Fall 6 @ NTK, Nov 11 2007 This was our last race of the year, and there was a good
turn-out at the club with 11 racers in the class. Devin started out well, and qualified second to Clint Korte by only
a couple hundreds of a second. That, of course, put us on the outside on the start. Devin ran third much of the
prefinal until he checked up to keep from hitting 2nd place, which allowed 4th place to take a position. That put us
starting 4th in the final. On the start Devin managed to be in 3rd at the end of the first lap. A few laps later
he took the second spot, but Clint was too far ahead at this point so we settled for 2nd for the night. However, it
did give Devin 1st place in the fall series, and we had already wrapped up the championship for the year for the second time
in a row earlier in the season.
Club Race at OMC, Norman Ok, Nov 11, 2007 We decided to go up to Norman with a couple
of other Rotax Jrs from NTK just for fun. We love the track, and have not been there since our Jr. 1 days. The
event was run as a heat, heat, and final, so there was no qualifying. In the first heat, Devin tried to go around the
outside of Turn 1, but that did not work so well and he fell back to last. A couple of laps before the checkered, he
managed to get past the other two Rotax Jrs, only to give the spots back after he went in too deep in Turn 1 the next lap.
In the second heat, he started 2nd of the Rotax Jrs, but managed to get around Jake French to take the highest finish of the
Rotaxs (we were running in the same heat as the TAG Jrs, but were scored separately). In the final, he was the top starting
Rotax, and maintained his position to take the Rotax Jr. win for the event.
Fall 5 @ NTK, Oct 28, 2007 Vic had flagman duties for the day, so we had to get most
of our tuning out of the way before the driver's meeting. We were running pretty good until the last practice session
when we put on some fresher tires. Devin did not like the handling, so for qualifying and the race we went with our
old tires that were several months old and had numerous races and practice sessions on them. I took the flagstand and
left Devin with his kart and trailer. He was in the first group of Rotax Jr.s to go out, and his and Jake Frenches'
time were so close on my stop watch I wasn't sure who got the pole. After a radio call to scoring, I found out Devin
had taken the pole by 0.023 seconds on his last lap! Then, in the prefinal, Devin led all laps from flag to flag.
In the final, Devin was initially able to open a little gap, but then Korte and French closed back up on him. With only
a few laps to go, Korte took the inside line going into Turn 7, but Devin was able to retake the lead on the exit of the turn.
After that, he led to the flag to take his 4th out of four wins for the Fall series.
Fall 4 @ NTK, Oct 13, 2007 When we showed up, my intention was to only race the KART
Regional race. But Devin wanted to race in the club race also, so reluctanly I agree. This meant Devin pulled
a double header tonight, and started off by taking the pole in the club race as well as the KART Regional. In the
club prefinal, Devin led all laps. In the club final, Devin led all laps, but on one of those laps Jake French
got by going into turn 1. However, later that same lap Devin repassed going into turn 7, then led the rest
of the race and set his fastest lap of the evening (Club or KART Regional) on his very last lap of the night!
K.A.R.T. 7 @ NTK, Oct. 13, 2007 This was the final race of the 2007 K.A.R.T.
Souther Sprint Series, and the Championship for the season came down to this race. With only Devin and the other championship
contender racing, it came down to who ever won tonight woould win the championship. Devin started off well be easily
outqualifying his opponent. In the prefinal, Devin initially (and I found out later intentionally) dropped back to second
on the start, but got back around for the lead and led the rest of the race. Devin said he just wanted to make it "interesting."
With intructions from me in the final to just take the lead and attempt to pull away, that is exactly what he did, usually
lapping at leat four tenths of a second faster that his competitor, to take the win and and Rotax Jr. Championship by one
point.
Fall 3 @ NTK, September 29, 2007 There were six entries tonight, with 2007 Rotax
Mini Max National Champion Jake French making his debut in the Rotax Jr class. Devin had the second fastest time behind
French, but since this was Jake's "rookie" race in the class he started in the back. Devin then went on to lead all
laps of both the prefinal and final to take the win for the night.
