TCL Race Story 2013

Rapids – John Wiedemann captured his second win of the season in the Too Clean Laundry Grand Prix at Rapids International, round 10 of the 2012-2013 IndySlotCar Series season.  Running a conservative second half of the race Wiedemann was able to hold off a hard-charging effort by Dean Strom to grab the victory and take a chunk out of Mark Walczak's championship point lead.

Seemingly a nice quiet city street circuit, Rapids International hides a dangerous and taxing challenge for drivers hidden behind its shiny polished exterior.  Several corners look to be easy to speed through but leave the driver that pushed the limits with his ride on the floor and race ended.  Tonight's Too Clean Laundry Grand Prix was no different than past events as four divers succumbed to the dangers of Rapids International.

Wiedemann stole the pole position away from Strom in the qualifying session on the second to last lap of his run with a 4.896 second pass, just 28 thousandths of a second quicker than Strom.

Heat races featured the destruction of driver's hopes with at least one racecar flying off the track in each of the three heats.  Strom won the first heat by four laps over Mike Fitzlaff while Matt Hayek crashed out early in the first half of the race and Chris Spehert crashed out in the second half.  Heat two featured a fierce battle for the win between Walczak and Mike Kristof only to end in disappointment and despair again for Kristof when he flew off the track ending his night.  The third heat ended quickly for Dan Margetta when, on his fourth lap, he became the fourth driver to DNF, crashing out of the race in the same back section of the circuit that the other three drivers ended their night.  Kamikawa held on to win the heat and Wiedemann finished in the feature race transfer position by just two laps over his teammate, Fitzlaff.  German driver Johannes Schlict ended his shortened rookie season with his best overall finish of 7th in his third series race.

Wiedemann took command of the feature race early but could never pull too far away from Strom.  While Kamikawa and Walczak struggled with handling issues, the top two paced the track and built up a cushion, determined to settle the race between themselves.  At the end of the first half, Wiedemann held a three lap advantage over Strom.  All drivers pitted quickly and without incident at the start of the second half and Wiedemann pulled ahead another two laps to increase the distance to 5 laps over second place Strom.  As the race time wound down, Wiedemann dropped into conservation mode, not wanting to be another DNF statistic, and gave back the two gained laps to Strom.  At the checkers, Wiedemann crossed the line with a three lap lead over Strom.  Kamikawa ran third and Walczak finished fourth.

"I was real nervous towards the end of the race," said Wiedemann.  "There was one point where I thought my car was going off the track as it spun behind the buildings.  At that point I just backed off a touch, tried to pace myself behind Strom and hold on for the win.  I had an awesome car tonight and I really needed the win to keep pace with that number one car in the point standings."

The victory was the fourth of Wiedemann's IndySlotCar Series career and tightens up the Husarsbuilt Cup Chase from thirty-four points to fifteen between leader Walczak and second place Wiedemann.

Up next on the IndySlotCar Series schedule is Round 11, the Quarryfest De-slotmania presented by Hayek's Shorewood Pharmacy on Thursday, January 28th at Quarry Heights Raceway in Wauwatosa.

This story was not written by me, but rather John from RacingWisconsin.
Thanks John for writing it!
Steve The Wrench Ratchett

FP	QP	#	Driver	Team	Q Time	Laps	Heat# Win	Status	Pts
.	1	1	5	John Wiedemann	KVHO	4.896	199		Pole, 2nd win of year, transfer spot	52
.	2	2	10	Dean Strom	TMWR	4.924	196	1	Heat win	41
.	3	3	4	Ev Kamikawa	Panther HO	4.959	187	3	Heat win	36
.	4	5	1	Mark Walczak	TMWR	5.034	175	2	Heat win	33
.	5	6	11	Mike Fitzlaff	KVHO	5.084	94		Lost transfer spot to John by 2 laps	30
.	6	9	28	Tom Spehert	Spehert Autosport	5.574	83		Running	28
.	7	11	22	Johannes Schlict	Panther HO	6.400	69		final race of career, returns to Germany	26
.	8	8	41	Mike Kristof	RJ Foyt	5.505	67		DNF, would have won heat race	24
.	9	10	27	Chris Spehert	Spehert Autosport	6.377	60		DNF	22
.	10	7	14	Matt Hayek	RJ Foyt	5.456	29		DNF	20
.	11	4	67	Dan Margetta	Amy Butler-Margetta	4.976	3		DNF	19
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.	Race Length					20 Minutes

 

2013 TCL Grand Prix Picture Story

 

 Another fun filled event at Rapids International Raceway is the TCL Grand Prix. Presented here are some unique views of the event.
All photos are by myself.

