Sunday, January 28, 2018

Endurance Race 2018

This was the 4th year for the Kozo Raceway Park SportsCar Endurance Race, and the format was the
same as last year. The teams would race through four rotations on the KRP road course, over 3 hours of racing and totaling over 1100 laps. The entries were down to three teams, versus the four teams of last year.

Returning teams were Drive Fast Take Chances and Team S&S. Both teams were favored to contend for the win last year, but electrical and mechanical problems had Fast in the garage multiple times in 2017. Team S&S would find themselves defending the 2017 overall win. The Intimidatiors would be a new team, established just for this race. Team S&S consists of Sam Barbose, Jr. as team principal and co-drivers Clem O'Jevich and Dave Kennedy, both new to the team for 2017. Drive Fast Take Chances had both Scott Kozokas, principal, and Chric Chubbuck returning with Mike Troy joining. The Intimidators featured Dean Kirkpatrick as principal, Bill Zaremba, and Mark Kornish.

Track conditions were stellar all night, with not much need for tires to be cleaned. S&S would set the pace early as Sam Jr. would complete 97 laps in the first heat, and they never looked back. The Intimidators held on to second place through the first half of the evening, but either fatigue or the car caused them to slow. Fast would fall behind early on, but a rally through the middle of the race found them making laps up on the 2nd place Intimidators. In the last two rotations, Scott would be able to gain a few laps back from S&S as he completed 98 laps in both heats. This would prove to not be enough as the clock reached the final seconds.

In the end, Team S&S would go back-to-back race winners. Fast was able to shake off the mechanical/electrical issues and have a clean race to finish 2nd. The Intimidators faded in the late stages of the race for 3rd place.

1st and 2nd place would both eclipse the 2017 race win laps total of 1113, S&S with 1133 and Fast with 1120. The Intimidators would complete 1101 laps, marking the first time all teams hit the 1100 mark. Fastest lap of the race was set by Clem in the white lane in the night stint at 7.471, just shy of record lap 7.41 set by Sam Jr. in 2016.

Click on the image below to zoom in on the results.

Kozo Raceway Park thanks everyone who participated in the race, including Tom Gunshannon II and Sam Barbose, Sr for marshaling and Dave Kennedy for his photography work.

Monday, January 30, 2017

SportsCar Endurance Race Results

First, let me start by thanking all the racers who participated in the 3rd Annual KRP SportsCar Endurance Race. We had a group of local racers, as well as five drivers from out of town. This made for an exciting mix when teams were chosen. With two drivers set on two of the four teams individual qualifying began promptly at 7:45. After qualifying was over the teams shaped up as follows;
Team Drive Fast, Take Chances Team S&S Artesanal Motorsport Solutions Lizards
Owner Scott Kozoaks Sam Barbose, Jr. Bill Giltzow Joe Lauver
Driver Bill Watkins Dean Kirkpatrick Dave Ashcroft Clem O'Jevich
Driver Chris Chubbuck Mike Troy Sam Barbose, Sr. Ian Lauver
Car Slot.it Audi R8 LMP Racer Sideways Riley DP Racer Sideways Dallara DP Brass Chassis Audi R8 LMP (SCX PRO Body)

With the TQ time Drive Fast, Take Chances gained the first sit out. Team S&S qualified 2nd overall and would start in the RED lane. Artesanal Motorsport Solutions would take the green from BLUE lane, and Lizards would have to run one and then sit out a heat.

 With the Rolex 24 playing on the TV, the race began after a 10 minute practice session for the newly formed teams to test out the car and decide what to use for the race. Drive Fast, Take Chances (Fast) chose a Slot.it Audi R8 LMP with a stock Flat-6 motor, an unproven car, which was just built days prior to the race. Team S&S (S&S) settled in on their Racer Sideways Riley DP, set up sidewinder with a Slot.it orange motor. Artesanal Motorsport Solutions (AMS) decided on their Racer Sideways Dallara DP. Lizards, after electrical problems in both cars, went with the their only car with working headlights, a scratch built brass chassis under an SCX PRO Audi R8 LMP with a Flat-6 R.


