|
Mike Moody
Mike Moody from Williamston, Michigan USA. (A suburb of the capital city of Lansing) Those that are looking for a short
geography lesson. Michigan is located near the northern boarder of the US. If you are looking at a world atlas, it is the
peninsula of land that looks like a mitten surrounded by two of the Great Lakes (Lake Michigan on the west and Lake Huron
on the east) Place the point of a pen in the middle of the "palm" portion of the mitten, and you are real close to my hometown.
I
am owner/operator of my own landscape maintenance company Turf Line Services. We mostly mow lawns in summer and remove snow
in winter. Between seasons, usually the months of March and November there is not much going on and that allows me to travel
to blokart events.
Started racing sailboats when I was just a young man of 40 years and have been learning ever since.
I am a member of my local sailing club < www.lansingsailing.org > that is just 11 minutes from my door. That allows
me to race my Laser every Wednesday evening and my Lightning every Sunday afternoon in our club race summer series.
Bought
my first blokart in 2001. A friend showed me a brochure (he already had his) and two days later I had my own without ever
having taken a demo ride. It was just before the four day Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. The wind blew all four days and by
the end of that time, I needed a new set of tires, had patched the mast sleeve on my sail several times after crashing (did
not know about the mast protectors yet) had some nice road rash on the heel of my left hand - result of more crashing.(have
since disciplined myself to hold on to the steering "T" until it comes to a complete stop) had ripped the sleeve of my jacket
and was wondering if it could be any more FUN as I wiped the gravel, dirt and grass off my helmet and kart. Guess it was my
first experience with that "blokart grin" everyone gets.
| The Darkart ! |
|
Near the end of that winter (early March) I got my first set of ice blades and could not wait to test them out. So I ended
up going out on thin ice and went through after about 15 minutes. After being in a panic for about 3 seconds, I got my feet
and legs under me to try and tread water while I worked out a solution to my problem when my toe hit something solid. With
great happiness, I stood up in waist deep water! I was never so happy to be cold and wet in my life because it meant I would
live!
Ivanaph
About a year later was our second big blokart event at Ivanpah near Las Vegas Nevada. Paul Beckett came over with a whole
paschal of Kiwi's and we raced on the desert for four days with about 32 karts. Only reason we stopped after four days was
that most of us were having a hard time sheeting in as our arm muscles were about to atrophy. This was the year of my "Big
Crash" that scared me and at least the people in the other two karts that I hit. Tom Rymill from my home state of Michigan
and Deb Davidson from New Zealand. Ended up everyone was OK except for rattled nerves. But it was an expensive day, 3 bent
front forks, a bent axle stub or two, two shattered axles and one shattered fender I had fashioned for my kart that year.
I believe we made some slight modifications to the course after that and I became a much smarter racer with a new found respect
for the speeds we can attain.
October of 2005 brought my first big win at the first ever New Zealand Open. There was
very light winds that week but with the color and ceremony and competitors from 8 different countries from around the world
made me realize that blokart had become a global community and I was excited to be a part of it. Spring of 2006 brought a
string of events on America's West Coast that my friend Dean Kitchen (also from Michigan) and I made a 21 day road trip in
my van we dubbed "The Blokart Mobile"
Along with a blown transmission in Yukon, Oklahoma we sailed at Long Beach California in the Western Regionals, made a
one day trip to El Mirage dry lake bed in southeastern California, joined up with the kite buggy folks for the Kite Buggy
Expo 2006 at Ivanpah Nevada, then stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah on the way back.
Because of no wind at the salt flats, it was here I tried my first ever "mountain run" in the Utah foothills. With
no brakes, of course, one can imagine it was a very interesting run. Dean got the whole thing on film as he followed in the
van.
Mid October of 2006 brought me a first place finish at the Central Regionals in Detroit. This was a tough 3 day event on
a huge parking lot with gale force winds on Friday. The racing was very close as myself and Sean Fidler (from Michigan) ended
up with identical scores after 23 races. I think I won in the tie breaker but the judges awarded us BOTH first place in honor
of the tight, fast, exciting, and FUN racing.
Two weeks later was NZ Open 2006 where an early crash put me back deep into the score sheet and I was never able to recover.