A view from above the pit garages and as guests can dine at Kams Restaurant and then walk to the roof and watch the race. Notice the blur of the cars going past through the Goodyear Carousel Turn behind the Porsche dealership.

In these troubling times the folks at Rapids take their security very seriously. From atop the roof of the museum, a sniper team always scans the crowd for any sign of someone who wants to complete a terrorist mission. Sometimes the snipers are from the famed FBI Hostage Rescue Team, Delta Force, or Seal Team 3. Where they come from is a secret on race day. Everyone knows about the sniper team on the roof of the museum. They don't know the locations of the other teams. The soldiers pictured here are intentionally blurred so as to not identify them or their service branch.

A shot of pitlane from on top of the tunnel that is over the pit exit.

Caturine Pond is not a very popular attraction next to the track. Usually dry, it sometimes springs up. It is stinky and track officials are debating how to handle the situation.

Ferrari hasn't raced in the Indyslotcar series for 12 years. Rapids is the team's test track. That and the nostalgia for that team in this series history fuel souvenir sales to this day.

 Fans can still enjoy the 1950's diner motif in some areas

 The US Army's 24th Armored division is stationed near the town and every event they bring out vehicles like this M1 tank and two versions of the M113. Two hours after the grand prix a tank always fires a live artillery round into a nearby hillside as a signal that the all the grand prix events are over and people should clear the racetrack so it can be cleaned and returned to normal vehicle traffic.

 Looking down one of the streets. If you look past the army display you'll notice the ambulances in their hospital parking bays. 

There are rides for the kids.

 A look at the Madderom firehouse with a damaged car on top. The firehouse was named after Everet Kamikawa's longtime childhood friend Brian and his dad Garrett, who donated many of the buildings now built in the town.

 Dan Gary Gerald and Lil Chris Economacki along with a young fan behind the camera scenes.

A view of the Indycar victory lane from a hill overlooking the tunnel, where the previous pit lane shot was taken. If you look carefully you can see winner John Wiedemann waving to the crowd.

People from all around are entertained as Gandolf makes an appearance to promote the movie "The Hobbit."

Winner John Wiedemann throwing cash to the fans off of the victory rostrum.

Until Next Time...It's Not Bad Being In the Pits!

Steve The Wrench Ratchett

2013 ISF Predictions

IN THE PITS: ISF 2013 Season Predictions
by
Steve “The Wrench” Ratchett

It has been a little while since I had to write one of these dog and pony columns about the silly season as I've been in Asia covering the HO Scale Sumo League.

The 14th season of the ISF Series is on the books. 12 races. 7 different tracks. So what do we  will the drivers that made up the season of competitionthink or wish will happen in 2013?
Here are my thoughts based on my own observations:

Lets start with Mark Walczak. This driver missed many events in 2012 and was never a factor although he took two wins. He'll remain a threat in both LMP and F1. 
Odds of him winning either championship: 1:12 


Dean Strom: He's improved immensely over the last two years and with a level playing field in equipment perhaps he can add to his Jean Alesi tally of one win in his F1 career. That would be a popular win:
Odds of winning a race in F1: 1:11

John Wiedemann is coming off his first championship in F1. He is driving well and is definately a force in either division. Odds of winning the F1 championship: 1:3


Mike Lack is moving to a part time schedule. While that is a loss, if there is a driver that could win a championship with a part time schedule and the advantage of dropping low scores that the ISF allows it is him. Odds of winning either championship: 1:20

Mike Fitzlaff is still the dominant driver and has proven to be even more so since John Shea's departure. Mike Fitzlaff is always one of the fastest but has some bad luck. He will continue to win races and could win both championships. 
Odds of him winning the F1 title: 1:3 Odds of winning the LMP title 1:4 


Everet Kamikawa will fly the colors of his own team, Super Kamikawa. A rumor is Ferrari wants him back in the fold. Maybe for 2014.  He'll finally win a race in LMP since it is an equal playing field and should take an F1 win as well. Odds of him winning a championship: 1-15
Odds of him winning a LMP race 1:2

John Shea retired to race stock cars in the south. Odds of him coming back for a race this season aren't good although I think the paddock would love it.

Larry Rotter ran a few races. The three time champion's over under appearances in the next season is four. He retired at the end of season 12. Now that he has mostly been away for a season will the siren song of racing lure him back? Not yet I think although he will have a chance to win a race or two on his home track. Odds of him winning a race in either division: 1:12

 

Dan Margetta won his first GTP race last year after eight years of futility. He also took an F1 win where he has been a victor on a fairly regular basis. He will win again I believe.
Odds of winning in F1: 1:12

 Other drivers potentially making a start in 2013: Amy Butler
Mike Kristof
Cory Galbraith
Nick Bartolone
Matt Hayek

There is a long way to go this off season. Anything can happen. In terms of an interesting season…lets hope it does!

