Team "W" Motorsports #6

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2009 Dirt
1 FEATURE WIN
7 TOP 4 FEATURE FINISHES
3rd in COTTONWOOD SPEEDWAY POINTS
2009 Pavement
4 TOP 5 FEATURE FINISHES
3rd in IKF REGION 3 PAVEMENT SERIES POINTS

It was a season of new experiences. Dustin advanced into the adult classes this year, which created a challenging learning curve in itself. To add to that, he also made his first ever attempt at pavement racing. We enterd the year with a full plate.
In 2009, Dustin wheeled a Legend chassis. At his disposal were two potent Animal engines, one from Waller Racing, the other from Hawk Perfomance, both strong engines. For his dirt races, Maxxis and Burris were the tires of choice, while the pavement series had a Firestone tire rule.
A special thanks goes out to our sponsor, Red Carpet Auto Group of Waterloo, Ia. Your support is greatly appreciated! 

Our first race of the season on April 25&26, was also our first ever pavement race at 61 Kartway in Delamar, Ia, to kick-off the IKF Region 3 Nothland Tour Pavement Series.
This was definatley a "unique" racetrack. An oval, carved out of a road course. There was a 25 ft. elevation change. Downhill on the front stretch, uphill on the back stretch, with flat turns. We were pretty lost. Adding to the situation, the weather was cold, windy and wet. 
Dustin went from decent to worse to decent during the course of Saturday as we struggled to find the right set-up and gearing for the track. With a "never say die" attitude, he stayed up on the wheel and managed a fourth place finish at the end of the day.
We felt we had learned a few things that would have made us better on Sunday, but the rain sent us home early.

Race #2 found us on the pavement at Coulee Raceway in West Salem, Wi. on May 16&17. We arrived on Friday evening and got in some practice. It was nice to see a "real" racetrack, and Dustin was getting around there pretty good. He ran in second place for 29 3/4 laps of the 30 lap feature on Saturday before some contact sent him spinning in the final turn. He recovered nicely for third. On Sunday, the crew chief chose the wrong gear and we ran fifth.

It was back home to the dirt on May 25th, Dustin's 17th birthday, at Cottonwood Speedway in New Hartford, Ia. It was nice to get back to doing what we knew and Dustin raced himself to a second place finish on a track that stayed dusty and slick all day. He was the only kart that was able to do much passing and he showed alot of patience and maturity. It was a great confidence boost.

The IKF Region 3 Dirt series came to Cottonwood on June 6&7. This was maybe our most anticipated weekend of the season with the Northland Tour bringing in a big field a very fast kart racers. After a rain out on Saturday, the sun was shining for Sunday. Dustin's class had 14 entries, the biggest field we've ever had. He looked pretty good in practice and we were excited. By the time we ran the heat races, our set-up was terrible. We struggled through the day. Dustin lined up 12th for the feature. The kart was better, but still not good enough. He did manage to pass a few and finished 9th. It was our most frustrating and dissapointing day.

June 13th and July 11th we were back at Cottonwood for regular shows and Dustin ran to a third and a second respectively, keeping himself in the thick of the points battle.

The weekend of July 18&19 we faced a scheduling conflict. The pavement series was in Jamaica, Ia. both days, Dustin was third in points. While Cottonwood had a points race on Saturday, where Dustin was in second place. The decision was to run the dirt on Saturday, pavement on Sunday, attempting to stay in the points battle for both.
Dustin was running strong on Cottonwood's dirt. We were still experimenting with set-ups trying to get him his first win of the season and we were getting close. Starting fifth in the feature, he began charging through the field, moving into second at about half way. Dustin appeared to be hooked to the leaders bumper as the they began to weave through lapped traffic. He was starting to TASTE IT! With two laps to go, Dustin cleared a lapped kart entering turn one, which in turn, rammed him from behind and sent him spinning into the haybales. He was scored fourth.

We pulled an all-nighter in the garage, switching the kart over from dirt to pavement set-up, and after a couple hours sleep, we left early for Jamaica. Upon arrival, we found the biggest, most high-banked, and fastest track we'd ever seen. It was AWESOME!
Dustin was not intimidated at all, and in fact, he was pretty fast. He qualified about a tenth of a second off the pole for 4th overall. He then went out and ran 30 laps, wide open. The track is so big and fast, these karts draft "NASCAR"-style. It was a blast, and he finished fourth in the feature, locking down a third place in series points.

With only two points races left on their schedule, Cottonwood rained out on August 8th. Track officials then decided to run a double show on the 15th. This created another problem for us, as it conflicted with our annual trip to the Knoxville Nationals. Dustin really wanted to maintain his second place in points, and according to their rules, we were allowed to miss one race, but not two. Dustin agonized for days over this decision, and with weather being a factor, we chose to skip it. Our gamble didn't pay-off and they got both shows ran. Dustin dropped to third in the final point standings.

