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 Meynes (in his Meynes #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:

1st	Barrelin' Brian Bortel #15
2nd	Matt "Mush" Stevens #3
3rd	Chris Stevens #10/#8
4th	Wes "Ogre" Stevens #4
5th	Nick Dann #02/#6
6th	Oscar Berry #7
7th	Dalton Crouch #05
8th	Howard Seabrook #1
9th	Ed Meynes #43
10th	Rob Jimenez #5
11th	Jason Mills #38
12th	Fred Collins #2
13th	Dick Dann #0
14th	Rick Meynes #9

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

2006 Galletta's Go-Karts Point Standings
After 5 feature events from 6/11/2006 thru 7/9/2006:
 

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).

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 Exhibition #3 / Ultimate Fighting Event 
Friday, July 7th 2006:
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 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 Mark Miller, Mike Billion, Shane Miller, and their OHV 5.5hp-7.5hp clan, and the fact that they were 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 motors were banned from our division last season to allow for fairness with equal motor size (see the rules sectionn for past disputes we have had with this group and why). This week would be no exception, as it was scarred with controversy and fighting. Ed Maynes, Brian Bortel, and Matt Stevens all were directly involved with accidents with Mark Miller and Mike Billion, all for the top two spots. However, neither Mark nor Mike went to the back as Ed, Brian, and Matt rightly did. 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. 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. 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. This, in turn, led to bickering and fighting amongst the two groups at the race's conclusion, with some in the OHV's group coming over to our area of the pits and challened 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 stepped closer and said, "What are you going to do about it, little man?"). This 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. 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." (Untrue, 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 for owing money to the track and fighting. 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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