1989 and Forever

The golden age of F-1 arguably began in the late 70's and continued through the 80's and 90's until staggering budgets left most teams struggling to keep up with technological advances: wind tunnel 24/7, shake dampeners and race-suspension simulators. Here are some of the front runners in 1989 with their car's designation for reference.

Alain Prost and Gerhardt Berger at Spa

Louis Perez Sala, Minardi M-189

1989 German GP at Hockenheim

1989 Portuguese GP

VIVA F-1!!

-Katykarter

Season Ends with a Championship!

There were so many storylines in the making, I can hardly collate them in my head. But suffice to say, when the checkers came out, I said a silent thank you to God for enabling the unlikely season it was. But it was also determination, dedication and a 'never say die' attitude that earned the Championship.

Perhaps the first aspect that needs mentioning is SWRA. Southwest Road Racing Association really is a family run organization, and I was impressed by their professionalism and preparation. Mac, Hank, Ben and Loren, John and Randy plus all their spouses are fully committed to providing a road racing season at full size, automobile tracks. Their hometrack is Oakhill, also a motorcycle track. It's in Henderson, Tx and it is where the points championship played out it's finale. Other tracks we raced at were the famous, Texas World Speedway in College Station, brand new Motorsports Ranch Houston in Angleton, south of Houston, Motorsports Ranch Cresson, just outside Ft. Worth, near Weatherford, and Hallet Motor Racing Circuit in Hallet, Oklahoma. I drove the kart in a driving rain in Hallet, my first stint ever on rain tires. Though there were a few controversial moments, I thank the SWRA crew for a great season and suggest you all become members.

As you probably know by now, this was my first full season in road racing: I had done some sprint racing before, but road racing is much more thrilling, a high-speed, technical challenge. I raced in the Yamaha Heavies, so I wouldn't give up so much weight. I couldn't have done it at all if not for the help of Frank Newsom and Colin Walker, whose companies together are Swift/PPK. Frank has prepared my motor all year, and he's helped me with many other aspects of the kart's race preparation. To say that I couldn't have done it without them is, as I love to say, a masterpiece of understatement! After all the help, the motor never failed me. It was crisp and fast and I jetted it conservatively, under the tutelidge of Frank, and finished every race, save one late in the season- and it wasn't a mechanical failure, but a driver error. He and Colin provided everything I needed to compete including Maxxis tires, SMC clutches, Freeline Brakes, and an Alfano electronic unit to capture lap times, temperatures and other stuff.

Colin and Frank field a kart every year in SWRA. It's a Yamaha LTD Light, and this year it was driven by Oscar Moran. Oscar is a talented driver, an enthusiastic team player and a great guy. From the beginning, Frank had me pit in his team area. I was privvy to their strategies, their technical conversations and many, many things a rookie couldn't know. I still don't know it all, but I've heard a lot of it once! And it's all about making a fast kart.

I raced in 7 road races in 2007. The season followed a unique path: it began with zero points. I mistakenly raced with the lights on Saturday. In the subsequent 6 races, I would race on Sunday against the heavies, but at Texas World, I took to the venerable track with the lights, giving up some 30+ pounds. Still, I managed an 8th place out of 11 entrants. The draft is evident here at TWS, it's high-banked front straight was very long, long enough for a pair of karts to swap positions once, and back again. It was just enough for Jamey Brown to steal the win away from Steve Miller after drafting out of the last turn. I stayed with the pack of karts I was with for several laps before I made a mistake reading my engine temperature, and slowed down thinking I was too hot.

Race 2 was outside of Houston and I got it right this time, I raced with the Heavies, though most of the lights didn't race in the heavies this time. There were five other karts in the race and I finished 2nd, but when the winner failed to make minimum weight requirements in post race inspection, she was DQ'd, and I became the race winner.