My predictions:
F1 Division:
John Wiedemann
Mike Fitzlaff
Mark Walczak
Everet Kamikawa
Dean Strom
Dan Margetta
Mike Lack
Larry Rotter

LMP Division:
Mike Fitzlaff
Mark Walczak
John Wiedemann
Everet Kamikawa
Dean Strom
Dan Margetta
Larry Rotter
Mike Lack         

Until next time…It’s not bad being in the pits!

Steve “The Wrench” Ratchett

2013 ISF Schedule

The 2013 ISF season sees a condensation of the schedule from 18 events back to 12.

It also sees a switch to a winter/spring series as opposed to spring/summer season as in the past.

All the traditional tracks appear with the exception of Walczy World which is unconfirmed at the time of this printing as construction on a new track is being debated by the owners.

A potential return of the 2.4 hour race is also a potential event.

The events will feature the popular F1 series and a revamps LMP series as the league switches to the Mega G chassis. GTP will still have two events continuing the premier category's appearance on the calendar.

ISF 2013 Schedule
December 27                 Rapids Invitational                                                             F1/LMP
January 10                     Brookfield Grand Prix-Raven                                            F1/LMP
February 7                     Waukesha Grand Prix-Decketring                                     F1/LMP
Feb 21                           Maxim GP-Southshore                                                      F1/LMP
March 21                      XtraLaps.com West Bend GrandPrix-Lack Track             F1/LMP
April 4                          Turtle Trot-Turtle Creek                                                     F1/LMP
April 18th                     St. Francis GP                                                                     F1/LMP
May 2                           XTraLaps.com It's Nacho Cheese It's My Cheese GP        F1/LMP
May 9                           Walczy World ?? or additional race                                    F1/LMP 

May 16                         Muskego Grand Prix - Badger Raceway                            F1/LMP
May 23                         Rapids Grand Prix                                                              F1/GTP
May 30                         ISF Finale Deckertring Finale Deckertring                        LMP/GTP

June 6 or June 8th        2.4 Hour race of Suzuka in Johnson Creek                      LMP       

need a minimum of 8 participants

I'll see you in the pits at one of these events!

Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett

2012 ISF Review Movie Review

 Click the screen to play movie

The Samurai brothers of Bill Nakosaki, Mike Faruta, and Justin Satozaki again were tasked to produce the 2012 ISF Review Movie: Ev Don't Go.

This is the 7th review movie the trio has helmed.

Is it their best work like the six part homage to the 2009 season? Probably not. Is it their worst work like the 2005 debut? Probably not. What it lacks in quips and witty banter it makes up for with a fist pumping sound track.There is no video action from the season which is what gives me pause on how to rank this video. Sometimes the live action helps create a better feeling for the season and sometimes it is a distraction. I think this season needed some video footage. It might have helped and it might have hurt the movie, but it would have given it a soul and that is what this movie lacks.

Some great pictures and the soundtrack help give it back some magic and make it enjoyable.

Until next time when I'm in the pits and not the theater...

Steve The Wrench Ratchett

2013 ISF Rules

After lots of speculation the ISF released their rule book changes for 2013.

It should be a fun season of racing in the ISF this year!

Until next time...It's not bad being in the pits.

Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett

                                         Photo A

                                         Photo B

                                         Photo C

                                         Photo D

                                         Photo E

                                         Photo F

                                          Photo G

The ISF will race three classes of cars this year.
LMP, F1, GTP

After agonizing and many opinions I decided it is time to move to the Mega G chassis for 2013.

GTP will remain the super G+ however F1 and LMP will be the Mega G 1.7 chassis (Photo A)

LMP races will be the Mega G 1.7 narrow chassis cars.
These are the chassis with the fully sealed traction magnets (aka the “new” chassis, Photo A).
Tires will be stock Mega G tires only.
Tires can be the lettered or blackwall versions (photos B&C).
 
No modifications of any kind to anything on the car or chassis or motor except the following:
1. Paint for... the body
2. Glue to repair broken wings, drivers heads, etc.
Heat races 10 minutes in length.
Final races 16 minutes in length.
3 laps qualifying with fastest lap determining grid position.
Drivers can “represent” any manufacturer or team from the ALMS. ELMS, or LMS from the past 10 years.
 
The only restriction is if you are running a closed cockpit car you can’t represent a team that runs open cockpit cars (i.e. you can’t run the Peugot Mega G body and say you’re racing Porsche spyders for team Penske), with the exception of teams that have run both kinds of cars (i.e. Audi, Dyson, etc.).