Still in search of his first win, we went back to Delaware Speedway on Aug. 22 for the first time in a year, and found a large class of adult racers. Dustin is a former track champion in the junior 2 class there, and he showed'em why by winning both heat races. He led the feature early, but we'd missed the set-up a little and he, once again, finished second.

By this time, Dustin is really sick of running second. When we pulled into Delaware again on September 19, he was "takin' no prisoners"!
Dustin scored a clean sweep of the night! The two heat races contained the best racing we'd seen all summer with 3-wide racing, slide jobs, and plenty of side-by-side action. After that, everyone else was running for second place!
Dustin led every lap in the feature, winning by a straightaway! It was his first feature win of the season and his first win ever in an adult class!

We went back to Delaware again on September 26th. Heavy rains had left the track very soft and rough, and with mostly one groove, passing was at a premium. It was the same for everyone, and Dustin drove to 4th in our final race of the year.

All-in-all, it was a good season. Dustin learned that racing with the adults is a little different than the Jr. classes, and he got some valuable experience racing on the pavement, which we enjoyed, and showed well for himself at both. We're excited for what 2010 may bring.

Animal Medium class,(L-R) 3rd place Dustin Woody, 2nd place Jake Tuel, 1st place Ben Schaitel 

  Sunday, November 1st we traveled to Baldwin, Wisc. for the IKF Region 3 Northland Tour Awards Banquet that includes both the dirt and pavement series. This was, without a doubt, the nicest banquet we've ever attended. Andy Bear and the entire R3/Northland staff are nothing but first class all-the-way, and deserve alot of thanks for their commitment to racing.
Dustin competed in the pavement series for the first time in his career and brought home a nice third place for his efforts in the Animal Medium class.
The level of sponsorship commitment for this series is remarkable. We'd like to thank series sponsor's Briggs Racing, Maxxis Tires, Firestone Tires, ARC, Waller Racing, Hawk Perfomance Specialties, Goodson Tool, Vetter Sales,
Huse Racing/X-Treme Cuts, Hole-Shot Clutches, PBR, as well as our own sponsor, Red Carpet Auto Group for ALL their support! 

Group Shot of all Region 3 drivers in attendence

Dustin was recently featured in a segment of "NEWSMAKER TODAY" on KWWL-TV for his service work with Iowa's Bravest and AFJROTC.

Dustin is featured in this Waterloo Courier article on 10/8/09:
http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_e17fea56-b41e-11de-b262-001cc4c03286.html

9-26-2009...Dustin wrapped-up his season for 2009 at Delaware Speedway, which hosted a special Animal class on their season championship night and drew a nice field of karts. Recent rains in the area made for a VERY rough track and mostly one-groove racing. The karts were literally airborne through the turns and it was nearly impossile to pass without moving someone.
The Red Carpet Auto Group #6 started 4th in the first heat, and finished 3rd. Dustin had a pretty good run going in heat 2 grabbing the lead from the 5th spot by mid-race. He had moved up nicely and appeared to heading for the win until the yellow came out. On the re-start he got moved and settled for 2nd, costing him the pole in the feature. 
Starting second in the feature, Dustin still had hopes of making something happen. Track position would be crucial and he needed a good start. After two aborted attempts the field went green. Dustin got hung on the outside, with help. There was plenty of banging going on. When he was finally able to get in line he was 5th. Nearly got spun in turn 4 losing another spot. Luckily, he was able to get back a couple. Running in fourth, he was obviously as fast, or faster, than those in front of him, there just wasn't anywhere to pass without knocking them out of the way and to his credit, Dustin refuses to race like that. He finshed fourth.
That will likely wrap-up our season for 2009. In the weeks to come, we'll have our season re-cap, banquets, and some more pictures from the season.

FEATURE WIN!!!

9-19-2009....With an open Saturday night on the work schedule, Dustin decided it was time to go racing, so we headed back to Delaware Speedway for the Iowa Oval class. He was pumped-up and ready to go! Dustin began the evening by winning the first heat, from his 5th starting spot, after swapping the lead several times. Lining up 4th for heat two, Dustin battled his way to the front and staged a torrid side-by-side race for the lead which resulted in a near photo-finish, getting the win by INCHES! Both heat races were likely the best racing we'd seen all season, with alot of passing, slide-jobs, 3-wide racing and fierce battles.

Dustin had the pole for the feature. We'd made changes to the kart to adapt to the changing track conditions and when the green flag dropped, Dustin checked out! He had a really fast kart and drove a FLAWLESS race, taking the win by a straightaway!
It was his FIRST feature win of the season and his FIRST win since entering the adult classes. 

