Here is a brief summary of this past weekends annual Enduro:

  • More than 3,200 laps completed
  • More than 10 lead changes in Jr.2 
  • Many different strategies 
  • 3-5 pit stops per team
  • A whole lot of fun 

 

Junior 2: 

Menado, Fast and Furious 4, The Imposters 

Early on in the race the Fast and Furious 4 took a lead opting for running one of their lighter drivers first to gain an early advantage Menado who opted to Simon Hansen first who was the heavier driver to gain an advantage later in the race with Jonathan Bischoff and running 3rd in the Lo206 Jr.2 class was The Imposters who also ran their heavier driver first for strategy purposes. The first round of pit stops saw our leaders Fast and Furious 4 take fuel on lap 71 which led them back to P3 when re-entering the track with Menado taking the lead until they pit on the following lap 72. The Imposters opted for an alternate strategy bringing Matthew Ruth in early at lap 37 falling down the order to 10th position.

Over the 2nd stage of the race it was The Imposters piloted by Gunnar Ray who were able to clock fast laps and claw their way back up the order taking 2nd by lap 78.  The order stayed Fast and Furious 4, The Imposters, and Menado all on slightly different strategies and driver numbers. Until lap 115 when The Imposters made their 2nd stop of the race after a strong stint by Gunnar Ray putting Kane Pexa at the wheel who by lap 158 was able to run fast laps and take the lead which they would hold until lap 215 with a scheduled pit-stop. Menado held the lead from laps 217-222 then pit from the lead for what would be their final pit stop of the event. While Menado and The Imposters were racing away there was drama in the pit stops for The Fast and Furious 4 with a flat rear tire that was put on caused a major back step for the team having the take 2 stops within a few laps sending them back to P5 but were able to slowly chip away at the lead Menado had built up. 

Over the 3rd and final stint of the race it appeared Menado and The Imposters would fight it out for the lead but motor issues for Menado caused a loss of pace and a fueling miscalculation from The Imposters saw The Fast and Furious 4 back into the hunt for the win taking the lead of the race on lap 267 from a motor lacking Menado and not looking back taking the win by just a few seconds with Menado finishing P2 and The Imposters finishing P3.  

In all it was a fantastic race to watch with 3 different strategies, 3 different driver counts, and different issues plaguing each team to all finish within half of a lap made for a nerve racking final 30 minutes. With 10 lead changes throughout the race and every fast lap within .05 it was a battle of luck, consistency, and strategy. 

 

Lo206 Senior: Rokkin’ Croc, Ruthless Karting, Kart Bandits, Mach 5 Motorsports, Next Level, and Endrizzi. 

Lo206 Senior had the biggest class of the event with 6 team entries including the only Iron Man entry Endrizzi. Ruthless Karting started first in the Senior category with Brian Lemon at the wheel, but fell down the order with strategy in mind with wanting to run their heavier drivers first in order to stage a late race charge. Kart Bandits slotted into P1 early on with Rokin’ Croc close behind. It would be Ruthless Karting, Kart Bandits, and Rokin’ Croc that would eventually fight for the win with issues with the other Senior entries. A last minute Entry with Mach 5 Motorsports saw a carburetor that failed early in the race putting them back 10+ laps early on but a strong early and end stint saw them climb up to 4th only 7 laps back from the lead. Next Level had a good start running in P4 and up to 3rd until engine issues put an early end to the race for them ultimately retiring on lap 230. Endrizzi was running strong in 5th place in class for the new driver until a mechanical failure in the rear hub saw their race ended early on lap 47. 

The race for the lead took a turn early for Rokin’ Croc with Carb issues on lap 25 saw an early unplanned pit stop dropping back to 11th early on. This had Kart Bandits in a strong lead able to run in the draft and gain an early advantage and Ruthless Karting playing the long game with strategy in P3 in class.  Kart Bandits pulled their first pit stop on lap 78 pitting from the overall lead and was able to retain the lead in Senior even when coming back on track. Ruthless Karting pulled their first pit stop on lap 64 dropping back behind Rokin’ Croc. 

Through the 2nd Phase of the race saw Rokin’ Croc able to find a drafting partner with Mach 5 Motorsports as both teams had to pit early and were able to fill up with plenty of fuel for a 120+ lap stint. Rokin Croc’ was able to take the lead from Kart Bandits on lap 124. Rokin’ Croc pulled their 3rd stop of the race on lap 159 falling back to P3 but still retaining the overall lead in the senior category. This was the same phase of the race that saw terrible luck for Kart Bandits who had a side pod nerf bar snap off on lap 197 after moving back into the lead hunting down Rokin’ Croc on lap 190, this would unfortunately take Kart Bandits out of the race win contention with a 5:00 minute pit stop to repair with a normal pit stop taking anywhere between 2:30-3:00. 

The 3rd and final phase of the race saw a engaging battle for the win with Ruthless opting for a late charge strategy running both of their lighter drivers in the final two stops to run down the leader. It was a tense last 60 laps with a unscheduled pitstop from Rokin’ Croc who had fuel delivery issues. On lap 228 Rokin’ Croc came back out of the pits only 18 seconds in front of a hard charging Ruthless Karting for the next 72 laps the gap would close all the way down to 1.3 seconds when the checkered flag dropped with Rokin’ Croc taking the win, Ruthless Karting P2, Kart Bandits P3, and Mach 5 Motorsports coming back to finish P4 only 1 lap behind Kart Bandits. 

 

In Lo206 Heavy saw 3 teams entered Scheetski, The Ripper, and The 3 Generation.

The 3 Generation started the Heavy class in 1st and took an early lead over Sheetski and The Ripper. After the 1st round of pitstops on lap 80 it was The 3 Generation that retained the lead over Sheetski and The Ripper. On lap 115 Sheetski was able to overtake The 3 Generation for 1st place and pull away at a strong pace until disaster struck The 3 Generation with a broken clutch bolt halting their bid for the win with a 7:00 stop to repair the damages they were able to get back out on track after falling down a few laps to Sheetski and The Ripper. The 3 Generation was slowly clawing back at about a .5 until the chain let go and broke along the back straight away which halted their charge for the win yet again. 

Through the rest of the event it was Sheetski that was able to stay consistent and trouble free to take the way over The Ripper and The 3 Generation.