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Race Results ~ 2005 Season
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ Tech & Tune Day ~ April 6th, 2005
Our first Tech Day of the season went pretty good, all things considered. The weather was great and there was a lot of pre-season excitement in the air. We ran into some major problems early in the day, and it was very fortunate for us that we had this trial day to get some critical work done on the #2x karts fuel supply system. There were some serious adjusting and tweaking to do on the new #89 kart as well, but both karts did pass the MMS 2005 Tech Inspections.
More information on the day's activities, inspection results, and kart performance tests will be posted soon.
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ April 13th, 2005 ~ First Season Race
Well, for being the first actual race day at the track, things went fairly smooth. We realized by the end of the day, however, that we still have a lot of work to do on the #2x kart before we get back to the track next week. The good news is that both of our drivers took home trophies today, but neither of them were first place.
Christopher, driving his new orange kart #89 placed fourth in the Alcohol 350 class, and Brandon placed third in the Junior Flats class. The karts ran decent, but not nearly good enough. The pit crew stayed pretty busy between hot laps and heats, with tire changes, gearing adjustments, and carburetor tweaking, among other things.
Mother Nature didn't cooperate with our racing efforts, as the winds were howling from the ENE at about 30 miles per hour, with some gusts considerably higher. The air temp was cool, so the wind made it feel much chillier. At least we'll appreciate the nicer weather days that lie ahead, and know that we'll miss having a nice cool breeze on the track in July.
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ April 20th, 2005 ~ RAINED OUT
We showed up at the track to race, but before the pit gates were even open, we were sent back to the garage to grumble for a while, watch the rain wash away our day at the races, and play video games for lack of anything better that we could find to do. Even foosball didn't really sound like fun. We've waited all winter for race season to get underway, but so far haven't had any luck with the weather.
As much as we wanted to hit the hot laps and see if all the hard work we did during the past week would help us finish better in our features, Mother Nature had other plans. Christopher, the driver of our number 89 kart, will have to wait until next Wednesday to see how the conversion to gasoline will affect it's speed, and Brandon, the number 2x kart's driver, will also have to wait another week to check out it's handling and performance with the new rear wheel set-ups, gearing, and carb work we did.
Kartington Raceway ~ Tech And Tune Day ~ April 23rd ~ SNOWED OUT
That's right, it snowed in late April. It didn't just snow, people, we got dumped on with a major winter storm. By the time it was all over with, we ended up with nearly a foot of snow on the ground! I don't think Mother Nature is much of a racing fan. She is really getting nasty with us this year. Maybe we should quit using Chiffon on our toast in the mornings?
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ April 27th ~ Regular Race Day
Once again, rain threatened us with dark, gloomy skies, howling winds of around 20 miles per hour, sprinkles of raindrops, and COLD temperatures in the 40's. But WE ARE RACERS.....we survived and got to hit the track. Even with the ugliness in the weather, we finally got to test our new kart set-ups, and, for the most part, things worked out pretty good.
Christopher, driving #89, switched from alcohol to gasoline for this week's race. The kart was running great, Chris was driving smooth, and everything was good until the third heat. Thats when an accident on the track nearly rolled his kart, and did some major damage to the fuel tank and carburetor bolts. Unfortunately we couldn't get him fixed up in time to put him on the track to run his feature race. The kart didn't sustain much more damage than a few scrapes on the plastics, and Christopher was not injured.
The #2x driver, Brandon, finished his feature race and took home a second place trophy. The new set up for his kart certainly helped out and paid off for him this week. After a couple of tire changes and playing with the air pressure settings, he was able to hold his line pretty good and really made that kart work. His driving skills are definitely improving with every race he performs in, and we are looking forward to a very successful season!
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ May 4th ~ Regular Race Day
We finally had some nice weather to race in today! The temperature was around 60 degrees, the wind was light, and there was plenty of SUNSHINE. It set the stage for a great day of kart racing.
