Galletta's Karting Club

Welcome! We are a Dirt Go-Karting Club that races for a Points championship every weekend from June-thru-October since the early 1990s, counting points since 1996, and online since 2005!  We race gas-only stock 5-horsepower class at Galletta’s Greenhouse’s not-for-profit/race-at-your-own-risk Go-Kart Speedway Summer Sundays and Fall Saturdays, and a gas-only 8hp-and-less Yard Kart summer Thursdays at Oswego Speedway’s Clay Dirt Oval. Always looking for new, experienced teen drivers or serious adult racers to join us!

Galletta’s Go-Kart Racing Association

THE 10th ANNUAL GALLETTA’S GO-KART CHAMPIONSHIP”DAN MURDOCK MEMORIAL” 130-LAP CLASSIC

     The 130-lap Dan Murdock Memorial “Galletta’s Klassic Championship” was run on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon with a noon cookout that kicked off the time trail qualifiers.Matt Stevens broke his brother Chris Steven’s two-year streak of pole positions by breaking the official track record with a blistering 16:60! As if the rest of the competitors didn’t already know, Matt and his Galletta’s #3 kart was going to be even more difficult to beat than usual after seeing that it was hooked up better than ever for the biggest race of the year. Rookie Robbie Jimenez(in the Galletta’s #5) also impressed by out-timing decade-long veterans Ogre Stevens (in the Galletta’s #4) and Chris (in his Galletta’s #8 kart) to a 2nd place starting position. Ed Maynes (in his #18) qualified for the race with a fast time trial, but four slipped discs prevented him from attempting to race the 130-laps. His son, Kenny Maynes raced the #18 instead, and Ed took over as head flagman along with his son Chris Maynes. Also helping were the always helpful Ken Pitsley resuming his role as starter/rule enforcer, as his brother JR and Eddie Scruton‘s father Ed Scruton also helped with flags. “Uncle” Gene Galletta and Chris’s wife, the lovely Rungnapha “Au” Stevens operated the two cameras. The loud Kris Pitsley and Tommy‘s girlfriend Tara Castiglione commentated the race on the loudspeakers and the Chrusher Coliseum Tower angle video.

Time Trials:

Time Trail Qualifiers – 9/24/2005:

01. 16:60 (#3) Matt Stevens *
02. 16:81 (#5) Rob Jimenez
03. 16:85 (#4) Wesley Stevens
04. 16:91 (#8) Chris Stevens **
05. 16:99 (#24) Gary Miller Sr.
06. 17:27 (#6) Jason Mills
07. 17:28 (#29) Tom Murray
08. 17:41 (#18) Ed Meynes
09. 17:48 (#15) Brian Bortel
10. 17:58 (#7) Fred Collins
11. 17:72 (#18) Kenny Meynes
12. 17:82 (#12) Eddie Scruton
13. 18:25 (#1) Duke Patterson

* = New Track Record
** = Time recorded by Gary Miller. (All other times recorded by Chris Stevens. Hmm….)

The Starting Lineup & National Anthem:

The 130-Lap “Classic” (Gene Galletta’s Track Center Camera Angle)

Review of the race: Following the National Anthem, the race began shortly after 5:00pm. The event opened with Robbie taking an early lead. Matt again employed his prior 6-time Classic winning strategy by taking it easy for the early portions of the race fading to the very rear of the field in order to save his kart for the end of the marathon event. The Ogre also began his usual strategy of leading early as he raced very hard at the beginning and then racing softly as the race went on. Ogre again proved to be his own worst enemy in his potent #4 as after leading thirty laps. His habit of paying attention to the action in back of him instead of paying attention to the track in front of him which caused him to brush into a safety wall tire, causing a caution that forced him to fall to the rear of the field. It was then Gary Miller (and his #24) who led eighteen laps after this point. Meanwhile, Eddie Scruton debuted his newly rebuilt #12, but carb problems kept parking the kart and knocked him out of competition very early on. Tom Murray (in his own #29) again also retired early with motor problems.

    Flyin’ Freddy Collins was forced out of the usual Galletta’s #2, as a crack was discovered in the engine causing it to run poorly. However, Fast Freddy hopped right into the kart that he drove in last year’s Fall Championship series, the Galletta’s #7. Fred ignored the wise strategy of babying the kart early and stormed out to a 38-lap lead after coming back from an early spinout, which earned him additional points for leading the most laps of the race. The usual “point-per-lap-led” and “half-point-for-2nd-and-3rd-place-per-lap” formula did not apply with the Classic as it does in regular events.

The 130-Lap “Classic” (Rungnapha “Aou” Stevens’ Tower Camera Angle)