K.A.R.T. 6 at Tulsa, Ok, September 23, 2007 Another small turn-out for this race.
Devin was fastest in practice, and qualified on the pole by almost a quarter of a second. In the pre-final, Devin dropped
to 2nd as is often the case for the pole sitter here at JRP, but got back into the lead a few laps later to take the win in
the prefinal. In the final, Devin again got a poor start from the pole, complaining of an engine stutter at low RPM's,
and dropped to third. He got around 2nd place a lap later, a quickly caught the leader. However, the jetting for
the carb was hurting his low end, and he was unable to get by the leader and finished 2nd.
Fall 2 @ NTK, September 8, 2007 With the Rotax Nationals behind us, we showed up for
the club race with a more relaxed mood, and just wanted to have some fun racing. The night started off well with Devin
taking pole position with a fast lap just .082 seconds faster than second fastest qualifier Gabriel Bargas. In the prefinal,
Devin led the first six of eight laps, but an error in tuning on my part left him unable to hold off Bargas for the win in
this heat. Starting 2nd in the final, Devin tried a bold move on the start and tried to stay on the outside but had
to give up the postion by turn 3, falling back into 3rd. He took second place back on lap 3, and quickly caught back
up to Bargas, who was leading. After dogging Gabriel for the entire race, Devin made his move on the final lap out
of turn 3 going into turn 4 to claim first place, which he held to the checkered flag. Devin took the win by only leading
the one lap that really mattered, the final lap. He also set fast lap for not only his class for the night, but for
all entries in all classes tonight!
Rotax Max Nationals at The Track at Centennial,
Co August 11 – August 18, 2007
Practice August 11 – 13 (Sat – Mon) These first three days were spent just trying to find a set-up and learn the track. We tried all kinds of things, working on both the motor (jetting and gearing), as well as chassis set-up
(axles, hubs, tire pressure, etc, etc, etc). The first day we had some mechanical
issues that popped up, and after that we just kept trying things hoping to find more speed.
During most of this time we were fighting to get more RPM out of the motor, which translates to more top speed. Unfortunately, we never really were successful in this area the entire week.
Registration and Check In August 14 (Tue) I allowed Devin to sleep in this day, and spent the entire morning working on the kart and getting us registered
and checked into “parc ferme.” At this event, all tires and fuel
had to be kept in parc ferme so the race officials could make sure nothing illegal was done to the fuel or tires.
Controlled Practice, August 15 (Wed) This is when the competition really started. We had two 10 minute practices in the morning, followed by two 15 minute practices in the afternoon. The times set in the last practice would set up the groups that we would be divided
into for qualifying on Thursday, and Devin wound up in Group B (out of A, B, & C).
Qualifying and Heat 2, August 16 (Thur) Still searching for rpm and top-end, we did not qualify near
as well as we would have liked or should have. Out of 51 drivers, we were only
35th fastest, which would mean that we would start 18th out of 25 in each of our three heat races. This put us in a tough position. To qualify
for the main event on Saturday, our combined results from our three heats (heats 2, 3, &6) had to put us in the top 28,
otherwise we would have to race in another heat, known as the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), on Friday in which the top 6 drivers
of the 23 who did not place in the top 28 would fill the last 6 spots of the 34 kart main event. We ran our first heat this afternoon, and Devin drove a great race and went from 18th at the
start to 12th at the checkered flag. This was the solid start we needed,
and Devin delivered.
Heats 3 & 6, August 17 (Fri) Starting the day with the 12th place finish from Heat 2 on the previous day, we knew we still
had our work cut out for us. We were still not even close to happy with the performance
of the kart. However, Devin delivered again, going from 18th to 14th
in Heat 3, and from 18th to 14th again in Heat 6. He did
this despite heavy contact in Heat 6 that bent his steering shaft about half way through the race. Despite a kart that was constantly pulling to the right, he fought on and got the finish we needed. His combined finishes from the three heats put him 25th out of 51, so we
were in the top 28 and made it into the main event without having to go to the LCQ.
