The Andersen Update

R & D In California and team meeting October 30

2010-10-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, its been a few weeks since I've updated this blog, but I have a few good reasons. As the Andersen Racing regular season ended this past September, we were all hard charging in to this autumn to get caught up on engine performance and chassis selection for the 2011 racing year. As such, I've just completed about 25% of what needs to be done in regard to development on our rotax motor program. Although we are not modifying anything internally with the engines, we are matching up all of the components to better optimize each of our engines' performances. As the rotax program continues to grow worldwide, the material selection criteria of each engine package with Andersen Racing has become more crucial. We simply have to have the best for our drivers, and it's going to take a little searching around. Later this year, I will be visiting Swedetech racing to continue our 'development' for both our team and along side Swedetech's personnel. Needless to say that so far, I've found some remarkable things based on the data shown and will look to find a lot more when I return!

There's so much to update all of our team mates on as for what's happening next year, that I've called for a team meeting October 30th and 31st. On Saturday October 30th, our meeting will officially start at 6pm and last between one and two hours. After that, everyone is welcome to join some of the staff for dinner at one of our favorite Japanese restaurants. On Sunday the 31st, drivers can elect to stick around for the day and drive on the Andersen RacePark Track with our team karts. This may give our newer drivers a chance to meet each other more openly and learn how we all drive on track. It will also give me a 'heads up' on how the team is going to interact as a whole, and if any modifications need to be made to the roster for the new season. I am making this meeting mandatory for anyone who wishes to participate on the Andersen Racing team for next year. We are all aiming for higher goals in the coming season, so everyone needs to know what they are getting in to if they decide to join the Andersen Team.

Here are some important dates to REMEMBER!

October 30 and 31 - Andersen Racing Team Mandatory Meeting in Palmetto RacePark Florida. (Sat starts @ 6pm)

December 17 through 21 - Andersen Racing Competition Winter Camp. (ALL SPOTS SHOULD BE FILLED SOON)

2011 National Schedule for Andersen Racing

2010-09-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

Here is our tentative 2011 National Racing Schedule!

Competition Karting Winter Camp

December 17 - 21, 2010

Daytona KartWeek (WKA Manufacturer's Cup)

December 27 - 30, 2010

Gatorz Challenge of the Americas

Phoenix, AZ - January 14 - 16, 2011
Fontana, CA - February 11 - 13, 2011
Sonoma, CA - March 18 - 20, 2011

Pan American Rotax Challenge

Miami, FL - April 8 - 10, 2011
South Bend, IN - May 20 - 22, 2011
New Castle, IN - September 23 - 25, 2011

Optional Addition to Pan American Rotax Challenge (West)
Sonoma, CA - June 10 - 12, 2011
Centennial, CO - August 19 - 21 OR August 26 - 28, 2011

Rotax US Grand National

Salt Lake City, UT - July 19 - 23, 2011

There might be more WKA Manufacturer's cup races added to this schedule, but they have not yet been released. Also, I will be adding a Competition Karting Camp for sometime in the summer of 2011.

New Story to come - Andersen Racing Drivers

2010-09-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

September 8, 2010 - I will be constructing a story about our drivers, both regionally and nationally. This story will revolve around scholastic aptitude and balance of life. First, I will be looking away from racing, into the character of our students; the drivers who put out the name of Andersen Racing at every race and badge our colors over their competitors. In a reverse-constructive style, I will be looking first in to what drives our people to excellence outside of racing. School can be and often is a competitive atmosphere where students must both have the characteristics of a sprinter and one of endurance. I'm excited to hear what my drivers will say....

There will of course be more parts to this story, but those will come once I've completed the first portions of everybody's draft. If you are on the team, you will be receiving some sort of preliminary contact from me, to start off the construction of this story. Depending on what we get back, depends on where it is going to be published.

Time to do some homework - home and abroad

2010-09-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

September 1, 2010 - We're back in Palmetto Florida for what I feel is the most important part of the year for a proper racing team. The Andersen Racing Kart Team has one large championship race left in California and we are using the time available at our headquarters to test potential new racing packages for the 2011 racing season. We'll be putting out two CRG chassis, one Energy chassis, one Arrow chassis and use the Birel Ry30-S2 for a control kart. We'll also be testing Ogden Racing engines, if they arrive at the track in time. Dan Andersen has created a whole new environment for our National Team, with the addition of a professional racing canopy that attaches to our race team trailer. I want to make sure that our drivers have great equipment, requiring a little less race day tuning and taking some pressure off of our technicians and coaches.