Had a week of wind almost everyday this time and we got off 16 races in each weight class. Another grand world class event
put on by Paul Beckett and his team at Blokart Heaven.
Ten days after New Zealand was the 2006 European Championships which was my first beach racing event and ranks as the highlight
of my blokarting adventures so far. Extreme conditions, a challenging venue, wonderful people and a little slice of heaven
on a beach in the south of England (Gwithian Beach) has made a blokart memory for me that will last a very long time. This
spring will be Long Beach and Ivanpah again with more formal racing in the desert this time. And of course the Worlds in Auckland
Fall of 2007.
| Car Park at Michigan State University |
|
| Where Mike does his Training |
| pvc stand up base for sheet pulley |
|
| 6:1 downhaul set here at 4:1 |
Tips and Tweaks
I am sometimes asked what I do to my kart that makes it go fast. It seems people are looking for
that "magic bullet" that will fix their ills and put THEM in the winners circle. Most of the time I answer by suggesting they
take a good look at the "nut on the end of the steering T." Once they have that closer to correct, their racing results should
improve. I get some puzzled looks until they figure out I am talking about the blokart pilot himself and individual sailing
skills. So the closest way I know of to find that 'magic bullet' is to practice. Not just "go out and blast around" practice
but good practice. Practice with structure and a specific goal for the session. Identify your weaknesses and work on them
until they are strengths. Then reevaluate and pick 2 or 3 new weaknesses. Work on THOSE until they are strong points in your
racing game. With time and practice you can get better/faster. It just depends on your level of commitment.
Hardware secrets
The technology "secrets" part of our game get fewer and fewer with each passing week.
Taken to its logical end then, there will eventually be "zero secrets" about equipment as we progress toward making blokart
as much a "one design" class as possible. In theory at least, we should all end up in the same place as far as knowledge about
and availability of the equipment. The areas for basic improvements one can make to their kart is what I refer to the three
"B's"
Bearings
Battens
Balance
The heavy grease should be cleaned from new bearings and replaced with a light lubricant. (Many choices currently
available). The reduction of rolling resistance in the bearings is the single most contribution one can make toward increasing
speed and acceleration.
| black on left / old grey on right |
|
Battens with a draft apex about 33% back from the luff of the sail is about the shape one wants for the speeds we normally
carry. The newer "black" battens from blokart are closer to the correct shape needed. If you have the original gray ones,
replace with the black or sand your existing ones until you have battens that bend at or near that 33% number.
| wheel balance/9mm nuts |
|
Balance the tires using stick on lead weights from the tire store or 9 mm nuts jammed into the ribs of the rim. The standard
blokart tires are just utility tires and as such, not precision made. They are not all that round and you are only lucky if
you find one in balance "off the shelf"
Other tips
Shorten the pulley whip by about 20 mm. The idea is to optimize leach tension
while going to windward.
Make sure your turbin is short enough to get your sail as high on the mast as possible.
Even
5 mm can make a difference. Alternative - buy the new crane sold by blokart starting fall of 2006.
| Particularl in Light Winds |
|
| Set the sail up as high as you can... |
Mike, thank you very much for writing this piece for us -
We hope to see you and race again soon when we may just get a little closer to your pulley whip.
K
Peter Newlands
Those of us who were at last years Nationals at Gwithian will remember,
at the end of proceedings, an introduction to the quiet slight-built antipodean, as The British Blokart Champion.
Resembling a
cross between Clint Eastwood and Andy Williams, he had ridden unseen into town and without making a song and dance,
set a tight sail with the profile of a spitfire wing, climbed aboard, sat up high like a novice and rolled clean away from
the rest of us.
In fact, it
was only the vast experience, skill and slick karts of Matt and Nico that stopped him collecting all the booty.
Hmmm-maybe
it’s just weighing in at a little more than a kiwi bird some of us thought (in fact, 75 kg). Or, maybe, this guy
has done this sort of thing before…?
Though he has
a British passport, Peter Newlands was born in New Zealand 52 years ago but has lived in the Isle of Wight since 1977- if
you listen hard you can still hear a faint New Zealand accent !
In the first
of a series of ‘People in Blokarting’ profiles we thought we’d start at the top end and find out a little
about Peter. So, Karter took a gentle stroll with him across the shore of a windless cyber-beach to get the gen…
Pete, what fills your time now at work and play?
