Route 66 Sprint Series Round #2 – Race Report
This past weekend, the Route 66 Sprint Series Presented by MG Tires and Franklin Motorsports held its second round of competition at Michiana Raceway Park in North Liberty, Indiana. The turnout was excellent, with 155 entries on Saturday and 156 on Sunday. MRP is always a favorite track for the racers, and freshly painted buildings, and manicured grass welcomed competitors from as far as Texas and Minnesota.
A freak power outage at the track on Friday night provided some challenges as staff arrived on Saturday morning. The raceday was started using generators to power all the necessary equipment, with many racers and sponsors chipping equipment in to make sure it ran smoothly. Shortly after noon, power was restored by track officials and B&B Electric owners, Todd and Tim Brinkman, who happened to be racing with their family this weekend. Special thanks to track Owner Garry Lobaugh, who drove all over northern Indiana and southern Michigan looking for parts, and former MRP manager Jim Mastandrea, who jumped in to help get repairs made. With the temperatures starting to climb by midday, it was great to have the power and A/C restored.
The Saturday morning driver’s meeting concluded with the distribution of door prizes provided by the Series and our sponsors. A Weber grill, Pelican coolers, several sets of MG tires, and PKT Axles Certificates were some of the prizes handed out to appreciative racers.
There was great racing throughout the weekend, and once again, the PA audio was broadcast live via the Series website at www.www.route66kartracing.com/live. You could also listen via the Mixlr app on mobile devices by following the Route66KartRacing channel. The recorded play-by-play audio of the weekend can be found at http://mixlr.com/route66kartracing/showreel. Full results from timing and scoring can be found by visiting the Series website at www.www.route66kartracing.com and selecting Event Results, under the Series pull-down menu.
Matt and Colleen Dial, of Express Karts & Parts, sponsored the race weekend. MRP provided a great pulled pork dinner for everyone on Saturday night, officially raising the bar, as they also provided many side dishes and some awesome cake. A great crowd turned out for the evening podium presentation and the support was much appreciated by the racers and fans alike.
Sunday morning saw a weather front move through and the inevitable accompanying rain. Showers fell during morning warmup, which caused most drivers to skip it, rather to take a chance on a dry qualifying session. Luckily the sun did come out and a nice breeze dried the track quickly. Sunday’s race program went smoothly again, with not a single red flag all weekend, and the ambulance never moved. The Yamaha fields were huge, with 29 Yamaha Srs, and almost as many Yamaha Jrs. The racing was intense, and numerous penalties were issued, but in the end, most people left happy, and looking forward to the next round.
The next outing for the Route 66 Sprint Series will be July 6-8 at Mid-State Kart Club in Springfield, IL. It will be a Friday – Saturday night show, under the lights.