If you believe in a silly season for kart racing, then we are in the middle of it. Although I am not sure if the Andersen Racing team will be switching to a different type of kart, I am certain that I will have done the research necessary to make the best decisions for our drivers, our team, and our facility in Florida. And as our popularity grows through what we do on the track, whether its the competition camps, schools or the races we compete in ourselves, I am focused on our clear goals to shape the young careers of great racers.

I've tentatively qualified for the Rotax World Finals in La Conca, Italy in the DD2 class (2-speed Rotax). I need to get in shape fast! La Conca is a physical track that's fast and demands precision from the drivers. I have the notes from the track when the previous (2008) World Final was held, so that cuts down on some of the preparation time. I'm confident that Andy Dunne will qualify, I just have to make sure that we have the good stuff on his kart for the last race in California. When he does qualify, that will be two Andersen Racing drivers who are competing in the Rotax World Final!!

Monticello will be the maker of champions!

2010-08-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

August 25, 2010 - Andersen Racing and its band of drivers and crew are finalizing the pack-up as we begin the move to Monticello for the final round of this year's Florida Karting Championship Series (FKCS). I'm very excited to finally make it up to one of my favorite Florida tracks - a smooth and flowing layout that challenges the patience of the drivers and the creativity of the tuners. A main focus for the team will be to help in any way possible our championship contenders complete their seasons with a elite success. Jacob Duvall and Michael McCarthy have been at the leading edge of their classes all year long, so I believe that we've put some great setups together to start the weekend off right.

There have also been some rising stars within Andersen Racing, and I'm curious to see if they keep the upward spiral they've created from a continual forward progress made on previous races. Michael Melancon and Jake Mottaz showed promise in Jacksonville, and they're both arriving with a plan for shared testing and team driving to help accelerate their learning during the all important test day.

Some first time racers will be attending the monticello round of the FKCS, Austin Miles and Kyle Andersen will be racing the TaG Senior and Cadet class, respectively. Austin has been taking a break for most of the year, and can't wait to get on track. Kyle will be attending his first race ever, so we'll be making sure he has a great experience on track and that he learns as much as possible on his maiden outing with the Andersen Team.

Mitchell St.Cin has steadily progressed through the FKCS series and though he's a bit overweight for his class, Mitchell will give it a go and we'll be next to him in support of whatever he needs for the race. Xia Fan has also returned from his summer in China to catch up with us for Monticello. Unfortunately, we'll be missing Eddie for this round, as he has to attend to business matters at Andersen RacePark and can't be pulled away for the weekend.

Here is a complete drivers' list for Andersen racing for Monticello FKCS :

Jacob Duvall - TaG Senior, TaG One, Rotax Senior

Michael Melancon - TaG Senior, Rotax Senior

Jacob Mottaz - TaG Senior

Austin Miles - TaG Senior

Michael McCarthy - Rotax Mini Max

Mitchell St.Cin - Rotax Mini Max

Kyle Andersen - Cadet Komer K80

Xia Fan - Rotax Mini Max

I'll be sure to get out a report to everyone next week with our results. Until then, we'll be hard at work for the team and our drivers.

Intensity grows on the season's close

2010-08-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

August 25, 2010 - Andersen Racing's summer season of competition karting is drawing to a close. As we approach the final batch of races, we are optimistic to conclude multiple championship bids. This last weekend, we contested the fifth and sixth rounds of the Rotax Pan American challenge at Homestead/Miami Speedway. Andy Dunne and myself entered in to the Rotax Senior Max and DD2 class, respectively. While it was a trying weekend at certain stages, we both were able to hold strong positions in our championship fights.

