tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15125490421155422842024-03-08T06:44:57.195-08:00Chris Morales Racing Blog"Measure success by improvement not perfection"Christopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512549042115542284.post-36694451146706125012012-09-22T10:32:00.000-07:002012-10-22T12:09:28.939-07:00Red Bull Kart Fight @ K1 Speed *UPDATE*<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">I managed to qualify for the Red Bull Kart Fight semi-finals at K1 Speed!</span></i></b><br />
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<b><i>Thought I should update this post rather than create a new one. Anyhow, I did go and gave it my best. Here's a rundown: There was a 14 lap Qualifier and 16 lap Race. I was competing against some pretty good karters, in fact most of them seemed to have much more experience then lil ol' me lol. Nonetheless, they separated us into 2 groups and one winner of each group got the chance to go to Texas for the Formula 1 US Grand Prix. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>I qualified 10th of 13 racers in the group and finished 8th in the race. Unfortunately there was an accident in the first corner and that pushed me back in last place but I managed to catch up and finish 8th. I'd like to think that had I not been involved in that accident that I would have finished in the top 5. It's too bad but I learned a lot in the process and I can take away the experience I had at this event and move on to the next opportunity that I get. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>Anyway, no pics/vids of the event, unfortunately. But will have to get some footage of me karting via Go Pro some time lol. I am also slowly getting my Miata ready for a track day or Auto X event, I'll try and get pic's of my 1991 Miata soon, I'll be doing a few mods to get it ready. Stay Tuned!</i></b><br />
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<b><i>*Update #2*</i></b><br />
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<b><i>Here is a cool compilation video of the event, video is by <span style="color: red;">Jared Ewing</span>, who competed at the event:</i></b><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Ok, so, I haven't been posting much lately since my time spent trying to get into the </span><i style="text-align: center;">GT Academy Semi Finals</i><span style="text-align: center;"> (which I didn't manage to qualify, I finished in something like 200th place in the country) but anyhow that moment has passed and I am looking for more opportunities to move on in my "racing career". One of which is, I got back into indoor karting after a loooong hiatus, mainly trying to conserve my money because I didn't have a job at the time. I got a full time job about 2 months ago and it pretty much takes up all of my weekdays. Which leaves my weekends open, for racing!!! : D</span></div>
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So I've taken up indoor go karting again, via K1 Speed, and have been going pretty much every Saturday. I have been honing my skills and putting into practice what I already know. Well, about 4 weeks ago, K1 Speed announced a competition they were hosting with Red Bull. The Red Bull Kart Fight, which I've heard about before, but never had the chance to participate until now.<br />
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Every Wednesday night, for the past 4 weeks, they gave individuals a chance to qualify for the Semi Finals. The top 5 fastest times (from 5 different K1 Speed's in SoCal) at the end of the 4 weeks would get invited to the Semi Finals at the K1 Speed in Anaheim. I managed to qualify 4th fastest lap time at my location and thus got a chance to compete at the Semi Finals next Wednesday.<br />
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Just for the record, I tried so hard to get a 24 sec. lap time the second time I was there. Grrr, just have to get to know myself and the track a little better BUT nonetheless I managed to improve from my previous attempt (see <i>week 3</i>) even if just 200th's of a second. Anyhow, I'll be practicing at the Anaheim location to get to know the track before hand and hopefully finish at the top come Wednesday. BTW, the top 3 at the Semi Final get a chance to fly to Texas to compete at the "National Finals"! AND the top racer from there will compete at the "World Finals"! I plan on getting pic's/video of the event next week, stay tuned. ; )<br />
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*Note: I did not attend the first 2 qualifying events but did attempt the final 2.<br />
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<b><i><a href="http://www.k1speed.com/blog/week-3-results-red-bull-kart-fight-socal-k1-speed.html" target="_blank">Week 3 Results:</a></i></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">1. Ricky Johnson – 24.89</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">2. Jacob Schreiner – 25.318</span><br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">3. Christopher Morales – 25.396</span></span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">4. David Brizuela – 25.427</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">5. Dawson Hughes – 25.695</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">6. Evan Boshers – 25.830</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">7. John Brizuela – 25.903</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">8. Jeremy Wood – 26.039</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">9. Marcos Villela – 26.179</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">10. Joshua Ellis – 26.578</span>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.k1speed.com/blog/week-4-results-red-bull-kart-fightsocal.html" target="_blank">Week 