Thoughts and updates from our karting directors . . .

February 4, 2010

Hi Everyone, 

As I sure more of you have heard, the Feb 13th Race date is cancelled, the track continues to have issues and the water is still running below the surface, this time under the small oval and in an area that directly effects our course. Over the next few weeks the area will be opened up and dug out and additional drainage placed back in. This should stop the sinking and settling of the asphalt in these areas.

Again this work is being performed by many volunteers and suppliers who love racing and have stepped up and are helping to get the job done. Maria and the Willie Family are stepping up in a huge way to get done what needs to be done with paving , pipe, machinery and equipment. Anyone who has done these types of repairs knows this is very expensive work.

If you see Maria or her husband Steve please take a minute and thank them for their continues support of racing at Western Speedway.

I will keep you posted as the repairs are done.

Thanks Steve

January 30,  2010

Hello everyone and A Happy New Year to All,

It’s been months since I've written something here and I figured it was time again. I will also try on a monthly basic to keep up with it.

We had an awesome summer and an impressive start to the winter series. I am still very excited the way this is growing. Even though some of the classes had numbers drop and weather was holding a few “Wimps” back from racing, the numbers are still great and the action is incredible.
We ran our 1st enduro race with the combination of the 4 strokes and 2 strokes running at the same time. It was unbelievable how the 4 strokes kicked butt over the 2 strokes. This was very well received and we've heard lots of comments about doing it again. We will work on this.

Recently I have heard a few rumours suggesting I will be “Pulling the Pin” on Victoria Karting. I want to be clear that this is the farthest thing from my mind. I will continue to run this as long as people show up. I have a secure deal with the race track to continue to run as long as we want. I just wanted to clear the air here because I've heard this a few times and it's not true. (What would be racing without rumors?)

I hope everyone is looking forward to our next race in mid-February and everyone is getting their karts ready. We will be working with Darrell and Harold to get the Summer Schedule together in the next month and will have that posted soon.

I want to thank everyone who has supported this series in both the summer and winter and look forward to a great 2010.
Thank you, Steve

April 24th/09

I would like to thank everyone who took part in the Winter Series. As everyone knows we were lucky dodging most of the rain and the sun shining almost every race day. The racing was great and the addition of many new racers reinforces we did the right thing by getting Karting going again in Victoria. Thank you for everyone's support.

The summer series kicks off on May 4th and we will be running 18 nights throughout the summer. Most races are Monday nights with the exception of a move to Tuesdays on long weekends.

In May and June we will be having our pit meetings at 5:45 and trying to get the racing started by 6:00 sharp. As this time of the year we will be running out of daylight and with the 4 hour regular show being pushed down to 3 hours, we will also be changing the format a bit. The “Warm up” session and the “Qualifying” will be shortened to 5 min runs. This should make it possible to get all these races completed within the first hour. The “Pre-Race” and “Final race” should be able to run at the same 10 min sessions like normal.

With available daylight in mind, we will adjust the class heats to suit.

Also, during the May and June run we know children will be going to school the next morning and the 9:00pm finish will be really late. We intend to run the “Jr Lites” and “Jr Heavy’s” off 1st. That would mean if everything goes as planned they should be done by 8:10 or 8:20. I would suggest if this is the case for you that when your child has finished their race you pack up during the next race and have your car/truck lined up in turn 4 of the small oval. As soon as the next race is over we will try to let you out. You may also want to consider this when you pick your pit parking space when you arrive so it’s easy to back out and get in line. During this 2 month time period we will try and help out on this the best we can.
As most of you have seen, we have installed some new paving in the infield to remove a few of the upsetting lumps out of the track, this appears to be working great and the racing is very fast and safer through this part of the course. This is part of our attempt to improve and make racing safer for everyone.

I would like to thank those who continually volunteer, either through helping to set up, taking down, corner flag people, flagging, teching, or just generally helping when asked to do so. We've been running for almost a year and without all this help we couldn’t do it.

That said, there is still a need for anyone who can help out in any way to please do so. Even if it’s once a month or even once a summer... it all helps. As we head into the summer we will need to set up and take down every day so please do your part to make this happen smoothly.

Most know about the recent upgrades and repairs to the race track backstretch. Over the last few years rumors have been floating around about how long Western Speedway would be around. This recent repair has put a lot of smiles on many racers' faces as it shows the commitment that the Willie family has to keeping this track around for many, many years. This is great for all forms of racing from Karts to Sprint cars and every class in between. I have heard lots of comments that racers are now looking at new cars as they are confident there will be a place to run for a long time. I am very happy that karting is growing and growing as this form of racing feeds to other classes of racing and helps by building car counts. Next time you run into anyone who you know that helped with the track repairs, any of the Willie family, Darrel Midgley, Western Promotions staff, Mansell's Excavating, Finish Line Transport and many others, please take the time to thank them for giving you a place to race.