When we got to the track, we got an unexpected treat. We were held up in line at the entrance gate to the oval because Tracy Hines, the driver of NASCAR Craftsman Truck #13, had his little Chevy pickup out on the track doing some hot laps and getting his truck tweaked for next week's big race here in Mansfield. We got to meet and chat with Tracy after he was finished, and got to take an autographed picture back to the garage to hang on the wall next to Matt Crafton's (who we met last year). Christopher even got to help Tracy's pit crew load the truck back into the trailer when they were finished.
Tracy and his crew stuck around and watched our boys run some of their hot laps and heats before they took off. Christopher didn't race this week, and is going to be taking some time off from racing to work on his end-of-the-year studies for school. He'll still come out to help us at the track, and will always be an important part of the Bishop Racing Team, whether he's behind a steering wheel or behind a wrench. Brandon did race this week, but didn't finish up too well. We decided that it is time to retire the old 2x kart after this week's fourth place finish. Since we won't be racing next week because of the NASCAR truck race, we'll spend the off week building a new kart to roll Brandon out with on the 18th.
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ May 18th ~ Regular Race Day
Wouldn't you just know it? The weather was beautiful today, but everything else went totally wrong. We hit the track today, pumped up and eager to try out the new engine that Brandon and Bob built during the off week. Our dreams of getting to see it finally in action were shattered when the battery on our electric starter died and couldn't produce enough juice to turn the engine over. We scrambled to find another way to get the kart started, but came up empty.
Christopher has decided to take some time off from racing, and didn't come to the track with us this week. So, having his kart along and nobody to drive it, we decided to pull the motor from his #89 kart and install it onto the 2x kart. That's right, a complete engine change, right there in the pits. Maybe a brain change would have worked out better for us, because things just went from bad to worse. Even though the ambulance arrived early, we still managed to burn up all of Brandon's practice time trying to get the motors changed over, so he never got the opportunity to even test the kart's set-up until the second heat. Brandon missed the first heat because there were three of us working frantically to get the gold restrictor plate installed in the new engine.
Well, the "fun" didn't stop there.......
Once the kart was put back together and turned loose on the track, it ran worse than anything we could have imagined. When the green flag waved, the other karts took off and left Brandon behind because he had no acceleration. The kart ran so slow that he nearly got lapped under a caution. When he returned to the pits, Brandon said that the clutch seemed to be slipping, and the engine was revving at a very high RPM, and it sounded like it was going to blow. Between the heats and the feature, we discussed things that we could do to improve the karts performance, and made some minor adjustments and changed the carburetor jet, hoping to make even a little bit of difference, and let us just get this race in, and get this day done and over with.
It didn't matter that all of our hands were black with grease and oil, or that our brains actually hurt from trying to think of ways to get this race in with dignity, our one-and-only kart on the track just plain sucked today. The driver did his very best to keep a positive attitude, and stuck with the kart until the grand finale of our day's events, the moment the engine blew up on the track during the second lap the feature. Interestingly, we were all almost relieved that it happened so that we could just put everything away and end the agony. It was a horrible day of racing for us......BUT WE STILL HAD FUN !!!!!!
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ May 25th ~ Regular Race Day
We headed to the track today with a new battery in the electric starter, and hopes of having a decent day of racing. We arrived early so we could get the 2x cart set up and ready to go. Since Christopher is still "on vacation", we only had Brandon's kart to deal with. We didn't have a place to test the kart's new set-up prior to today's race, so we really had no idea of what it would or wouldn't do. We had problems with the carburetor and the gearing, but managed to get everything worked out in time for the feature race.
Once the kart was set and ready to race, Brandon headed out onto the track for his feature, and took off like a shot out of a cannon. Having done poorly in the heat races (because we were still tweaking the kart), he started off in last position, but very quickly moved from the back of the pack to the front, and was rapidly creating a gap between his kart and the second place driver. We were all excited because it appeared as if all the hard work was finally going to pay off. But suddenly, 2x slowed down, and all of the other karts went around him. Brandon left the track before the end of the first lap and drove straight to the pit. The spark plug wire came loose and stalled the engine on the track. It was a very disappointing event, but fortunately it was a simple problem to fix. After seeing how the kart performed, however, we are really looking forward to a great race next week!
