Stars of Tomorrow - Another great charge from the back-11/07/2000

Scottracing loaded up and moved to Las Vegas for the Stars of Tomorrow Race and the following weeks SKUSA Supernationals.  The first event, The CART Stars of Tomorrow race was a one-of event promoted by Hollis Brown and Bryan Herta.   The purse, which included Indy Car test rides, attracted a huge field of 125 Shifter drivers.   The 80cc junior class, a late addition to the program, drew 22 of the usual suspects for a spirited tune-up for the Supernationals.

Friday was test and tune up and Carl was  putting up times at or near the fastest in class all day.  We were finally getting a handle on Pete's latest monster motor when strange noises from the gearbox caused us to change over to our spare engine.   After long distance consultation with Pete, we also swapped cylinders, heads, and reed to come up with a clone of the Monster motor. 

Saturday brought on a dramatic change in weather, with the sky clearing and the temperature rising, providing nearly perfect racing conditions.  Unfortunately, this necessitated a change in engine configuration which was accomplished in a big rush.   That rush lead to the failure to tighten a hose clamp and a disaster in qualifying.   One out lap later, Carl was shown the black flag for blowing water on the track.   The Stars format included a CARt style qualifying procedure in which each class was allowed 12 minutes of track time to record their best lap time. The pit was hot and changes were allowed, which gave us a chance to tighten the clamp and refill the radiator with a nice blend of water and Gatorade.  Unfortunately, the damage was done and the engine would not make more than a single out lap.  Bottom line was 17th qualifying, a huge disappointment after the great practice laps.

We did not discover that the motor was done for until Sunday warm-up when it would not cool again.  Careful trouble shooting found two tiny cracks in the cylinder which were allowing us to run a water injected engine - definitely not the fast setup.   More thrashing and we had the backup cylinder in place along with the jetting and gearing we expected it would need.  Now off to watch the support races, including the exhibition of the Stars of today.

Show time and we start 17th, deep in the field.  A clean start and its off to the races.  The backup engine is missing, the Kart lacks grip and the field is tough, but Carl motors o the front, eventually gaining 9 positions to finish 8th.  A remarkable bit of driving which included two laps under the pole time of eventual winner Alex Speed.   Next time..