During the first heat, the teams strategy began to play out. Mike T. would start in the S&S entry, Ian was in the seat for Lizards, and AMS would start with team owner Bill G. The first round of pit stops set the tone for the rest of the race. Mike T ignored the team strategists and brought the car to the pits more than 3 laps early. Lizards, while up on the jacks, would have miscommunication over driver stints and Ian would leave the pits before the fuel was full. He would return on the next lap to top it off. AMS would make their regular stop without incident. Into the second round of pit stops AMS started to show their hand, with driver changes coming every second pit stop.

Heat 2 of 16 would allow Fast to make it onto the track for the first time of the 3 hour endurance race. A mechanical issue (front body screw stuck in the track) would force Fast into the pits. Work was only allowed during green flag conditions, so they would have to wait until the yellow was withdrawn to begin repairs. Losing 6 laps in the pits, team owner Scott would return to the track finishing out the heat. AMS would miss their pit stall once again in heat 4.



Nighttime would fall at the start of heat 5, with the rotation resetting. S&S would have an electrical issue, with only the one required headlight functioning. Mike T would again bring the silver with bright orange highlights Racer Riley to pit road before the team called him in, but this time in the confusion he would jump and pull off pit road before fueling finished. On lap 42, AMS would be called into the pits for electrical issues with their headlights. A quick repair got them back out without going down many laps. Fast's choice of an unproven car would begin to haunt them from this point.

 Heat 10 would find them in the pits for 28 laps with a broken wire on the lighting system, as would also happen in heat 11 with a 10 lap loss. In heat 12 Fast owner Scott would forget to pit on the first lap and run one on empty while coasting back to the pits.

Lizards, who to this point had a fairly unhindered race would have a scare when Ian would take an extra lap before hitting the pits. This would prove to be OK with just fumes bringing him back around. Fast would lose a lap again while forgetting to hit pit road in the penultimate heat, as Lizards would go down 2 laps the same way. The final heat, 16 of 16, would bring some excitement, with Fast believing they may have been able to catch up to AMS for 2nd place. This would all be for not as an incident n the hairpin turn at the top of the hill would leave Fast with major crash damage at this early stage of the final heat. The front body screw had removed itself again, and it was deemed better to finish out the heat than try to repair it. This would cost them approximately 15 laps to AMS.

When the checkered flag dropped, it was clear that one team brought the equipment to take the win. Sam Barbose, Jr. would become the winning team owner for a 2nd straight year across different formats. With all 4 teams eclipsing the 1000 lap mark, and a spread of only 97 laps over the three hour race it would appear everyone brought their A game.

I want to thank all of the drivers, but especially those that made a trip in from out of town. If Bill G., Dave, Joe and Ian, and Chris C did not come it, we would have not had as much fun. Racing finished up at 12:30, but the memories will live on.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Track Preperations for the Endurance Race

Testing out the lights as darkness falls over the racetrack.
As dusk was falling, the crew at KRP used the opportunity to test out the corner lighting system. With only three days until the race, major improvements have been underway! The timing and scoring system received an upgrade, with a new display with more information for the drivers/teams. Also, a pit stop bridge was added for the use of fuel mileage racing during this endurance race. With a new race format this year, anything is possible!


The track opens for practice on Saturday, January 28th at 5:00 PM, with racing to start at 7:30. Preliminary information points to 4 to 5 teams participating this year, putting us at about a 5 hour race length though each team will only race for 3 hours total. Can all teams make it through the event without any mechanical or electrical issues? It's a grueling 3 hour race, because if you relax your opponents won't be.


