Wiedeman 4th Win in 2013

WIEDEMANN WINS WEST BEND GP
Takes 4th Straight 2013 F1 Win

"It's John Wiedemann's world," says Super Kamikawa driver Everet Kamikawa. "We're just lucky to be living in it." Indeed it must be great to live as John Wiedemann as the driver looks to have a solid lock on the F1 title after four F1 events in the 2013 season. 

"We don't want to talk championships right now and we've been ordered not to talk about it," says a junior Jaguar team spokesman intern. "In fact I shouldn't have even told you that!"

The short field made things a lot easier for JW. Mike Lack in the sister Jaguar used home track advantage to dig his way out of trouble all night to finish second. The Super Kamikawa team hasn't found the setup at all on these new F1 cars and quickly gathered and served all penalties. It was only Dan Margetta's Red Bull team , who also couldn't find the set up, that prevented Kamikawa from finishing fourth.

Tempers flared as drivers used "rough driving" to the maximum without going overboard. The teams were mad from all the damage that would have to be repaired, however the crowd loved it.

The LMP cars continued to impress the drivers but also retain their reputation as having a high learning curve. All drivers struggled with the bigger, wider cars. Tempers flared as cars seemed to spin off for no reason causing frustration that lead to cars being parked or drivers traction breaking loose and cars smashing into one another. In one case a Peugot was parked next to the food stand. Fans and crew were enjoying the interaction when an Audi barrel rolled into the crowd. Fortunately no one was hurt. 

An ugly race still resulted in a win for Wiedemann with Kamikawa second, followed by Lack and Margetta.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTSCAR FEDERATION
Official Finish, Event # 2013-03
West Bend GP
March 22, 2013
Lack Track

F1 Grand Prix Category -- 16 Minute Final
Pos. Driver Car
1  John Wiedemann Jaguar
2  Mike Lack Jaguar
3 Everet Kamikawa Super Kamikawa 

4 Dan Margetta Red Bull

Fastest Qualifier -- N/A
B Main --N/A

Heat Winners -- N/A

LMP Category -- 16 Minute Final
Pos. Driver Car
1 John Wiedemann Peugot
2 Everet Kamikawa Audi R15
3 Mike Lack Audi R15
4 Dan Margetta Peugot

Fastest Qualifier -- N/A
B Main -- N/A 

Heat Winners -- N/A 

Why Larry Rotter Is the Best Driver Running

Why Larry Rotter Is the Best Driver Running     
You know, you write a column a few months ago about a guy and how he isn't winning in the ISF and look what happens.
He rips off four wins in seven races and looks to be unbeatable for the GTP championship. He would be the first driver to win both the GTP and HOCC championships in the same year.
My writing colleague, Cornelius Funt, has once again opened the debate on whether Larry Rotter or Phil Cianciola is the greatest driver in HOCC history.
While it is easy to compare stats between the two drivers to find the answer,
there are some things about Larry Rotter's career that are not as well known and may tip the balance in his favor. You've heard of Chuck Norris and his feats of strength? Larry Rotter is the Chuck Norris of racing.


Some of these facts are:
-Larry is so fast he can watch an episode of 60 minutes in 84 seconds
-Light is jealous of Larry's speed
-Larry named his feet "gas" and "brake"
-Larry sued Dale Ernhardt over the use of the name "The Intimidator"
-The computer system that controls the engine mapping in Larry's car makes 1,286 calculations
  every second. We know this because Larry counted them by hand...twice!
-Larry doesn't lose races, he just lets other drivers borrow his winners trophy
-Larry doesn't read race data reports. He stares at them until he's absorbed all he needs to know
-Larry can judge a book by its cover
-Larry has counted to infinity-twice!
-Larry is so fast he can lap the field and spin himself out from behind
-Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas got their ideas for
Warp speed and Hyperspace after watching Larry race
-Larry is who "Willis was talkin' about"

-Larry doesn't need a stopwatch to time his laps, he decides what each lap time is
-Larry and Superman are the only two people that have enough speed when traveling to make the earth rotate backwards
-FedEx calls Larry "when it absolutely positively has to be there overnight"
-Larry's race cars only have three tires to give his opponents a chance to beat him
-The movie "Driven" was based on Larry playing with Matchbox cars when he was a kid
-When Larry does long division, there are no remainders
-The best laid plans of mice and men go awry, except for Larry's that go off without a hitch
-Larry can blow bubbles with beef jerky
-Larry is so fast he can cook minute rice in 12 seconds
-Larry only signs autographs with invisible ink so he doesn't ruin the value of the pictures
-Larry doesn't pass cars, he wills the other drivers to slow down
-Larry can win any chess game in three moves
-During a race, Larry's tires actually turn square in shape. If they stayed round he would break the sound barrier
-God created the world in 6 days. On the 7th day he raced Larry and lost two of three races.
-The only man who can beat Larry is...Chuck Norris


Until next time...it's not bad being in the pits!
 Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett

This article was originally published in 2007

Why Rotter Wins

Welcome to my observations of racing, otherwise known as...
"The Pits"

Why Rotter Wins
In the history of H.O. Champ Car, the league champion has absolutely dominated the competition. Dave Austin, Jim Kaehny, and Phil Cianciola all took their turns dominating the league.



In the new era of HOCC, defined as when club cars were introduced, that trend has continued with Larry Rotter assuming the  mantle of butt-kicker.  Fellow drivers marvel at his speed. They wonder what makes him so dominant in the HOCC.