    Refueling was not allowed until the first caution after lap 70, and when that came, everybody followed Matt’s lead and refueled except for “Daring” Duke Patterson (in the Galletta’s #1), who elected to keep his tank as it was and attempted to get his lap back instead. However, this wound up being a decision that changed the outcome of the race as it put two of the most wreck-prone drivers at the start of the field. The excessively dry track received a well-needed watering (in half of the front stretch and the 1st & 2nd turns) during this break as well. Unfortunately, the track not given enough time to dry and turn two was a little too slick for the inexperienced Duke. Fast Freddy (again ignoring the fact that he should have been taking it easy; he was already in the lead and did not need to put Duke down a lap) came together with Duke and both spun out, collecting the entire field of competitors except a strong-running Jason Mills (in the Galletta’s #6) and the dreaded favorite… Supplement Boy himself; Matt Stevens. This disgusted everybody, as every competitor’s goal was to just stay ahead of Matt, because once he gets by you, your only chance is if his kart breaks. Nobody has been able to pass him all year and it wasn’t likely to beat him with the championship on the line. The majority of the drivers were angry with Chris because he watered the track, but in reality, it wasn’t Chris’ fault. The track badly needed watering as the drivers vision was being impaired, the cameras were having a hard time seeing through the dust, and the engines can be damaged via excessive dust as well. The fact of the matter was, the track was not given enough time to soak in the water, and people who felt otherwise were in the wrong. Five minutes was likely all that was needed, along with the fact that Duke did not have the experience needed to lead the field into a wet turn. Other than letting Matt by, the only problems were Chris’s #8 breaking a tie rod and Kenny Maynes getting shaken up getting T-boned by The Flip-Master Barrelin’ Brian Bortel’s #15, causing Ken to hurt his leg. Brian again had more than one of his patented barrel rolls during the event, but thankfully he didn’t get hurt on any.

    When the race resumed, the hot-shoe on the track was Chris Stevens, who decided that it was now or never with Matt in second (behind an injured but fast Jason Mills), and everybody blaming him for the pileup only added fuel to his fire. He efficiently made short work of the drivers who were angry with him and charged up from last place to third place and was pleased to see Jason impressively holding Matt off for the lead. This gave Chris the chance he needed, and he mounted his challenge when Matt ducked low on Jason. Jason held him off and Chris held the fast groove over Matt. But an unwatered, dry, and loose and third turn essentially cost Chris his best chance of the night. Matt’s power in the low groove was enough to hold Chris off for a caution. On the next restart, Jason made the fatal mistake of letting Matt take the high groove. Matt blew by Jason and Chris followed him trough the hole. Barrelin’ Brian retired with a faltering kart, which should have brought out a caution and give Jason the lead back via the last completed lap rule. But the caution flag didn’t fly and Chris was unable to reel in Matt, who just pulled away from everybody. Chris even lost a drive wheel chain trying fruitlessly to catch his brother and had to restart at the rear of the field for the fourth time of the night. After a small dispute after another wreck between Fred Collins, Rob Jimenez, Kris Pitsley, and Ed Maynes, the truly excellent finale took place.

    Patience worked out in the end for the top three. Matt never looked back for the remainder of the night, as he had everybody outclassed en route to his seventh Classic win, including his fourth straight. The race nearly fell into his lap. Jason was unable to keep up with him but managed to hold off Ogre, who in turn held Chris off for third for several laps. Although Chris managed to pull off a late pass to get Ogre for third, he didn’t have the time to challenge Jason for second. Either way, Matt scored a nearly uncontested win. Again, the name of the game for Chris was patience, who aptly proved a point that losing your temper means that you will definitely lose in the race. Jason scored 2nd to Matt, Chris also scored third and Ogre fourth on the track for the for the 2nd year in a row in Classic competition (although penalties and lapped karts slightly skewed last year’s official order). The win clinched another track championship and makes for another clean sweep of track title and Klassic race for Matt. Here was the finalized…

9/24/2005 130-Lap Classic results:

1. (#3) Matt “Supplement 72” Stevens
2. (#6) Jason “Tough as Nails” Mills  AKA “The Hand”
3. (#8) Chris “The Chrusher” Stevens
4. (#4) Wesley “The Ogre” Stevens
5. (#7) “Fast” Freddy Collins *
6. (#5/#0) “Jack-Rabbit” Rob Jimenez
       —DNF—
7. (#1) Duke “It’s My Fault” Patterson
8. (#24) Gary “The Temper Tantrum” Miller Sr.
9.  (#18b) Kenny Maynes
10. (#15) Barrelin’ Brian Bortel
11. (#29) Tom Murray “Whiney”
12. (#12) “Tiny” Eddie Scruton
13. (#18a) “Fast” Eddie Maynes ***

DNF = Did Not Finish.
* = Led the most laps (10 point bonus).
*** = Did Not Start. Qualified into event (scoring him 13th place points), but didn’t compete (Back pain from work was too significant to compete, so he flagged instead. All time trialers are scored in the event!)

Galletta’s Super Yard Karting Speedway 2005 Summer Points Standings
(
19 races from 06/05/2005 thru the 09/24/2005 Klassic; Final of Summer Series)
Note: For the 2005 Summer Series, we used a complex Points-Per-Race system. We went back to “Total Points” after this season due to some drivers purposefully missing races or asking me to remove bad scores in order to keep a higher PPR. After this point, we continued a Fall Series, as we traditionally we do at Galletta’s. The total 2005 points (with the Fall series included) is found on this page. The All-Time Galletta’s Points are found on this page. ^ = Used a motor with .5 to 1.5 more horsepower than the rest.

THE ALL-TIME GALLETTA’S SPEEDWAY POINTS ARE FOUND HERE!

    Videotaped race (2-angles). DVDs are now available for every videotaped event!. Please contactChris Stevens via email for ordering/buying a DVD that will contain anywhere from 2-4 races per disc!

The 10th Annual Galletta’s Go-Karts Klassic 130  from 2005 DVD:
This disc contains the Galletta’s Go-Kart Klassic Championship 130 from September 24th, 2005! As most of our single discs, it contains two camera angles of the same race. Most of the 2005 season is available via request ($5 per disc)! Two camera angles of each race. Price $5.

 

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