Trackhouse Challenges: KartFreedom's Highs and Lows in Rounds 9 &  10

October 18-20, our KartFreedom team participated in rounds 9 and 10 of the Trackhouse Motorplex Championship.

It was our first time back at this track since the spring. Harry Cunningham had already raced here, while I, Eugene Panenko, had only done one practice session at this track. I decided to make my race debut, taking advantage of a free day on Saturday since Harry's races were scheduled for Sunday.

In practice, trying out the MG Yellow tires for the first time, I was pleased with the kart's speed and balance. Saturday morning, it was unexpectedly cold during qualifying, and the tires didn’t come up to temperature as quickly as I had hoped. However, I managed to follow a competitor and post a good result—P2 in qualifying, just 0.1 seconds off pole position. It was a solid result, though I knew the kart and tires could have performed better.

In the semi-final, by the second lap, I was running in 4th place when one of the competitors tried a failed overtaking move and spun right in front of me in a high-speed corner. To avoid a collision, I went off track. Even though the spinning kart still clipped me, bending my rear axle, I managed to rejoin in 5th place. The kart was handling poorly, with heavy vibrations, but I pressed on. After 3-4 laps, I adapted to the kart's behavior and found my rhythm, but a few laps later, the brakes started to fade. I missed the apex of Turn 8 a few times, but despite all the issues, I overtook two competitors and kept pace with the leaders. I finished 3rd with the fastest lap of the race, even though the kart had a bent axle, a damaged piston in the brake cylinder, and brake pads worn down to the metal.

Unfortunately, I had only 50 minutes before the final, and there wasn’t enough time to fully repair the kart. We completed repairs just before the final race. In addition to the technical problems, I also lost my camera during the off-track incident.

I was unable to participate in the final of the first race.

In the second semi-final, I started P4 and was aiming for the win, but the kart’s handling was unstable—there was a lot of oversteer in the high-speed right-hand corners, and the grip kept disappearing. Despite that, I finished 3rd again with the fastest lap of the race, though I was slower than the two leaders.

Before the final, we checked the chassis on a frame table and didn’t find any critical damage, but it became clear that the right rear hub had shifted inward on the axle. The bolt was damaged and wasn’t holding the hub in place, which explained the kart’s instability. We replaced the hub, and I started P3 with confidence that I could fight for the win in the final.

However, my tires weren’t ready for the race. I had set the pressure a bit too low, and on the first lap, I fell one second behind the two leaders. On the second lap, a competitor attacked me in Turn 1 and pushed me into the barriers. The kart skidded, and while returning to the track, I collided with another kart that I didn’t see. As a result of the collision, the steering column was bent, and my race was over.

Although I’m disappointed, I’m glad that on this new-to-me track with high competition, I had the speed to fight for the win. Luck wasn’t on my side, but I’ll work hard to prepare for the next races and learn from this experience.

Sunday — Harry Cunningham’s races.

The morning was again very cold, so warming up the tires and getting them working properly in qualifying was key. In the junior class, the field is very tight, and even a small mistake can drop you several positions. Unfortunately, Harry wasn’t able to capitalize on his potential in qualifying. In practice, he was consistently running 50.0-50.2, but in qualifying, with a 50.8, he ended up in 21st-23rd place.

In the semi-final of the first race, Harry gained a few positions and finished 18th with a best lap of 50.9. However, he wasn’t able to move up any further in the final. He started to make some progress but then received two hard hits to his rear bumper under braking. The bumper’s mounting bolt broke, causing the bumper to rub against the rear wheel, forcing him to retire with 4 laps to go.

The second semi-final didn’t go smoothly either: Harry spun at the start and found himself in last place. Despite this, he managed to recover several positions and finished 25th.

But the final race turned out to be a positive end to the weekend. With new kart settings, Harry showed great pace, gained 8 positions, and finished 17th, setting a new personal best lap time of 50.29. Given that this was our first full race weekend at this track, both the result and the pace are very encouraging. To compete for top positions, we need to regularly race and train at this track, and we will definitely return each time stronger, better, and faster.

This weekend, we didn’t give up despite all the challenges, and we continue our journey toward success. KartFreedom — racing is in our blood.

Our next stop is the final race at our home track on November 9th, and then in December, we’ll be back at Trackhouse to compete and fight for victories!