While still not happy with the kart, we were in the big show only because of Devin’s skill and determination
on the track with the less than perfect kart I was giving him. While Devin and
Jenifer went back to the hotel, I stayed behind and replaced the steering shaft, as well as had some work done to the motor.
Prefinal, August 18 (Sat) During the morning practice, we realized that the work that
was done on the motor the previous evening did not solve our problems, and we were still down on power. Again, it was going to be up to Devin to make the most of what he had, and as usual he did not disappoint. He raced hard, aggressively, and smart, and after starting 25th out of
34, finished the sixteen lap pre-final event in 17th, having made up eight places.
This was one position behind his friend Gabriel Bargas (who started 19th) and three spots behind his other
friend Clint Korte (who started 16th). What made this drive even more
impressive was the fact that a “c” clip had come loose on his steering shaft during the race, and he drove much
of it with a steering shaft that was not held in place properly, resulting in some “awkward” handling characteristics. But again, Devin’s never say die drive moved us to the middle of the grid for
the final. I fixed the steering shaft and we got ready for the final.
The final was a 24 lap event, and with lap times just under 1 minute, combined with the warm-up and formation laps,
it was going to be a long race. Temperatures were in the mid 90s, and along with
a track elevation of over 5800 feet above sea level, the drivers where in for a tough work out. Once again Devin made it through the first turn, and settled into his race.
His kart was still not performing like he would like, but he drove hard and fought on.
He moved up a few spots, before dropping back a couple, unable to match the top end speed of most of his competitors. During the final laps of the race, he was locked into a battle with local NTK driver
Taylor Stawicki, and it was tough. Taylor got by Devin going into turn 1 on one
lap, only for Devin to take the position back a few turns later. Taylor later
got by Devin again coming out of the chicane before the final turn, but Devin fought back and did a classic “cross-under”
move to take the position back. Two laps later, Taylor did the same thing, and
again Devin was able to take the position back! This would decide the race between
these two, and Devin came home less than a kart length in front of Taylor, and wound up finishing 15th for the
event. It was a great, clean race with Taylor, and both young men drove extremely
well and smart.
Overall, considering how poorly our kart was running, we were happy with the result.
We finished 15th out of 51 for the weekend, the second highest junior (13 – 16 years old) finisher
from NTK (Bargas 12th, Stawicki 16th, and Korte 18th).
It was tough and somewhat frustrating competing against the much more funded big teams, but we feel we performed respectably.
Thanks To: Jenifer (wife/mom) for letting us do this; Vicki
(daughter) for taking care of the house and pets; Lauren (daughter) for hopefully understanding why I had to be here and not there; KAM Karting (Mike Engstrom & Chad Miller) for their support, not only at the race but over the years; and
D. J. Ortiz for helping me when I was lost in the carburetor. But most of all,
thanks to Devin, because he drove and finished far and above the kart he was given. His 15th place finish is because of his
abilities; I wish I had given him a better kart because he is a far better driver than his finish reflects.
KART 5 @ Waco, TX, July 29, 2007 We did not bother to go the day earlier to practice, and just showed up on race day. We were using our back-up motor, and never found the right
gearing until the final, where we finished 3rd, just a couple of kart
lengths behind 2nd, and about another behind the winner.
Club Race @ The Track at Centennial, Co, July
22, 2007 We came to this track just south of Denver to practice for the Rotax Nationals to
be held in August. We had practiced for a couple of days, and this was just for
practice. They combined both the juniors and the seniors in the prefinal, and
Devin started 16 out of 21, but finished the was up to 2nd and held on for a few laps, before mechanical issues
slowed him. Late in the race there was contact (Devin was hit from the rear)
with another kart, but he managed to keep going and finished 8th, the first of the three NTK drivers.