Friday, June 24, 2016

Upcoming Race Series and Blog Update

The upcoming weekend features the first race of an Inter-club series with Slot Car Club Of The Twin Tiers, or SCCOTTT as they are also known, in Horseheads, NY. This series will consist of four races, two in the Wilkes-Barre, PA area and two in Horseheads, NY. The rules have been established throught a corroboration between SCCOTTT and KRP. A full version of the rules is available a the end of this post. The cars will be raced basically stock, with Quick Slicks silicone tires. The race schedule is as follows;

June 26th - Kozo Raceway Park
July 17th - Carrera Track, Horseheads, NY
August 14th - S&S Speedway
September 10th - Carrera Track, Horseheads, NY

Inter-club Series Rules

 Kozo Raceway Park is proud to announce the launch of a new set of track logos. These new logos incorporate a stylized depiction of the esses located on the downhill section, which have become a feature of the track. The colors of red, white and blue symbolize the lane marking colors. Variations of this new logo will be used on all future posters and communications.

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Racing for Thursday May 19th, 2016

After a trilling few weeks at S&S Speedway culminating with the 1/24 classes racing returns to Hanover Township at Kozo Raceway Park. Along with the two race classes we will be racing there is also a few classes under development. The fairgrung stockers, or bombers, are moving along and for clarification sake, will be listed under the NASCAR heading of the rules page.

We also have the 1970's Formula 1 class being looked at. As of now, it is still open to any manufacturer. Known brands are Fly/Flyslot, Polycar and Scalextric. There are many models available, though the Fly/Flyslot March 761 seems popular with the group. As of now, tire rules are under review with the possibility of using either silicone or urethane. If you have a 1970's Formula 1 car, please bring it with you on Thursday so we can try to compare performance. Pictured is a Scalextric Tyrell and a Flyslot March 761.


 Now on to the weekly racing classes. Up first is the Daytona Prototype 18k class. Remember, either Racer Sideways or Fly brand is allowed.
Second on the program for the evening will be Scalextric GT. We run these stock, but if you had problems with out of round wheels, you can run the appropriate size CBDesigns wheels. (17x8 front, 17x11 rear) The CBDesigns rear wheels take the same tires as the stock wheels. The fronts will need aftermarket tires. This class will be run as a night race, so make sure you bring a car with headlights!

Racing Update

It's been a while since I've made an update, and I wanted to get up to speed before the summer. We have been splitting time between KRP and S&S Speedway for weekly racing. S&S Speedway has hosted two rounds of the Penn-Jersey Slot Car Club Series for SRC Lola T600 and Racer Sideways Group 5.





Kozo Raceway Park was host to the NEPA Regional Qualifier for the Scalextric Trans Am North American Championship. The Championship race will be held at GT Slots in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday May 21st, 2016. The top four finishers not already qualified or unable to attend will be elligable for the finals.
John had an uncharaceristically good race, to finish 2nd ahead of Bill W by distance on the same lap. Sam Jr. finished 4th, Tony in 5th and Sam Sr. placing 6th. Our New York guests fell to the tail of the field with Sean S., Joe W. and Dave V. landing 7th, 8th and 10th. Clem busted up the group to bring home the pink 21 in 9th.




Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Results from 2/25/16

After a very sad Thursday evening last week, racing resumed at Kozo Raceway Park. We picked up with the same classes which were Modern NASCAR and LeMans Prototype 18k.

View of the grid in no particular order
The NASCAR class was comprised of mostly SCX aero cars, some SCX Pro cars, and even one Scalextric COT. Highlights or the race were Joe B's lightning fast SCX Pro #14 Old Spice Chevrolet. It was a very close race with the top 7 positions separated by only 2 laps! The top two drivers, Dean and Joe B respectively, tied the total lap record of 60 set by Scott on 10/01/2015. The fastest lap record of 8.231 seconds remained as set by Scott on 9/25/2014. Drivers tied at 59 laps were, in order, Tony, Scott and Sam Sr. Sam Jr. and Bill made 58 laps. Mark was the highest finisher on his own lap of 56, while Mike T and Clem tied at 54 laps and John made 53 circuits to round out the field.