4 Results: </a></i></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">1. Aaron Downs – 24.423</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">2. Kc Cook – 24.424</span><br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">3. Christopher Morales – 25.154</span></span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">4. Ash Minguez – 25.200</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">5. Jeremy Wood – 25.235</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">6. David Brizuela – 25.249</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">7. Rick Brogden – 25.414</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">8. Derek Esquibel – 25.615</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">9. Jason Arias – 25.919</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #545454; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">10. Alex Alvarado- 26.087</span>
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<a href="http://www.k1speed.com/blog/semi-finals-red-bull-kart-fightsocal.html" target="_blank"><b><i>Here is a list of the top 25 competing at the Semi Final:</i></b></a><br />
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">K1 Speed Carlsbad</strong><br />
Josh Krauss – 24.73<br />
Andrew Lemons 24.732<br />
Charles Eichlin 24.742<br />
Jared Buccola – 24.96<br />
Kyle Hazen – 25.03</div>
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Keith Covey – 23.412<br />
Elvis Castaneda – 23.504<br />
Toby Robles – 23.559<br />
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Kc Cook – 21.296<br />
Steve Boniface – 21.363</div>
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Spencer Mayeda – 27.038<br />
Nicholi Gray – 27.248<br />
James Cullen – 27.472<br />
Lawrence Yiang – 27.572<br />
Logan Calvin – 27.581</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">K1 Speed Torrance</strong><br />
Robby Stanovich – 26.091<br />
Barrett Mitchell – 26.334<br />
Jared Ewing – 26.564<br />
Ken Stewart – 26.574<br />
Evan Karp – 26.667<br />
Jack Jones III – 26.673</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">K1 Speed Ontario</strong><br />
Aaron Downs – 24.42<br />
Ricky Johnson – 24.89<br />
Jason Gardner – 25.120<br />
Christopher Morales – 25.154<br />
Ash Minguez – 25.200</div>
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Christopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512549042115542284.post-39583438214645485652012-06-26T09:12:00.000-07:002012-09-22T10:47:29.856-07:00GT Academy 2012 Over, Final Results<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">The GT Academy is finally over, Here's a quick overview</span></i></b><br />
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It was a tough "mental" battle throughout the competition with myself and trying to figure out where I can go faster around the track. Quick summary about the 8th round; the car used was the Nissan 370z Tuned GTA Edition, the track was the Twin Ring Motegi East Short Course, and we were given ~2 weeks to improve our times.<br />
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I knew beforehand that I was going to be dealing with some pretty fast guys, the "aliens", and all I could do is try to learn from them. The final results; Top time for USA: <b>1:30.997</b>, My Top time: <b>1:32.134 </b>so I was approx. a little more than a second off the competition. There was more time to be had on the track, but I had a hard time with the execution. I am sure that I could have gotten a mid to high <b>1:31.xxx</b>, with some more time.<br />
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Unfortunately, my performance wasn't there and thus couldn't make a <i>1:31.xxx </i>lap time or the <i>Top 32 </i>for that matter. Of course, this left me dissapointed but I told myself to use this as a <i>stepping stone</i> and work on my performance from here on out, so that I can perform a lot better for the next GT Academy.<br />
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A few day's later and I learned that I have one more shot at this; they announced a "wild card" event that is going to be held in San Diego. This is the same area where the Semi Finals, for the Top 32, are going to be held. San Diego is approx. an hour and a half's drive from where I live. The <i>wild card </i>event is meant to add a 33rd contestant to the already top 32.<br />
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So, it is worth a shot and I will get some more practice in hopes that I can get a spot in the top 33.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: red;">Also, I would like to give a shout out to Mike of <a href="http://aracingdream.com/">http://aracingdream.com/</a>, he was also competing and at one point, I was struggling to best his time on the last round. Good Job man!</span></i></b>Christopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512549042115542284.post-71879657081828839622012-06-08T20:21:00.001-07:002012-09-22T10:47:17.935-07:00GT Academy 2012 - Final 8th Round is Coming!<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">A quick overview of how I've been doing lately in the competition. </span></i></b><br />
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So, the online portion of the competition is coming to an end. Beginning next week, Round's 7 & 8 will go live and Round 8-5 will be the one that counts. Just as a reminder, the top 32 players in the country will get a chance at the semi-finals! From there the top 16 get a chance at the ultimate prize, a shot at becoming a pro racing driver.<br />