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ June 1st ~ Regular Race Day
Well, it was another one of "those" weeks. It seems as though we still have a LOT of work to do to get things moving in the right direction. The good news is that we have both drivers back in action, but the bad news is that neither one finished up the features in very good position. Christopher hasn't quite shaken out the cobwebs from his time away from the track, and Brandon is still trying to get the new motor tweaked and "dialed in". Christopher finished his feature in fourth place, and Brandon finished last in his. At least both karts finished their races this week!
So we'll keep on working on the karts and the setups, and head back to the track next week with our same good intentions of bringing home taller trophies. Winning is a good feeling, but it takes a lot of hard work and patience to get there. We aren't racing for money, we are racing to have fun. So, as long as we don't lose that attitude, it's all good......!
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ June 8th ~ Regular Race Day
We picked up a new kart this week and took it to the track with us. It's nothing fancy, just a nice Margay chassis with a good looking body on it. It was used for dirt track racing, and we were told that it is a sweet running kart, so we figured we'd give it a try. Although I have absolutely no experience behind the wheel of a racing kart, the boys thought it was time for me to escape from the pits and live in their world for a while. So I was selected as the driver for this new kart. I accepted the challenge, but only got to take it out on the track once during practice. Unfortunately, there was a bad accident on the track (none of us were on the track or involved), and practice was cut short. So, with my lack of seat time, I decided to not race until I felt comfortable with the idea of getting out there to do some actual racing. But one of these days........
The boys didn't do too well this week....again. We still don't seem to have our stuff together when it comes to getting these karts set up, but we are determined that we will eventually prevail. Christopher and Brandon both ended up at the tail ends of their feature races, and we left the track, yet again, tired and wondering just where the secret lies to getting our karts to the fronts of the packs. We haven't given up. We will keep working at it until we get it figured out.
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ June 15th ~ Regular Race Day
At last! We had a GREAT day at the track. Christopher was under the weather and didn't go along, but we finally think we have Brandon's 2x kart set up and ready to win a race. We used a different tire set up, changed the clutch, changed the gearing, and put in a new spark plug. We didn't get to even go out on the track for practice, but when Brandon took the 2x kart out onto the track, we weren't the only ones to notice the difference.
Brandon took second place in both of his heat races and managed to take the pole position for his feature race. The kart set up was near perfect, and Brandon's driving was awesome. He started off in last position in the first heat and worked his way through the traffic like a real pro. He would have placed first in that heat, but he was passed by another driver under a caution flag. We were so excited about finally having the kart and driver both doing so well that we decided to not contest the issue. The second heat was just as exciting and made us anxious to get to the feature race.
Well, wouldn't you know it.....our feature was cancelled and postponed until next week because Mother Nature decided to rain on our parade. The skies had been cloudy and looked threatening all day, but nothing ever came of it. That is until it was time for Brandon's class to be called to the starting lineup. A five minute shower soaked the track. The Mansfield Motorsports Speedway trucks, the ambulance, and a few other volunteers drove vehicles around the track in attempts to dry it out so we could get the features in. But it was called off because they didn't get it dried enough to feel as though it was dry enough to be safe enough to put the kids out there to race on. But, even without getting to race the feature, we still had a GREAT day at the track!
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ June 22nd ~ Regular Race Day
I've always wondered what the guys in the pits felt like when a NASCAR driver would cross the finish line and take the checkered flag. Well, today I finally got to find out, and it was incredible! After a year and a half of trying to figure out what we needed to do to win a race with the 2x kart, we have, at long last, succeeded. Brandon, our youngest driver at only 12 years old, claimed his first real racing victory at Mansfield this week by taking the pole and winning the feature.
Brandon started on the pole for the feature that was postponed because of last week's little rain shower. Starting in first position and holding it through a race is a great feat in and of it's own, but what Brandon did out there was better yet. Somehow he lost his lead position, and at one point in the race had even fallen into last position. But his good driving skills, combined with having his kart set up better than ever, Brandon worked his way back through the traffic and regained the lead within a couple of laps. He held his second lead, and went on to finish the race and capture the checkered flag.