Racing has been a part of my life since I was a kid and I'm glad Victoria Karting is helping to keep the track running and giving kids some great memories that I enjoy. I'm also happy the rent we pay for the track use is contributing to the sustainability of Western Promotions staying on as promoters at the track. They are doing a great job.

Hope to see you out during the Summer Series.

Steve Copp

March 31, 2009

For the safety of all, please keep your speed down as you drive between Millstream and the track entrance. As the weather improves there are more children and families walking near Mr. Tubs Ice Cream and elsewhere in the parking areas. 

Some families have dogs that are off-leash and can suddenly run into your path. 

Also, people from the RV grounds can unexpectedly walk onto the paved area and into the path of cars. Use caution at all times on Western Speedway property. Thank you for your cooperation.

March 31, 2009

Just a reminder that any use of the track is solely at the discretion of, and under the direction of Victoria Karting and permission must be obtained beforehand. Thank you.

January 20, 2009

If you want to know the best day to do something in Victoria for weather look at our karting schedule… we haven’t missed a good day yet.

Our 1st day back after the Christmas break was an exceptional day at the track. We had 53 people racing and over 100 in the pits. WOW.

Every class had a great run and the action again was great to see. It’s incredible to see the Jr Honda class with a new winner each time out. Taylor Zerbin had the field covered and almost lapped the field in the main event. Way to go Taylor.

The Sr Rotax also had a great showing with more out then ever before. A cross-up between boyfriend and girl friend in Turn One didn’t fare well for Leah as a cracked rib was the outcome but she was smiling when she returned from the clinic. Get well soon and eat lots of Tylenol 3. We look forward to you returning in the next month …or so. Kevin you are going to pay for this one!!

The Sr Honda again had a huge number and the action was fun to watch. We even had Roy Haslam out. Roy, next time take the kid's kart, they're faster than the "dog" they let you drive.

We have made a few adjustments on the schedule for the next months with the first 3 weeks of March being off. This will give time for family's Spring Break holidays. There will be 3 events in February and then back at the track on March 28th. Our April schedule moves to Sunday as the track starts up with regular racing in May and the Saturday racing doesn’t work. Our summer schedule (if daylight is here) will start May 11th and we are just about confirmed with the track but it looks like 17 Monday nights in a row after that. I hope everyone wants to race.

We are working also on some more improvement at the track. We will be doing more paving in the early Spring and hope to take a few more lumps out of the track by summer racing. We are also in the works for some plastic “protective walls”. These should be great as they will be easier to move and should give us the opportunity to change up the configuration on the track as well as increasing safety. Our goal is to end up with this system being the only one we use and to be totally rid of the tire walls. Unfortunately they are expensive and the total investment will run around $ 30,000.00 plus. The way this karting is going it will be money well spent.

I have had a lot of questions about running a “Practice Session”. I have had a tough time getting my head around this. I understand why some of you want it but fitting it in is a problem. Here are my problems: 1/ Track needs to be set up. 2/ Track Rent. 3/ Insurance. 4/ 1st Aid attendant is required. 5/ Check in and waiver person need to be there. 6/ Transponder Person need to be there. 7/ All corner flag person are required. 8/ Format? 30 minutes per class? This will give you time to make changes and head back out to try.(once a group is on the track, no one can leave or cross the track to access the pits.) 

This sounds like a regular race day to me and almost every item comes with a cost or time spent by people. Please email me victoriakarting@gmail.com and give me your ideas and also the number of people who want this. If it’s only a handful of people then it doesn’t seem viable. If it’s most people then maybe with the ideas I receive we can come up with something.

Transponder Brackets: We now have a supply of brackets for sale at the track. The cost is $20.00 each including tax. These are a must. Some people have been using tape and wire to attach them to the kart and this is causing damage to the transponder cases. These transponders cost around $ 500.00 each and need to be protected. If you do not have a bracket please get one when you pick up the transponder. If you don’t have one you will not get to use the transponder. Thank you for helping us protect this expensive but very important part of our kart racing.

I look forward to 2009 Victoria Karting Season, both the Winter and the Summer season and hope to see everyone at the track.

