Wrapping Up the Lone Star Grand Prix

It was a long, crazy weekend. But it was a good one! 

On Friday, we drove down to downtown Dallas to Fair Park - home of the Texas State Fair and the Cotton Bowl.  We got parked by some great friends of ours from New Braunfels and set up for a great weekend of racing. Friday afternoon, we were allowed to go out and walk the race course. The City of Dallas had repaved some areas, but it was most certainly going to be a rough one. We heard that some people decided to go ahead and pull out, but we trusted our young driver to give it a go and let's see what can be done. Since no one had driven this course - ever - no one really knew how to set up for it. There was a lot of discussing and sharing of suggestions going around the pits with our class and we all set up for the first practice on Saturday morning.

Throughout our practices there were many more changes made. When it finally came time for qualifying, we were still trying to dial in a good set up. We were limited on our choices, but when limited, you make do with what you have and ask your driver to do the rest. And he did a great job. He went out and drove a tough course - still trying to build confidence - and being VERY cautious - and qualified in 4th position. 

Getting coaching from our friend, Chris Williams. 

Starting in 4th position for the final heat on Sunday, he moved up to 3rd after our friend Kaleb's side pod fell off (yeah, we know how THAT one feels, too). The front two karts had a big lead so there no catching them. The race, however, was for 3rd and Hunter was leading the charge. In the 1.4 mile long course, we could only see the kids for about 25-30 seconds, and then they would disappear for over a minute. Nerve wracking hardly describes the feeling. Finally, they came around and took the white flag - only one more lap to go. When they emerged again, Hunter was still in front of the pack for 3rd. He came around the last couple of turns when all of a sudden...

He started to slow down - pulled to the side to get out of the way of the others on his tail and coasted around the final turn - with the checkered flag in sight - and then coasted off the course into the infield lot. *Sigh* It was a broken chain. And a broken heart. The supporting cheers that went up for him from the spectators around the fence was incredible. People we did not know were yelling for him - telling him how good he had done. The corner worker told me later in a FaceBook post how impressed she was with his sportsmanship. 

He was crushed, but he handled himself so well. We have been trying to teach him all along that people won't remember who won, but how the racers handled themselves. So it wasn't the finish we were hoping for, but it is one that we can remember and rejoice in.

Until next time....race on, my friends!

Hunter being interviewed during a Red Flag stop in practice. This is for the Kidz In Motion TV show.

Lone Star Grand Prix - March 17th-18th

Tick tock, tick tock....

Next Saturday and Sunday, March 17th and 18th, will be the inaugural Texas Lone Star Grand Prix karting event held at Fair Park in downtown Dallas. I'm not sure, but I don't think there has been a race down there since the 1984 Formula 1 Dallas Grand Prix. But nonetheless, Hunter will be racing at the event!

This is a 1.4 mile long road course set on the streets and areas around Fair Park. The City of Dallas has been working to pave and smooth out the course for our karts. When you are racing between 60-120mph just a couple of inches off the ground, you'd like it to be a bit smoother than not.

The people working on this event have done an outstanding job and are expecting between 5000-10,000 spectators over the weekend. The Texas Museum of Automotive History in Fair Park is having a large car show with many classic and race cars.

Our Cadet racer, Hunter, is beyond excited for this event. We didn't think they would have the Cadet karts running when it was first talked about, but they did include us and we will be there ready to go. Hunter will have practice sessions and qualifying on Saturday, then on Sunday there will be a practice, Pre-Final race, then a parade of cars and karts setting up the Final event on Sunday afternoon.

Also, we were contacted by a company that is producing a kids sports television program called KidzInMotionTV. They would like to include Hunter in their program and will be at the race (and some NTK events, too) to get some footage of him racing. This company has a world wide distribution deal and is working on getting something in the USA, too. So, if you decide to come watch Hunter race, wear your blue colors for Hunter "Blue Bolt" Stine!

Spectator tickets are just $10 per person, so grab the family and come on out. Read the website for more details and we hope to see you there to cheer Hunter on!!

Starting a New Year!

Thank you to our new sponsors for 2012: Dutch "E" Enterprises - Oil and Gas Production, Zrii - Natural Wellness, and Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney!! We appreciate your support of our racers!