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I've been practicing over the past couple weeks and seeing great improvement's. Of course, I've competed in last years GT Academy, to only make it in 51st place in the West Region (which ain't bad). This time around I feel more mature in my driving skills/talent and have been able to get closer to the top times. It's not easy but it's very doable, like anything, practice makes perfect.<br />
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Come Round 8-5, I will be putting in as many hours into it as possible and hope I can see an improvement over last year. Anyway, with Round's 5 & 6 coming to an end for me, I've been focusing on Round 6 and have seen improvement's in my times. Which is giving me the confidence I need to continue doing better in the round's to come.<br />
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The next update should be regarding Round 8-5 and will blog about then. :DChristopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512549042115542284.post-74275551068071517092012-05-12T13:00:00.001-07:002012-05-12T13:01:22.961-07:00GT Academy 2012 - Round 1 & 2 - Overview<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">An overview on how I've been doing in the first two rounds of the GT Academy 2012. </span></i></b><br />
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Ok, it has been a while ever since entering last year's GT Academy USA and being able to make it through to Round 3 (of 5, it was set up different back then). I was proud of myself for making it that far into the competition but at the same time disappointed that I didn't make the top 32 that would go to the semi-finals in Orlando, Florida...from there the top 16 would get a shot at the "boot camp" in Silverstone to then have a shot at racing for Nissan. That was then and this is now! lol</div>
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I have learned a lot more, in terms of my driving skills, and even though these first 7 rounds of the competition don't count towards making it into the finals, I have to put in the effort and better my skills in the game. So far I have been doing pretty well, in fact, I have been focusing most of my time on Round 2 of the competition that according to the "overall rankings" provided by "<a href="http://www.mygranturismo.net/rankings.php?online_id=" target="_blank">mygranturismo.net</a>", I am the 11th American!</div>
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Had that been the 8th round in the competition, I'd be going to the finals, but it's not. Thus, I have to keep improving and putting in the effort. I predict the 8th round will be pretty busy, so I can't let my guard down, I have to keep at it and practice as much as I can. Also, I believe there are 2 types of drivers in this competition, there are the "aliens" who can somehow do a fast lap in no time at all and then there are guy's (/gal's???) like myself who have to keep trying a thousand times, just to get close enough to the alien's times. </div>
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But anyhow, it's been good thus far and I hope that I can continue to see improvements as the competition goes on. Next, Round 3 and 4 will begin this coming Monday (May 14)...I will update on that next! </div>Christopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512549042115542284.post-30818354139595609652012-05-01T10:25:00.000-07:002012-05-12T12:33:48.842-07:00GT Academy USA 2012 & Update<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, the second GT Academy USA is finally here, also a few update's!</span></i></b><br />
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GT Academy USA 2012 is finally here, and will be available as a free standalone "demo" in the Playstation Store. According to <i>GTPlanet.com</i>, there are 4 GT Academy's this time around, there is a European, Russian, German, and American Academy...with 15 countries competing all together, for the chance at becoming a <i>Professional Racing Driver</i>. </div>
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They have made the format very different than from last year's. There will be 8 rounds, each lasting ~2 weeks, and instead of each being a Time Trial (like last year's) it will be a series of challenges. The final 8th round is the one that will get you to the finals! </div>
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For those that don't know, I did my best on the previous GT Academy USA 2011, managed to make it to the 3rd of 5 rounds. I feel like I have learned more since then and I hope I can make it all the way this time around. I'll be updating on my progress as the competition goes on. </div>
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Also, I have recently downloaded iRacing and the Skip Barber F2000 and Laguna Seca, and I plan on practicing (and getting good at) on iRacing before heading out to do the 3 day Racing School again. Again? Yep, Skip Barber and IndyCar have joined forces to create a sort of "shootout" for those who have no experience racing, and it is pretty much like the "karting shootout" they already have...only you don't need any racing experience. </div>
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It work's like this, you sign up for the 3 day Formula Car School and let them know you want to qualify for the shootout. Then they will see how well you do in the 3 day's, if they see you are able to do well, then they will choose you to participate in the shootout against ~30 or so others. From there, if you come out on top, they will award you with a scholarship to participate in either the "summer" or "winter" season of the Skip Barber Racing Series. </div>
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I also, finished my 3rd K1 Speed School at Onatrio, CA this past weekend ... managed a 2nd place, but to be fair, the guy had a waaaay faster kart than me. In fact, I qualified for 3rd ... then fought my way up to 1st ... I was leading a couple laps ... then the guy with the overpowered kart came up and I went wide, he saw the opportunity, and I eventually ended up in second place after trying to chase him. </div>