Race 3 was the first visit to Oakhill, and my first visit ever. Four hours outside of Houston in N. Texas, my wife, Crystal and our two dogs camped out in a cool camper for the weekend. I placed second again, to the same kart, driven by Kari Summers, a sixteen year old girl whose kart is prepared by her dad Bill. This time she made weight, and took her first victory. It was hot as blazes this weekend, and I experienced the discomfort that really is racing. It's borderline painful when it's that hot, and you willingly strap yourself in next to a motor that is running at a pitched level, inside a suit, helmet, gloves and boots! . Just to get to race day, it is without a doubt long hours of detailed work... add to that stifling 95 degree heat and high humidity making it feel like well over 100 degrees.

Race 4 was Motorsports Ranch Cresson, outside Ft. Worth. It was rainy at times this weekend, and the lights raced on a wet track. My buddy Dale Posinski had his best performance of the year, but fast Jamey Brown took his second victory of the year. And it was only his second entry of the year. On Sunday, I arrived late and missed morning practice. Because of financial restraints, or if you will, cash starvation, I missed my first Friday practice. All year, as it was with my commitment to finish every race, I committed to every Friday practice. It made sense: all of the tracks were new to me, and it was a full day of open practice, exactly what I needed: seat time. Since I had missed Friday, and was late showing up Sunday, I stood a good chance of experiencing the track for the first time in the race. With this fact staring me in the face, I adjusted my expectation to drive conservatively, and slowly until I became familiar with the track, and it is a good one, perhaps my favorite. It's the longest at over 3 miles, and has a newly finished addition. It's very hilly and when the rain hits it, it becomes very, very slick. I found out before the race, though. Rain interrupted the second race on Sunday, and when it quit, racers were allowed to take to the track in their streetcars to help clear the water off of the racing line. Several cars spun in the slick conditions, including me and Frank in my Chevy pickup! Come race time it was clear, though we heard rain was 30 min. away. Our race was 30 minutes long so when we started I assumed we'd finish before the rain came. Not so fast! About lap 12 of 18, raindrops started to fall. The final time past the pits Frank was giving me the "WHOA!!" signal, and I slowed way, way down for what would be the last lap. I was still on slicks, and after the first turn, the bottom fell out and the rain came. I started passing karts that had gone off the track. By tip-toeing around the track and making it back to the pits, I earned a third place finish: I made the podium and those points would become important later. Ahead of me was Kari and race winner Jamey Brown who decided to race in the heavies after winning in the lights on Saturday. Jamey's brother John DQ'd after finishing early with a mechanical failure.

Race 5 was a 12 hour drive north of Houston in Hallet, Oklahoma, just west of Tulsa and almost in Kansas. There were many other karts at this event, as it was hosted by MARRS, or Midwest Area Road Racing Series. MARRS also came down to the season's first race at TWS. Craig McClain showed up with Dale Posinski, who both came from Houston, both in the Yamaha Lights. Craig is a former driver for Frank and Colin, they won an armful of "Duffy's" together. On Saturday, Craig and Steve and Dale chased Oscar Moran around HMC until rain slowed everyone down. Now, when conditions are really bad, SWRA or MARRS will stop the race and order everyone to put on rain tires, declaring it a "rain race". But when it's not too bad, they won't do it and you must continue on slicks. While trying to get past a slower kart, Oscar spun on the slick track and lost his chain. Craig would go on to pressure Steve Miller but never get around him. Steve finished first, Craig second and Dale third.

On Sunday, the rain came early and steadily. Although some competitors opted not to drive, Kari decided to run and I agreed: I was prepared to run. I went out onto the track for morning practice and got experience on rain tires. The rain was a steady soaker, and the track was completely washed out. I began my practice slowly but gained over twelve seconds before pitting. But my first race in the rain wasn't to be: Kari had a burned piston and couldn't start: I was awarded the win, my second of the season.

