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After the debacle at IRP Team Rapid Racing has been looking forward to the fall event at Mid Ohio. The mysterious Gooseman (?) and I made the trip to Mid Ohio on a sunny Friday afternoon as there was no Friday practice available for this event.
Mid Ohio in the fall with the Autumn foliage in full bloom is a spectacular sight and the warm welcome from friends and competitors put a nice glow on things as we unloaded the trailer and set up our garage area. However the weather man was threatening rain for the weekend.
Saturday morning the rains arrived right on schedule which coincided with our arrival in the garage area. Practice was held in a steady drizzle and since we had decided early in the season to forego running in the rain we stood down using the time instead to race prep the KGB Phoenix 125. As luck would have it the rains ended and the track had begun to dry just before lunch break. Saturdays featured 125 shifter race was scheduled as the first race after lunch. The track was dry and we were ready. Seventy two 125s answered the call to the grid and I will admit to being a little anxious since I had not taken a lap all weekend. The Gooseman (?) rolled the car into the third slot on the grid while I attended the drivers meeting. I was shocked to hear some of the teams putting odds on how many laps we would make before the race would be red flagged. Walking from the back of the grid to my starting slot was awe inspiring, seventy two racers gridded up has a way of doing that to you. This was all documented by Shifter Kart Illustrated editor Rob Howden who was participating, and his armada of "Official SKI Photojournalists" who were armed with entire batteries of cameras that looked eerily like bazookas. After the command to start engines we went down pit lane backwards to accommodate the unusual but cool rolling start. As we approached the flagman the front of the field had nearly come to a halt while the rest hooked around the pit gate to get onto the track. At the drop of the green we made probably our best start of the year but still notched into third going into one. Terrible Ted Tackett made a flier of a start from the third row to lead into the turn closely followed by Ted Steffke. Chasing the two Teds through the esses and into Keyhole I suddenly remembered that we had brand new brake pads installed and as a result the whoa power was a little soft. Getting into Keyhole a little too hot I slid up the track and expected a freight train to come by. When they didn't I tucked my head and began grabbing gears holding third through the first lap. As I chased the two Teds down the back straight the leaves that accumulated on the track during the lunch break exploded into the sky in a spectacular display of high speed fall foliage. At the end of lap one my team mate for the weekend Larry Nagy Jr. arrived on my rear bumper and after showing me his nose Larry tucked in behind me. When I felt a reassuring nudge from behind I knew that Larry and I were going to be able to work together. The two Teds still inched away into the distance while Larry and I pulled away from fifth place. Alas all was not golden and with four laps to go my Honda seemed to lose power, a piece of debris from somewhere had been ingested and peened down the ring causing the engine to lose compression. Waving Larry through I reluctantly pulled into the pits and retired. Ugh! Another DNF! Meanwhile Ted, Ted, and Larry marched along finishing in the top three positions. Note! The predicted red flag never came and I have to congratulate every driver on their heads up performance. I have to give a good crew credit, while I recuperated in a lawn chair the Gooseman, Rocket Dave and Big Denny fairly well fell upon the KGB and before I could finish my bottle of designer water (?) the machine was repaired and cackling away on the stand. After the racing was over for the day a free form party filled the garages and lower paddock and all was fine with the world.
Bad weather was forecast for the following day but hope is eternal and we massaged and adjusted the Phoenix for Sunday's battle. Arising Sunday A.M. the rain had not arrived but after getting dressed for the day we were greeted with sheeting rain and little hope of a dry track. Once again our decision to not compete in the wet found us in the role of helper and spectator. Despite the streaming wet conditions some tremendous racing was done and the rooster tails were a sight to behold. All's well that ends well and we still had a good time coupled with the melancholy that accompanies the last race of the regular season.
Plans are already in the works for next year and some serious research and development work is underway. As it stands right now it appears that much if not all of Team Rapid Racing will return for next season. The mysterious Gooseman (?), Rocket Dave, Big Denny and the Nagy clan have all indicated a return and an increased role for 2002. Often at this time of the season this writer is at the point of having had enough fun for one year, but this year is different. Next season can't get here soon enough.
"The race is never over!"
Keep Racin' and God Bless America!
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