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Biggest lesson learned that day, to block the heck out of someone who has an overpowered kart ... hehe. </div>
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Anyway, that is all folks! Stay tuned as I update you on my GT Academy progress. </div>
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</div>Christopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512549042115542284.post-80806555548804972692012-04-02T13:46:00.001-07:002012-04-02T17:36:32.133-07:00K1 Speed Racing School @ Anaheim, 3/26/2012<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Check out my experience at the K1 Speed Racing School that was taught by professional Racing Driver, Patricio Jourdain!</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As I mentioned in a previous post, I decided to take a class at K1 Speed in Anaheim, CA. For those that don't know, K1 Speed is an indoor go kart racing company with 11 locations throughout the United States (with 6 of them in California). They are an 'arrive and drive' type of go karting and utilize Electric Go Karts (I'm more of a 'gas powered' kart guy but these electric karts are pretty fast!). K1 Speed offers leagues that you can join and compete in, which I plan on doing later this year, and also offer a Racing School (more of a class, only 3 hours) that is taught by Professional Racing Driver, Patricio Jourdain. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The class costs $99.99, and goes from 8am to 11am (K1 Speed open to the public at 11am, I like it this way as there aren't a huge amounts of people watching lol). Anyway, I've been to this location one time, 2 years ago, and I haven't done any indoor kart racing in a long time (which is why I plan on doing their 'Adult League' later this year). The class is made up of 12 or so individuals, not too big and not too small, so you get a chance to learn in a good sized group. The class start's off in a classroom, where Patricio Jourdain explain's the "Racing Concepts" in a short Power Point presentation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Unfortunately, the projector wasn't working so we were given the power point slide in a packet...which actually helped, as I could take notes. Here are the points that were covered in the presentation:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>* Weight Transfers</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>*Over and Understeering</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>*Ideal Racing Line (Fastest Way Around Track)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>*Sportsmanship</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once the presentation was over, we went out to the track, and walked the track while Patricio pointed out where the Racing Line was, Braking Points, Apex (there were cones on every apex), etc. Once that was over, we got our head sock's and helmets on (provided by K1 Speed) and were assigned a kart. This was our 1st of 3 sessions out on the track, it has been such a long time since I've been in a kart and driven on this track, I wasn't expecting to be the fastest of the bunch, I was just focused on me and the kart/track. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The session was made up of 14 laps, each of us being watched by Patricio as he was taking notes. One of the problems I had was that we were all let go at the same time, so unless you were in first position, you had to be careful not to bump anyone. Nonetheless, I passed a few guys and was trying to figure out where the braking point's were and figuring out the way the kart reacts. After the session was over, I finished in <b>5th position</b> with a time of<b> 30.161 sec's. </b>with the fastest being a <b>29.649 sec's</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We were then headed back to the classroom, where we were given our results and feedback by Patricio. My feedback was good, I just needed to work on my line coming out of the final corner into the straight and work on braking "deeper" and accelerating "sooner", took notes on that and kept that in mind. So after everyone received their result's/feedback, we were then ready for our 2nd session. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This time, I seemed to have figured out the track and the kart, and managed a <b>3rd place</b> finish with a time of <b>29.540. </b>I was much quicker than last time and the 3rd fastest of the group. We went back to the classroom and I had good feedback, of just braking deeper and accelerating harder. Once we were ready for the 3rd and final session, we were told (earlier) that this would be a race and that are previous times would be where we qualified. So, I qualified 3rd which wasn't bad as I had less traffic to work with. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We were each sent out, and were given a formation lap where we would end up in a standing start. Once everyone was in their positions, we were given the "green flag" and we were off! To make a long story short: All I was focused on was getting to first position, after a few laps, the 2nd place guy went wide and I managed to get in front of him...now I was second. A few laps past and the guy behind me managed to catch up and pass me, lol. Now I was back on the chase, a few laps past and all of a sudden the 2nd place guy braked late and hit the 1st place guy spinning them out and I passed them, putting me in <b>1st place</b>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There were a few laps left and I managed to stay in 1st! whew! I was proud of myself as I have never done anything like this before. We were then sent to the classroom and were each given our results and the top 3 were given trophies! Patricio Jourdain announced my name and said that I had improved a lot from the first session, and was given my 1st place trophy. It is a good feeling having a Pro. Race Car Driver telling you how good a job you did and giving you a trophy for it, :D</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All in all, I enjoyed myself and learned a whole lot in the process. I plan on taking another K1 Speed class with Patricio Jourdain at another location, the one in Ontario (SoCal not Canada, lol), because that is where I'll be participating in their Adult League. Anyway, you also get a free shirt! Your choice too! :D That's about it, check back often to see any new developments. </span></div>Christopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512549042115542284.post-1936864185843500142012-03-05T16:31:00.000-08:002012-03-05T16:31:27.214-08:00AAA Speedway, Team Croiset Racing, March 3/4<i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I began volunteering for the Croiset Racing Team this past weekend at California Speedway! Check it out!</b></span></i><br />
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So, this past weekend (March 3/4) was the first race of the SoCal NASA season! I got to volunteer for the Croiset Racing Team, which is managed by Jeremy Croiset, and it was an interesting weekend nonetheless. There were 2 other volunteers there and we pretty much helped maintain the cars. For starters, The Croiset Racing Team manages about 3 or 4 race cars, the cars compete in the Honda Challenge group by the way, and our job was to do basic maintenance on them. Such as, checking engine oil levels, tire pressures, torque the wheels, washing windows, etc.<br />
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It was a pretty easy weekend to say the least, which was fine by me as I got a chance to know some of the drivers and volunteers. There isn't a whole lot that I can say that hasn't been said already, but I certainly learned new things here and there. Next month's event is at the Buttonwillow Race Track in Bakersfield, CA. I went there last year when I was volunteering for NASA's Tech Inspection, they usually have an enduro that takes place there, and that should be interesting.<br />
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<i> </i>So, yep, I am happy to be part of a winning racing team and I hope that I can gain more knowledge about racing through the drivers and volunteers. Anyway, the other thing that I am looking forward to is an Indoor Kart Racing class that I am taking on the March 31st, should be fun! I'll blog about it then.<br />
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<i><br /></i>Christopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512549042115542284.post-23976218485551284672012-02-25T12:40:00.002-08:002012-02-29T20:55:05.931-08:00Quick Update!<div>
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Thought I should update you guys on some things!</span></i></b><br />
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*I changed up the blog a bit, I chose a different "template" that is a little more to my liking. I moved the "pages" section to the top, that way it looks more organized and what not. </div>
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*I will begin my volunteer work with a team running the "Honda Challenge" group at NASA Racing! The first race of the season is on March 3 & 4 @ California Speedway in Fontana. I don't know what I'll be doing with them, but my only hope is to make some connections and learn more about racing in general (car setup, etc.). So I am looking forward to that. </div>
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*I signed up for one of <a href="http://www.k1speed.com/race-classes.html" target="_blank">K1 Speed's Race Classes</a> and will take place on March 31 @ Anaheim, CA. It's an indoor kart racing facility and it was only $99.99 to do, I figure I can learn a few techniques here and there, so looking forward to that!</div>
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*I am also considering taking a "<a href="http://www.k1racegear.com/auto-racing/events/k1-speed-allen-berg-racing-schools-2-hour-driver-program.html" target="_blank">2 hour Driving Program</a>" at the <a href="http://allenbergracingschool.com/" target="_blank">Allen Berg Racing School</a>, I believe they are a fairly new school, but the program costs $300 and will take place at California Speedway (so a 30 min. drive from home). It's only 2 hours, but it's a special program that was offered by K1 Speed and Allen Berg Racing School...I figure, why not? The car that you get to drive is a <a href="http://allenbergracingschool.com/programs/formula/vehicle/" target="_blank">Tatuus Renault Formula 1600</a>...I guess it's sort of like the Skippy cars. I am still thinking about whether or not to do it, but it's an opportunity that I am considering.</div>
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Anyway, that's about it for now. Thank you for reading! </div>
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: )</div>Christopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512549042115542284.post-45992832935930606962012-02-11T21:20:00.003-08:002012-02-25T14:11:02.440-08:00GT5 Time Trial #28 featuring the '12 Toyota GT86<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial featuring the 2012 Toyota GT86 at Tsukuba Circuit, Check out my results!</i></span></b><br />
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<b><u>Statistics</u></b></div>