Dustin finished third in COTTONWOOD SPEEDWAY POINTS for 2009.

8-22-2009.....Dustin made his first appearence of the year at Delaware Speedway Saturday night and kicked-off the night by sweeping both heat races!
Heat #1 had him lined up third, but when the pole-sitter suffered a mechanical failure, Dustin was moved into his spot and ran away to an easy win. Starting 4th in the second heat, Dustin sliced through the traffic and had the lead by the end of lap 1 and cruised on for the victory.

He was all-smiles after his second win of the night and commented, "It's nice to finally win something! We've finished second too many times this year."
Dustin had the pole for the feature and every intention of scoring a win. After jumping to an early lead, we'd under-estimated the track a bit, and he dropped to second, where he finished.
It was a pretty good night, except for the fact we ran second, again.
We're not sure whats next for Dustin and Team W. We'll keep watching the race schedules, as well as the work and school schedules, and see what works out.

8-19-2009...We had some tough choices to make in the past week.
Dustin lives for his racing, that's what his summers are for. He was in second place in points at Cottonwood Speedway, when we left for our annual vacation to the Knoxville Nationals. The nationals are the only thing that ranks as high as his karting. While Cottonwood decided to run a double points show on the same night, we had to decide. Dustin stressed over this for days, we checked the weather, and he chose to stay in Knoxville. It was a VERY hard decision. In the end, Knoxville got rain and Cottonwood raced. Our decision cost him second place. It was Cottonwood final points races of the year. We don't know how far we dropped, but it was a gamble that didn't pay off.

In the meantime, there are still some races to run in the area. This weekend, Dustin will make his first visit to Delaware Speedway this season to take on their "Iowa Oval" class.
Beyond that, we'll look for some late season specials between now and fall. We're not quite done yet. 

July 18,2009....Dustin started off a busy weekend on Saturday night at Cottonwwod Speedway, where he is currently second in points. He's had some good runs, but we could really use some luck too. He finished 4th, but as is sometimes the case, the results don't tell the whole story. He had the pole for heat one, and led early, but began falling back to finish 5th. Second heat he started last and moved nicely into second with a much improved kart.  "I tried to get a run, and just drove it in too hard" was Dustin's comment after a spin dropped him to 4th. Starting 5th in the feature, Dustin was driving the snot out of it! He jumped into third at the start and became part of a three kart runaway. He had moved into second about midway as the leaders came upon lap traffic. Dustin was on the leaders bumper and was starting to taste it as the leader cleared the first lap kart. With two laps to go, while trying to get past a lapped kart, rear contact from another kart also a lap or more down, sent Dustin spinning into the haybales. A dissappointing end to a strong run.

Sunday July 19,2009...After a late night in the garage and little sleep, we headed to Jamaica Raceway for the final points race of the IKF Region 3 Northland Tour Pavement Series. Jamaica is a BIG, FAST, high banked track. Having never seen the place before, we were pleased with our practice runs. Dustin qualified fourth, just over a tenth of a second off the pole. We were never a threat to win this race, but a nice fourth place finish, we believe, locked Dustin into third place in points for the series.
This year was our first attempt at pavement racing and we enjoyed it. 

  July 11, 2009...After a rare mid-summer break, we were back racing at Cottonwood Speedway. Dustin was on his game and turned out a strong performance.We were trying some different things on the kart and they helped him to a second place finish in the first heat. We didn't get a great start in heat two, which left Dustin a little behind and trying to make up some spots. With 2-to-go, he missed his line a little and spun, dropping him to fourth.
Lining up third for the feature, Dustin was after'em hard! He managed to get his nose under the leaders at one point, going 3-wide down the frontstretch, but, being on the bottom, he had to let'em go into turn one. He quickly moved into 2nd after that and set his sights on the leader. He stayed within striking distance for most of the race, but never able to get quite close enough. It was a solid run, and a good points night. We learned some things about the kart and our tires, and we feel it's just a matter of time until he gets a win.   

June 13, 2009....Dustin had a pretty good night aboard his Red Carpet Auto Group #6 with what was likely his strongest run thus far. With a good group of Adult Animal Mediums on hand, he took third in each event, running with the leaders on many occassions. We keep experimenting with set-ups and feel we're getting close now. Just some fine tuning left to do. Our kart picked up a slight push in the feature, which kept him from staying in the lead pack, but it was good run anyway.
With his consistant top 3 finishes, Dustin is currently in a tie for second place in track points.