Marshmallow paces the LMP field
The LeMans Prototype 18k race was second on the card. A nice mix of manufacturers lined the grid for
some of the closest racing we've seen at KRP even though this race did not cover the record distance of 69 laps, set by Scott on 9/24/2015. The record lap, 7.520 seconds, was still intact though Dean attempted with the fastest race lap of 7.869 seconds. Sam Jr. lead the whole way to his 66 lap win. Dean was the sole owner of lap 62 coming in 2nd overall. Five racers finished on lap 61, in order, Sam Sr., Bill, John, Scott and Clem. Joe places 8th overall with 60 laps. One lap each separated the final three with Tony at 58, Mark at 57 and Mike T at 56 laps.

Racing for March 3rd, 2016 will be at S&S Speedway. We will race the following classes;
  • NASCAR Vintage Carrera
    • Carrera Historic NASCAR cars
    • Motor limited to 18,000 RPM
    • Must use 9/26,27,28 gear ratio
    • Wheels 15mm tall maximum, 8mm wide maximum
    • Tires must be NSR Classic with treads
    • Bodies may be slightly lowered
  • Vintage GT (pre 1966)
    • Any GT car raced before 1966
    • Motor limited to 14,000 RPM
    • Wheels must be similar to RTR, or sized for tires
    • Tires must be Ninco rubber

Monday, February 15, 2016

Racing the week of February 14th, 2016

Racing will shift back to Kozo Raceway Park for Thursday night, February 18th. On the card for the evening is Modern NASCAR and LMP 18k. Here's the general rules:
  1. NASCAR Modern
    1. Any modern NASCAR car
    2. Motor limited to 18,000 RPM or RX-42B
    3. Gearing is open
    4. Wheels 15mm tall maximum, 8mm wide maximum

  1. LeMans Prototype 18,000 RPM
    1. Any LeMans Prototype car, 1994 – Present
    2. Motor limited to 18,000 RPM
    3. Gearing is open
    4. Wheels are open

On Saturday, February 20th, Eric Hans will be hosting the 3rd race in the Penn/Jersey SRC/Racer series. His track will open at 11:30, and racing to start at 1:30. Its about a 2 hour drive, so we will be looking to leave just after 9:00, but before 9:30, to ensure enough practice time for everyone in our group before the race.

I do have a spare SRC Lola T-600 and a few Racer Sideways Group 5 cars for anyone interested in participating that does not have a car, Please let me know.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Kozo Raceway Park SportsCar Endurance Race Recap

As the Rolex 24h was racing into it's 5th hour, the KRP SportsCar Endurance Race was just getting underway. 11 teams participated up from 9 last year. Most racers opted for a basic strategy, completing their GT stints then moving along to the P2/DP cars. One racer, Chris, did the opposite with his P2 before the GT. Scott attempted a mixed strategy, that ultimately did not pay off. Sam Jr. topped his previous years attempt by 7 laps overall, to finish first with 516 laps. He broke last years lap record of 7.500 sec with a  7.410 sec lap. The 516 lap total was good enough to beat last years total of 510 as well.

John marshals while Bill, Dean, and Chris race
The field was set and the race started just after 7:30 PM. Up first was Joe W., Mike T., and John. The track settled in and lap totals for the 6 minute heat were in the upper 30s. Sam Sr., Tony, and Sam Jr. were the next 3 racers up, and the lap totals started to climb with each completing 40 circuits at least one heat, and Sam Jr. starting the race off with a blistering pace. Scott, Dean, and Chris were to follow, with Scott and Chris the first to bring out the prototypes. Scott switched to his GT for his 3rd stint in the white lane. The Scalextric Ferrari F430 had an equipment malfunction and was forced to the garage, losing about 20 laps behind the wall. Bill W. and Mark "The Oiler" rounded out the first rotation with strong runs bout, only separated by one lap after their 3 heats. First stage leaders were Chris and Sam Jr. with 124 laps and Dean with 122.