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<b>Playstation Network ID: </b>cmoraUSGP</div>
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<b>Event Name: </b>Toyota 86 GT Tsukuba Circuit Time Trial</div>
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<b>Event Period: </b>1/25/2012 - 2/08/2012
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<b>Car: </b>2012 Toyota GT86</div>
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<b>Track: </b>Tsukuba Circuit (Japan)</div>
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<b>Controller/Wheel: </b>Driving Force GT </div>
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<b>My Online Record: </b>1'09.964, Ranked 129 of Top 250</div>
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<b>Online Record:</b> 1'08.837 by user eclipsi_RC (Spain)</div>
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*<span style="color: red;">Check out the </span><span style="color: red;">Top 250 Drivers</span> [<a href="http://us.gran-turismo.com/us/products/gt5/event/d6209.html" target="_blank">link</a>]<span style="color: red;">, including me!</span>*</div>
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<b>Tsukuba Circuit, Track Map:</b></div>
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If you don't know by now, my driving sim. of choice is Gran Turismo 5 for the Playstation 3, and have been testing my skills against other drivers via the Online Time Trials that are featured in the game. It is a great way to find out where you stack up against other Gran Turismo 5 players from around the world! I don't know how many people participate in these Time Trials, but they do have a leader board online with the Top 250 players. It is my goal to make it in the Top 250 and/or the Top 10, especially when representing the American GT5 players. </div>
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Which brings me to the main point of this post and that is that I have participated in the last Time Trial which featured the 2012 Toyota GT86 (or 86 GT). The top times were in the high 1:08.xxx's to low 1:09.xxx's and at first it was a tad difficult. I managed a time of <b>1:09.964</b>, which by the end of the event was good for <b>129th place</b>, and had a really hard time trying to do any better. I'll admit that I was getting frustrated towards the end.</div>
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By the way, I haven't been participating in all the Time Trials that have been offered and this one is the second one that I have been putting hours into. I should also mention that the vehicle can be tuned, but must be kept at no more than <b>197HP </b>and weight no less than <b>1230kg</b>, oh, and it must be on <b>Comfort/Hard tires</b>. Anyway, it was a good challenge and I progressed a lot in just a few days. The track, Tsukuba Circuit, is one of my favorite tracks in the game. It is small compared to other tracks but requires patience and light feathering of the throttle as to not upset the vehicle!</div>
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All in all, this was quite a fun Time Trial to have done and I look forward to future Time Trials. I wish I would have shaved off some more time to at least make it in the Top 100, but I guess making the Top 250 is quite the accomplishment. I will be blogging about future Time Trials as they come, and whether or not I feel like participating in them, lol. Finally, I may or may not add a video of the replay of my lap time...we'll see. </div>
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<b>NOTE: The above photos were taken "in game" by me. </b></div>
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</div>Christopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512549042115542284.post-77331903779733845172012-01-14T10:40:00.002-08:002012-02-25T14:11:37.105-08:00Video: Racing - Emotions & Speed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">The following video is one of the best tribute videos to Auto Racing that I have seen thus far & one of my favorites by Antti Kalhola.</span></i></b><br />
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This has got to be on of my favorite tribute videos on Auto Racing, the video was created by Antti Kalhola, and he makes some really great tribute videos! You can check out most of his work <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Antti2Fan?feature=watch" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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The following quote is by my favorite racing driver, Ayrton Senna, and it is said throughout the video that I posted:</div>
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"<b>One thing that perhaps we all have in common, apart from our differences, is that we are all racers, we love our activity. We take chances, we take risks, we go through pain, we sacrifice lots of things in life, just for the pleasure to be P1." </b><br />
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<b>"We are made of emotions, we’re all looking for emotions. It’s only a question of finding a way to experience them. One particular thing that Formula one can provide you, is that you know we are always exposed to danger, danger of getting hurt, danger of dying, you either face it, or you just drop it, just leave it, and you don’t do it anymore.</b>"<br />
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<b>Ayrton Senna</b></div>Christopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1512549042115542284.post-54948768520686097102012-01-11T10:56:00.003-08:002012-02-29T19:40:28.758-08:00Reflecting on my Skip Barber experience & Future Plans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>So, this being my first post, I want to reflect on my experience at the Skip Barber Racing School that I attended late last year and let you know on any future plans that I may have.</i></span></b></div>
