling beat the learning curve and posted impresive finishes in the WKA as well as an OVKA Championship in the toughest class by far. Way to go Sterling I can't wait for 2007.
Junior Sportsman Driver Of The Year..............Chase Stempfley........(Thunderous Applause)................ This was Chase's season, he dominated the Junior Sportsman class at OVKA in 2006 taking home the Championship with ease. His consistency is scary and he will definately be one to watch in 2007. Excellent job Chase, howabout we do it again in 2007.
Junior Sportsman Most Improved Driver................Shinya Michimi............(Thunderous Applause)............. I have had my eye on this Hot Shoe for a while now and have seen nothing but improvement from him the whole time. His race craft has improved as well as his consistency, although he lacks a little aggression at times he will be a threat to win races in 2007. Watch out for this driver everybody he will be in the hunt.
Masters Driver Of The Year............Rick Coombs..........(Thunderous Applause)............. Rick is the man, His crafty race sence is only out done by his consistency. Rick struggled early with a weight issue but was still almost always the man to beat. A little weight loss later and he was lights out for the rest of the season. Heck of a job Rick next year should be even better.
Most Improved Masters Driver............ Doug Stempfley.........(Thunderous Applause)........Despite a rash of bad luck that seemed to strike all season long Doug still just missed the OVKA Championship.
If Doug could get a little more luck you Masters drivers better watch out cause this dude can fly.
Family Of The Year,,,,,,,,,,,,,,The Horn Family..............(Thunderous Applause)...............John, Maria and Olivia definately won this one hands down. This Family loves to race, their passion is fueled by Dad John an ex Motorcycle racer. Maria the Mom is the Anchor, the Rock of the family.......OK shes the Boss and a darn good one at that. And last but certainly not least is Rookie Sportsman Racer Olivia, She might be a rookie but you boys had better watch out.
Hard Luck Award...............Victor Hartings...........(Not So Thunderous Applause, Nobody Wants To Win This One).................Sorry Vic but I had to give you this one. Man what a Season, coming off of an OVKA Championship in 2005 Vic was looking good going into 2006 but with a seemingly endless string of bad luck and bent equiptment 2006 went to the crapper.................Untill the Tag Worlds at NCMP where Vic scored a second place in the TaG Expert class..............Finally some redemption.........Don't worry about it Buddy we'll get them next year.
That's all for now folks if I come up with any wore I will post them later untill then congratulations to all of these drivers and to everyone good luck in 2007.
Francis
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
3 Day Weekend
Well i'm back......................It's Tuesday morning and here I am back at work, I took Monday off to get my Christmas shoping done, WOW, were the stores ever busy, and the streets too.................What a crazy time of year.
Man I have to vent here a little.....................What happened to My Bengals...........They sucked last night, and did it on national TV, God that was embarrassing to say the least.
Maybe I could use this time to give everybody some tips for storing your racing engines for the winter time (A little late, but you know what they say 'Better late then never"). And since there isn't much going on in the racing world these days there is no time like the present.
Let's say for example that you race a Yamaha KT100 engine (Although these techniques will work with any engine) the first thing you should have done was "FOG" the engine with some oil.................Now hold on let me explain what I mean here............With the engine on the chassis and everything connected you would remove the airbox from the engine, after that start the engine up and keep it running with one hand while you squirt oil (Any oil will do even some 10W30) into the Carburetor with the other, this process will completely coat the inside of the engine with a thin film of oil.
Once you have that job accomplished you can remove the engine from the Kart and thuroughly clean the outside of the engine and remove all grease and oil (If left on for long periods of time these deposits can stain the aluminium at a detriment to the engines appearance). now with that out of the way all you have to do is find a nice cosy place to keep the engine that will limit drastic temperature changes that cause condensation inside the engine that will eventually cause the engine to rust.
Well that's all I have right now so I hope you all enjoy the tip for the day and I will be back later with more thoughts and tips.
Bye for now.
Francis
Man I have to vent here a little.....................What happened to My Bengals...........They sucked last night, and did it on national TV, God that was embarrassing to say the least.
Maybe I could use this time to give everybody some tips for storing your racing engines for the winter time (A little late, but you know what they say 'Better late then never"). And since there isn't much going on in the racing world these days there is no time like the present.
