Hi gang. I’ve been trying to find a few minutes to dive into a couple of questions/discussions. I want to stress this is just my thoughts and not those of our organization.
First, street races aren’t for everyone and we find people come for different reasons. Many come to win, many come to just race and maybe finish Top 10, many come because it’s a unique place to bring family, sponsors etc. and race in front of thousands of spectators… not sure there is anywhere else in karting you can say you did that. And some come mainly to go out and party at night.
This year we’re putting an strong emphasis on safe/legal racing because many drivers have told us that’s a growing problem in the sport. Part of the issue that we all face is that there is no effective licensing program in American karting. A guy who has raced once at a rental track can, in theory, go out and buy a shifter kart and race against the best in the country here. Graham Rahal raced here when he was 14 becuse he had earned a SKUSA A license, but that’s not the case with everyone in the sport. So there are issues that are difficult for us to deal with when someone who is fighting to just complete a lap is out there with national level drivers who understand when the occasional bump is OK and it won’t crash someone. This is a huge issue honestly that mainly depends on racers being respectful of other racers, knowing when you’ve been passed or it’s time to get out of the way etc. We will be talking about this and watching more carefully but racing’s still racing. One way we tried to address the issue this year is by adding a Briggs Novice class.
Over the years we’ve offered virtually every class option there is, but juniors continue to be a challenge. Today’s junior karts are faster than ever before. Most juniors have never seen a street race much less raced on one and, honestly, SOME PARENTS push their drivers too hard and fight with officials on rulings like we’ve never seen before. In the years we did offer Juniors we never had more than 8-10 in a class. I’d love to be able to run Juniors but not if we can’t do it safely and without disputes on every heat race. They are not on the schedule this year and haven’t been for several years.
If there is one easy piece of advice I’d offer it’s this – have fun. The track is challenging in ways you’ve never experienced before and it will be different each time you go out there. Even though we street sweep the track several times, the first practice session will be bit dusty and there will be no rubber on the track. Each time you go out that will change. Some streets are asphalt, some are concrete; some shaded by trees and buildings and others in the sun all day. Some streets are flat and others are crowned… and there are manholes. And if it rains at all, we start all over again in term of track conditions. The fastest way around the track isn’t necessarily the shortest.
One more thing, if your dream includes someday driving at a higher level, NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula 1 are adding more street races in an effort to take the sport to the people… you have to learn how to drive the streets somewhere and Rock Island is one of the best options available with a history of almost 30 years! It worked well for Graham Rahal, Conor Daly, Scott Speed and a good number of other pros who once raced here.
The insurance issue remains a challenge and I’d like to thank Joe Janowski and NKA for working with us to keep the event alive. But you will see some changes in how barriers and fencing are located. That said, like the rest of the sport – and to some degree motorsports – we’re taking this year by year and doing what we’re asked to do. That’s all we have control over.
It’s a busy time for us but if you have other questions, I’ll try to jump in and answer them. Thanks to James and Kartpulse for giving us this forum. For those who are racing here, be sure to stop me and say hello!
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