November 12, 2009

Kolby Finishes Karting Season with Win at Santa Maria

 

It's been since June that Kolby last visited a Region 7 IKF race. December 4th,  Kolby and his dad decided to attend the last Region 7 race in remembrance of Kolby's grandpa (Nob) Araki.  This was Nob's favorite place to race karts, not only because of the pleasant weather most of the time, but because the track is located 10 miles south of Nipomo, California, home of Jocko's Steakhouse.   Nob introduced many friends to Jocko's each time he went to Santa Maria.  This past weekend, Team PKS loaded up the RV with 20 friends and headed over to Jocko's on Friday night for great food and fun.

 

Saturday, Kolby entered the Spec PRD class with his Grand Products, PKS, RLV, DWT sponsored Topkart.  After missing Friday practice, it was going to be a quick learn for Kolby to get up to speed and get the kart tuned.  After the second session, it was apparent that Kolby was right back to where he was in May, outrunning the field by more than a second a lap.  Qualifying came and it was time to deal with a new Bridgestone tire that Kolby had not used before.  Missing the setup and air pressure a bit, Kolby put his kart on the outside of the front row just one tenth off the pole.  Heat one saw the leader (Bobby Kelley) spin in turn one ending his chance of a win on this day.  Kolby took advantage and won the heat race by more than six seconds, then went on to win the main event by more than five seconds.  

 

All in all, it was a great weekend and Kolby would like to thanks Grand Products, PKS Kart Supplies, Douglas Wheels, RLV, and Graphix Plus for a great season.  Kolby would also like to thanks IKF, Region 7, Bridgestone Tire, and Santa Maria Kart Club for a great event and weekend.

 

September 22, 2009

Kolby Wins 2009 Kerman Kart Club Championship

 

The final race of the Kerman Kart Club Championship Series was held on October 11th at the Buttonwillow Raceway Park kart track.  Home track Champion and fellow PKS team driver Cody Moss was on hand after a brief layoff due to appendicitis.  It's always a blast watching Kolby and Cody go at it because they have so much respect for each other.  Kolby wasn't able to catch up with the track setup all weekend and ende dup second to Cody but was able to secure enough points to win the Kerman Championship.

 

 

September 21, 2009

GOOD LUCK BAD LUCK

With two weeks before the Super 600 Nationals at Plaza Park, Kolby took the opportunity to shake some of the bugs out of the car.  The night started off with some obvious problems which kept Kolby from racing past the heat races. A burned up clutch would end the night.  The good news is that this would have happened at the Nationals if Kolby  would have taken the night off.  The engine was pulled the next day and sent off for freshening and a new clutch.  Kolby will shake the car down in Lemoore at the Budweiser Grand Prix this coming weekend and then if all goes well, off to Plaza Park next Thursday.

 

 July 27th, 2009

 KOLBY WINS WINGLESS SHOW IN LEMOORE!

Kolby stayed home from the kart Nationals this year to work on his dirt program.  Saturday night, Kolby returned to Lemoore Raceway to run the wingless class.  The track was redesigned and lengthened since Kolby's last visit several weeks ago.  Fourteen cars entered the slowly growing wingless class and Kolby was first out to qualify.  Kolby would put his PMP chassis in the P1 spot with a time of 11.85.  This would put Kolby in the P4 starting spot for the heat race.  Bryan (dad) had been trying different things to get the car to bite coming off the corners and with no special wingless components, it's been a challenge to get the car right.  A few adjustments proved that it wasn't the right direction as Kolby finished in the 4th spot.  Luck of the draw would put Kolby on the front row of the main.  Bryan made some adjustments to the car, back where it was and then some and sent Kolby on his way.  At the drop of the green, Kolby was a rocket gapping the field by two and three car lengths each corner.  With one red and a few yellows, the field hung fairly tight until the last run where Kolby left the field for a great win. 

 

The win was particularly special because Lemoore Raceway dedicated the evening the to recent passing of Kolby's grandpa, Nob Araki.  During the winner circle interview, Kolby dedicated his win to grandpa and thanked all of his sponsors for all of their support.

 

August 2, 2009

SECOND PLACE IN LEMOORE

Kolby drove his wingless car to a second place finish this weekend in Lemoore, California.  Kolby put his PMP 600 on the pole in qualifying which put him on the pole position for the main event.  Kolby got beat off turn two by Sean Thompson who used the topside cushion to his advantage.  Kolby chased Thompson for most for the race but was unable to put up a real challenge. Kolby heads back to Plaza Park Raceway next Friday for race number one of a three race summer series.