The Bishop Racing Team would like to recognize Tony Steward of SKR Motor Sports for building us such an awesome engine to race with. Tony has become a friend of ours, and his advice and expertise have been valuable to us as a team, and very much appreciated by our drivers. Keep up the great work, Tony.....and THANK YOU!
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ June 29th ~ Regular Race Day
Think positive. That's what we believe on the Bishop Racing Team. On a day that seemed like there was no possible way we could race, it happened. We sat in the garage during the afternoon, watching Mother Nature trying to interfere with our weekly trip to the track. The rains gushed for nearly an hour, flooding the entire area of town where the garage is located, closing streets and underpasses. The pit gates at the track opened at four o'clock. The rain finally stopped at ten minutes after four. We thought we were literally "dead in the water" as far as getting any seat time in at the track, but a phone call to Steve, one of our track directors, made our positive attitudes pay off. Yes, it had rained on the track, but the crews worked very hard to get it dried off to race on.
It was tire day for us in the pit crew. We arrived at the track and got the 2x kart out and ready to set it up for the day. During our routine tire check, we noticed flat tires on the front right and left rear. We ended up going through a few tires during the course of the evening, and Brandon even experienced his first high-speed blowout while on a practice run. Fortunately, he and the kart made it back to the pits unharmed. We kicked up the gearing by one tooth on the rear, topped off the oil, checked all the nuts & bolts, and went racing.
Brandon started in second place in the feature after finishing second in both heats. The pole sitter was Matt Irely in the number 8 kart, a talented young driver who has been the hardest one for Brandon to beat all year. The feature turned out to be the best racing we have gotten to witness with Brandon at the wheel. He kept the 2x kart on the rear bumper of the number 8 kart for the entire race. At one point, Brandon managed to get under Matt between turns 3 & 4, and it looked for a moment like we were going to have another first place trophy to put in the garage. Unfortunately, there were some repairs made to the track since last week, and it caused Brandon to break loose just enough to let Matt shoot back out in front where he stayed to take the checkered flag a few laps later. After a good, hard race, we'll take second place.....this time. We hope to see you again next week, Matt!
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ July 6th ~ Regular Race Day
It was a good day and bad day all rolled into one, and who you were determined which way it went. Brandon hit the track for one practice session and decided that his kart was good to go, and he was right. Christopher, on the other hand, decided at the last minute that he wanted to race, in spite of the fact that the cage kart he had been working on wasn't set up and ready. He raced with another kart that we had brought to the track for practice. It wasn't set up quite the way he wanted it, so he made some adjustments and changed the gearing ratios. Perhaps he should have left well enough alone....
Brandon enjoyed his second time in the pole position in less than three weeks, taking first position in both heat races. In his feature race, he held the first position ahead of the other drivers on the track and went on to capture the checkered flag. His mother even decided to come to the track with us this week and was in the pits to congratulate him on his victory. Unfortunately, she also had to see Christopher miss out on racing in his feature because of a blown engine in his second heat race. So, it truly was a day of victory and disappointment for the team this week. But, that's what racing is all about, right?
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ July 13th ~ Regular Race Day
It wasn't Friday, but it was certainly the 13th! A great day of racing turned into a day of disappointment for the team after the feature race had been run. Brandon and the 2x kart had no problem winning both heats, in spite of the fact that the competition was heavy this week. It seemed as though we had the kart tweaked as well as it could be, and still be what we believed to be legal. Combined with Brandon's improved driving skills, we couldn't be touched on the track.
When the feature race was over, the 2x kart crossed the finish line more than a quarter of a lap ahead of the second place kart, #3 driven by a young lady named Melissa. However, even though we finished the race in first place, Melissa got the 1st place trophy, and we were given last place because of a bad restrictor plate that was discovered in a post-race tear down. We weren't trying to cheat, but apparently the hole in the plate was larger than what the rules allow, and we were disqualified from winning, even though it was the same plate we used when we were coming in at last place. It was a sad moment for us, especially knowing that we could have still won the race, even if the plate would have not been modified at all. Oh well....we still had fun!