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I ended last year by going to Monterrey, CA to achieve one of my life long goal's and to take one of the first step's in fulfilling my dream of becoming a Professional Race Car Driver, I completed the Skip Barber 3-Day Formula Car Racing School @ Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.<br />
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Having done some laps of Laguna Seca on my Playstation 3, I got a pretty good understanding of what the track was like, everything portrayed in the game was exact! The only difference is it was "legit", it was REAL, I was driving on a track that witness so many races, from CART to ALMS to being the host of the USGP for the Moto GP.<br />
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I spent a good week there, brought my family along as well, and I experienced a whole lot...especially when driving a Skip Barber Formula Car, it had a 5-speed sequential transmission, no ABS, no Power Steering, it was a legitimate race car. Everything that I learned over the years, be it in Gran Turismo or in my Indoor Go Kart Racing experience, has prepared me for that week.<br />
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One thing that I learned about myself though, is that I lacked the confidence to push myself and the car, it is something that I struggled to learn through those 3 day's. I managed to gain some confidence on the final day though, I was pushing the car more, braking harder, etc. Unfortunately, the fog was coming in as we were wrapping up our last 30 min.'s of the lapping session.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo by: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/playstationblog/4997218700/" target="_blank">Playstation.Blog</a> </i></td></tr>
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Driving Laguna Seca, in an Open Wheel race car, going up the hill towards the famed Cork Screw, as the fog was coming, was an awe-inspiring moment for me. You could literally see the sun setting over the hills and the fog blowing in, down below! My helmet was covered with condensation, in fact I was wiping my helmet's visor as I was driving through the track, but it was a great experience. Anyway, if I could do it again, I would and I would do certain thing's differently.<br />
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At the end of the week, I was left wanting more, I felt like I didn't try hard enough...but I was just learning, trying to figure out myself and who I was as a driver. It is still bugging me today, as I am writing this post, and I am planning on going back to take the 2 Day Advanced Racing School to continue from where I left off. Next time though, I plan on bringing my brother with me to the school, to be my camera man! I can't believe I brought my camera and didn't get any pictures!! UGGHHHH!!! It is just one of those thing's that will keep haunting me, but rest assured, I'll get more pictures/videos than my 1TB hard drive can handle!!!<br />
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By the way, the whole 3 day's cost me $3,300 + the optional $500 insurance (fortunately, there were no accidents, but I didn't want to take any chances!)...it usually cost's around $4,400 but there was a Holiday Discount at the time and I took advantage of it. My plan's for 2012? I plan on going to Laguna Seca again for the 2 Day Advanced Racing School, good thing I saved up a lot of money from my last job! Although, I am going through a small dilemma, because although I have the money to do the 2 Day Advanced Racing School, I am not sure if it is the best decision at the moment.<br />
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Why? Well, I don't have a job at the moment, but I have a lot of money saved up from my previous job that it won't be a huge cause for concern and I figure if my life were to end this year (Dec 21, 2012...OMG!), I would have liked to have done the 2 Day Advanced Racing School...so in that case, I may just end up doing it nonetheless. Dammit! Money, Y U NO GROW ON TREES!!! Besides that, I plan on continuing helping out at some <a href="http://socal.drivenasa.com/2011/12/2012-socal-schedule.html" target="_blank">SoCal NASA Racing</a> event's that are coming up. I have been volunteering for NASA Racing since last year, mainly the Auto Club Speedway event's because Fontana, CA is pretty close from my place of residence.<br />
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This and there is an outdoor kart racing school that is held at the Auto Club Speedway, it's called <a href="http://www.calspeedkarting.com/" target="_blank">CalSpeed Karting</a>, and they have a <a href="http://www.calspeedkarting.com/karting-schools/2-day-techniques.html" target="_blank">2-Day Techniques School</a> for $995. According to the site, they use a Sodi Kart powered by a TAG 125cc engine. Not bad, these kart's make ~30HP and that is enough to do 60+MPH in a go kart!! The karting fundamentals class that I took at Adam's Motorsport Park used a 100cc powered go kart, and that was mental! So I am considering doing this in the future.<br />
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All in all, I still have a long way to go in my pursuit of happyness but I just have to take it one step at a time, and pray to God everyday to give me the patience that I so dearly lack! lol, and I hope that many more opportunities present themselves as I figure out my way in life.<br />
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: )Christopher Moraleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314859369097966499noreply@blogger.com2