Summer 4 @ NTK, July 14, 2007 There were only three entries for the class this evening,
and one was a rookie, so it was up to Devin and Gabriel Bargas to put on a show. They did not disappoint. In qualifying,
I screwed up and forgot to put the transponder on Devin's kart, so even though we had a faster time on our Mychron than Gabriel's
best, they did not get a time in scoring so we started 2nd in the pre-final. On the start of the pre-final, Devin and
Gabriel went side-by-side through turns 1, 2 and 3 before Devin took the lead going through 4. Gabriel retook the lead
going into 7, and then Devin took the lead back on the exit of 7. There were a few more passes, but our
weakness was no top end, and we just could not hold Bargas off on the straight. Gabriel took the checkered with Devin
close behind. In the final, it was more hard racing, again with several passes being make, sometimes changing the lead
2 times a lap. However, we still could not match Gabriel's top speed, but we chased him to the checkered and finished
about a kart length behind. Devin did, however, manage to set fast lap of the race on the final lap. It was a
fun race, and as one observered noted, exciting even though there were only two karts gooing at it. Both driver's received
numerous compliments as to their strong, clean, and exciting driving. Though finishing second, Devin and I both enjoyed
this race a lot.
RMax Challenge #5 @ NTK, June 30, 2007 After having mechanical issues in practice with
our clutch, Devin went out to qualify and set the fastest first lap. Unfortunately, his times started to drop as his
kart developed a serious "popping." Maybe this was actually fortunate, since it made me look at some things I had not
considered. His one good lap was good for 2nd on the prefinal grid. In that pre-final, Devin took the lead
during the opening turns, and though I gave him a more competitive kart than he had previously that
day, Korte motored by him on the main straight with a better top speed than Devin's kart was capable of. Devin
then pressured Korte all the way to the checked flag and crossed the finish line with his kart's nose next to Clint's
rear wheels. In the final, Devin took 2nd coming out of turn 3 behind Stawicki, and Devin passed him for the lead on
lap 9. After getting past, Devin set fast lap of the race and went on to win the final, his 4th win out of 5 races in
the 2007 Kam Karting/NTK Rmax Challenge series.
K.A.R.T. Nationals @ JRP Raceway, Tulsa, OK, June 22, 2007 While fastest in the Wednesday
practice, and just as fast on raceday, our competition picked up speed we did not and as a result we had a poor showing, finishing
4th in the final.
RMax Challenge #4 @ NTK, June 2, 2007 We qualified 2nd to Clint Korte by .084 seconds,
and in the prefinal Devin fell to 3rd on the start. He got around #25 a couple laps later, then caught the leader Korte,
but could not get pass before the checkered fell. In the final, it was a similiar start, and once he got around and
into 2nd place, he caught the leader and passed around lap 6, then led the remaining 14 laps to take the win.
Summer 1 @ NTK, June 2, 2007 We qualified 2nd, ran second in the prefinal, and
despite running some fast times with one lap .03 seconds off of the track record for the class, finished 2nd in the final.
K.A.R.T. Regional 4 @ NTK, May 20, 2007 Today did not go as planned, at least for us.
We qualified 2nd, which was OK, then finished 2nd in the prefinal after dropping to 3rd on the start then passing the 2nd
place kart. In the final, Devin again drop to 3nd on the start, but was up to 2nd by turn 3. On the fourth lap,
he started to make inroads to the lead, but his kart started to have a problem that resulted in his right rear wheel
becoming loose and upsetting the handling until the vibration and a curb in turn 6 caused him to loose the chain, putting
him out of the race. It turns out that 2 out of 3 wheel studs were broken off, and the 3rd was bent. I guess
that should not have been a surprise, since in four heats this weekend, he was hit 5 times (4 times by one kart, 1 time by
another) on that wheel by his competitors, each time when Devin had clearly made the pass. However, as usuall, nothing
was done by the race officals, as it seems Devin is fair game to hit on the track, and some drivers get preferential
treatment. Overall, it was a weekend of dirty, cheap racing by our competitors, with one actually raising his hand as
if he had a problem when Devin was gaining on him, causing Devin to momentarily back off. But, of couse there was nothing
wrong with the leader, except that he was in danger of getting passed. Very impressive. But again, if the race
officials don't do anything, what reason is there for them to stop their cheap antics? Apparently they didn't
think they would be able to beat Devin on their own, so they fall back on teaming up (ganging up, as one person said to me)
on him, and maybe, just maybe, if they hit him hard enough and often enough, he will go off or something will break.
