OLSON FINISHES JHR SPRING 2003 SHIFTER KART CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON IN DISAPPOINTING FOURTH PLACE

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For Immediate Release

June 1, 2003

 

Ventura, CA – Today was the fifth and final round of the JHR Spring 2003 Championship at the famous Jim Hall track in Ventura, California.  The final round was full of exciting racing, as competitors battled for every point.  As was demonstrated today, just a few points can mean the difference between winning and losing a Championship.

 

In the sprint karts, Doug Biggs won in the total points, and received a three-day Formula racing class valued at over $2,600.   Biggs finished just a few points ahead of Bill Lord and David Francis, who tied for second place.

 

The finishing points tie was a first-time occurrence in the history of the JHR Sprint Kart Championship Race Series.

 

In the shifters, racer Pete Olson (Who was 2nd place in the points at the end of the third round) finished a disappointing 4th in the final point standings.  Olson started the season by blowing away the competition in the first round, only to fall back in the points as the season continued.

 

Instructors and fellow competitors agree that the problem in Olson’s performance centers on his overly-aggressive use of the throttle. 

 

Olson is still known for his incredible starts, where he typically leaves several drivers behind each time he launches his shifter kart at over 12,000 rpm  (editor’s note: the shifter karts have a “standing start”, F1-style, rather than the “rolling start” of the sprint karts, as is typical in American automobile racing).  In less than eight seconds, the shifter karts accelerate from a dead stop to over 90mph.  While Olson is a natural at the starts, he has yet to master the smoothness needed to drive consistent fast laps in the shifters. 

 

“I think the reason I can get such a good launch off the line is because I drove sport bikes for about three years” said Olson from the raceway.  “It’s the same transmission and clutch, so I think I have developed a feel for it.  I mean, I must have popped a sport bike clutch over a couple of thousand times, and now I can do it without thinking.”

 

If Olson could only drive the shifter races with the same finesse that he shows at the starts, he would undoubtedly win many races.  But Olson has a real problem with consistency in the shifter karts, driving through many turns almost sideways, in wild slides.   

 

Olson’s performance improved over the day as he concentrated on rolling onto the throttle rather than “dropping the hammer” in every corner.  However, Olson’s over-aggressiveness on the track still got the better of his performance, and his reputation for blowing up engines and clutch plates seems to have finally caught up with him.  Is the Maryland racer truly ready to take on the next level in Formula RT/2000 and Formula Renault?  Olson was one of the fastest racers in his 130mph Formula Dodge training, but does Olson truly have what it takes for the next step? 

 

We wish Olson the best of luck in his Formula racing endeavors, as he continues to climb the ladder of professional racing.

 

For more information on Pete Olson, visit his website at: http://www.peteolson.com/.  And to follow the Jim Hall Kart Racing Series, log on to: http://www.jhrracing.com/.

 

 

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Charles Schepens

Schepens Promotions

29000 West Nine Mile Road

Farmington Hills, MI 48336

promotions@peteolson.com

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