I’m director of Island Computer Systems Ltd, which is a PC reseller on the
Isle of Wight.
I also have a separate part time business which produces vinyl signs and charters
the 40.7 yacht to pay for its upkeep. Typically we do corporate days where we show everyone how to sail and have a nice lunch
(they already know how to eat the lunch of course)
I am also a Blokart dealer
Otherwise, I enjoy mountain biking, watching rugby, walking the dog and drinking
beer.
Leeane and I dance and play tennis.
I am crap at Sudoku, tennis, in fact all ball sports, X-box games, and lose lots
of sailing races too,
How long have you been blokarting?
5 years but very occasional
How did you discover blokarting?
Saw them on display at the Americas
Cup jubilee in Cowes and bought some immediately
Where do you regularly Blokart?
Cowes High School grounds on grass. Been to Honiton in the rain twice - so we assume it
always rains there.
Have you entered many Blokart races?
Just the one
BBC2005 at Gwithian, 3rd overall, 1st Brit and 1st production
Graham and his team did a wonderful job at the BBC2005. They were incredibly helpful
and professional and did well to get the slalom races off in the light weather so that everyone had lots of fun.
You’re obviously quite involved in sailing from what you’ve
said.
So what’s your sailing record?
Once we could all swim Dad bought a dinghy for sailing and fishing
Yes…and…?
Let’s see, my Racing Successes Record…?
Yes please
Dinghy: current Cowes
Dinghy Week Champion
Previously:
Olympic 470 World Champion, Pre-Olympic Champion, UK
Champion
British representative at Olympics
UK overall dinghy
Champion of Champions three consecutive years
Three times International Contender Class World Champion
Also European, plus British, South Pacific, New Zealand and USA Champion
12 years in British Olympic Sailing Squad
Laser 5000 British Champion
Senior classes New Zealand Champion
Yacht: current Beneteau
Cup Champion 2004, 2nd in Cowes Week out of 54 with charter crew, Swan European Champion skipper 2005
Previously:
Won Fastnet Race helming (Rubin)
Won Admirals Cup (incl Fastnet) in British Team (Yeoman)
Top individual yacht in Admirals Cup including Fastnet (Ragamuffin)
Top inshore yacht in Commodores cup (Blue Belle)
Won numerous races including Britannia Cup on Chernikeef II (Farr52)
Won Spring Series on Reflex 38
Won Cowes Week in both quarter Ton and J24 class when popular
Hybrid: current British
2005/6 Blokart champion – of course!
Previously:
First home Isle of Wight Race in 60’ tri and 40’ tri
Winner Isle of Wight Race on own catamaran
Skippered/helmed Ultra 30 for 9 years on BBC Grandstand
Won British and Scottish
Islands Three Peaks
Races
British Match Racing Champion – Vyella Cup
Hmm… I see, not bad.
What’s been your best moment?
Too hard too say. Lots of great times cruising as well as racing
Have been privileged to sail in many different countries in the GB Olympic squad.
Japan,
Thailand and Korea were
special, All over Europe is great, places like Israel and Poland rather different. Have been humbled many times in many places but there
is always the chance to bounce back.
What boats do you currently sail and do you race now?
Just part time amateur enjoyment
RS200 dinghy at Gurnard, 40.7 Cowes Week and some
Solent events,
In 2005 was skipper of winning Swan in Swan Europeans
Sometimes on large race boats and multihulls
As a serious sailor how do you rate the Blokart as a sailing vehicle?
Great fun obviously and good restriction on the one design aspects- a bit like sailing a fast catamaran
regarding sailing the angles and maintaining speed
Given the Blokart is primarily a 'fun' machine there are those who would like it
to be taken more seriously as a class. What are your thoughts on this?
No need to get heavy and serious.
If you mean like recognised international events etc then it certainly has the
potential
The Blokart is brilliantly easy to sail for absolute beginners. They can be immediately
up to speed and enjoying it. There are no difficult balance or technique issues to master first.
.
How seriously do you personally take Blokart competition given your obvious
competitive nature?
Just family enjoyment
I had simply always wanted to try land yachting - perhaps all sailors want to
|