I am sure they are very pleased and proud of themselves that they "beat" Devin by taking him out. As I am sure the race
officials are. Oh yeah, the previous day, when Devin's kart made it to the end, he beat them both by passing
them, and set the fastest lap time of the weekend for not only his class, but the entire event, any
class, both days.
K.A.R.T. Regional 3 @ NTK, May 19, 2007 In qualifying, Devin took the 2nd postion by
less than 2/10's of a second on an old set of tires. In the prefinal Devin initially dropped back a little from Bargas,
but then closed the gap by the time the checkered flag dropped. In the final, Devin maintained his 2nd starting position,
then closed up to Bargas. About 3 laps from the end of the 16 lap race, Devin passed Bargas for the lead, then led the
rest of the way to the checkered flag, taking his second K.A.R.T. Regional win of the year, and he also set fast lap for the
race, all while racing on tires with four races and several practice sessions on them!
Rmax Challenge #3 @ NTK, May 12, 2007 In qualifying, Devin took second to Clint Korte
by just .039 seconds. In the prefinal, Devin maintained 2nd on the start and chased Clint the entire race, taking a
peek on the inside a few times. On the last lap, Devin made an attempt to pass going into Turn 7, and unfortunately
was unable to get it done. There was contact, and Devin accepted full responsibility for the incident, and accepted
without protest the subsequent penalty by the race director, putting him in the last starting position. Sorry Clint
and Dirk. In the final, Devin stayed behind Clint through Turn 1, then when Clint stayed wide going into Turn 2 Devin
took the inside, and had a slight lead going into Turn 3. Devin then took 2nd from Clint in Turn 3, and one lap later
passed Taylor Stawicki going into Turn 2. Once Clint got around Taylor he initially started to reduce Devin's lead,
until Lap 10 when Devin then started to increase his lead. At the finish Devin crossed the start/finish line about 1.6
seconds ahead of Clint to take the win, setting his (and the race's) fast lap on the final lap of the 20 lap event.
Spring 6 @ NTK, May 12, 2007 Since there was also a Rmax Challenge race going on this
same day, we again had a small field. Devin qualified on the pole, then led all laps of both the pre-final as well as
the final. The Rotax Jr. class was againg started at the rear of the Rotax International class, and Devin passed a couple
of the international drivers during the races.
Spring 5 @ NTK, May 5, 2007 Devin was kind of on his own this race, as I was performing
flagman duties. Clint Korte was in a similiar situation, since his dad was race director. That left it up to the
boys to get the job done off the track as well as on. Devin took pole by about 1/2 a second, then led every lap of the
pre-final. In the final, Devin again led every lap, with Korte taking second, and Ross Flores 3rd.
RMax Challenge Series Race #2, April 29, 2007 Devin qualified 2nd for this race, and
dropped to third at the start of the pre-final, which is where he finished. In the final, Devin moved up to second,
and caught up to the leader, Korte, and chased him to the final. Although Devin set fast lap for the race, he
was unable to make a pass on Clint and took second.
Spring 4 @ NTK, April 29, 2007 There were only two entries for this race, and Devin
took pole, the pre-final, and final. Since there were only two entries, they started Devin's class (Rotax Jr.) behind
the senior Rotax International class. Devin was able to catch up to these guys after a few laps, and actually set a
faster time than anybody in the International class! He thought he could have made a pass on them, but did not want
to interfere with their race.
K.A.R.T. Regional #2 @ Waco, Tx, April 22, 2007 Saturday practice went well with Devin
posting the fastest times, so we were optimistic about Sunday's race. Sunday practice, however, was another story.
Our times were off, our RPMs were down, and we had not changed anything. We tried different things (changed carbs, gearing,
jets, etc.), yet we keep getting slower instead of faster. Devin went out and qualified, taking the 4th position, about
a half second off of pole pace.
