Galletta's Karting Club

Galletta’s Speedway 2006 Race #5 results:
Sunday, 07/09/2006 (Two 10-lap Heats and 40-lap Feature)

Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong on this full moon evening. Bumpy track, rookie driver spins & wrecks, broken karts, bum carbs… everything. But the event started relatively problem free…
 
(LEFT) Heat #1 went to Eddie Maynes (in his Maynes #43) holding off a hard charging Matt Stevens (in his Galletta’s #3), the exact vice versa of last week’s heat. The two are very close in speed, and if Ed’s kart can finish a feature, he should be able to get a win very soon. (RIGHT) Heat #2 went to Brian Bortel (in his #15), holding off Rob Jimenez (in the Ken Pitsley/Galletta’s #5) followed by Chris “Crusher” Stevens (in his own, sick-running Galletta’s #8) and Jason Mills (in his fast, but chain-blowing #38).

 
(LEFT) Opening lineup of the July 9th 40-lap race, with Brian Bortel and Wes “Ogre” Stevens (in the Galletta’s #4) leading them off. Brian lost several positions on the first lap, which saw Ogre then take a commanding lead. When Ogre’s carburetor started failing, Ed Meynes took the lead, but then broke a drive-wheel hub. Brian Bortel then re-passed Ogre with what Ogre argued to be an illegal “bump”. Bortel then led from there and held off Matt Stevens (RIGHT) to score his 1st career win (other than a non-winner’s event in 2005). Chris “Chrusher Comix” Stevens’ #8 was slowed by a malfunctioning carb (broken cast and metal shard in the intake), and tried the brand-new Ken Pitsley/Galletta’s co-creation #10. When the sprocket bent on that, Chris hopped into his sick #8 and managed to get 3rd in the war of attrition, passing Ogre in a battle of sick carbs. Brian, however, has been super-fast since Chris won him his newest engine on eBay, as has Ed Meynes with his ebay engine as well. Any more visiting drivers that want motors off eBay, contact Chris about him winning one for you (although paying upfront is highly recommended), or arrange to not bid against each other for motors.

July 9th, 2006 40-lap Feature Final order or finish:

[Heats won by Ed Meynes #43 and Brian Bortel #15.]

Each heat and feature is started in a handicap order, reversed from points-per-event (low-to-high).
Inexperienced drivers with less than 10 races and wreck-prone drivers start in the back regardless of points.
Points are scored based on finishing positions in heats and features (with bonus points for each feature lap in the top 3 spots).

DVD is available for $5. 
Galletta’s Go-Karts 2006 Volume 4 DVD includes the
two heats and feature from two cameras in the pits and the race-tower. Only $5!
2006 Volume #4 DVD:
Contains the July 9th, 2006 races at Galletta’s. Two camera angles of each race.  Price $5.

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Oswego Speedway Dirt Kartway Exhibition #3 / Ultimate Fighting Event
Friday, July 7th, 2006:

Oswego Speedway’s Dirt Track (circ. 2005) — later renamed Oswego Kartway in 2008 — is a track founded and built based on Galletta’s Greenhouse Backyard Karting Speedway, but then allowed drivers and spectators to MOCK and THREATEN VIOLENCE upon Galletta’s Karting Club racers.

On Friday, July 7th, 2006, the Galletta’s Go-Kart Association ventured to the Oswego Speedway for another exhibition that had two 10-lap heats and a 20-lap feature with our “limited modification 5hp Racing Yard Karts”. Normally, with no points or money involved, we just race loosely and in a random order and just have fun for the hell of it – putting on an exhibition of the karting skills we have honed since 1990 or so.

However, with the arrival of the self-proclaimed “Outlaws” — Mark Miller, Mike Billion, Shane Miller, Eric Raponi — and their OHV 5.5hp-7.5hp clan, and the fact that they were graciously allowed to run in our 5hp class, oops, I mean we were forced to run with them or leave without a refund, we knew that something was brewing based on the fact that their OHV motors were banned from our FH motor division last season via unanimous vote (14 FH drivers to 4 OHV drivers) to allow for fairness with equal motor size (see the rules section for past disputes we have had with this group and why), and it involved driver arguments about fair motor competition and not going to the back after being directly involved in a wreck.

