Here I will add a detailed race report of the recent race that I was just at, I will leave all of the races on too
so you can see the progress or similarities of the others ones as well.
SKUSA NATIONS CUP:
Ok, so here comes the story of the Nation number three number plate..... It all started Saturday (instead
of friday) when i had to miss all of practice and all of qualifyingto go to (you guessed it..... actually you probably didn't)
a band competition! Ok well after going to this band competition which was conveniently early in the morning, we left right
from Folsom field toward Interstate 70 towards grand junction....
Four hours and about five hundred "are we there yets" we were there.... yet. And conveniently in time
to make the first of two heat races. Due to not qualifying, I had to start at the very back of the pack. No matter on the
start (which rumor has it... I jumped.... even though i didn't) I moved all the way up to third, and stayed there the whole
time. The day was now officially over, and then the real fun came up... The auction! there wasn't really a reason, but it
was just plain fun, it was very successful in the fact that they raised a lot of money for Katrina victims, and everyone who
got stuff also paid virtually nothing for it also.... all in all, it was just fun, then we crashed in the last available hotel
in the entire city.
When the morning came around, we left the hotel to go to "My Favorite Muffin" this ingenious place that
had really awesome muffins.... enough said.....
We magically apeared at the race track with the amazing speed of our 1998 Dodge Durango that goes about
30 up hills with the trailer on.... We got there for the 2nd heat race, I got a good start this time, and after the second
corner I was in second....
The main I started second, realized that Mitch was way faster than I was, and cruised for second, until
the Utah kid passed me and I couldn't pass him because he was slower than me everywhere..... except the straights..... so
we got third, the national number 3 plate, and a champagne shower which took me about 5 rinse lather and repeats to get out
of my hair.... and I got a pretty beastly trophy, all is good.
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS GRAND PRIX:
In this the sixth of seven CSC races, I thought I had it made, I had the fastest kart in practice, qualfied
third due to some new Utah kid and Got to be in the same vicinity as (if rumors are true) Pamela Anderson's wedding.
In the heat race, everybody got a good start and I ended up fourth in the first corner. Cody Snider and the Utah kid (who's
name I prefer not to mention for reasons other than the fact that he was fast) and Mitch Cobb in front of me. Well the Utah
kid hit the wall and "broke his brakes" so he dropped back to the battle between Cody and I, I saw it coming and Cody didn't,
so I passed both of them in the hairpin and came out with a second place finish. In the main, I started 2nd, got an awesome
start over Mitch's RBI, and after the third corner the throttle cable broke, leaving me and my SRS KGB stranded on the wrong
side of the wall.... I also had a little bit of an emotion problem as i realized that my chance for the championship win was
basically gone, and i lost control and definately made myself look like an idiot as well as all of my friends and family around
the race track, I apologize and take full responsibility for my actions and really wish I had the capability to think first
in this situation.
RED BULL DRIVER SEARCH KARTING RUNOFFS:
This was a really fun event to go to, except for the fact that I didn't make the cut! No but seriously
I will probably do it again next year if I can. The cool part was that all of the drivers were pried away from our parents
for a few hours of freedom! It was really nice to sit there and talk to a lot of really good drivers from all around the country,
including one from Ohio that was also picked to represent SKUSA, his name was Corey Dalenberg. It was really cool to see our
speeds so close in the Rotax Junior karts put together by SSC racing. I was only 2 tenths of a second away from making the
cut, and Corey was 5 hundredths closer than me. With me and Corey so close together, it should be really interesting to race
each other in shifter karts if he goes to the Nations Cup! Ok, in case you are all wondering about what happened over the
week, here is the layout:
FIRST DAY: Drivers show up at around nine to sign in, get weighted, measured and given transponders.
After check-in, drivers go to the pro shop to get fitted for their karts. After everybody has been fitted, all of the drivers
head to the main grandstands for an enjoyable "Kodak moment". Then after lunch and about two hours of just sitting there,
we hop into the go-karts for a 7 minute qualifying session (the top ten of this move automatically on the next round). Then
the day ends and it is time to go eat dinner.
SECOND DAY: On this day, all of the cutting is made. Due to heavy fog in the morning, the first 7 minute
session was used as only a practice session. then the second session 20 drivers will go on to the RM1 Rotax Shifter Karts,
while everybody else just heads home. After two sessions for the 30 drivers in the RM1's, the field is cut down to 16 to move
on to the thursday.
