The video dump
We had issues with Andre’s camera in that the angle was too low for most of his heats but we did get the long stint properly. Also, Elias ran out of juice and had a miscue, missing a heat. Mine came out fine, however.
Dom
Elias
Andre
A bit about the race… We decided to burn stops early, with the idea that towards the end, we would go long stints. This worked out well but had a few potential problems.
The first issue was the weather. It was brutally hot and humid and driving was painful, generally. We got worried about physical endurance which turned out to be a valid fear.
Andre’s one hour stint pretty much wiped him out and he made the decision to let Elias and I manage the last couple hours. Fortunately for us, losing a wheel mid race allowed us to add back in a stop, so we were able to have some breathing room of 3 stops with 2hrs to go.
It wasn’t truly necessary though, as both he and I were able to keep going. I had a moment where I thought I might be in trouble, as my son Nick, on the sister team, had to drop as well, so I picked up a stint for his team, while Elias was out running a long stint. It worked out fine in the end, as my stamina and hydration were on point.
I was super careful and made sure to soak my head between heats to bring core temp down, and we hydrated constantly. Between Elias, Andre and myself, we went through 2 cases of h20 and a box and a half of supplements. I also brought towels which came in handy for cooling purposes.
In my final stint, I was prepared to finish the race out but as he pitted, Elias indicated that he was good for another final heat. So, instead of running a mega final stint with a burn stop, we switched and Elias closed the race out and brought home the victory.
I’m really happy he got to do so as it must have felt awesome. He was aware that we were P1 with about a half lap on the guys behind and drove fast, and importantly, smart. We managed to avoid the chaos of the rest of the field battling for position and chose our battles carefully, sending it when necessary, but always wisely. Mission accomplished.
I did try to work with fast teams throughout the race, pushing guys who passed me so that we could get through the slower karts, rather than waste time in pointless battles. The experienced drivers understood and worked back with me and all was hunky dori. Collectively and individually our (Rebel Scum) pace was good and the decisions we made, beneficial.
I did not take many photos this time as I conserved energy, choosing to remain in shade and not needlessly expend energy in the heat. A good call, I think. I am hopeful that the photographers Chris hired will post some great pics for us to enjoy!
Sadly, Marc had a medical emergency and was unable to join us, which was big sad, but we hope his family are recovering and doing well. Also, it was a brutal race, so I’m sure given that we almost killed him from carbon monoxide poisoning at the last race, he appreciates not being murdered by our racing, yet again. It’s been too hot, too humid.
I am very pleased that I put myself through Hell at GRX, helping Keith, and exposing myself to these conditions four days in a row prior to the race. It allowed me to understand what I needed to manage the physical demands. Which, I did, with great effectiveness. Not to put too fine a point on it, but this 54 year old man was able to outlast a bunch of younger drivers and keep on keeping on.
The storm finally hit at 8pm and it was a doozy. Since the track is near Cape May, it was intense. Much flooding, hail, constant lightning. Very violent. I did not think I would be able to make it home safely so we found a hotel and collapsed, which was a good call!
Theoretically, I have the Stadium Challenge on Sunday but Alec is thinking of postponing due to weather. We shall see. I will be duo-ing that with a local fella who pinch hitted for me at OVRP once, and the fellas report that he was pleasant to race with. I am not hoping for a win as I have no idea what his skill level is, and frankly, I could use a rest. But, I’m gonna drive hard nonetheless. The race is 4hrs so 2hrs of driving, which is comparable, although we have 14 stops, so it should be easier. This race is to be chronicled here: Stadium Showdown
In any case, there you have it. The Rebel Scum pulled it off and won! Which is nice. And, we had fun and got home safely, including Elias who had a monster drive back up to Beantown in a car that wanted to catch on fire due to electrical issues from standing water.
I hope to assemble the Scum again soon, but I don’t know when. Perhaps we can do AMP in November, we shall see.
Thanks for reading and thanks for racing with us! And thank you, @EnduranceKarting for the terrific race, despite the mysterious spindle/wheel problems! You guys definitely rallied!
-Dom and the Rebel Scum
