Despite a rollover on Friday practice, the No. 12 kart wasn’t damaged badly. Steering wheel, left & right rod ends and intake manifold were replaced overnight, but fortunately the one-race old frame wasn’t bent. Based on expert advice from Curtis Fox, the seat struts were removed to add some flex. Darryl Timmers instructed the team to revert to the original aluminum floor, as the carbon fiber floor was deemed too rigid. Big changes.
Once again, the kart was foreign to Daniel. So many changes on Friday, and now more changes on Saturday meant Demaras was back to square one. Trying to get used to the handling during a race is extremely difficult. Not only is the team chasing set up (correct air pressures and gear ratios) but the driver is trying to get used to the handling of a completely different racing machine.
Daniel competes primarily in TRAK, and those points are his focus. But the Inter Club Challenge Race 3 ended up as a test day for the big event on Sunday (Summerfest). Demaras struggled for pace as mechanical issues continued to crop up, like the axle shifting (activating the brake on the straights) and the rear hubs moving almost every session. Mechanic Nick Waring really had his hands full.
Demaras qualified in 22nd position, then made some on track passes to move up to 20th in the prefinal. No matter how much effort Daniel put in, the speed just wasn’t there. Clearly, all the issues hadn’t been resolved.
After the race, Team PRO data analyst Gianmarco determined that Nicole (Daniel’s race engine) was underperforming, and likely damaged during Friday’s flip. Daniel was extending his gap to drivers behind in the corners, and getting caught on the straights. In a spec engine series (with only 10 HP) being down on power will have even the best racer at the back of the pack.
Demaras had to put Saturday’s poor result behind him. With a fresh engine (courtesy of PRO) and all the mechanical bugs squashed, Daniel focused on the future. Sunday’s big event; Briggs & Stratton Summerfest!