 

June 22, 2009

OUTLAW NATIONALS

The 2009 Outlaw Nationals were held at Plaza Park this weekend and 39 cars showed up to qualify for one of 22 spots in the Super 600 Main event.  Kolby has been thinking about what it will take to get the car qualified good enough to start close to the front in the heat races.  All the thinking would pay off with a decent P23 qualifying attempt.  Although not what Kolby wanted, it would place him 6th on the grid in a 13 lap heat race.  The top four of each heat go directly to the main on Saturday night while the others battle through semi mains.  Kolby would transfer with a third place finish putting him in the P14 starting spot for the main.

 

Unfortunately, that would be most of the racing for Kolby's weekend.  At the green flag, Kolby went to the high side and moved quickly into the eleventh spot on the second lap.  Then coming off of turn four, a car spun causing the cars in front of Kolby to check up.  Kolby had no where to go and no way to stop, hitting the right rear of Ryan Reeves starting a violent flip for Kolby.  Kolby's race ended with a torn up car but no injuries.  Mitchell Faccinto went on to win the race. 
 

Kolby will take the next couple weeks off to get the car back together and spend some time at the kart races at the Fresno Fairgrounds on the Fourth of July weekend.

 

June 10th, 2009

RETURN TO IKF AT CALSPEED

With no sprint car races scheduled for the weekend, Kolby packed the karts up and headed to Calspeed to run against his friends at the IKF Region 7 Series.  Kolby raced in the Spec PRD Class on Saturday and HPV4 Senior on Sunday.  It was a pretty relaxing weekend for both Kolby and Bryan.  They started the weekend practice well off the pace but gathered it all together for the races.  Kolby finished the weekend in fifth in both classes with a very good run in the PRD main to catch the leaders on the last lap after getting knocked off the track on the first lap.  The evenings were a blast as usual with Team PKS enjoying a great dinner with great friends.

 

May 30, 2009

KOLBY PLACES SECOND AT PLAZA PARK

What a difference two weeks makes.  Kolby took Memorial weekend off from the mini sprint to race gokarts witht he Kerman Kart Club.  The week off seemed to do the trick as Kolby was able to get the car back in the main event and top it all off with a second place finish.  Kolby started the main from the pole position and jumped out to an fairly large early lead.  Several yellow flags kept the pack bunched up and also gave everyone a chance to keep checking out the different lines on the track.  As Kolby continued on at the top, Joey Greenburg found some bite at the bottom and chased Kolby down passing him on lap 9.  Kolby moved to the bottom behind Greenburg, them it was Jake Hagopian who found the cushion way at the top of the track and it paid off as he caught both leaders and passed them.  Kolby moved back up to the top as Greenburg stayed down low.  At the checkered Kolby and Greenburg running side by side were closing in on Hagopian.  Kolby drove deep into three coming to the checkered beating Greenburg for second just by the front wing.

 

Racing for the weekend continues tonight in Lemoore.  

 

May 26, 2009

KERMAN KART CLUB RACE TWO

Race two of the Kerman Kart Club Series was held this past weekend at the Fresno Fairgrounds.  Kolby decided to enter the Senior Superbox class with 12 other drivers.  Kolby started the day by qualifying on the pole just nine hundredths of a second faster than teammate Cody Moss from Bakersfield.  Kolby would go on to win the heat race from the front row setting up a 18 lap battle for the main.  At the start Kolby and Cody began to gap the field putting on a show for the spectators.  Cody passed Kolby then back and forth until Cody finally got passed for good to beat Kolby by two seconds at the checkered flag.  "The car was a little loose but it was really fun racing with Cody like that," Kolby explained.  Kolby's next kart race will be June 6-7 at California Speedway (CalSpeed).

 

May 20, 2009

PLAZA PARK TACHI PALACE SHOOTOUT

With all the focus on the electrical system in the first five races of the season, Kolby and his dad Bryan had little time to get acquainted with the chassis setup for new clay at Plaza Park.  Night one, Kolby was first out to wheel pack and it was the biggest mistake of the year.  The entire car packed with over 175 pounds of clay and had to be flipped over and tore apart to get enough out to get the rear axle to turn.  Missing practice, Kolby was only able to qualify 37th out of 40 cars.  It didn't get any better as Kolby failed to qualify for the main event.