Hunter raced a couple of weeks ago at North Texas Kartway in the final Winter Series race to break in the engine after a rebuild. After almost three months away from the track, it didn't show for our racer boy. He cruised to a first place finish! Hadyn was chomping at the bit to get back out and race, too, but that race was just for Hunter's engine break in. Next time, Sis.

Coming up for the kids is the start of the North Texas Karters club Spring series on March 10th. We will run at Spring 1, and then the following week, March 17th and 18th, Hunter will be racing in the Texas Lone Star Grand Prix at Fair Park in downtown Dallas. This is quite a different event for Hunter as this is a 1.4 mile long road course - the same place that Ayrton Senna raced in the 1984 Formula 1 Dallas Grand Prix. Ooooo...feel the history there!!

We could still use more sponsorship to get Hunter into the new SKUSA Texas ProKart Challenge races coming up. They are offering use of an engine, but the entry, parts and travel fees will need to be covered for three weekends in Texas and one week in Las Vegas for the SKUSA Super Nationals race. If you have any leads, please pass them on our way!

Looking forward to a great year!!

New Year...New Opportunities

2012.  A brand new year. And hopefully the Mayans just ran out of space on their calendar. ;)

I have been busy putting together a letter and schedule for Hunter to deliver to some local businesses to solicit for sponsorship in exchange for mobile advertising. There have been some changes to the scheduling around here and one of our big race series that we can race with our current engine has been dropped. If we can pick up a different engine package (and preferably another chassis to go with it), we can add some National series races to his schedule.

He can continue to race at the club level, but as good as the kid is, we'd like to see what he can do in a more challenging arena and get more experience from that. We also have plans to travel to New Branfels and Katy to race with our friends from around the state as much as we can.

Hadyn will really get into her club level racing this year and we are excited to see what she will learn. She'll be propelled into a higher learning area as well, since she'll be with us on any travels we may take. Pretty good experience for a five year old!

If you know anyone that has a business they would like to advertise in exchange for some racing $$, let us know! Hunter is well worth the investment!

Embrace the Examples

What a fantastic finish to a great NASCAR racing season. We watched the battle between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards come to conclusion last night and were totally impressed by both of them. With a 3 point deficit, Tony had the race of his life. Started further back in the field while Carl was on the pole, had some car issues during the race that set them further back and had to race to catch back up and for both to finish the race and season in 1st and 2nd was just icing on the cake.

Personally, I was cheering for Carl Edwards. And Hunter might not ever want to admit it again out loud, but at the end, he was too. We watched Carl do some catch up moves that took our breath away and we recognized some of those moves. When coming up on traffic, our instincts as observers are to think "slow down and be careful,", all the while yelling at the TV or race track for the slower traffic to "get out of the way!" But we have watched Hunter perform some of these moves on his own in his races, too. In Houston, while trying to catch back up to 1st place, he encountered traffic and had to thread the needle so to speak. It was risky and we were on pins and needles because that is a good (good? no, bad.) way to end your race day but apparently, when in the moment, all you see is an opening...and you take it.

When I got to race my Powder Puff heat, I saw that, too. I would come up on traffic and the desire, instinct, drive, whatever it is, to push through would be so great, I found openings. And for all of our inexperience, I probably shouldn't have taken, but I did and it worked for me. I see Hunter doing the same thing. I watched the NASCAR drivers doing it. It's just racing. It's a pretty incredible feeling, I have to admit.

But over all the racing skills, over all the excitement, over all the drive and determination, there are lessons to be learned and number one in my book is how you conduct yourself before, during and after the race. We've worked with Hunter all year long on how a true Champion is to conduct him or herself.

And to witness Carl Edwards exemplify that last night on my TV screen gave us all the credibility we might have been needing. Carl said that if he didn't win, he knew he wanted to be the best loser NASCAR has ever seen. I totally respect this guy. He has his human moments, but overall, this man is a true champion and everyone who saw him last night knows it, too.

So, thank you, Carl Edwards, for embracing the examples we have put before our racers. Keep on racing and we'll see you in Victory Lane again!!

Great Weekend to Close Out Great Year!

Hunter, Jake and Ethan - the top 3 for the Year, too!

We raced our final race of the season at NTK on Saturday. And this time, I really mean "we"!

