Wrecks, Setup Issues Plague JBR No. 18 Team In Tri-C Karters Round Four Race At CalSpeed

Date: May 13, 2017 Event: Junior LO206 (Race 4 of 8) Series: Tri-C Karters Location: CalSpeed Karting Center, Auto Club Speedway Layout: Tecnico CCW (0.603-mile 15-turn sprint course) Format: Five Stages; 5 min prac/5 min qual/8 lap heat/8 lap heat/16 lap main Finishes: 9th / 9th / 11th / 13th (DNF) / 13th (DNS) Winner: Jalen Mack of Mack Motorsports (VLR Emerald #33)

Justin Blumenfeld and the No. 18 JBR Racing team were plagued by a day laced with issues, not only for him, but a number of other competitors in multiple classes. Three drivers flipped throughout the day, all needing medical attention, with one sent to the hospital. The team chased the gearing setup all day, but more time was spent repairing bent and broken parts and just trying to get back on the grid in time for the next round, until the day ended early with irreparable damage. This event was dedicated to a woman whose involvement and contributions to the karting world ended early due to her loss in the fight against breast cancer two years prior. All present ran with a special pink bow sticker on their karts in her honor and memory.

Practice Recap:

Justin's morning started bright and early with a brand new set of sticker slicks and some high hopes for the day, coming off a strong win in F-100 only two weeks prior. Unfortunately, only three laps into the morning, two competitors spun in front of Justin in turn 7, forcing him to take evasive action and spin himself tail first into the barrier, bending both of the rear bumper mounts. Being the sportsman that he is, he hopped out of his CRG machine to help re-fire the engine of one of the spun drivers, Nigel Fuentes in the #24, who continued on, leaving Justin at the side of the track for the remainder of the session with nobody there to help him re-fire his engine. Once practice ended, a track worker helped him start his engine so he could bring the #18 back to the pits for work.

Qualifying Recap:

After some stressful repairs to the rear bumper, which was only partially fixable at the track, Justin was able to take his qualifying run, though with the time shortage, the team was unable to make any air pressure adjustments, and he ended up running about 2.5 pounds over-inflated, further reducing his grip. It ran without incident, but the team's gear ratio was not optimal, and he was only able to take a best lap of 49.875 seconds, a full 1.857 seconds off the pole winner, landing him a 9th place starting position for Heat 1.

Heat 1 Recap:

With an on-track incident in another class, the emergency personnel and ambulance had to go off-site as they were transporting a driver to the hospital, so this incurred a nearly two hour break in the action. The team took this opportunity to replace a slightly bent steering column on the #18 CRG machine and perform a laser alignment once complete. After track operations resumed, Justin began the round in P9 but got shuffled to the rear while avoiding a pileup coming into turn 1B, going wide and brushing the wall but incurring no damage. He was able to make up two spots by the end of the heat and finish in 11th for this round. With a break in repair duty, the team switched the gear ratio a bit taller by going two teeth down, which was a step in the right direction, but proved to be too little, too late.

Heat 2 Recap:

This heat began with Justin starting in P11, and he was quickly mired among the drivers at the tail end of the field, finding it difficult to regain positions. Only a few laps in, the driver of the 033a, Taylor Williams, spun her kart coming out of turn 2, and as Justin quickly reacted to attempt an outside pass, he cut it a bit too close and clipped his rear left wheel on her rear left tire, bending the axle and prematurely ending his day. He limped the kart off-track and waited there for the recovery truck to bring his damaged kart back to the pits, but thankfully he was uninjured.

Main Recap:

Unfortunately, without a backup axle and lacking the time to change it out before the Main anyway, the mishap in Heat 2 ended the team's day, forcing them to pack it up and head back to the shop in Chatsworth. Despite the difficulties and disappointing finishes, the team learned some valuable lessons, and they plan on coming back strong on July 1st for round five with some setup changes and new techniques to aim again for a top 5 finish or better.

Tri-C Karters 2017 Season Championship Standings:

Despite the DNF and DNS finishes in Heat 2 and the Main, Justin remains in second place overall, trailing first place Sophia Storey by only 26 points at the halfway mark for the season. With some well-executed changes, better preparation setup-wise, and a little luck, Justin should be able to come back strong and hopefully take the points lead within the next two races.

Next Race:

Blumenfeld's next race will take place on Saturday, May 27th, with Formula100 Karters at Grange Motor Circuit in Apple Valley, CA for round three of the SoCal Championship Series. The track is a 0.8-mile paved asphalt sprint-style road course out in the Mojave Desert, which should prove to be quite exciting and provide additional grip with higher temperatures and a rougher surface. Justin is hoping to take another win after his top podium spot in round two at Adams Motorsports Park.