Before the prefinal, I completely rebuilt the carb, and decided to change the battery for
lack of any better ideas. That is when I found the problem, that being a battery that was not being charged properly.
I put the fresh battery in, and hoped for the best in the prefinal. It turned out that was the problem.
The start was, as always at Waco, exciting and hectic. Devin went from 4th to 2nd
by the first turn, and by turn 3 was back into 5th! Devin passed Bargas a few laps later, then passed Beasley to take
3rd in the pre-final.
The final saw Devin maintain 3rd at the start, and he started pressuring Korte for 2nd after
a few laps. He tried several passes, but was not able to make it stick until the final lap, so he took the checkered
in second, behind Taylor Stawicki. We wish we could have been in a position to challenge Taylor more, but we never got
close enough, having to fight our way through the pack, and Taylor never made a mistake, taking the pole, and leading every
lap of the pre-final and final. Overall, we were happy to have worked our way up to 2nd, and congrats go out to Taylor
for his great race!
Spring 3 @ NTK, April 1, 2007 We were doing good in practice, but..... Come qualifying,
we decided to put on a new set of tires since the ones we had been running had quite a few races and practices on them.
This, it would turn out, was not a good idea. Whereas Devin loved the handling on the old tires (plenty of grip), the
new tires had none, and we qualified third, about .01 seconds behind Korte, and about a quarter of a second behind Bargas.
Additionally, we seemed to be down on RPM and spent much of the day chasing RPM with gearing. In the prefinal, Devin
got into second on the start, and stayed there to the checkered flag. In the final, starting on the outside of the front
row, things got hairy, but Devin took his kart into the lead by turn 2. He held on for about nine laps, when Bargas
passed going into turn 7. Devin immediately challenged back and retook the lead by passing around the outside of turn
8. Next time around, Bargas took the lead for good, and starting the last lap Korte took advantage of Devin's motor
problems at the end of the straight and made a move to the inside. Devin and Clint came out of turn 1 side-by-side,
and it was a good, fair battle as there was a little contact as the boys fought for the position. They both got a little
loose, and Devin went off into the tire barrier, but was able to get back on and retain 3rd. Clint finished second behind
Bargas. Afterwards, we discovered that we had some damage in the motor that, along with a lean jet, was making the motor
run a little tight, and therefore affecting our RPM. Overall, 3rd for the day, but Devin fought hard and led most of
the race with a bad set of tires, and a motor down on power. We'll take it.
Spring 2 @ NTK, March 18, 2007 Good race for us today, Devin was hooked up and running
fast! We had a new set of tires in the trailer, ready to go, but Devin wanted to run on our old tires instead, saying
he did not think he needed fresh rubber. Turns out he was right. He took pole by over over a quarter of a second,
then led flag-to-flag in the prefinal. In the final, he got a little loose on the exit of Turn 1, allowing Clint Korte
and Taylor Stawicki to get by on the inside going into Turn 2. A few laps later, Devin was able to get around Taylor
going into Turn 7, then did the same thing to leader Korte a few laps later. After that, Devin opened up a gap, and,
though on old tires, set his fastest time ever at NTK with a 38.174, just .074 seconds off the track record set last
race by Korte!
K.A.R.T. Regiona 1 @ JRP Raceway, Tulsa It would not be Tulsa without some rain on
race day, and the weather did not let us down. As usuall, we had a beautiful day all day on Saturday to practice in.
We were doing OK, but not as OK as Gabriel Bargas, who seemed to have everybody covered. On race day, we woke up to
overcast skies, and a high probability of rain. We got some more dry practice in, hoping the rain would not make it.
However, after the last practice, the rain made it's appearance. Qualifying, and the races, would be done in the rain.
I made what changes I could to Devin's Birel, and put on the same old rain tires we had first run back in May 2006.