Hunter had a great showing on Saturday and with a great pass during the final, pulled away from the field to close out his year with a win and clinching the Year End Championship at North Texas Karters! We are so proud of him - and how much he has improved throughout this year.

 Hadyn had her first race this weekend. I was just hoping for her to stay on the track, hold her line and finish the race - and she did all of that and had her best time to date! She was so excited. During the awards ceremony, she was given her medal (all Kid Karts receive 1st place awards), her 1st time driver trophy, a bag of candy, and her 1st time driver Teddy Bear from the Kid Kart sponsor, Polar Graphics. With her arms full of loot, I asked her if that was it - were we done with racing. She said "yes" and I asked if we could sell the Kid Kart now. The misunderstanding was mine, apparently, gauging by the appalled look on her face when she replied, "NO!" She meant, we were done for the day. Okay then. She really wants to do this.

Can't beat that smile!!

Then it was Mom's turn. The Chonda class allowed all of us Moms, wives, girlfriends, etc. to run a Powder Puff heat in their karts. I had a blast - too much fun, really. I think two karters in the family is enough right now. I got t-boned on the first lap and had to wait for the guys to pull our karts apart, but I was still able to catch up and finish in 3rd place (out of 10, I think).

Hunter #88, Kaleb #17, Michael #88, Riley #53 -
Photo by Stephanie Haseloff

On Sunday, we left home at 5AM and drove to New Braunfels, TX for Hill Country Karting Club's annual Enduro race. For Hunter's class, it's a 30 minute race to finish. And it was a chance for us to hang out with our SWRC friends for the afternoon. Hunter started the race in 4th position, and after our 2 friends dropped out due to engine troubles we thought that Hunter might have a good chance to finish in the top 3...until...he was penalized a lap for passing under a yellow flag. But even with that, he still finished 4th out of 12 and can now say he ran a 30 minute enduro race. And it was all fun. We'll definitely be going back there to race next year.

Throughout the entire year, we've had ups and downs and have learned valuable lessons at each turn. I love this sport and all the people we have around us have been so great to help us grow and learn. I am very excited to see what both our kids can do next year.

HES2 Motorsports will be very excited for 2012! Hope to see you all at the races!

Above All...Drive Smart

After racing hard in the Fall 5 race and falling just short of a win, we were told by some friends that Hunter's kart just didn't sound like it was pulling the power it needed. We had the top end of the engine rebuilt before the first race of 2011 - which was in January.

So, after a short conversation with our engine builder, we shipped it off to have it done inside a weeks time. The engine was delivered to us on Friday before the race with the shock and wonderment of how Hunter could have possibly done as well as he had - winning the races in SWRC as he did and the championship - with the condition that motor is in. George had replaced the piston and rings, but told us that as soon as we completed our last races, he needs it back to do the bottom end of the motor. Again, the curiosity of how Hunter did it.

Guess he's just that good.

So, going into Fall 6, Hunter was able to get his fairly typical times and captured the pole position during qualifying rather effortlessly. During the pre-final heat, Hunter got out in front of the pack, which is something he hasn't been able to do regularly, but then his main competitor, Jake, was taken out by another racer running too close on a corner. If it was someone we didn't know well, it might have been a silent cheer, but we were upset to see it happen that way.

Jake had his kart up and ready for the final heat - minimal damage, so he was good to go. However, he would start at the back of our class. But anything can happen. And happen it did.

We were running in a group of three classes - the Rotax Mini Max's were in front of our TaG Gazelles, then the Yamaha Jr 1's. Upon leaving the grid for a warm up lap, the 2 Mini's, Hunter and one other Gazelle, made it through the first two turns and then the rest of the field piled up on top of each other. There was a spin out on a corner, three karts banged into each other sending a fourth through the air upside down into the grass. Thankfully, that young one was fine - a little sore, but fine. The other karts were rendered un-raceable and Jake's rear axle was bent.

The race continued and Hunter won without any challenges to his position. He would rather really race someone for the win, but we'll take it none-the-less! This puts him one win away from the NTK Year End Championship.

It is here that these kids learn to drive smart. Something that I think some of the professional drivers must have missed. Of course, I'm writing this in the wake of Kyle Busch being parked for the entire weekend in Texas for his actions in the Camping World Truck Series with Ron Hornaday. Sad that two championship contenders in their series had to be taken out in such a way.

Accidents happen, but above all...drive smart.