F1 rules:
F1 races will be the Mega G 1.7 narrow chassis cars.
EITHER the old chassis OR the ones with the fully sealed traction magnets (aka the “new” chassis) are allowed (Photo A)

Tires will be stock Mega G tires only.
Tires can be the lettered or blackwall versions (Photos B&C)

No modifications of any kind to anything on the car or chassis or motor except the following:
1. Paint for the body
2. Glue to repair bro...ken wings, drivers heads, etc.

Heat races 10 minutes in length.
Final races 16 minutes in length.
3 laps qualifying with fastest lap determining grid position.
Drivers can “represent” any manufacturer or team from F1 in the history of F1.
 
Drivers with less than a full season of ISF experience cannot represent a present day F1 team who is one of the top three in construction points (aka Ferrari, Maclaren, Red Bull until they have completed a full ISF season or equivalent of 20 races). The exception is a new driver can be paired with a veteran driver on a top three team as long as the veteran driver has over 20 ISF starts.

During heat races and the final race drivers are required to complete a two tire change pit stop within one minute of either side of the halfway point.
Drivers must race one half of the race on stock Mega G tires and one half on the option tire (Photos B&C).
Option tire will be supplied by the league and chosen on race night after qualifying.
Drivers have the choice of changing the entire axle with the option tires attached-both supplied by the league, or just changing tires alone.

Qualifying is always on stock Mega G tires.

2013 ISF Schedule

The 2013 ISF season sees a condensation of the schedule from 18 events back to 12.

It also sees a switch to a winter/spring series as opposed to spring/summer season as in the past.

All the traditional tracks appear with the exception of Walczy World which is unconfirmed at the time of this printing as construction on a new track is being debated by the owners.

A potential return of the 2.4 hour race is also a potential event.

The events will feature the popular F1 series and a revamps LMP series as the league switches to the Mega G chassis. GTP will still have two events continuing the premier category's appearance on the calendar.

ISF 2013 Schedule
December 27                 Rapids Invitational                                                             F1/LMP
January 10                     Brookfield Grand Prix-Raven                                            F1/LMP
February 7                     Waukesha Grand Prix-Decketring                                     F1/LMP
Feb 21                           Maxim GP-Southshore                                                      F1/LMP
March 21                      XtraLaps.com West Bend GrandPrix-Lack Track             F1/LMP
April 4                          Turtle Trot-Turtle Creek                                                     F1/LMP
April 18th                     St. Francis GP                                                                     F1/LMP
May 2                           XTraLaps.com It's Nacho Cheese It's My Cheese GP        F1/LMP
May 9                           Walczy World ?? or additional race                                    F1/LMP 

May 16                         Muskego Grand Prix - Badger Raceway                            F1/LMP
May 23                         Rapids Grand Prix                                                              F1/GTP
May 30                         ISF Finale Deckertring Finale Deckertring                        LMP/GTP

June 6 or June 8th        2.4 Hour race of Suzuka in Johnson Creek       

LMP need a minimum of 8 participants

I'll see you in the pits at one of these events!

Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett

Racing's Mount Rushmore

THis article was origianlly published several years ago. It is reprinted here as a reference for an updated version...SR

RACING'S MOUNT RUSHMORE

Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt are the faces on Mount Rushmore.
If one were to build a "Mount Rushmore of American Motorsports" who would be on it?
Andretti, Foyt, and Petty are locks. Who would be the fourth? Some would say Earnhardt, maybe Steve Kinser, John Force, or Dan Gurney.
If we were to build a Mount Rushmore of Milwaukee slot car racing who would be the four faces on it?

Phil Cianciola has to be one the faces. There are two arguments some would use to try and keep him off the mountain. One is that he never tried his hand in other series, much like Dale Ernhardt never ran Indycars or dragsters. The other is that four of his titles came in the early years of the series when the competition was still learning the trade or not involved yet. 
The facts remain if he hadn't built the first track in the series and had the idea to have a birthday party with a bunch of friends coming over and racing none of what has followed over the last 16 years would have happened.
He ran Champ Car for 12 seasons and was the first to get the series on TV and attract several sponsors.
His 36 wins and 5 championships are nothing to sneeze at either.
 
John Shea would have to be the next face on the mountain. The knock against him is that he never won the Champ Car title despite having the talent to do so. He also does not race a full Champ Car season.
Still he does have 16 champ car wins in 81 starts to give him a healthy 20% winning percentage. He has three consecutive titles in the now defunct SlotIRL, and seven ISF titles and also has an incredible 27 ARA championships!
More importantly he founded the ARA (American Racing Alliance) which was based on NASCAR but had the unique signature of using metal bodied cars. He is also the co-founder of the ISF (International Sportscar Federation).
Shea has also researched many technical and car design/distribution issues.