In qualifying, Gabriel found the speed in the rain, Clint Korte slotted into second, and we qualified third. In the
pre-final, Clint initially got around Gabriel, but Gabriel went in deep and there was contact. Clint managed to keep
the lead, Gabriel dropped to the back of the field, and Devin slotted into second, which is how he finished. In the
final, Devin made a bold move, staying even with Clint around the outside of Turn 1. They continued side-by-side thru
Turns 2 & 3 as well, before Clint gained the advantage. However, at the bottom of the hill, as they took the hairpin
to lead back up the hill to the "Monza" turn, Devin made a pass and made it stick. After that, Devin led the rest of
the race, with Korte not far behind. The gap would grow and shrink, as the boys raced in the wet, slippery conditions,
neither one of them putting a wheel wrong. In the end, though, Devin took the checkered flag .672 seconds ahead of Clint,
and Devin also set the fastest lap of the race on lap 6. Overall, it was a great win, and our second win in a row at
Tulsa, both times in wet, cool conditions!
Rotax Challenge Series #1 @ NTK, March 4, 2007 We had an exciting but tough race to
start the series. In qualifying, Clint Korte took the pole with Devin taking the #2 position. Just before the
start of the pre-final, we discovered that there was something wrong with Devin's carb, so a quick change got him on the grid
just as the field was taking the track. He finish second behind Clint. In the final, a 20 lap event, Devin was
behind Clint for the first 19 laps. Starting the final lap, Devin made a pass going into turn 1. Still in the lead
coming out of the final turn, Devin took his normal line, allowing Clint to make a race of it to the checkered flag.
Devin took the win by only .041 seconds over Clint, the two drivers crossing the finish line virtually side by side!
Spring 1 @ NTK, March 4, 2007 In the first club race in the Spring series, we again
had a tough race. Devin again qualified 2nd to Clint. In the pre-final, it was an exciting race with Devin and
Clint trading places numerous times, both guys racing hard, but giving each other room to race. It was great fun to
watch, and the crowd in the stands really enjoyed it. In the final, Devin led every lap, with Clint pressing hard.
The both drove their fastest laps every at NTK, with Devin setting a lap of 38.224, which was a new track record for less
then a second. That is when Clint crossed the start/finish line just behind Devin, setting a new lap record of 38.100
seconds! We got the win, but Clint got the track record!
Polar Bear 4 @ NTK, Feb 25, 2007 Devin put it on the pole in qualifying, then in the
pre-final initially dropped to second at the start, and passed for the lead a couple of laps later and won the heat.
In the final, Devin maintained the lead from the drop of the green flag, and led flag-to-flag to take the win, as well as
take the championship for the NTK Polar Bear series.
Polar Bear 3 @ NTK Feb 11, 2007 The day started off well with Devin taking the
pole position in qualifying. However, in the prefinal Devin lost the lead and dropped back to 3rd, which is where he
finished. In the final, Devin was able to take the 2nd postion at the start. After initially dropping back slightly,
Devin mounted a charge and was on leader Clint Korte's bumper with a couple of laps remaining. Clint held on to the
lead after a last lap pass attempt by Devin in Turn 7, and Devin crossed the finish line in 2nd. While not winning tonight,
Devin did set the fast race lap in Rotax Jr. Congrats Clint!
Polar Bear 2, Jan. 21, 2007 Devin had a pretty easy time of it for this race, qualifying
for the pole by close to a full second. In the prefinal and final, Devin led every lap, and pulled away from his competitors
by about 3/4 second a lap or more. We had some excitment after the race when Brandt
Lucido offered Devin the oppurtunity to drive Nick Lucido's 125cc Shifter, and Devin had a blast in it. Thanks
Brandt and Nick!
Polar Bear 1 @ NTK, January 7, 2007 The break of almost two months between races was
tough on Devin, and he was more than ready to get back in the kart and race! He started out the day right by putting
himself on the pole with a time that would have put him on the pole in the Rotax International class as well. In the
prefinal he led flag to flag. In the final, Clint got by him going into turn two. Devin remained calm, and a little
past halfway in the race made a pass going into turn 1. After that, he opened up a little gap, and in the process set
his fast time of the day which was again not only faster than any lap set in the Rotax International class, but also the fastest
non-shifter lap of all entries in the final!
|