As Andy left the weekend in strong contention for a qualifying spot to the Rotax Grand Finals in La Conca, Italy, I now look back and see that we were quite lucky to have a shot still heading in to the final round in Cal-Speed. Andy began the week testing on his Birel Ry-30S2 and struggled to find pace on the track. While driving with him in a Birel Ry-31S2, I noticed that he was having difficulty discovering the rhythm of the Homestead surface. We had scheduled to test the Arrow chassis through Eric Jones and his new company, KartSport North America. He was slated to show on the Wednesday leading in to the racing weekend, but through complications was only able to arrive one day later. While we gave the Arrow chassis a try on the track, Andy and I both felt it best to race the Birel. Of course, we will be giving more testing time to the Arrow brand to better learn its characteristics, so that for possible future races we are comfortable with what the character of the Arrow chassis truly is. I also was scheduled to race in the DD2 class aboard an Arrow chassis, and unlike Andy, I chose to keep with the brand for the weekend. After all, the DD2 class is far less competitive at the moment than the Senior Max class, so it was possible the learn the chassis better through the middle of the racing weekend without too much risk of a poor finish.

Friday, August 20 was official practice for Andy and myself and I can say that it was a rough day. While my kart suffered electrical issues, I didn't make it on for practice. Andy began working with the Birel in the afternoon, and held decent pace in preparation for Saturday's race. We had a very comfortable work area to make changes to our karts however, as this race was the first where Andersen Racing exhibited its newly designed 30ft x 48ft attached race awning for its national team drivers. Its needless to say that by the picture above, Andersen Racing's National Karting division has received a significant facelift.

I believe that saturday was the warmest of the entire racing event, and we completed first practice with Andy cutting in to the top five and me bringing up a slow pace for my first on track session. We then moved in to qualifying and missed out greatly on Andy's setup. He kept it in the top ten for a ninth place starting spot, but would have a high contact remainder of the day. Andy would end up parking his #216 Birel in the middle of the main event as a result of a faulty rear bumper from contact from another driver a few laps before.

My race on Saturday would be a little brighter as I recovered from a slow pace early on and came through with a main event victory. I was still getting used to the Arrow chassis and I must admit that it was a handful for the entire Saturday. I went to Eric Jones, Team Head for KartSport North America and communicated the difficulties I was having with the chassis, and we came up with a few good solutions for the following day. We also had a fairly large discussion between Andy, Jake Mottaz and myself about a better approach for Sunday's race. Andy took a large hit on the championship and we needed to make sure that our Sunday would help reclaim much needed points for the podium in the Championship.

On Sunday morning, Andy posted third fastest in morning practice and fourth in qualifying. This was a good thing as a top five in qualifying allotted Andy much needed points to help close back on his competitors. I missed the top spot by .018, a fraction slower than pole position. But as I've said before, the pressure of class strength was on Andy, not me. For the start of the pre-final, Andy suffered very heavy contact resulting in a non-finish. He would start near last for the main and manage seventh overall for the end of Sunday's final. I would finish second in the pre-final and with a gear change for the main event, set sail for a clear victory to add to Saturday's accomplishment.

As it stands now, I am securely in a qualifying position to attend the Rotax World Final in La Conca Italy this November to represent team USA in the DD2 class. Andy is in a precarious position, he is slightly behind and needs to do a little catching up in California for the Pan American Championship's final round. If we are strong enough and can produce a little good luck, Andy can theoretically qualify for the World Final as well, as long as we can keep him in peak condition for this last championship effort of the year.

No cigars in New Castle, roller coaster Jacksonville

2010-07-29T05:10:00.000-07:00

It's July 29th and we're back in Palmetto to sweat off the summer season of national and regional competition with Andersen Racing. A lot has happened since my last update, with two races and a chassis test occurring in such a short span of time. I'm back in Florida to re-structure and move forward with a new plan that best serves our drivers and team.

Firstly, New Castle Indiana and the US Rotax Nationals have become a faint memory. Our drivers (Andy Dunne and Jeremy Kane) finished in the top ten of a competitive rotax senior class. Andy finished out in fourth and Jeremy in seventh. I'm proud to have both drivers, who started second and third for the final, accomplish so much that weekend. Andy was dejected to not qualify for the Grand Final in Italy, but one out from the top three is still a good job. It was determined that a faulty clutch prevented Andy from getting off of the slow corners fast enough to contest for a win. Jeremy was fast and aggressive - the ladder not as common with his traditional style. He was pushed back a few places and came through with six in front of him. Not too shabby for his first race in senior competition!