After Shea and Cianciola the choices are not as clear cut. Besides their racing records, it is my opinion that it is the driver’s off-track contribution to the betterment of the sport that should take equal weight with the racing record on whether or not they would get their faces immortalized in stone.
Who would be some of other contenders for the final two spots on the mountain?


A likely candidate would be Everet Kamikawa. The negatives against him are that he retired for four years from the Champ Car series and he has never won the title in the ARA top division, the Heavy Metal Challenge series.
Co-founder of the ISF with seven championships, he also has 8 ARA titles and is second all-time in Champ Car wins with 26 and two titles.
Kamikawa was also the first to build a home made lap counter and pioneered the use of reed switches. He and Shea also contributed to the design of several track layouts during their time in the various series.
His long time role as ISF commissioner can also be a positive in his favor.

Larry Rotter would also be a good candidate. The bad thing is that he never won in the ARA. He has two ISF championships and three Champ Car titles to go with his 23 wins.
He also participated in the ARA. A huge plus for Rotter is that without him over half of the tracks in all three leagues would have power problems and be wired wrong.
Rotter has also created various power switching systems and also built the photo-sensors that almost all tracks
now use for timing and scoring. A class act that I'm sure no one would object to on the mountain.

Mike Kristof would also have to be considered. His racing record is not impressive as he has never competed in the ARA or ISF (much like Cianciola) and has only 2 Champ Car wins to his credit.
It is his contributions made back to racing where Kristof shines. He was the first to take up the production of the Champ Car videos and get them on cable TV. He has also made sure the broadcasts have grown with the time and are now also seen on Google video and YouTube.
He took over Champ Car when Cianciola retired and kept the series going after it had lost almost all of the original members. He breathed new life into the series by recruiting new talent and allowing back some old names in the persons of Shea and Kamikawa.
He also did the unthinkable in obtaining actual cash and prize sponsorship from an actual sanctioning body for two years, getting named the official slot car series of the actual Champ Car.

Tom Spehert would also be a name to consider. He also has been an exclusive Champ Car racer (with the exception of two ISF starts), with a non-impressive win record.
What makes Spehert a likely candidate is his unrelenting pursuit of a perfect custom made scoring system for Champ Car. Over the years there have been various qualifying and race formats, gimmicks,
and procedure changes. Through it all he as created a program to keep track of it all and to correct any mistakes along the way. While I'm sure he'd like a break from the computer once-in-awhile, it is this pursuit that keeps him motivated when it would be easier to use an off the shelf scoring system and creating racing rules within the parameters of that system.

Ned Wicker would also need some consideration. A lousy race record, however he gave the leagues and more importantly the people in them, a level of publicity and credibility.
When running Champ Car magazine he published articles and pictures of the drivers and cars. He also introduced several of the drivers to VIP's in Champ Car, or gave them the opportunity to work in some capacity with Champ Car during a race.
His broadcasting talents, both humorous and serious, also made an impact on the broadcasts as the other announcers raised their game in terms of style and creativity.
A former wrestler, CART Ministries Chaplin, publisher, writer, I would be interested in reading what he has to say about slot car racing in his autobiography. It is a book I would buy.

Dave Austin is another person to consider. He had starts in all three series; some might say his lone Champ Car title is a disappointing result.
Austin is another person that brought more to the table than racing. His comedic talents were such that thee is an award named after him.
More importantly, Austin was instrumental in getting members of the league access to partake in their favorite sport in various ways. It was thru Austin that drivers got photo and pit passes, jobs as track announcers, radio hosts, driver interviews, souvenirs, and even media announcers.
Like Cianciola's contribution of starting the league, Austin opening the door for so many drivers to participate in the real sport should not be overlooked.
***Editors note: no pictures of Dave Austin found in Champ Car archives***

Jim Iverson would also be considered. Maybe not as many championships to be had here as probably should, however he is also the only one to be able to say that they have raced in three decades as he was a racer in the 1960's doing many of the same media friendly things that Champ Car has done since 1993. Iverson was also responsible for getting Shea, Kamikawa, and Sorce to be accepted back into Champ Car. Iverson's technical knowledge in setting up his ISF cars and maintaining the fleet of "club cars" used in Champ Car is also worth noting, as is his enthusiasm for the sport.

At some point in history the creators of Mount Rushmore had to decide which presidents to put on the mountain. I wonder if they went through a similar process?

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