The lights went out for the beginning of the 2nd rotation and the start of the night racing. As the darkness fell the lap times followed. Most of the racers had fewer laps per lane at night than during the previous day heats. A notable exception was Mike T. who picked up 2 laps with his Scalextric C6r Corvette. Halfway through the race and Chris broke out to an early lead in his Avant Slot Porsche RS Spyder at 245 laps. Dean, racing an SCX Corvette C6r, held 2nd place at the half with 241 laps, and Sam Jr.'s Scalextric BMW Z4 completed 240 laps. The first nighttime rotation had Scott complete 126 laps, making back 5 laps, Chris with 121, and Sam Jr. making 119 circuits.

The second night rotation brought out the majority of the prototype cars, with the exception of Chris and his SCX Corvette C6r. Sam Jr. lead the way with an outstanding 137 laps in his Racer Dallara DP. Dean's SCX Pro Audi R8 finished second most laps at 128, and Bill W.'s SCX Pro Audi R8, using a smaller 18k rpm motor, took him around 127 laps. Leaders at the 3/4 mark of the race were Sam Jr. 377 laps, Dean 369 laps, and Bill W. with 363 laps. At this point of the race, Sam Jr. was in control and it would be his race to lose. After suffering an equipment malfunction in practice, Joe W. retired after the overnight rotations, only completing 103 laps with his SCX Dume S101 Judd.


The lights cam back on, and the race was in the home stretch. Only 6 times was a GT car on track over the last 11 heats. Mark experienced a mechanical failure in the Red lane to begin his final run. The Scalextric Audi R10 continued on is spirit as a replacement car was substituted. Sam Jr. bested his previous DP total of 137 with 139 laps. Scott and Dean both lapped 129 times for the final rotation. Tony put up a fight for 3rd overall with one more daytime lap than Bill W., but Bill completed 3 more during the overnight. With the race starting at 7:37 PM and ending before 2:00 AM, it took just over 6 hours, including the halfway Apple Pie break. Congratulations to the podium finishers, as well as all of the participants for an awesome race. The full results are below, as well as some additional pictures.

Click for larger version

Thursday Night Racing Recap

This past week saw Group 5 and INDY Cars at Kozo Raceway Park. Racing was close overall, but especially in the INDY class, with everyone clocking a best lap within 0.5 seconds of each other.
Group 5 was first to the line, with a mix of manufacturers, including Fly/GB Track, Flyslot and Carrera with multiple models from each. The top two finishers fast lap were within 16 thousandths of a second from one another. Sean brought out some cool cars, and tried one on each lane, for a total of 41 laps. Joe B. completed 52 laps in his Carrera Ferrari 512 BBLM. Mike T. took his GB Track Lancia around 57 laps, and Sam Sr's fly Racing Capri made 59 circuits. With only 3 laps separating the podium it all came down to keeping it in the slot. Clem took his Fly Racing Capri "Rat Car" to 3rd place with 61 laps. Dean's Flyslot Ferrari 512 BBLM completed 62 laps for 2nd place, and Scott's Flyslot Ferrari 512 BBLM turned 63 laps for the win. Three drivers were able to lead laps, Clem, Sam Sr., and Scott.

Second on the race card for the evening was the INDY cars. Some cool custom paintwork was on display in this class, with Clem's Team Penske and Joe B's Andretti KMart cars. 5 laps separated the whole field, with Joe B. completing 55 laps. Sam Sr. made 56 circuits, and Clem and Sean were tied at 58 each. Scott edged out Mike T for 2nd place as both drivers completed 59 laps, and Dean took home top honors making it around 60 laps. There were 4 different leaders this race, Sean, Mike T, Scott, and Dean leading the most.



Next week, racing shifts to S&S Speedway for an H&R 1/24th scale race night.