"I know what Larry is going through because I have been there," says fellow 2-time HOCC champion Everet Kamikawa.
"Winning is fun. Once you win you want more and more of it!"

He should know. As the last champion of the original HOCC era before club cars, Kamikawa was wining poles, heats, finals, and championships much like Rotter is doing now. The other champions generated respect among the competition, however the competition was not running away from them screaming in fear like beat down dogs like they have against first Kamikawa and now, Rotter.
 
The comparison to Kamikawa is a good one.
Kamikawa won his first HOCC race in his 32nd start. He originally retired from the league roughly 80 starts later.
In those 80 starts he took 21 wins, 22 pole positions, 40 heat wins, and made 66 finals.
Since the switch to club cars, Kamikawa has 24 starts, 2 wins, 1 pole, 3 heat wins, and made 7 finals.

In the original HOCC configuration, Larry Rotter had roughly 50 starts with no wins, 2 poles, and roughly 4 heat wins.
Since the switch to club cars, Rotter has 22 wins, 17 poles, 39 heat wins, and 57 finals.

The ISF story is also one of opposites.
Kamikawa has started 115 ISF events (a combination of the 3 divisions of GTP, GT, and F1).
He has 30 wins in all divisions (9 GTP, 17 GT, 4 F1), 65 heat wins, 27 pole positions, 52 podiums, and 7 championships.

Larry Rotter has started 111 ISF events.
He has 11 wins (2 GTP, 7 GT, 2 F1), 48 heat wins, 12 pole positions, 62 podiums, and 1 championship. While the stats are close, the difference is Rotter hasn't won any championships since the inaugural 2000 GT title.
He also hasn't won in any division for three seasons. So despite his drought in the ISF, why does Larry Rotter so easily fell HOCC competitors?



The first reason is attitude. Sometimes this has been called "Rottertude." When racing, competitors have noted that nothing fazes Rotter. He doesn't smile or frown, and he rarely talks or shows frustration. A recent taunt by Dan Margetta that "bluegrass music sucks!" seemed to throw Rotter off for a heat race, however even that taunt bounces off his Teflon skin.

"The biggest thing a driver has to learn is how to win," Kamikawa explained. "Larry was always fast. He could dust off the lower half of the grid in the old days pretty easily, however he would rarely get to the final because he had a number of guys ahead of him. Once he got his first win, he knew he could beat anyone on the grid. That fueled his confidence and that built his attitude that he knows he can beat anyone on the grid at any certain time. He got over the intimidation factor. You hear about a certain drivers wins, championships, and see their speed and you think that you could never beat them. That is the intimidation factor.
Racing Cianciola, Kaehny, or Austin wasn't intimidating anymore once I knew I could beat them. If there was someone else that intimidated me; I would work on beating them next. Then the next driver who I was nervous to go up against, and the next driver after that, until I was on top. I'm pretty sure I've helped other drivers get over their intimidation of me by the losing I've done this year!" 

Is there more to it mentally than just getting over being intimidated?
Kamikawa says there is.
"Anyone who says that they don't care about winning I'm a little suspicious of. Having fun in the car is great, however you can't convince me that these drivers who say they don't care about winning don't long somewhere in their hearts to have their name on a trophy. To know that just once you managed to beat a field of other drivers. If people don't believe that what I’m saying is true, than I challenge them to give themselves a little test. Let’s say God comes to you and gives you a choice of having fun and the races, or having fun at the races and winning a few of them. I bet people would take the second option every time! Winning is contagious. Whether it is a team sport, an individual sport, science fairs, debates, or a board game, everyone wants to be a winner at something. Once you win you want more of it. Not to rub any one's face in it, but to have that "high" inside ones self is a great feeling."


 

The second reason that Larry Rotter wins is luck. There is the luck of getting a good chassis draw or picking the right lane in the right heat with the right competition, however there is also the luck that you make yourself. That mostly comes with practice and experience.

"Larry runs in the ISF and that gives him a lot more seat time than some of his competitors," Kamikawa said.
"That may not seem like such a big edge given the differences in the two leagues; however it helps a driver learn to recognize situations like when a car is loose and when to try and pass it. It also helps learn car control and patience. If you notice, Larry is rarely caught up in a multiple car crash. That comes with learning to give everyone the room they need and having a strategy of when to pass or follow another car."

 
The third reason, and probably the most important, is that Rotter's strategy is very sound. Set a blazingly fast time in qualifying, and scare the top runners from racing in the same heat. This forces other top drivers to take each other out in the rest of the heat races, leaving Rotter to run in a heat of slower cars. Rotter advances to the final. Since the other top drivers knock each other out in the other heat races, the level of competition in the final race is also not always at its highest.


"If Larry knows that going into a race he will have no problem beating the fourth and/or third car in the race, then all he has to worry about is beating his main competition. That takes a lot of pressure off," stated Kamikawa. "In my championship years people didn’t want to race me in the heats either. Even if I did get stuck with another top driver I knew I could beat them and it wouldn't faze me."
 

So how do you beat Larry Rotter?
Once again we give the last word to Kamikawa:
"You have to have the confidence and attitude that you know you are going to beat him. Then not be afraid to race against him in the heat races. He may beat you 9 out of 10 times, but you will gain a lot of experience racing one of the top drivers. Then that one time you beat him will lead to more confidence and that leads to more wins. We are complete opposites in terms of our performances in the last several HOCC seasons," Kamikawa said. "It is very interesting to compare our careers. He's got the bit between the teeth for the last several years, while I'm just trying to be more than a moving chicane! It is time I take my own advice."

Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett

This article was originally published in 2007