Before we left, Andy and I had an opportunity to test some Arrow chassis, to see how they felt and how the team interacted with us. The weather was not too cooperative and we had damp conditions for most of the day, but for the few moments it was dry on-track, we noticed some distinct differences and we were both happy to have tested the chassis. I want to see if Andersen Racing will be picking up a second chassis line in the coming months, and doing the necessary research such as post-race testing is essential for a proper decision.

After packing from New Castle, we moved southeast for our next stop, a regional Florida state race in Jacksonville. Andersen had a large driver lineup with the likes of racers from mini max to masters. Greg McCarthy and his son, Michael both had disappointing weekends. Greg was starting to get back in to the swing of things as far as driving a kart was concerned, and Michael was getting demolished down the long straight. I was missing something on the engine and it is a major focus item while I'm at the shop in Palmetto currently. Eddie Kish got back in to the seat and had a bad weekend performance-wise, but improved on last year's result. Jake Mottaz climbed in on Sunday in TaG Senior and was excited to mix it up with the middle of the pack. Mitchell St.Cin stayed massively overweight and finished in the back of the mini max field, while Michael Melancon showed massive improvements in qualifying and heat racing. Jake Duvall scrambled around during the weekend and came away with a strong result in TaG Senior.

To look back just a few days ago and realize that team Andersen has just completed two major racing weekends seems a little less stellar because of the lack of wins. I believe that our drivers and team personnel have the capability to perform better than we did. During our short time here where there is little racing and more availability for testing, I will be evaluating which direction Andersen Racing should move in for the remainder of the year and in to the coming seasons. I will be specifically looking at which chassis we will be running, who our associated racing teams will be, and which motor development program best suits us as a team. We need to get the results that we have prepared ourselves for.

Team Andersen is heading to New Castle

2010-06-30T04:36:00.000-07:00

June 5, 2010 - Andersen Racing and its staff are preparing to depart headquarters in Palmetto Florida for an attempt at the National title for Senior rotax. The US Rotax National Championship is only a few days ahead of us and I feel that I've got the tools and talent within team Andersen to be a real threat for the title. We will be up against the best rotax pilots in the country, with the likes of names such as Jesus Rios Junior, Victor Pedrosa, Danny Formal, Nick Neri, and a beehive of others. We will have some great ammunition though.

Our driver count will be light for the Nationals, with only Andy Dunne and Jeremy Kane contending in the Max Senior class. However, a big bonus will be that we can focus our entire effort on these two drivers. We will also be taking delivery on a new fully sealed tent that attaches soundly to our racing trailer. It will expand our pit space by another 240 square feet compared to our old canopy system, and will be more rigid and sealed on all sides. As a tradition to Andersen Racing, I will also be building a floor and carpeting it to provide a comfortable environment for the team to work in. With the rain surely visiting the race event at some point through the racing week, Andersen Racing will be a great place to stay dry during the downpour!

After posting the results that we did a month ago in the warm-up race at New Castle, I know our strategy will be very sound through the Nationals. I think that we have good power, and a good starting setup to roll through testing with. I can thank the guys at Swedetech racing engines for putting together such great motors that function as they are supposed to. Even though I maintain the reeds and top end, the Swedetech folks have assured that all other aspects of the motor have been built with exacting standards. Thanks guys and keep up the great work!

Andy Dunne is 16 years old and he is from Westmont, Illinois. He will be racing in Rotax Senior under the racing number 216. His equipment will be a 2010 Birel R31-S2 with a Swedetech powered FR-125 Max engine.

Jeremy Kane is 15 years old and he is from Lakewood, California. He will be racing in Rotax Senior under an undecided number. His equipment will be a 2010 Birel RY30-S2 with a Full Throttle powered FR-125 Max engine.

For more information on Andersen Racing or to inquire about joining the team and its hosted programs throughout the year, please contact me at 941.723.3900 or email me at wes@andersenracingteam.com.

Summer Camp is Complete and we're off racing!

