Cornett-Ching has Dominating Run Dashed

The second day of the Hot August Nights mini series at Motoplex Speedway in Vernon, BC started well for the #99 of Sarah Cornett-Ching posting the fastest speed in first practice and qualifying 4th. The team worked hard all day dialing in the car with a few struggles in the heat race the but car came to life in the main event.

Sarah worked through traffic quickly and was leading by lap 4, from there the #99 Snap-On Tools car stretched it's lead over the field until the mandatory pit stop on lap 25. With one of the quickest stops Sarah regained the lead after the field cycled through.

Cornett-Ching was leading by half a lap and feeling good about the car when it started smoking which would eventually lead to a mechanical black flag on lap 45. Sarah had to relinquish her lead and head behind the wall for repairs.

Emerging from pit road after replacing the tail shaft seal on the transmission 10 laps down didn't slow down the talented young driver as she worked her way back through the field to the 2nd spot. With a restart within 10 laps to the end she was put behind the lead lap cars although she felt she had a car to beat the eventual winner to the checkers.
With such a strong car going into the final Arca race of the year the #99 team is confident and ready to put the #99 Snap-On Tools Aarons car on the podium.

Leading the race with some fans cheering us on

Check out what the team is up to at www.SCCracing.com or on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/sccracing

My second start at Monadnock Speedway.

Going in to my second Monadnock Speedway start luck was not on my side. Having 3 dnfs in the last 3 races was not what i wanted in my rookie season.

In the first practice i used it as a shack down since we had the car apart from the last race where we were in a wreck. After the first practice we checked the car over and sow nothing was wrong with the car. I got the okay to go out in the second and third practice hard. We fiured out the car was very loose on the exit, so we added some wedge across the back of the car. I procuded to use the 3rd and final practice as a scuff session for my new tires. The car was fast on new tires.

In the heat race i started 4th. On the start i slide the nose alittle but got control and didnt loose any positions. I stayed there for the next 8 laps still learning the track. I was pressured alittle from the 75 but never got passed. The was a touch tight but we decided to keep the car the same as it will be good for the feature.

In the feature I started 11th out of 14 cars. As the green flag came out i settled in to 11th place and stayed there for the first 6 laps till the caution came out. I restarted 10th. I didnt stay there long as i got passed and settled into 11th place. I gained a position under green as the 16 went off the track. with 10 to go i got passed for 11th where i stayed for the rest of the race. I tried to chase the 75 down for 10 but was not able to catch him. The car was very loose off the corner, which made me learn throttle control. Later to be found out the loose off the corner was a bent rear end we suffered from the wreck 2 weeks ago. Ill be back under way in 2 weeks at seekonk speedway.

Cornett-Ching wins with last lap pass;

Penticton racer scores impressive career-first at Motoplex Speedway

17^th, 2011, PENTICTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA - Sarah Cornett-Ching earned her first career late model victory in dramatic fashion on Saturday at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, British Columbia. The 20-year-old Penticton racer edged her #99 Snap-On Tools-sponsored car past race leader Mark Berrieau on the final turn of the final lap to steal the win.

“I don’t think I could have imagined a finish much more exciting than that,” said an exuberant Cornett-Ching after the race. “The crew worked hard all day long to get the car faster, and it felt great for the feature. This is awesome.”

Cornett-Ching was among the fastest throughout the day’s practice and qualifying, but the team spent plenty of time chasing mechanical issues. The Snap-on Tools crew fixed a vibration in the car and also addressed vapour locking in the fuel system caused by extreme heat during qualifying. Added to her mechanical issues was a neck injury suffered at work during the week. Despite the issues she still qualified fourth fastest.

“With the neck injury and our challenges through the day I hardly had victory lane in my sights,” said Cornett-Ching. “I actually had my dad bring his driving suit in case I didn’t feel well enough to race. I’m glad I stayed in the car

With the 100 lap Hot August Nights feature race underway each car was required to make a pit stop for a right rear tire. Sarah entered the pits for service in fourth place on lap 27 and rejoined the race as the leader with a 13 second lead. Her lead evaporated when the caution flew and the field bunched up for the restart.

“My crew on pit road was outstanding,” she recalled. “They made no mistakes and we gained valuable track position. The caution came out taking away our 13 second lead, but we made the right changes on pit road and were able to keep my car in the top 3 all night.”