Let's say for example that you race a Yamaha KT100 engine (Although these techniques will work with any engine) the first thing you should have done was "FOG" the engine with some oil.................Now hold on let me explain what I mean here............With the engine on the chassis and everything connected you would remove the airbox from the engine, after that start the engine up and keep it running with one hand while you squirt oil (Any oil will do even some 10W30) into the Carburetor with the other, this process will completely coat the inside of the engine with a thin film of oil.
Once you have that job accomplished you can remove the engine from the Kart and thuroughly clean the outside of the engine and remove all grease and oil (If left on for long periods of time these deposits can stain the aluminium at a detriment to the engines appearance). now with that out of the way all you have to do is find a nice cosy place to keep the engine that will limit drastic temperature changes that cause condensation inside the engine that will eventually cause the engine to rust.
Well that's all I have right now so I hope you all enjoy the tip for the day and I will be back later with more thoughts and tips.
Bye for now.
Francis
Friday, December 15, 2006
Thank God It's Friday
Thank God Its Friday.................I can almost hear that being shouted out all over the country.
It seems like it was just yesterday that I was sitting in the Pits at Michiana Raceway park for the World Karting Association national race,sweating my butt off wishing for some cooler weather......It's funny how time flies, and the cold weather that we are sure to get might make one sorry for what they wish for ;)
Kart racing is always on my mind, heck it's what I do for a living it has to be on my mind, but recently I have been trying to think of ways to promote not only my business but the sport of Go-Kart racing as well. Now I haven't actually come up with anything brilliant yet but if I do I will most certainly let you all know.
Along with this same train of though I got to wondering why Go-Kart Racing isn't more nationally promoted, I mean come on people ESPN can air Professional Bowling on television but they can't bother to air a Go-Kart race every once in a great while.
Kart racing holds events in several of the same venues as NASCAR with yearly events at both Lowes Motor Speedway and Daytona Intl. Speedway. With that said, where is the respect that this sport deserves and why does Go-Kart racing not get much national airtime? ........................... I don't have the answer to that question but hopefully the success that the Snap On Stars Of Karting presented by the Indy Racing league is having will convince other major series to pitch in and help promote Kart Racing into the future.
It seems like it was just yesterday that I was sitting in the Pits at Michiana Raceway park for the World Karting Association national race,sweating my butt off wishing for some cooler weather......It's funny how time flies, and the cold weather that we are sure to get might make one sorry for what they wish for ;)
Kart racing is always on my mind, heck it's what I do for a living it has to be on my mind, but recently I have been trying to think of ways to promote not only my business but the sport of Go-Kart racing as well. Now I haven't actually come up with anything brilliant yet but if I do I will most certainly let you all know.
Along with this same train of though I got to wondering why Go-Kart Racing isn't more nationally promoted, I mean come on people ESPN can air Professional Bowling on television but they can't bother to air a Go-Kart race every once in a great while.
Kart racing holds events in several of the same venues as NASCAR with yearly events at both Lowes Motor Speedway and Daytona Intl. Speedway. With that said, where is the respect that this sport deserves and why does Go-Kart racing not get much national airtime? ........................... I don't have the answer to that question but hopefully the success that the Snap On Stars Of Karting presented by the Indy Racing league is having will convince other major series to pitch in and help promote Kart Racing into the future.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Well everybody it's almost a new year.
2006 is almost over and 2007 is just around the corner, I hope everyone is doing well this holiday season, I know things around here are a little slow this time of the year, but hey it gave me time to start a Blog ;)
I had alot of fun in 2006, there was alot of racing to do all over the country and my engines saw alot of success across the board. I got the chance to work with several of the top drivers in the country like Casey Neal, Chris Keller, Chris Larson, Christian Pahud, Anthony Lliopiz and many many others. I also had the privelige of getting the chance to work with several top teams in the country including J3 Competition, Prime Motorsports and the Margay Factory team just to name a few.
This is the first post on my Blog so I will keep it short, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody that was part of our team for making this year such a huge success.
Talk at you later.
Francis
I had alot of fun in 2006, there was alot of racing to do all over the country and my engines saw alot of success across the board. I got the chance to work with several of the top drivers in the country like Casey Neal, Chris Keller, Chris Larson, Christian Pahud, Anthony Lliopiz and many many others. I also had the privelige of getting the chance to work with several top teams in the country including J3 Competition, Prime Motorsports and the Margay Factory team just to name a few.
This is the first post on my Blog so I will keep it short, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody that was part of our team for making this year such a huge success.
Talk at you later.
Francis
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