LAST DAY: There is a set of qualifying and afterwards, many heat races. These sessions are how to decide
lineup for the big race. After a really exciting 25 lap race, the top five move on to Florida for a test in Barber Dodge cars.
PREVIEW TO THE RED BULL DRIVER SEARCH (INTERVIEW): by kurt frieburg
07-15-2005
Chris Waterman to Represent SKUSA for the
Red Bull Driver Search
Colorado Jr. 80 speedster Chris Waterman’s
racing career took a huge step forward today with the announcement of his selection as SKUSA’s western representative
for the Red Bull Driver Search runoffs. The SKUSA Mountain Region Director Jim Keesling delivered the surprising news to Chris
in front of his fellow racers during the driver’s meeting for the Grand Junction event.
Chris celebrated in style by taking pole and bringing
his David Harold Honda powered KGB chassis home in front in both the heat and main events. This was his first win of the year,
against some of the toughest competitors in the region.
“This makes me even more excited about doing
SKUSA” was his reaction after the shock had subsided a bit. “We were already looking forward to the Nation’s
Cup here in Grand Junction, and now we’ll be thinking seriously about the Supernationals”
With his nomination, 15 year old Chris and his
crew/family will head off to west coast runoffs at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA - 9,10 & 11 August. His strategy? “I’ll
need some time in a TaG kart before I go; I have no experience in TaG”, referring to the single speed Rotax-powered
machinery that all competitors will be provided in the next phase, which require a different driving technique than his usual
6 speed ride.
If Chris finishes the runoffs in the top five,
he’ll proceed to the semi-finals in Sebring, Florida, where the west and east coast finalists will be evaluated in 2
liter Formula Dodge race cars. The elite from that group will go to Europe for physical evaluations as well as tests in Formula
Renault race cars, with the hope of making it onto the Red Bull Junior Team next year. American Scott Speed, a SKUSA champion
who’s already risen to test driver status in F1, follow this same path.
Chris will join fellow Colorado SKUSA racers
David Chapel (Aurora), Zach Gillis (Fort Collins), Dale Kistler-Collins (Thornton), and Greg Welch (Morrison), who all qualified
by posting fastest times in rental karts during the open phase of the RBDS search, another method of qualifying.
Chris’s
racing career started in quarter midgets in British Columbia, and then in Colorado. He jumped into karting last year in the
deep end, starting in with the fast, high-strung 80cc shifter karts. The Boulder resident finished the season in 3rd place
in the Colorado Sprint Championships. With his Grand Junction success, Chris now leads the SKUSA CSC, a position he plans
on keeping.
He also enjoys R/C car racing, a hobby he finds
supportive of his karting as it requires a smooth driving style and meticulous team management.
His aspiration? “I
like IRL, especially if they continue to mix the road courses in with the ovals.” A career in F1 doesn’t sound
too bad, either.
Stay tuned to this website as we follow Chris Waterman
through the Red Bull competition.
GRAND JUNCTION PRO TOUR RACE - JULY 3RD
This was maybe my best race weekend EVER!! Ok, first, I have a long practice session and start out by breaking in my
motor at a pace that would have gotten me qualified 3rd from the back (sad yes...) and went through the whole day at a constant
speed. then, me and my friend Matt Kistler both left to go swimming at the hotel, after maybe an hour of swimming, we head
off to dinner where I eat an amazing carne asada steak! After the yummy meal, we head back to the track to light off some
fireworks and make amazing colors! Then we head off to bed watching the NASCAR race in the motorhome.
When I wake up on race day and have my Corn Pops to boost my energy, I head into the trailer and get my driving suit
on, head over to the drivers meeting, only to find out that I was chosen by SKUSA (superkarts USA!) to be in the Red Bull
Driver Search karting runoffs in Sonoma, CA! This was quite a shock and was pretty exciting also. After this , I started qualifying
which I only had to do 2 laps to beat the whole field by at least 6 tenths of a second. Another awesome thing! THEN! the heat
race happens which I also win after getting a run for my money from Mitch Cobb. Same in the main, but after passing a lapper
on the last lap that Mitch couldn't get, I sealed it up and got my race!!
all in all, this weekend couldn't have been better!!
