2022 Recap

The 2022 race season had many ups and downs but ended up being one of my best seasons. What made this season different, however, was that half of it was spent not in the driver’s seat.

As for the portion of the year spent in the seat, we did very good. The year started off with a bang- as we worked our way to a 4th place podium finish at the CKNA Spring Nationals. Following Spring Nationals, all other races we attended were consistent top 15’s for large scale two stroke races. At four stroke regional races we scored various top 10’s and top 5’s finishes. This season was challenging due to the switch between two different motor packages, yet, I feel myself and my dad learned to adapt very quickly. Unfortunately, my time as a driver for the 2022 season came to a close when I injured my ribs during a regional four stroke race at USAir raceway.

Following my injury I reached out to Xander Clements of Kart Chaser, a media group that follows kart racing and the karting lifestyle. Two weeks later I was flown down to North Texas Karter’s, in Denton Texas, to be an announcer for a southern regional karting series. Announcing was very intimidating but I got the hang of it quickly. During my time in Texas I made a handful of new friends and had an amazing weekend. Kart Chaser then decided to employ me again for the United States Pro Kart series when they visited Road America. At Road America I was granted the luxury of operating the main camera, which I had a very fun time learning how to use. Then, a few weeks later, Kart Chaser flew me to New Jersey with the job of being a cameraman for the Stars Championship Series race at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Both of my experiences as a cameraman were very memorable experiences. When I wasn’t working for Kart Chaser I was working as a race director at Badger Kart Club, my home track. My duties included monitoring all races, calling penalties, and helping with the days organization. Through my experience as race director, I learned a lot about the ‘behind the scenes’ of karting. I also got the opportunity to meet a large amount of people and many families that race at Badger Kart Club. In 2023 I hope to work more with both Kart Chaser and Badger Kart Club.

We already have a packed schedule for 2023 with many karting events, SCCA track days, and race-directing days at Badger Kart Club. We’ve decided to race only the KA100 engine package this year as to maintain consistency and ease of maintenance on the go kart. The only full series schedule we can compete in, due to school, will be the Route 66 Sprint Series- which we plan to compete for the championship. Some oddball races we will be competing in include Unites States Pro Kart, Stars Championship, World Karting Association, and Cheesehead Challenge events. In addition to karting races, I will also be using my personal vehicle, an Infiniti G35 Coupe, at various SCCA track night and Fox Valley autocross events. My friends and I have also been planning a trip to the Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina sometime in late July.

To conclude this update, I am very thankful for all of the people and events that I was able to meet and attend during the 2022 season and I am eager for the 2023 season to begin!

I would also like to give an immense thank you to the companies that graciously supported me for the 2022 race season. Thank you to Western Snowplows, Sedlock Companies, Beaudry Services, and Electrology Essentials! These companies are operated by outstanding people and provide top quality products and services.

2021 Recap

To be short and simple, we struggled during the 2021 season. However, this was by far my best year for overall speed and racing development. This season resulted with many missed podium finished, despite leading countless laps in countless races. It was apparent that luck was not on our side and that is to be expected, as not every year will be perfect.

As a driver I learned many important skills this season as well as increasing my speed at the limit. The two main areas of my improvement were patience and steering skills. After driving in numerous races which used the Briggs LO206 engine I learned the importance of drafting and planning my moves carefully. Additionally, the time I spent driving the Will Power Kart at GoPro Motorplex taught me the importance of using slow and shallow steering inputs in order to make controlled weight transfers in corners.

As a team I also learned a lot, as well with development of our kart and racing program. Our team is mainly my dad and I working together, however, at regional and national races we tend to work together with our friends Zach Della and or Nick Ksobiech. Since racing is a heavily team-oriented sport it is important to work hard and establish a solid group of people. This season we honed our skills in relation to kart tuning and engine building. When we had the ability to work together with friends the tuning process became expedited.

After all I learned this year I feel like I am more prepared than ever for next season. With my driving skills and combined team effort I see no reason as to why next year will not be our best season yet. My team and I will continue to work hard during the off season to ensure that we are prepared for the first race in the spring.