D/FW Ferrari Club of America
2002 Karting Challenge
Round 3: December 10, 2002
 From left: Greg, Jano, Chris M, Wes, Bill B, Chris F, Chris P, Ron, Rob, Tillman, Greg, Jayson, Mike, Bart The grand finale of the 2002 DFW/FCA Karting Challenge! There were 14 participants this time, 3 of whom were first time participants. The series continues to grow.
 The threat of rain kept some of the Ferrari cars away, but the garage held Ron's black 308GTS, Tillman's grigio 328GTS, Jano's blue 348 Spyder, and Mike's yellow 348GTB Speciale. The last event showed that trying to run more than 8 or so cars on the track was not a very good idea. This time, the races were broken into two heats, and the fastest times were consolidated to determine the winner. The first race was run on the longer track. Rob won the race with a 35.68 in the A heat, while Ron ran a 36.92 in the B heat to finish second. Greg and Chris F. finished 3rd and 4th with a 37.20 and 37.55 respectively. With fewer cars on the track the top 6 all had faster lap times than the 2nd place car in the previous event. This pattern would hold true through most of the night. The second heat was held on the smaller track. Rob won the race with a 20.47. Wes was less than a half second behind for second, while 3rd through 7th were separated by only .02 seconds. After a beverage break and some calculation of the standings, The Main Event was run on the long course, with a Gran Prix standing start. There was some controversy about car assignments, but finally the final took place with a split field and a standing start. Almost everyone ran much faster in the final than in the earlier heat, as the racers determined the better lines and better techniques. This event didn't have the drama in the chicanes of the last event, which was the goal of the split races. Both races ran clean and relatively quickly. Rob won the final to sweep the night and pick up the maximum 40 points. Jayson ran second, only .07 behind, while Wes picked up third place with a 36.75.
 Rob, Jayson and Wes celebrate their victory
This was the last race of the season, so the points championship was on the line. As it turned out, Rob's impressive sweep led him to the points championship. He won the championship with 76 points. Ken finished second with 62.5 points, and Greg finished third with 55 to give Chicks Dig It Racing two of the three podium spots.
Rob, Ken and Greg celebrate their seasons The post-racing celebration included talking cars and kicking tires in the garage. Rob led the way to Humperdinks later. Unfortunately, his BMW's burnout was completely trumped by Greg's 1968 Charger. The combination of bias-ply tires, high horsepower and a concrete floor led to a most impressive display and a nicely arcing set of rubber lines out of the garage. (Legal Disclaimer: The DFWFCA and any other organizations represented here do not endorse unsafe or unlawful driving styles) The next season begins on January 14th. The Spring 2003 series will run from January through June on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Discuss this event at Ferrarichat.com
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