The 6th race of the season was supposed to be at Eagle Canyon, a track that is new to everyone, but it was canceled because the track wasn't quite finished completely. Race 6 was move a week later and back to Oakhill. My second trip to Oakhill was my first DNF. After the win at Hallet, I was 10 points ahead of Ms. Summers in the championship. I was determined to win, and had a blisteringly fast kart this weekend. Frank and I had made serious upgrades and adjustments; our clutch was hitting and we had new tires and a fresh motor. Plus I had been working steadily to reduce my body weight and I was down from 211 to 197. But it wasn't to be, and I experienced my first costly mistake: I went off the track trying to battle a kart that wasn't even in my class. Kari went by and finished first. My points lead was cut to 5.

The finale was back at Oakhill. I was very fast the last race and I changed absolutely nothing inbetween. Again because of limited finances, I didn't practice on Friday. I was there and practiced on Saturday morning and ran well. Oscar, in Frank and Colin's kart, was fast again and won his second race in a row, and the last two of the season. Steve Miller had wrapped up the points championship in the lights long ago, but the Heavies' points championship was still up for grabs.

My first visit to Oakhill, I made a poor start and began the race spotting the whole field about two seconds. I was fast though, and made my way through the field, though David Munden went out with a mechanical failure. David and Julie Munden are always fast, David especially. In this race, I knew not to make that mistake again. I got a good start and never saw any trace of the rest of the field. With Frank and his son Neal Newsom signaling my widening gap back to Kari, I concentrated on hitting my marks, and being fluid throughout the race. It was 30 minutes and in the last laps I had built about a 30 second lead, although I was a full second slower than morning practice. I sharpened my attention and lapped more conservatively when Frank displayed "+ 30". Then came the white flag...

On the last lap I reminded myself that the race was not over yet; I had not, in fact, won the whole shibang yet, I still had a half a lap to go...and...

It happened! The motor stuttered... and my heart did too.
I had just sped down Chicken hill, made the right-hander at the bottom and was heading to the carousel, when the race changed for me. The tone of the motor had changed and I babied it through the turn. Why that gear hung on for another two turns, I'll never know, but it gave up for good as I entered the last turn, the Barn Turn, and I had just enough inertia to coast across the finish line...still under my own power-barely!- and win the points championship by 10.

It was a heart-stopping moment: Frank heard the trouble and had started for the last turn with the intent to push me across, although he knew it was illegal...everyone in the bleachers and on pit road stood agape as I coasted lazily across the finish line and pulled off into the grass 5 feet after. If the race had been one more lap, I would have lost it all.

It was an incredible ending to an improbable season. I had done what I set out to do: to compete in all races, and though I didn't finish every lap, I had only one dnf. I had zero mechanical failures in any of the races, I just kept finishing! The old saying- "To finish first, first you must finish" was my credo! Frank was a key steadying force who recommended conservative attitude the whole season.

I have to thank two sponsors who committed substantial donations to my racing effort.

Randy Blanchard, with Green Mountain Builders is a swell guy, and my boss. He graciously donated although the race weekends ate into the time I could spend on his jobs.

Kendall Phenney with Hale-Mills Corp. who wouldn't have even known about me if it weren't for Terry Lovell, one of me closest friends. Both Randy and Kendall supported me on this mission: to be the best and the fastest.

I absolutely cannot forget Richard Gutierrez, my friend and fellow racer. He is a motorcycle racer from way back, motorcross and road racing. Richard came through in the 11th hour before the season's last race, and put up the funds to allow me to travel, enter and ultimately, win. I can't thank him enough, because if anyone knew what it meant to compete in this final race, it was Richard.

I hope I can find sponsors in the future with as much enthusiasm and belief in this racer's dream- I salute you, and all who knew about my project, which, by the way I formally cristen Ian Carroll Racing Enterprises, and gave best wishes, advice, and most importantly money- the lifeblood of racing.






You will see me on the track for the first race of next season, although the rest of the season isn't as clear. Hopefully everything will stabilize and I'll be able to again commit to every race in the 2008 season...this time in the lights!


-Ian Carroll, or just Katykarter