The St. Louis Karting Association has it's first complete race weekend at I-55 By Skip Wiese (V.P. SLKA) The racing Gods smiled on the new I-55 Raceway complex this weekend as the St. Louis Karting Association ran it's first complete weekend of racing. Approximately 100 plus karts signed up to both practice and race. One noteworthy participant was "Quincy in the Park" legend, Pete "The Pistol" Vetter, who had nothing but good things to say about the new facility and welcomed a track of this caliber so close to his home. Keith Freber, President of St. Louis based kart manufacturer Margay Industries, was on hand and said the track was well worth the wait. Throughout Saturday's practice, lap times continued to drop indicating that the track was really beginning to take hold and the drivers were catching on to their set-ups. The 125cc shifters were posting laps in the low 39's for the demanding nine turn half-mile track. Sunday's races were very exciting as overnight the track changed and got slick. Everyone seemed to scramble to catch the track in the few morning sessions that we had. As the day's races went on, the track regained it's grip and had many karters running side by side, lap after lap fighting for position. The largest class was the Senior Sportsman race, with eighteen karts swapping spots throughout the race. At the peak of the day, approximately 200 spectators enjoyed the races parked on the hillside overlooking the track. As with most new facilities, the presentations must be tailored to the venue. The SLKA is working on this as the Sunday program ran late into the evening. You can expect to see some changes in the future races. All in all, most people agreed, all this can be worked out and both spectators and racers alike enjoyed the day. The club takes a break for the holiday weekend but returns to I-55's "Thunder Valley" the weekend of Sept 7th and 8th for more exciting action. For schedule information, times, dates, and karting information in general, visit our web site at www.slka.net.