I want to thank George for the Karting Stickers. These are great and you have nailed it right on the head. If you didn’t see the stickers let me know next time at the track, I have a bunch to give away. I know I will be ordering more, they are great. In case you didn’t see them;"

Cheers, Steve

 

January 15th.2009

Wow ! . . . we are already into 2009. I hope that everyone had a great holiday season and all the best to everyone in 2009. I hope everyone told Santa they wanted karting stuff and got what they wished for.

We are almost all set up at the track and we are "go" for Saturday. I didn’t think we would be when I went to the track last week but the water has disappeared and the track is in pretty good shape. (click here to view the photos) There's still a flow of water across the backstretch but with a slight configuration change we shouldn’t have too many problems.

Our schedule will have a few changes over the next month with 3 races running in February and only one in March. We are currently working with the track to finalize the balance of the schedule for the winter series and then on to the summer run. As of right now (still to be confirmed) we will launch our summer Monday nights starting May 11th and run through to the end of August for a total of 17 nights right now so I hope everyone is ready for a summer of karting. 

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday . . by the amount of phone calls and emails there should be a lot of karts showing up.

Cheers, Steve Copp

 

December 13th/ 2008.

"Did you ever think we could  -  or would be racing at Western Speedway in December? Well we did! Our last race of 2008 had just over 30 drivers out and believe it or not the track was almost completely dry. Yes it was cold!

It was another strong day at the track and with the ever-changing track configuration it leads to a lot of exciting racing. 

The Honda Sr class was again the biggest and the action was great, not sure if everyone is getting better at driving or just calming down but not many crashes and lots of fun to watch. 

The Honda Jr class has 3-4 very fast front runners and they are so evenly matched it's a lot of fun to see who gets a break and ends up running up front. Congrats to Rhett Smith, Robbie Price and Taylor Orr for some excellent racing.

Rotax Sr also had a decent showing and it’s great to see John Reaume out and running consistently in the low 26 seconds. 

We finished the final race with snow starting to fall and everyone helping to clean up…. THANKS EVERYONE who assisted.

Our next race day is scheduled for Jan 17th. 2009. We look forward to seeing everyone back for the balance of the Winter Series and then the very popular Monday night Summer Series.

Thanks again to everyone for making Victoria Karting a great success.

Victoria Karting would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Steve Copp"

 

November 17, 2008

Another Great Weekend of Racing.    

"We have the weatherman to thank for the last 3 weekend racing days as there was only a bit of wetness on the track and not much falling from the sky.

Last weekend had a good showing with 40+ drivers coming out. 

Everyone seems to be enjoying the winter racing series and some very fast and intense racing in every field is great to see. The 4 stroke Honda Sr class has appeared to have settled down a bit and there’s more good racing and less bumping and grinding. Thanks.

Each week we seem to have a couple of new people out, some trying the rental karts and leaving with big smiles and wanting to know where they can buy a kart, and some just appearing and racing for the 1st time. This is great as each class is getting bigger and bigger.

The new time change to Saturday afternoon looks like it is helping our numbers as some people work in the morning.

As we head into the balance of the season and toward the Xmas break we will for sure have the weather against us, make sure you think ahead and find a rain suit or contact Josh and get him to order one for you. They really do make a difference and will make “rain racing” a more comfortable option as the rain will be here soon.

Thanks again to all the volunteers who show up early for setup, stay late and help with takedown and the ones who take the time to corner marshal. With everyone’s help this is running fairly good and also gives me a chance to drive once in awhile….. that was the reason I started this whole thing in the first place.

Thanks again and see you next week."

Steve Copp

October 23, 2008

"UNBELIEVABLE…… that all I can say. 

The 1st day of our Winter Series brought out more karts and people than expected. It’s great to see most of the same people coming out from the summer season, with the addition of a lot of racers from the stock car, Sportsman, Sprint cars and Hornet Series buying karts and wanting to have some fun over the off-season and hone their driving skills.

The Honda Senior class was the largest class of the day with 26 karts taking the green flag. This made for some very exciting racing with most of the track covered with karts through every corner and it was very busy to try and keep track of all the action at once.

It will be interesting to see how many karters continue to come out as the weather changes to rain in the next couple of months but with the numbers we are drawing from, I expect a great series. 

With the rule of ‘No Rain Tires” we should save everyone a lot of money and this will get drivers adjusting their driving skills and reflexes on the wet track. I’m looking forward to seeing this!

The next race will find the Honda Jr class splitting with a new class for the “Lite’s” and “Heavy’s”. We are hoping these classes will grow and provide an easier class for 1st timers to get involved, the action will be the same but this takes the younger drivers out of the large class of teenagers.

