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I would like to extend an apology to all the fans of the MCT-SRL for the lengthy gap in race coverage over the past several weeks. After 11 months in the ranks of the unemployed, I have a job once again. That is the very, very good news. The bad news is that the learning curve has been a lot steeper than I had anticipated. Things seem to be calming down a bit now and with any luck, I will be back into the swing of things, starting with this article.

The Michigan Circle Track Sim-Racing League wrapped up its second season with a 100 lap event at Kalamazoo Speedway on the first of December. Don Colbath III of Midland, was back for his first race in the series since August. He made his return in style, capturing the pole at the .375 mile track with a 13.618 second lap, (99.134 mph). Phil Loedeman of Kalamazoo started on the outside of Colbath, clocking a 13.691second, (98.605 mph) lap. Absent from the starting grid was points leader John Hernly. Hernly takes cares for his mother, who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease and her health has taken a turn for the worse. Our thoughts are with John and his family.

Rudyard, MI’s Mark Howland had a very uncharacteristic night, struggling during practice. He qualified third, but during happy hour, said that he didn’t feel at all comfortable with the fixed setup that was in use. His misgivings played out quickly after the start of the race. On lap 2 Howland was hard on the brakes entering turn three and was spun by the faster car of Plainwell’s Doug TerMeer in the No.91. Howland elected to pack it up for the evening and retired early from the race.

As Colbath lead the field back to green for the restart, there was a multicar, chain reaction pile up, caused by a speed and timing bug in the NR2003 Sim. This particular bug occurs at short tracks from time to time. If you maintain pace speed after the pace-car pulls off the track, the Sim will occasionally throw a black flag to the leader for jumping the start. As a result, the lead driver must sometimes slow to less than pace speed just about the time everyone expects to be stomping on the gas. The net result is the accordion effect and a number of banged up race cars. After that got sorted out, the race was under green once again.

On lap 29 the No.91 of Doug TerMeer got loose on the exit of turn two. Right behind TerMeer, Calgary, Alberta’s Jimi Ward it the No.21 was pinned low by Ken Gunn, driver of the No.69. Seeing the events unfold, Gunn, of Dayton, Ohio, tried to give Ward room, but it was already too late. Ward’s car collected TerMeer’s and the caution waved for the third and final time that evening.

The majority of the field pitted for tires under the caution, but several drivers stayed out, including myself in the No.73. This placed me in the lead for the restart followed by Witherbee, New York driver, Craig Bristol in the No.3. By lap 45,fresher tires prevailed. Matt Corliss in the No.28, the second of two Kalamazoo drivers in the field, led a parade of cars past me on the low side, in rapid succession.

Stan Alexander, driver of the No.99 from Innman, South Carolina, retired on lap 57 with over-heating problems caused by the chain reaction wreck and Bristol’s No.3 blew a right front tire on lap 70, sending him on a trip into the outside wall. Bristol subsequently put his car on the hauler for the night. The race stayed green and Corliss stretched out his lead, as Colbath and veteran Sim-Racer Troy Whiteside of Wassaga Beach, Ontario, in the No.71, fought each other for the second spot. A bobble from Colbath allowed Whiteside to prevail in that contest on lap 80. By that time however, Corliss had stretched his lead out by about a full straightaway and easily went on to the win.