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ July 20th ~ Regular Race Day
After the tear down following last week's race, we decided that it would never happen to us again. We put together a new kart to take to the track this week, and Brandon is now going to be racing in the Senior Open class with no restrictions on the kart, the driver, or the engine. It is a faster class that will test the skills of the driver as well as the pit crew. We accept the challenge, but realize, too, that it means starting over from square one.
As expected, we came in dead last in both heats as well as the feature race. We spent the day working at getting the kart set up properly for the oval track, and getting the driver used to racing a kart with a 2 stroke engine. The kart got the best of us all, but we made it through the day without much trouble. We learned a lot, and went back to the garage with a large laundry list of things to get done before next week's race. So, until then, we'll be busy working on this new kart, appropriately named "The Beast".
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ July 27th ~ Rained Out
Mother Nature decided to give us the day off by making it rain all day. As we worked to put the finishing touches on The Beast throughout the afternoon, we kept our hopes up and our thoughts positive, but it didn't matter.....it just kept on raining and raining. The rain finally let up in the late afternoon, but a call to Steve at the track told us what we didn't want to hear. The track was way too wet to even attempt to dry and the day's racing had been called off.
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ August 3rd ~ Regular Race Day
We had two weeks to get The Beast ready to race, but there is only so much that can be done off-track and at the garage. When we got to the track, we didn't expect to win, and we were far from being disappointed in that respect. There is still a lot of vibration being generated from the two-stroke motor that is getting transferred to Brandon, making it difficult for him to fully concentrate on his driving, but not to the point of causing him to quit. There is still some work to be done on getting the right tires and air pressure all the way around the kart, and some weight distribution issues that need to be addressed as well.
As for the actual performance on the track, the driver did much better than the kart this week. In the last race two weeks ago, the kart seemed to have gotten the best of him, but this week Brandon tamed The Beast, and his awesome driving skills shined like a freshly polished chrome bumper. In fact, Steve Pfifer, the race director at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway, called Brandon to the front during our trophy presentations to comment on his great driving, and his ability to handle his kart while it broke loose around the track. I guess all those days of practice in the yard kart on our dirt track at home are paying off!
Christopher decided to take to the track again today, but his kart had other plans. He put the old 4 stroke engine from the 2x kart onto the #89 kart that he'd been racing in earlier events. Unfortunately, in the second heat race, something went horribly wrong inside the motor and he had to pull it off the track and back to the pits, where it remained for the remainder of the day. Chris is feeling pretty down about not only losing races, but losing engines, too. He is considering giving up driving because of the long string of bad luck that seems to have taken control of his racing career. Hopefully he will bounce back and keep on trying, but only time will tell.
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ August 10th ~ Regular Race Day
The Beast has been difficult to tame, and we still haven't gotten the handling situation under control. It was originally set up to be a road course kart, but we felt as though there was hope in making it work on an oval track. Even after some radical changes in the gearing and chassis setups, this kart has been difficult to get under control. Although Brandon would charge ahead and take the lead on the starts, and did his very best to make it work on the track, it wouldn't quit breaking loose in the turns. The sliding and fighting caused him to lose his position quickly and put us in fourth (last) place in the feature. We decided to break down the beast and put that 2-stroke engine on the #2 kart that we know is set up for this track. Hopefully we are right in thinking it can't do any worse!
Chris, meanwhile, took the #89 kart onto the track in the Stock 350 class. Since he's been working at a real job, he hasn't had as much time to work on getting his kart set up and ready to race. But he still manages to find enough time to put a motor together, strap it to a kart, and take it out onto the track to get the job done. Because he's a good small engine mechanic, he can put a fast motor together rather quickly and make it look good in a race. He did it again today and took home a second place trophy. Way to go Chris!