 

Night two started out where things left off on Friday night.  A poor qualifying attempt put Kolby well back in the field for the heat races and with a very fast track, there was little room to pass sending Kolby to the semi.  The track conditions were even more evident when Kolby lined up for the semi behind some of fastest drivers in the class who also struggled in the heat races.  Kolby made a few passes in the semi but was again not able to transfer to the main event.   Even with all the trouble in both nights of racing, Kolby and Bryan smiled and took this as a learning tool.  The next race is May 29th, where Kolby hopes to get back into the groove and get the car back up front.

 

April 5, 2009

LEMOORE RACEWAY REPORT

The opening night at Lemoore Raceway was held this past Saturday night.  Kolby entered the new open 600 wingless class that Lemoore had added this season.  Unfortunately, there were only ten entries in the class however, there was no loss of competition and excitement.  Kolby started out the night in great fashion with a win in each heat race.  With a few adjustments on the car Kolby headed out to the main starting in the P3 spot.  At the start the field immediately started racing three wide on the very wide and redesigned Lemoore Track. Kolby went to the high side coming off four and was clipped in the right front sending him into the wall and end over end coming to a rest a the starter stand.  Kolby being alright, but with a bent front axle and right rear wheel, was pushed off to rejoin the field.  On the restart, Kolby made the most of it and worked his way back up to second.  The pack raced side-by-side for several laps, sometimes four wide.  Eventually Kolby's battery gave way and which ended his night.  Kolby's buddy, Sean Thomspon went on the win the main.  Next dirt race will be on April 17, at Plaza Park Raceway.

 

April 4, 2009

OPENING NIGHT UNDER DARK CLOUD

The opening night of the Plaza Park Racing Season began on Friday night and the mood was somber with the recent passing of a racing friend, Christian Stover of San Diego, California.  Christian ran at Plaza Park and Lemoore Raceway prior to furthering his career in a full size sprint car.  Christian lost his life in a quad accident Wednesday night.  Racing went on as Christian would have wanted it. 

 

Kolby begins the season in the Super 600 class where 39 cars were looking for one of the 22 spots in the main event.  Kolby would qualify his PMP chassis in the P15 spot which put him on the pole for the heat race.  Kolby darted to the lead in the heat gapping the field by over a whole straight.  This put Kolby solid in the main event which is a huge feat at the competitive Plaza Park Raceway.  After all the heats and semi mains were over, Kolby would be lined up in the P9 spot.  At the drop of the green it was clear that the new track surface was going to be a battle for everyone.  Kolby worked the traffic and gained a couple positions, then lost a few then gained a few back.  While running in the P7 spot, Kolby slowed pulling to the infield with an engine problem.  After working with it a little, Koby was able to fire the motor back up and re-enter the race, unfortunately 6 laps down.  Kolby used the rest of the race to learn the driving style on the  slick surface.  When the night was over, Kolby finished in the P16 spot.  Kolby would like to thank PMP, Primerica, Graphics Plus, PKS Kart Supplies, and Plaza Park.  Kolby would also like to thank all the the racers for running a memorial decal during the night for Christian.

 

April 1, 2009

KOLBY AND FRIENDS RACING FRESNO

After 27 years, kart racing was back in Fresno and in a big way.  The Kerman Kart Club hosted the first of six races at the Fresno Fairgrounds this past weekend and the front row of each race looked more like a Regional race rather than a club race.  Although short in numbers, the TAG Senior class included multi time IKF National Champion, Neil McCoy, STARS winner, Timmy Bachman, IKF Region 11 Champion, Nick Dunn, and Kolby who has a National and Region Championship under his belt too.  Kolby started out breaking his TAG motor in practice and had to qualify and run the heat race with his lower powered PRD engine.  After realizing that the PRD wasn't going to cut it, the Bachmans offered to lend their spare to Kolby to run the main.  The switch was made and the race was on.  Neil starting on Pole with Bachman off  would lead the four into the most exciting six laps of the weekend.  Neil, Timmy and Kolby went three wide in the narrowest spot on the track and came out in a completely different order.  Then the next lap, two wide in the same spot and out they pop in a different order again.  This went on for several laps until Neil sent Timmy into the barriers where it caused the field to separate.  Dunn eventually fell out with engine problems.  Neil, Timmy and Kolby all raced about 2 seconds apart while running identical lap times.  This became rather boring until the checkered where they finished in that order.  The race was a big success for the Kerman Kart Club and it was a chance for Kolby to have fun racing with his friends from Region 7.

 

Next up is the start of the 2009 Mini Sprint Season this weekend with Visalia Plaza Park on Friday and Lemoore Raceway on Saturday.  Stay tuned for results.

