Galletta's Karting Club

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 5hp Gas Stocker Kart Race at Galletta’s:

The Galletta’s Karting Club race is held on Sunday August 3rd, 2008 at Galletta’s Karting Speedway was won by Buddy Cottom in the Galletta’s #6. He outlasted a fast Russ Hockey and Gary Miller, both of whom had mechanical problems (broken hub and broken seat/hip bar) while leading. Buddy was followed by Chris and Matt Stevens. Because this race had the fewest entrants of a Summer race at Galletta’s in four or five years, Matt and Chris decided to use Galletta’s backup karts that are usually rented out to visiting drivers, frustrated that with an all-time high interest in karting in Oswego, NY, and with several potent karts available to be rented (that a good driver can put in victory lane. Apparently, not too many trust their skills to try. And that tells us all we need to know about their skills). Also, we ran an 55-lap points show, which gives the drivers that did attend a much higher point-earning race. Let us observe the longest-running and, even with low turnout, STILL the largest karting class in Oswego on their home track, shall we?

The first heat went all 10 laps without a pass. The win went to Russ Hockey (in his Hockey #00), dominating the race and pulling away from Gary Miller Sr. (Galletta’s #0), Chris Stevens (Galletta’s #5), and Gary Miller Jr. (Miller #24).

The second heat went to Buddy Cottom (in the Galletta’s #6). He was followed by Matt Stevens (Galletta’s #1), Melissa Gabel (Galletta’s #3), and Larry Phillips (Phillips #??).

The feature began with Russ Hockey pulling away and hiding from the rest of the pack in his Hockey #00. Russ has made a sure and steady improvement all year and is really hitting his stride now, especially after his strong 3rd place finish at Oswego two nights earlier. On lap 16, Chris blew a right front tire on the Galletta’s #5, and had to hop into his starter kart, the #8.

However, on lap 20, Russ’s drive-wheel hub broke, sending his drive-wheel ten feet into the woods. Drive-wheel you say? Yes! At Galletta’s, we all use a single-wheel drive setup, similar to those found in most yard karts. This is another reason why we, according to most casual observers, “go the wrong way.” We corner better turning right, aided by the stagger and the fact that Galletta’s has a sloped nature to the straights, and the back straight is less steep than the front, hence all of these reasons combined for why we turn right instead of the conventional left. Live-axle karts have tried our track before, and they simply cannot negotiate our long straights and tight corners. For these reasons, our brand of racing is a unique hybrid of yard karts and flat karts.

Buddy Cottom then inherited the lead until Gary Miller Sr. made a pass on lap 34. However, the seating/hip bar on the #0 broke, leading Gary Miller Sr. humorously holding on for dear life with his butt hanging off his kart for several laps until Buddy and Chris passed him and then he hit the tire wall in front of a tree. Buddy maintained the lead for the rest of the event, showing great strides of improvement over his rookie season at Galletta’s in 2007.

Go Buddy!

Galletta’s August 3rd, 2008 Feature’s Final Order of Finish:
1st: Buddy Cottom (Galletta’s #6)
2nd: Chris Stevens (Galletta’s #5/Galletta’s#8)
3rd: Matt Stevens (Galletta’s #1)
4th: Gary Miller Jr. (Miller #24)
5th: Russ Hockey (Hockey #00/Galletta’s #9)
6th: Melissa Gabel (Galletta’s #3)
7th: Larry Phillips (Phillips #??)
8th: Gary Miller Sr. (DNF – Galletta’s #0)

2008 5hp Gas Stocker Point Standings at Galletta’s Kartway  
After 6 events at Galletta’s Greenhouse Yard Karting Speedway from 6/8/2007 -thru- 8/3/2008:

At Oswego Kartway on Friday, August 1st, 2008 show was the final Friday Night Money Race of the 2008 season. Matt Stevens ran double duty by racing his two 5hp karts in two different classes; the 5hp Galletta’s Gas Stocker class and the 6.5hp Gas Stocker Outlaws. He then proceeded to win the 40-lap 6.5hp feature by passing former 5hp Galletta’s Club driver Missy Berry mid-race in his Galletta’s #33. He then took his old backup Galletta’s #3 (with his fiancée Melissa Gabel’s motor) and took 39 laps to track down and pass his brother Chris Stevens (A.K.A. me, the webmaster) by a bumper’s length in the final corner on the final lap to sweep the night’s Gas Stocker Features. That stops my two-track winning streak at two! Darn him all to heck! Matt should have his own class all by himself and leave all the rest of us alone! Every class put on a great show, and the DVD came out great.

The next two races will be Thursday, August 7th at Oswego Kartway and either Friday or Sunday at Galletta’s (whatever day has the most drivers available). Galletta’s is a backyard karting track that does not charge anybody to watch or race (though we ask for clay donations). If you want to rent a fast Galletta’s 5hp Gas Stocker Kart on Oswego’s dirt karting tracks, then inquire! There’s always at least one or more karts open and waiting to be raced!

Bring your own 5hp gas stocker kart or rent one of ours and join us! We usually run 8-12 kart races weekly, but we’d love to have more on both tracks that we race at, so we ask for more people joining us. Experienced drivers or beginners? It doesn’t matter, you can race! Interested? Call us up! Plus, everybody is getting tuned up for the Oswego Speedway Classic weekend at Oswego Kartway. Did you ever think that you could be racing at the famed Speedway on Classic weekend? You can, and for VERY affordably. Rent one of our karts for $20 a week (averaging around 100-130 laps of action on two different Oswego tracks), or we’ll help you buy or create your own for just a few hundred dollars. Call us up or email us and find out more details.

The Galletta’s Go-Karting Club was founded by brothers Matt and Chris Stevens in the early 1990s when they modified yard karts for racing purposes. They are the inventors of “clockwise 5hp flathead gas stocker kart” racing, and have a 13-kart race team that includes several backup karts available to be rented and raced at both Galletta’s and Oswego Speedway all summer. Invented with specifically “gas stock 5hp motor” rules so that a person doesn’t have to spend thousands of dollars to race in extremely competitive racing events, the class grows in talent and competition every single year. Join us by building your own kart for around $500 or rent one of our team karts on Summer Thursdays or Summer Sundays in Oswego, NY!

 
The Oswego Gas Stocker Kart Club races at Galletta’s Greenhouse Kartway & Oswego SpeedwayKartway.

Due to the fact that the karts are so affordable and the oldest veterans have been racing for nearly two decades, it is one of the most difficult karting divisions to win at, but yet you can be instantly competitive for just a couple hundred dollars IF you’re a good driver.You can’t outspend your opponent due to our gas-powered stock-only rule, so you must out-race them and out-setup them. In fact, nobody has ever defeated Matt & Chris in the open challenge: race a stock 5hp flathead and stop them from scoring 1st & 2nd in a points season. Though hundreds of people have tried in hundreds of races since the early 1990s, Chris and Matt have scored 1 & 2 every year. But it’s not just them you have to race. Our regular drivers are all talented and experienced. You can prove your skills against the winningest karters in the local area AND you won’t even have to spend a lot of money to get started! We dare you to try! Make your own or rent one of our racing team karts. Sound like fun? Read on, explore the website, and join us!