June 6-7, 2009...What was maybe our most anticipated weekend of the season started off on a dissapointing note as Saturdays event was cancelled due to wet grounds.
Sunday morning officials began working the track in hopes of getting the show in. Finally, they got the break they needed when the SUN came out, and we were RACING!
Dustin's Animal Medium class had 12 karts, the biggest class we've ever had, anywhere. In practice he looked pretty good and we were encouraged. When we went out for the first heat we were in trouble. The track had gained so much grip, our kart was so tight it was un-driveable. Dustin pulled off after a few laps. The track suprised us.
After some chassis and tire adjustments, heat two started off better, but the longer he ran, the tighter he got, taking a 5th place finish. 
After a furious round of wholesale changes, Dustin started 10th in the feature. The kart was much better this time and Dustin was driving hard. It had been a trying day. He managed to fininsh 9th in a very good field of karts.
We were dissappointed in our performance, but it was great to be on the track with so many great racers. The "Northland Tour" guy's are a fast bunch and some of our local, big name, racers joined the field as well. This was without a doubt the toughest field we have ever raced with. 
We also need to thank Mark Hust and Mark Alton for helping us out with their knowledge and advice.

May 25, 2009.....Dustin celebrated his 17th birthday by gettin' down-n-dirty at Cottonwood Speedway. It was our first apperance on dirt this season and it was good to be back!
It was classic daytime racing, dry slick and dusty and very hard to pass. Dustin lined up 6th for heat one and showed great patience on a one-groove track, driving around the bottom and waiting for everyone else to slide out of his way. He finished 2nd and passed more karts than anyone.
He had the pole for heat two, jumped to an early lead and was a strong second again.
Dustin was in a tie for points to determine the polesitter for the feature, the tie-breaker goes back to the draw and he started second. Once again showing patience and maturity, he drove a strong, consistant race. At one point Dustin fell to third, but stayed strong for yet another second place on the day.
The kart was good from the start, we didn't do anything but clean the tires and add fuel all day. Around here in the adult calsses, you're racing against names like Hurst, Terhune and Sohl. They just don't come much better than these guy's and Dustin showed well for himself. It was a good solid run and just what we needed for a confidence booster.

                                                                
May 16 & 17, 2009....Races #3 & 4 of the Northland Tour Pavement Series found us in West Salem, Wisconsin for a weekend event.
We arrived on Friday evening to get in some practice time before the races. Saturday was our best day on pavement thus far. We still have a little trouble getting qualifying down. Dustin timed his Red Carpet Auto Group kart in 3rd place, a penalty to another team moved him to outside pole for the feature.
The kart was a little tight, and we're still learning what to do on these pavement tracks. Dustin got a good start for the 30 lapper and ran in second for 29 laps. He lost that spot at the white flag, going into turn 1. Dustin did the cross-over and came off low in turn 2 neck-and-neck for 2nd place. He drove HARD and low into turn 3, and spun, he recovered quickly and salvaged a 3rd place, putting him "in the money" for the first time this season. He was upset with himself, but he did a great job driving a kart that could've been better.
One of the biggest things we're learning is how the weather affects the pavement. Sat. was cold and windy, while Sun. was sunny and much warmer.
Again, qualifying was a problem. The kart was driving much better after some changes from Sat. and Dustin's first lap was right in the ballpark. Everyone picks up on their second lap. Dustin missed his line in the first turn and over-drove turn 3 trying to make-up for it. He qualified 5th.
We just missed the gearing for the feature. Dustin drove hard, but he just didn't have the speed he needed. Live and learn.
We had a great time, and this was a good, racey track. We'd like to go back again.
Thanks to Andy Bear, his R3 staff, and the Coulee Raceway crew. Everyone was friendly and easy to work with.

                                                                                                  

April 25 & 26, 2009...Dustin made his 2009 debut at 61 Kartway in Delmar, Ia this past weekend in the IKF Region 3 Pavement Series "Northland Tour" aboard his Red Carpet Auto Group/Legend Chassis/Waller Racing Engines #6. It was his first time ever on pavement as well as running the adult class.
The weather could have been better, as we battled brisk winds, rain and changing temps all weekend. Hats off to R3 tour officials and 61 Kartway, as they worked hard Saturday to get the track dried up so we could race.
This series uses a different format than we are used to. Instead of running heat races, we got a couple practice sessions, followed by two qualifying laps and a 30 lap feature. We have a lot to learn about pavement racing and were off pace early in the day. Time trails require a little different approach than racing and the crew chief totally blew it, as we turned our slowest times of the day. With a rather smaller than expected field, Dustin started 4th in the feature.
By now, we were getting a better idea of what we needed and Dustin ran his best times of the day in the feature by more than a second. He was "on the wheel" for the full 30 laps and had a few shots at 3rd, but just couldn't quite pull it off, he was 4th at the finish. 
After heavy rains overnight Sat., we arrived at the track early Sun. morning. With the wind helping dry the track, it looked as if we might get to race, but another shower during the drivers meeting, ended our weekend.
A special thanks to Team G Karts & Parts for all their help.