Super Sportsman Class Notes

[David Chong]

Congratulations and welcome to all the new drivers who competed in the April 25th race! We had a total of 7 Super Sportsman entries, and you all drove a great set of races. I saw quite a bit of wheel to wheel action towards the back of the pack, and I hope each of you enjoyed your race day.

Jeff Shadoan let me know that the proper class weight for the Super Sportsman class is 340 lbs. I had previously thought it ws 10 lbs. heavier, so I have reposted the full class rules here for completeness. I was weighing in at around 350 lbs all day.

SDKA Super Sportsman Class
Age
16 and up

Motors
1. Yamaha 100cc KT-100S (new style “787” cylinder only)
2. RLV 7548 SSX Superbox Can Exhaust (4 hole @ 90 degrees)
3. Dry or Wet Engine Clutch Only, 2 or More Discs; No Direct Drive, No Axle Clutch

Weight/Specs
1. 340-lb. Total Weight
2. 55-1/8-inch Maximum Rear Width

Fuel
Spec fuel/oil mix: MS98 with Maxima 927 or Burris Hi-Rev Castor (driver’s option); eight (8) ounces oil per gallon of fuel

Tires
Maxxis HG3 or MH, Bridgestone YHC, Burris B55A or B44A;
Rear Option 6.0 or 7.10

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I was very happy to see that everyone was eventually able to get their karts running reliably by the Main. You all faced carb issues, fuel line issues, fuel level issues, brake issues, and even driver issues , but by the end of the day all of the Super Sportsman drivers were out there attacking the track!

It was a pleasure to run with you guys, and I thank you for your camaraderie at the track. I had a great day battling with Travis, Cameron, and even a couple of HPV and Formula Y/C drivers. I look forward to running with you all in two weeks (May 9th). Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need any help preparing for the next race. We should have 8-9 drivers next time, as Kenny will be back on track, and we have another driver who intends to join us. It should be a great time!

Regards,
David

[Billy Bowles]

David this is billy i met you all at the track on sat, I am really looking at getting in around nov if poss. until then i would be glad to help you guys out in anyway so email me if you need anything

billy

[David Chong]

It was great to meet you Billy. You would probably slot right into a TaG kart with your experience and your racing goals. Hopefully you can borrow my extra kart next race and get a taste for it. Looking forward to your return from deployment so you can really dive in!

You mentioned at the track that you have a few other friends in your unit at work who might be interested. Any chance of bringing some of them along to the next race to see what it is about? Having done it, I can tell you that it has been a blast going into karting together with a few buddies. I know we talked about it and you already realize that, too. Let's get them to the track!

David

[David Chong]

Here is a little more information on our awesome field of Super Sportsman drivers, almost all of us 2009 rookies! Again, I just congratulate you all for a great race day on the 25th, and I look forward to running with you this year and beyond.

We have a total of 11 Super Sportsman drivers currently running or with karts and committed to run in the next month. We have an additional 3 drivers who are ready or near ready but have not committed or don't have their kart quite running yet, or in one case the timing won't be right until November. That's fourteen probable Super Sportsman drivers in 2009! More are on their way... I promise.

Looking through the field, we have a fantastic core group of drivers. I encourage you all to post a little something about yourself; anything you like, really, whether it's racing experience, why or how you started racing Super Sportsman this year, or why you like racing instead of long walks on the beach. ;D Here, I'll just run down what I saw in the 4/25 event.

#44 David Chong - I started this mess. Blame me! I am new to karting in 2009, honored to be running with you all, and grateful for all the great people I've met in the SDKA. I would not have been successful without the help and support I have received from you folks. I'm the unofficial organizer of the Super Sportsman class, so if you have any questions, comments, issues, or want someone to point a finger at... it's probably me. I have a family so please make it your index finger, thanks.

I had a fantastic time on and off the track last Saturday. I managed to sneak out of there with a win, which was encouraging for a rookie. I had some excellent battles and really enjoyed dicing it up with Brent Hercelinsky and Bill Walsh a few times, and was just so gratified by the good showing and good competition in our class. Thank you, each of you, for spending your time and treasure in this club. You are deeply appreciated.

