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Kaley Gharst – Three Top Tens Set Up Busy Month “Down Under”!
(Bill W) January 19, 2011 – Kaley Gharst and the Stathy #26 team should be a force to be reckoned with in the next month in Western Australia. With some big races looming on the horizon, the team has put together three solid finishes despite some mechanical hardships, and is looking forward to this Saturday's event at the Perth Motorplex.
Things started on Boxing Day (December 26) at the Coates Hire Bunbury City Speedway in Bunbury. "We went out last in qualifying," says Kaley. "We didn't time very well, but we came back and were very strong in the heats, winning both of them. That put us in the tenth starting spot in the feature."
The team set their sights on the main event. "We were thinking it was going to get pretty slick, so we decided to try some different bars and shocks," says Kaley. "We misjudged it a little bit and we backed up to thirteenth, battling a tight racecar. As the race went on, though the car came in and we ended up getting back up to fifth."
With a top five finish under their belts the team went to Perth the following night. "We qualified alright (8th), but we weren't as strong in our heats (8th and 6th)," says Kaley. "That put us starting twelfth in the A."
An early-race tangle sent the Decatur, Illinois driver to the tail. "We had a good start, but a car ended up spinning in front of us in turn three," says Kaley. "I barely clipped him and spun and then another car hit us head-on. I didn't think we could continue, but the front-end was still intact. We did lose the front wing."
Despite a bit of a crippled racecar, Kaley would surge to sixth at the checkers. "We had a good run from the back, all the way up to sixth," he says. "After the race, we saw how bad the car was. The frame was bent to the right about four inches, and pushed back about three. The left front corner was pushed down about two inches and the torsion tubes were bent badly. We straightened it out as much as possible for the 'Sprintcar Muster'."
After qualifying 11th at the Sprintcar Muster on January 2 at the Perth Motorplex, Kaley did well in the heats. "We started eighth in the first heat and we were up to fourth when a yellow came out," he says. "On the restart, I was able to get a good start into turn one and get the lead and the win with a slide job. In the second heat, we started seventh and ran third."
Kaley started sixth in the main event, and overcame tough odds again. "We were running fifth in the first lap or two before the wing slider valve broke and the wing went all the way back," he says. "We were extremely tight, but I was able to use the brakes to turn the car up on the cushion. With about four or five laps to go, I lost my brakes. The bolt that holds the pads in broke, and we lost them out of the inboard rotor. I had to run the middle of the track and fell back to seventh or eighth. When the track slicked out a little more, I was able to make it up to fourth at the checkers."
There is excitement for this Saturday's race at the Perth Motorplex. "We received a new chassis last Thursday and we're excited for Saturday," says Kaley. "We fired up our new Maxwill engine and hopefully, we can grab our first win of the season down here."
The World Series Sprintcars Series will start a series of seven events in eighteen days in Western Australia on February 1.
Kaley would like to thank the following for their help in Australia: Steve Stathy, Paul Stathy, Brand Passmore, Andrew Jarvis, and Michael Combes for all their hard work and help, and also, Philmac, Aussie Outdoors, Passmore Automotive, Contract Fencing, Goldstar Transport, Russell Hall's Bunbury Autogroup, Autostyle Spraypainters and Dino's Haulage.
Keep an eye on Kaley's progress this week and beyond at www.KaleyGharst.com!
If you would like to receive Kaley's weekly releases, send an e-mail with the subject line "Kaley" to [email protected].
Kaley and the Jeremy Scadden #6 team would like to thank: Scadden Construction, CNS Homes, LEV Wings, Singer Engines, J&J Auto Racing , DMI Components, Keizer Wheels , Schure Built Suspension Systems, Hoosier Tire North , Butlerbuilt Seating and Bell Helmets.
Kaley drives the Stathy #26 "Down Under"
Bill W Media
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Monroe, IA USA
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