2010-06-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, the Andersen Racing staff enjoyed yet another successful camp for young karters looking to get an edge up on the competition. Tagged as a Competition Camp, the event began on the first day of this year's official summer, June 21st. As a five day long program, it was a challenge for me to make sure that all of the camp participants had a fulfilling experience and came away with useful tools to put toward their own future in racing. There were some who were experiencing the Andersen Competition Camp for the first time, and others who had participated in all of our previous camps. Surely, our unique mix of drills and exercises pushed every driver to their own personal limits (while still having a great time!). Among the attendees were Michael Melancon of Atlantic Beach, Florida and Michael McCarthy of Clearwater, Florida. McCarthy, who is the smaller of the two, is a regular driver for our team and has attended every camp we've hosted so far. He is building a reputation and resume for top racing talent, and he benefited greatly from our in-classroom discussion on theory for racing and technical application. At 10 years old, he has a bright future in racing and we all enjoy being a part of his progress.

Melancon who is 17 years old enjoyed his first experience in the Andersen Racing Competition Camp. Although he too is on our regional team, I really wanted to work with him on his overtaking abilities. He was fast on his own, but he seemed to be the odd man out when it came to racecraft. Michael progressed well throughout the week, and we even went to a local rotax race in Homestead Florida to test some of his new skills. I think he still as some learning to do, but he seemed more confident in passing drivers with less hesitation than his previous outings.

Jeremy Kane and Jacob Duvall were two more of a potent batch of teenagers who took part in the rigorous camp this past week. Kane, a 15 year-old boy from Lakewood Florida just graduated to the 'senior' class of karting, which put him in to a more powerful kart for the camp. He took to it very well and since he has been on our National Team for the past six months, he has shown the talent for top honors in his division. I look forward to what he can show at this year's Rotax Grand Nationals in New Castle Indiana, an event that is coming within the next few weeks.

Jacob Duvall of Neptune Beach, Florida was another first time attendee to the Andersen Camps and was already a top driver in his class. Much like Melancon, the 16 year-old needed to work more on traffic situations than outright driving. Through specially formulated drills that allow drivers to experience real racing situations in a learning environment, Duvall honed his skills as a true racer and as such he boosted himself to a whole new confidence level. Young Jacob hits the track again for competition on July 24th and 25th in Jacksonville Florida. I'm anxious to see how he does!

Among the highlighted drivers in this year's summer edition of the Andersen Competition Camp are also young pilots Colton Elllis and Justin Gordon. These two were a bit less experienced than most of the bunch, but they put out a great effort and showed good advancement through our program. Colton who is 14 and from Orlando Florida has had little time in a competition kart. That didn't stop him however from excelling in the class and keeping pace with all of the other drivers to show that he had talent and understanding for making his kart fast. Gordon is a bit younger at 10 years old, and he excelled as among the best in the single technique drills we placed in this particular camp. When it came to full lap testing and practice, he fell a bit behind, only to catch right back up to win the simulated race on the final day of camp!

I would have to say that a top joy of mine for this edition of Andersen Racing's Competition Camp was meeting and working with a 9 year old driver from River Forrest, Illinois. For only driving 2 years in a kart, Ethan Tyler showed promise to becoming a very talented driver in the sport of kart racing. After starting very far off-pace, Ethan moved along in what I can only call a calculated manner. He seemed very intelligent for his age and that is what I believe to be a trait for long term success not only in racing, but in many aspects of life itself. Young Mr. Tyler also was very receptive to instructor feedback and applied what was taught to him immediately on track. For his first camp with Andersen Racing, I would have to say that I wouldn't mind seeing him again for added instruction and training with the team here in Florida!

This Competition Camp certainly wasn't our last, as we plan to host another week long program in December at our headquarters in Palmetto Florida. We will be attempting to run as close before Christmas as possible without interrupting the holiday or school schedules. If you are interested in participating, call 941.723.3900 or email me at wes@andersenracingteam.com for more information!

That's it for now - come back again next week for another update!!

Keep up with live updates straight from the source!

2010-06-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome! Here is where you will find all the latest in what's going on with the Andersen Racing official karting teams. Get results, news, even internal performance opinions on drivers you know and follow on the karting scene!

My name is Wes Phillips, and I'm the director of competition karting at Andersen Racing. We are a dedicated group of performance teams who continue to win every weekend in divisions such as the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, the Firestone Indy Lights series, and of course, multiple top performing karting championships across the country and now even in Europe! I have created this blogspot site to more quickly share my experiences and opinions on current events and performances that are associated with Team Andersen. Feel free to chime in and express your views, and I hope you visit regularly to see all of the juicy news from Andersen Racing!