I can’t say it enough……. a big "Thank You" to all the people who are involved;  setup people, corner flaggers, check-in people, as well as Western Speedway. This is something that has been missing on the Island and ... from the response and the smiles I see, everyone is having a great time.

See you next race day."

Steve Copp

 

Aug 18th/2008

Monday August 18th- Our 1st Trophy Night.

"Tonight's' lineup was full in every class. The racing was fast and fun with everyone fighting for a trophy. The karts all seem a little closer matched with this 1st official night with full rules in effect. As a few drivers finished races, a few sad faces were seen with some not meeting tech requirements and some karts being disqualified. The rules are now in full effect and the tech process will now be done prior to the races for all and the top 3 on the finish. 

This will build more completive classes, fairness in the fields and better racing.

Our night ended with the darkness falling quickly and races having to be shortened due to safety. The next night of racing (our last night race) will have the practice session dropped and less time for qualifying - which should give enough time for pre-races and finals races.

The strongest field and still growing is the Jr 4-stoke with 12 karts racing wheel-to-wheel. The pre-race was exciting with Taylor Orr pumping his arm in the air on the front stretch assuming he had the win and Lane Zerbin stealing the win right at the line. The final race also proved to be exciting with Lane and Taylor dukeing it out again with Lane again winning with only a .283 sec margin!

The Jr. Rotax class was also exciting but with a smaller number of karts. It is great to see 7 year old Joey Reaume move up to a mini Max kart. This young man will be fast in years to come. The final race results showed Evan Godo winning, followed by Alex Horvath and Joey bringing up the rear.

Again the front runners in the SR-4 Stoke were RJ Robertson and Mike Sedgwick. These two are hard to beat with all their years of running karts (especially Mike). Notable finishers were Colin Sedgwick finishing 3rd and Ian Walker driving one of the New Rat Racers. These new karts have proving to be fast and a good value with 6 or 7 running in various classes and 4 finishing in the top 5. 

Sr- Rotax had 5 karts starting the main event, of course the action was fast and furious, these guys really travel fast. Unfortunately 3 of the 5 were DQ’ed. This left Chris and Wally to be the only ones to receive the trophies. (I guess they both being realtors they know about disclosure)

Victoria Karting is growing better and better every week and the classes are filling up and getting more competitive. We are hoping with the rules being in effect this will continue. 

I would like to thank Gary Smith for his generous donation of old karting trophies. These all have great memories for him and everyone who received them should value the history they represent. Gary started kart racing at the age of 3-4 and went on to run a Winston West Stock Car and is now competing in Sprint Cars. Some of his greatest memories are when he was karting. Thanks Gary.

Our Winter schedule is being sorted out and we should know the final details within the next week. We will be running next Monday night (Aug 25) at the regular time and we will be switching to a day set up on Monday Sept 1st. Set up starts at 8:00am. Racing will start at 10:00AM and finish at 2:00PM. We hope to see everyone out for this 1st day race set up.

Again thanks for everyone who comes out to kart, parents, grand parents and families who support the sport. A big thanks to all volunteers who help with set up, take down, flagging and tech. This would not be happening without everyone’s help."

Steve Copp

July 14,  2008

"Wow is this series ever growing! We have had a great couple of weeks, fields are getting larger, racing is getting stronger and everyone is smiling a lot. Last week we had around 26 drivers out and the show is starting to work very well. Everyone is getting up to speed with the racing format and not too much time is lost between races. Its great to see new faces every week and talk to people who really want to race.

THE KARTS HAVE ARRIVED! 
The shipment of “RAT RACERS” arrived on Friday, tonight we'll have a few out at the track and everyone is looking forward to see how they run. They look great and the initial tests have been as expected. If you have any interest in purchasing a new kart either see me or contact Ian to arrange (250-661-7445)

WINTER RACING:
We have been asked about a winter series by a lot of you. We have reached a deal with Western Speedway and yes - we can run! The schedule will be posted soon on the website but we will be running throughout the Fall, Winter and Spring months. 

This is great news for this very popular and growing series.

Our Goal is to promote a safe family environment at the track. We have had some issues with people crossing the track during the races and even on the final laps of a race. Please pay attention to the signs, use common sense when at the track and when driving. We don’t want anyone hurt or injured.

Thanks to everyone for their support and participation. This is growing better than expected and it’s great to see.

Let all enjoy the racing."

Steve Copp

June 23 2008 . . .OUR 1st OFFICIAL NIGHT OF RACING.