This week would be no exception, as — surprise, surprise — it was scarred with controversy and fighting just like the previous year at Galletta’s.

Ed Maynes, Brian Bortel, and Matt Stevens all were directly involved in accidents with Mark Miller and Mike Billion, all for the top two spots. According to Howard Seabrook and his wife, who videotaped the event (they promised us the video, but never brought it to us) and a handful of other witnesses in the stands and on the track, Mark and Mike apparently purposefully spun out Ed, Brian, and Matt. It became apparent to the drivers and several spectators that Mike and Mark, who started in the front, appeared to both be blocking and crashing into anybody who got close to them and attempted a pass. (Even one track employee did tell us that the tape showed #57 making contact to spin Maynes out and take lead, but in #57’s defense, we do not have a copy of that tape so we can’t make a definitive judgment, just the fact that at least seven witnesses insisted that this was the case).

Now while teammate blocking and suspicious-looking wrecks sometimes happen in racing, what followed usually does not: People directly involved with wrecks are usually sent to the back in every racing class I’ve ever seen or been a part of. However, neither Mark nor Mike went to the back as Ed, Brian, and Matt rightly did (and THEY were NOT even at fault according to every eyewitness who saw the race and the Seabrook tape).

Usually, the penalty for this should be both drivers to the back of the lead-lap karts, but the problem was worsened by the fact that the flagmen and track officials did not put the #57 and #00 in the back and they stayed in the front. Considering that the track operator is good friends with Mark and Mike, it led to suspicions that it was all a trap and looking to start a fight.

This, in turn, led to bickering and fighting amongst the two groups at the race’s conclusion, with some in the OHV Outlaw’s group coming over to our area of the pits and challenged some in the Galletta’s Go-Kart Club to fights, enticing them with name-calling and taunts intended to start fighting. And when Wes Stevens said,“Stay over by your trucks and leave us alone!”, one — whom we don’t even know who he is — stepped closer and said, “What are you going to do about it, little man?”).

This challenge further infuriated Rob Jimenez (and his parents Kris Pitsley & Ken Pitsley), who had to be restrained and asked to leave the premises as they, in particular, were big players in the verbal threat game with the OHV crew’s camp (some of whom we have never seen before and weren’t racing go-karts, including the one who taunted and threatened us the most). Chris and his wife called security to attention in order to attempt to bring peace to the arguments, which then happened, even though one track official, operator Jim Losurdo, admitted to us his belief that, “fighting is just a part of racing!” (We don’t believe that fighting should be a part because we always have nothing but fun racing, and if there’s a fight, then usually that means someone usually got intentionally and/or maliciously wrecked 99% of the time OR did not accept punishment for the accident). Jim Losurdo also said to our faces, “I hope Mark pounds the piss out of them!” and, “You know what? I’ve never forgiven you guys for kicking Mark and Mike out last year.” (But this was untrue, as our club instituted a same-motor rule, and never barred people from our track. In fact, we encouraged them to either get flatheads like ours or race on our track in a different motor class).

Kris and Ken were then banned from Oswego Speedway Kartway for owing money to the track (for admission and neck braces) and fighting (although the fighting was NOT their fault, they were reacting to wrecks and threats).

Regardless, many in the Galletta’s Racing Association do not wish to race against larger OHV karts, especially when some of the drivers in their group have proven time and time again to have zero respect for the rules, zero respect for other drivers and zero respect their equipment. A few members of Galletta’s Racing Club may not even race at Oswego anymore due to the inability of the track officials to correct the order on restarts and allow some drivers to bump, push, and plow others out of the way. However, if all the drivers agreed to race clean and the motors could be kept competitively close AND safe, then we will return. Onto next week’s race!

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