 

March 9, 2009

KOLBY GETS INITIATED TO SENIOR CLASS

Round two of the IKF Region 7 Series was held at Buttonwillow Kart Track this past weekend and this would be where Kolby would experience his first Senior Division start.  Friday practice started and ended very well with both the Spec PRD and HPV4 karts working flawlessly all day.  Saturday started off great with a P1 qualifying attempt in Spec PRD amongst a field on 28 drivers including some of the best in the US.  Heat race action started early as the senior group went to work on Kolby shoving him around for about three laps pushing him back to sixth place.  Kolby regrouped and started attacking one at a time until he was back in the lead on lap 7.  With four laps to go and a 2 second lead, Kolby's drive chain fell off and ended his chance at a front row start for the main.  Starting 26th in the main Kolby went to work trying to keep his kart in shape while passing as many as he could.  Kolby worked his way up to 15th then was caught in an incident which bent the front end enough to cause a bad understeer.  Kolby was able to keep moving forward to a P7 finish.  A great drive for his first outing with the Seniors.

 

Day two started off well with a P4 qualifying attempt amongst a group of 16 drivers.  Kolby got a good start in the heat and was able to finish in P2 after Devin Lindsey let him go by at the start finish (a tactic used to gain an inside starting spot).  Kolby used his outside row to his advantage for the main and was able to jump into the lead on the start.  Position One driver, Bobby Kelly passed Kolby right back on lap one and then they swapped the lead a few time before Kolby settled in behind Kelly to attempt to leave the rest of the pack.  The two began to pull away and it was apparent that Kolby didn't have the gearing to keep pace with Kelly.  With five laps to go, Kolby began to creep back up to Kelly and with one lap to go he was right on his back bumper.  Kolby made a last turn attempt to go the the win as they both drag raced down the straight to the checkered flag, it was Kelly by less than 100th of a second. 

 

Kolby had a lot of fun this past weekend and wished to thank all his sponsors and team mates for their help and the competitors for their respect. 

 

 

 

March 3, 2009

KART TESTING IN BUTTONWILLOW

Kolby spent Saturday reuniting with his karts at Buttonwillow Raceway.  It's been 6 months since Kolby sat in a kart seat.  Kolby has been approved to run in the senior classes so uncle Glenn bolted a TAG PRD on one kart, an HPV4 on the other and 30 pounds of weight on each and off we went.  This is the first time lead weights have been a part of Kolby's program in a long time as he ran overweight in the junior classes all 2008.  It took a couple of laps to shake out the cob webs but once that was done, Kolby was up to speed.  A few adjustments throughout the day and the times kept coming down.  All in all testing went very well and Kolby learned a lot about the new packages.  Kolby will be heading to Buttonwillow this coming weekend to catch up with his friends in the IKF Region 7 Series.

 

December 1, 2008

KOLBY ENDS SEASON ON HIGH NOTE

Kolby finished off the Mini Sprint season at the annual Turkey Shootout at Plaza Park Raceway on Thanksgiving weekend.  Kolby entered the Super 600 class where veterans from all over the west coast would compete including top fuel champions Gary Scelzi and Ron Capps. Forty-six drivers were entered into the Super 600 class looking for one of the 22 spots in the main event.

Kolby was the 7th car on the track for qualifying on a wet and slick track and posted a 12.05 which was not going to hold on the drying track surface. Kolby would end up 36th in the field of 46 putting him in the P9 spot on the grid for his heat.

Kolby got a luck break on the start as a couple cars got collected and allowed him to jump into the 7th spot. By the end of the heat Kolby passed one more car putting him in the B-Main and avoiding the C-Main. Six cars would transfer from the B-Main into the A-Main and Kolby would have to start from P7. Again Kolby caught some breaks and avoided every crash on the track to finish fourth putting him safely in the main event.

Kolby would start the main event from P20. At the green, Kolby jumped to the high side and went to work passing cars every lap. By lap 20, Kolby was in P7. Kolby lost one spot with five to go and then the car
developed a miss on the straights. Leter it was discovered that the car was very low on fuel and barely made it to the finish in eighth. All in all, Kolby’s debut in the wingless Super 600 was awesome and Kolby cannot
wait for next season.

Kolby would like to thank Shane Perry from Primerica, Stan Greenberg of Western Metal, Grandpa and Grandma Araki, Uncle Glenn of PKS, TRP Motorsports, TNA Designs, and Graphix Plus for a great year.