A late-race caution set the stage for an exciting finish. With five laps left on the restart Cornett-Ching lined up on the outside of race leader Berrieau. When the green flag flew she battled door to door with the veteran for the top spot. On the final lap she seized opportunity.

“I could see that Mark was sliding up the track,” said Cornett Ching. “I rolled out of the throttle a little early heading into turn three, and I was able to drive under Mark and beat him to the finish.

“It was an amazing feeling to race with one of the best drivers in the province to the checkered flag, and to beat him at the line was icing on the cake. This win is important to give my crew and myself the extra confidence we need going into the second Hot August Nights race on August 27^th.”

Cornett-Ching sits second in points just 12 points behind points leader Berrieau. The race on the 27th will decide who takes home the Hot August Nights title. For more information on Sarah Cornett-Ching and her racing team, visit www.SCCRacing.com.

Off weekend

August 1, 2011 - On my off weekend I went to Little T speedway to help a friend of mine, Richie Morocco, race his quarter midget. On this weekend Richie was racing both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. He was also only driving 1 car instead of his normal 2.

On Saturday when I was waiting for Richie's race I got involved with a rookie name Derek Gluchacki. Later to find out I would also assist with him for the weekend. During Derek's race I noticed that he drove a really good line and was smooth. Talking to his dad Joe (also a rookie handler), I informed him we did not need to change the setup much to make the car better for Derek. The next morning I went and found Derek's father to help him work on Derek's car, because Richie was all set for the day's time trials. For time trials I decided to keep Derek's car the same, which was a great move. Derek got fast time. Then we moved to Richie's time trial. Richie also got fast time in his division, Senior Honda.

After the great time trial efforts, we moved on to the heat races. Derek and Richie both had to start in the back in there heat races. It didn't stop either of them. With the slight change I made to Derek's car before the heat race to loosen it up little it was great. He came from last to first and never looked back. In Richie's heat race he had a battle to the checker flag. Richie only had 5 laps to come from the back because the race was shortened because of a exceeding time limit placed on the race. That didn't slow riche down from winning it though. After winning the heat races I decided to keep Derek's car the same for the feature and after talking it over with Richie's dad we did the same to Richie's car because it was so fast.

The first feature was Derek's. Derek started right where he did in the heat race. Coming thru the field from last and leading the race. With 3 to go Derek was involved in a wreck with a lap car, with bad judgment on Derek's part. Derek actually got his spot back but could not hold it due to bent front end. It was all good. Now we are on to Richie's feature. Richie started in last and slowly moved up the field. On a restart with 5 to go Richie's muffler feel off but he stayed on the track. On the last lap he made a pass for the win but the yellow was displayed sending it back to a green white checkered. This was a good thing for Richie because without his muffler it's a disqualification. We brought Richie into the pits and put a new muffler on and ended up 7th in the race. Even thou we didn't win the feature races we made big strides on making Richie's car better, and helping Derek's dad Joe get a better feel on how to change the car. I also had a bunch of fun and that's what it was all about when I go back to the track I started.

Next week I will finally be back racing again at Waterford Speedbowl. I have a bunch of friend in the area coming to see me race. Hopefully I will have good news next time.

Helping a friend out

It was first time at Hudson Speedway, I turned it into a day of learning for the driver I was helping out, Robert Rund, driver the 64 Road Runner. Robert is one of my sponsors and I decided to return the favor by assiting him for the day.

We started off the day trying to find a bog at full throttle. He went out in first practice with a jet change in the carburetor from the week before hoping it would fix it his issue. When Robert came in he noted it was still bogging but it was much better. Also, on the good side, the water temperature of the car stayed at 190 degrees instead of going to 210 degrees. That was a improvement. We continued to try and find what the problem was before the heat race. We could not think of anything, but I mention to Robert a few things to try.

Robert started 7th in the heat race. He cleared the carb out just before the start of the race and it made the car pull better but still not great. He finished the heat in 5th place. With the exception of the bog, the car handled really good, and all Robert had to do was slow his hands down and it would be perfect. I told him to focus on that and we went on to the feature race.

Robert started 15th in a field of 17. Robert stayed in the back making laps and keeping the car in one piece. He picked off cars here and there and moved to 12. After a late race restart Robert dueled it out with a car and beat him to the line which was some excitement for him. To be battling and have power to stay with other cars was a small victory. Even thou Robert still has the bog, I would say the race was good. We learned a bunch together and hopefully can make more improvements to make Robert even faster next time.