#16 Kenny Berchtold - Despite the fact that Kenny was one of my core group of friends that decided to go karting together this year, an unfortunate emergency at work forced him to miss the inaugural Super Sportsman race in 2009. I missed him on the track, as he and I had a fierce battle for 6 laps while running Formula Y together last month. Surely Kenny missed the racing, too.

#7 Cameron Henlin - Another one of my original core group, Cameron's first laps in a race of any kind other than indoor karting came at the beginning of this year. He is coming on strong, and I'm pretty sure Kenny and I will be fighting to fend him off by the end of the season. In Heat 1, Cameron ran right behind me the entire race, losing me by only a couple seconds per lap. He's dangerously close to finding the smooth way around, and he would have done even better on Saturday if not for some fuel pickup issues.

#17 Joe Yee - Mighty Joe had a solid outing this month. He finished all but one of the races, and he dropped almost 10 seconds throughout the day, starting at 1:33.8, then dropping to 1:27.9, and finally hitting 1:24.3 by the afternoon. Joe was set to have a fantastic run in the Main, lining up 3rd in class after an excellent showing in the 2nd heat. Joe was in the thick of it on the first lap from the green, battling with Cameron and Travis as they negotiated the challenging turns on the upper loop.

As the field thundered down the front straight, Joe was on the outside headed into Turn 1. He dove in deep hoping to come out of the corner with momentum, but the marbles were having none of it. Joe spun out and slid backwards into a track barrier, bending his axle and ending his day. But it was a good day!

#40 Travis Coyle - Travis is an experienced dirt oval racer, and 2009 is his first run on the asphalt. He's a natural hotshoe, with solid lines in the corners and good awareness. I didn't get to run with him very much, but when I did he was very predictable and stable, which is always reassuring. Travis has some excellent support in the pits from his friend Billy on the wrenches, as well as his wise and patient father. I need to find me a pit crew like that!

Travis had a great run in the Main on Saturday. Starting 3rd in class, he was swallowed up on the first lap. Rather than giving up, Travis quickly regrouped, and passed two karts by lap 3. I know that he was geared completely wrong for the race, and he was running a somewhat dated kart. I hear there is a new chassis under construction back at the shop. Watch this guy... he's coming.

#8n Milt Shadoan - Milt is no stranger to the track. His son Jeff is a pillar of the club on and off the track. When Jeff heard that Super Sportsman racing was coming back, he knew just what to do, and Milt was there in Jeff's old kart! Milt, we'd love to hear from you about your experiences and your plans in the class. You looked great on Saturday. I passed you a few times, and you were running good clean lines. I was especially impressed with your ability to finish the races, and with a steadily improving lap time no less. Milt dropped over 20 seconds from morning to afternoon, and over 6 of those seconds were dropped in the Main alone!

#23 Tim Mahoney - Tim, I enjoyed talking to you in the pits, but I never really got a chance to visit with you. Where did you come from, what brought you in, and what are your goals this year? I noticed that you were fast right from the start of the day, and your lap times were incredibly consistent - you generally ran within a second or two of your best time, every single lap.

#27 John Dobecki - It was great to see you out on the track! I know you had some frustrating sessions with a carb that was acting up. Hopefully you have those issues fixed so you can go attack the track in two weekends. I suspect John is going to be one of those drivers fighting for the win in a few races; he was strong despite significant mechanical issues, and finished the Main just off the podium in 4th. Come summer, hopefully John doesn't beat me too badly... otherwise, I obviously should have sold him the other kart.

Pending Super Sportsman Drivers:

Matt Hubbard
Charles Hunter
Jon Kerr
Travis' brother or friend Brian
Billy Bowles (if he doesn't go TaG)
Sean de Gruchy

Let's hear from you guys, too! Hoping to see you all on the 9th.

Congratulations again to each of you,
David

[Billy Bowles]

Will be picking up tag tommorow morning found a trade !

[kylekuntze]

Me and CJ Kuntze may come out for a race or two as well later on in the season.