"WOW what a great night. The weather was good, there were people in the stands and over 26 drivers. Most classes had good numbers to make the racing exciting. Everyone is still working out the karts and the track configuration. The comments were all good for the racing side of things. 

Everyone seemed to be glad they have a place to run again.

We are working hard to get the organizational side of things ironed out. More karts always mean more time spent by us. We can handle it - just be patient as we work out the bugs.

We are looking for a Flag Person! Anyone who would like to talk to us about doing this? Please contact me (250-920-9004) and we can discuss what’s involved. I’m finding my time is going to be more valuable in and around the pits getting everyone lined up, answering questions etc. Flagging is a fun job and it gets you involved.

We also have a few other jobs needing to be done so if you don’t race but want to be part of this growing, exciting sport please give me a call.

The new Cadet size karts have arrived. These are going to be fantastic for the series. 3 have come in, 1 is already sold. So if you are interested please contact me or come out to the track on Monday and see for yourself. They are reasonable priced at $ 1795.00 plus taxes. This is an easy way to get racing. We are hoping to see the others showing up anytime.

Again I would like to thank everyone who is involved. My family, John’s family, cousins Don and Karen, the O'Kell family, all the families from the winter series, new people joining, people just showing up to be involved, our sponsors, management of the track, Bailee for her time on the transponders . . . Everyone! It’s all coming together and its fun."

Cheers Steve Copp

 

June 17, 2008

Another great night of Karting in Victoria, (well actually the 3rd in a row.)

Last night saw a full lineup of karts of all kinds and a variety of ages...the biggest turn out yet! It’s great to see the amount of interest from old time karters to new people wanting to see what the buzz is all about. The new track works well with the exception of the one area coming out of turn 2. (On our list to be paved, for sure) 

The 4 stroke junior lineup was strong and it was very cute to see them get lined up for their 1st mock race. I think we have 9 in this field. 

The 4 stroke senior’s class also had a good number and saw some great wheel to wheel racing especially in the final race. Way to go Tanya!

The 2 stroke class had around 6 karts out and the action was fast and furious as expected.

All in all, everything is growing stronger week to week. The new karts should be arriving in about another week and a half and everyone is looking forward to see these machines and how they perform. We have 20 on order so this should create a good boost in our numbers and make for some interesting fields. If you want to reserve a kart contact Ian and get your name in to hold one.

I want to personally thank everyone for their support in getting this off the ground. Without everyone this wouldn’t be happening. Only to mention a few; a big thanks to Maria Willy and the Willy Family for the donation of the gravel for the paving work. Also a very big thanks to Victoria Motor Sports Club for their huge cash donation towards the cost of the paving. It’s great to see clubs join together to help each others clubs. And a special mention to Capital City Paving Company for the paving work, it turned out great.


I keep saying this but again thanks to Darrel and Harold from Western Speedway. Without all you are doing this would only be an idea. A big personal "thank you!" 

Our next night is Monday June 23rd, registration starts a 5:30, drivers meeting at 6:00 and racing shortly after. 

As always we are looking for volunteers prior and after the race for set up and take down. Please let me know if you can help.

Steve Copp

May 25, 2008

"I would like to thank everyone who took time out from one of our 1st beautiful Victoria days to help build tire walls.

We had a good number and the start of the building process is well under way.
I can't believe the excitement I feel from everyone. People arrived from old time racers to people who have always wanted to run but didn't know where or how to make it happen. It's great to see and hear the questions being answered by some of the pros. I think we are winning new people to the track everyday.

We are proceeding with the new paving over the next couple of weeks and should (with some more help) be ready to have a setup and trial run on June 5th as planned.
Let's all keep up the enthusiasm, tell everyone you can and soon we will be on the track
Thanks again to the volunteers!"
Steve Copp

 

May 8, 2008

"It's only been a few weeks since we decided to get karting going in the South Island area but I've been impressed with the interest and support we're getting from local businesses and racers.

The word is spreading quickly and everyone is excited.

We have been getting calls and emails from people offering their time (and advice) and from businesses wanting to donate signs, equipment, bolts, or whatever.

Our goal is get everything up and running by late June, but there's lots of work to be done. I would like to personally thank Darrell Midgley and Western Speedway for all their support.

Karting is a great place for everyone, young and old, to get started in racing. As we move forward toward our target dates I hope to see the "Buy & Sell" page filled. I keep hearing about all these Karts and parts sitting around in basements covered in dust, and as this grows I hope these items can be made available for new racers to get into the sport.

My thanks again to all who have contacted me and shared their support. Let's get racing."
Steve Copp