2024 Paul Fodde Racing Quincy Grand Prix Recap

For my second race of the year, the 2024 Quincy Grand Prix did not disappoint. There are countless people to thank, but I'll get to that later. For my fourth "Ignite Major" kart race that I've competed in, this one was pretty special. Before I begin my recap, I must first thank QGP promoter, businessman, and fellow kart racer Jeff Scott for bringing back the historic event for all of us to compete in. It's not easy getting this whole event set up. But the city of Quincy and all of the businesses that came through to support the revival of the Quincy Grand Prix were awesome. Once again thanks to Jeff Scott and everyone who worked hard to bring this race back! Before this race, I was nervous. I did only one "refresh" session at the Gateway Kartplex before the weekend. Race experience in 4-cycle hadn't been since last year's Ignite Series finale at the Gateway Kartplex. Besides that, I had one 2-cycle race at the Kartplex in the Supercomp Series earlier in the year, but that was it. The goal here was to finish and make all the laps, but also to learn as much as I could to become a better racer and driver. Life is about taking risks and this one was a risk I was willing to take! I arrived Friday doing the track walk led by Matt Krechel. Krechel had won many races at the park, but also gave great details about how it can all go wrong as well. Keith Scharf and Rick Fulks also had great insight for this track as they've also lived through the ups and downs of racing at the park. I learned so much from that track walk, but it elevated how nervous I was. Nonetheless, I was prepared for anything, and Margay Racing built an amazing #81 Ascentix Innovation Labs/Sebetka Bail Bonds/What's on Tap kart ready for battle.

Saturday came and the track had been wet from rain overnight. A small tractor was drying the track early in the morning, and Race Control told everyone in the morning drivers meeting that all of us would go out for a short warm up to see how the track was. I went out during that session and got my first true feel for the track. Feeling the crests and how my kart would settle into each corner, everything from the track walk came to life. However, I did need to pick up more speed. My mechanic, Aaron Riddle, let me know my lap time was around a 1:33 second lap. The goal now was to gain 10 seconds for the rest of the weekend and be more competitive. After that warm-up session, there were two practices as well as qualifying to cap off our day. The #81 team registered in the Ignite Heavy class, which only raced on Sunday. In first practice, the track was dry enough to get after it and go a bit deeper into the corners I needed to. However, nerves still settled in and I tried to be careful. In my practice sessions, I gained 6 seconds from that first morning warm up session. However, during final practice, I dug too deep trying to gain more going over the jump into turn 1. My kart unsettled and I locked it up, looping around. Brett Huddleston’s kart barely avoided me, but we both avoided major damage and kept going. Despite that incident, I was gaining speed. My mechanics Aaron and Carter Riddle both advised me to make sure the wheel is pointed straight after hitting the jump in turn 1. That helped as in qualifying, I was able to gain 8 seconds on the day- hitting a 1:25 second lap. I was ready for race day! Race day came, and we had one warm-up session before the race. In that warm-up session, the kart felt great and I was able to hit a 1:24 second lap, which meant I already gained a second since the previous day. My kart was competitive, and Aaron made one adjustment to the clutch to get me good speed off the line for the feature race. I went from being nervous to feeling competitive. Our race time arrived, and we were lined up with the Ignite Legends as it was a combined class for our feature races. With the start, I didn’t end up getting too much off the line, as many advised me that the first lap always has chaos. So I picked my way from the back of the pack and worked my way up the field. There were 16 karts in our class, I started shotgun on the field and started working my way up through the pack. I lost the draft, so I lost some time, but made it to 9th place once the dust was all settled. With that, I ran a 1:22 second lap in the race. So my goals were all accomplished! 

A top 10 finish in class at the Quincy Grand Prix is awesome, and there are so many people to thank for it. First off, Margay Racing and the entire crew for giving me great equipment to race with, top of the line staff and awesome service throughout the weekend. My mechanics, Aaron and Carter Riddle for taking care of the kart and keeping me motivated, giving me as many tips as possible. Ascentix Innovation Labs, What’s on Tap podcast, Sebetka Bail Bonds, Gateway Kartplex, and Schwigen photography for jumping on my kart for the weekend. Keith Scharf and Royce Payton for the tips, transponder, and laughs at dinner on Friday night. Chris Vespa, as well as Tripp, Davis, and Richard Worley for being awesome tent neighbors. Also have to thank Matt Krechel, Jimmy Jones, and Jake Walsh for some of the driving tips over the weekend too.

I cannot wait for my next race, and be ready for more racing on the horizon!

If you want to partner with Paul Fodde Racing, please send an email to paulfodderacing81@gmail.com