We had guests in the pits today, and we would like to recognize them and thank them for being there. Ruth, a charming lady and grandmother of the boys, came all the way to Mansfield from Oklahoma, just to watch the boys race at least once before the season's end. With only two races left at Mansfield this year, she made it just in time. April, their paternal aunt, also came to watch from the pits. They took some pictures of the day's events, and we plan to get them scanned and posted in the Photo Gallery soon.
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ August 17th ~ Regular Race Day
Today was a good day of racing for the team, in spite of the fact that Brandon was involved in a serious accident on the track. Fortunately, Brandon escaped the incident without injury, but the driver of the other kart was not so lucky, and had to be transported to the hospital by ambulance. It was reported that he was taken to the hospital to be checked over, and that he would most likely be okay. Our thoughts and prayers are with him for a speedy recovery.
Both drivers and the pit crews worked for several days on building the motors and setting up the karts for today's events. Christopher drove the orange kart #89, powered by the 5HP Briggs motor that has won first place in four events in three different classes over the past two seasons. He tore the motor down and replaced the piston and rings in it, which he had determined to be the cause of the poor performance the engine had provided in last week's events. His proper gearing and setups, engine rebuilding, and good driving around the track today brought him a third place finish in his feature.
The accident on the track happened during Brandon's first heat when spun out between turns 1 & 2. He was driving a different line around the track in an attempt to improve his handling and control of the #2 kart he was driving. We spent three days putting the #2 together and getting it set up for today's race, trying to find the right combination of kart, engine, and chassis set-up that would go fast without breaking loose too much going around the short oval track. . This is the same Margay chassis that he had been driving and winning with in the gold class earlier this year, except the 5HP Briggs has been replaced with the 2-stroke engine from The Beast.
While having a serious wreck on the track was a scary situation for a little while, we weren't disappointed with the "new and improved" #2kart or its performance. Although Brandon wasn't hurt, the wreck did do considerable damage to the kart. But since the ambulance had to leave, the track was closed for nearly an hour, giving us plenty of time in the pits to do repairs and do a thorough safety check on the kart before returning to the track for the feature. We had to change the left front wheel, replace a broken tie rod, adjust and align the steering, and bend the side cage back to the outside of the kart. We'll most likely spend a great deal of time in at the garage this week checking the entire kart over for signs of damage, and continue to set it up for better handling and speed for next week's event.
Mansfield Motorsports Speedway ~ August 24th ~ Regular Race Day
There are some days you just live for, and today was one of those days for the entire Bishop Racing Team. We took home two tall trophies from the two features we ran. With only one more week of racing, and a very tough first half of the 2005 kart racing season, we are very happy with the opportunity to finish off the season on a high note!
Christopher went to the track today with the intent to work in the pits and wasn't planning to drive. He's been working a lot of hours and getting ready for the school year, and decided to take a day off. But the lack of competition at the track caused him to change his mind, and he entered the #89 kart in the Stock 350 class. After a couple of practice sessions and gear changes, he managed to take home a second place trophy. Not bad for someone who wasn't even planning to be in the race to begin with!
The famous kart #2, the most driven kart of our fleet, hit the track again today after being carefully examined following last week's crash. Brandon drove in the Open Class again today, against a single opponent, his best friend Anthony Gillam who drove a #92 shifter kart. After one practice session and one heat, we changed the left front tire and re-adjusted the tire pressure settings. After checking everything out, we decided that we were good to go.
Folks, for a two kart race, this feature was one of the fastest and most intense driving events in the history of kart racing at the Mansfield Motorsports Speedway. Those boys were doing some serious racing out there today, and they even managed to get the crowd in the grandstands worked up. After the drivers took the checkered flag once apiece in the two heat races, the feature turned out to be a shootout for the best two out of three. When its friend vs. friend, there's more than a trophy involved, there's braggin' rights, and you know it's gonna be a good race! After 15 heart-stopping laps, all eyes were glued to the track as Brandon won by nearly a half-lap. As our slogan says, "The Friendship Stops When The Green Flag Drops". But friendship comes back when come off the track.
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