Friendliness - There is no better word that seems to describe the culture of those racing at the Rock.  You can walk up to just about anybody and say "where are you from" and start a conversation.  The usual arrogance found at most other upscale championships was almost non-existent.  People are more then willing to help each other, even if they are rivals on the track.  

New Attractions - As RIGP is the premier spectator event Stars leveraged their relationship with the IRL to bring in some IRL roller chassis for display along with an IRL simulator trailer.   A Rock Climbing attraction was hauled in and the usual festive foods were served by many of the District's fine foods & beverages were served.  Several new portable bleachers were erected with spectator counts much higher then in previous years.  Despite the threat of rain they came to watch and get autographs.  Cool stuff, this is what karting really needs a lot more of. 

Bumps - It appears that the winter took a toll on the smooth pavement as the sparks were flying just before and after the karts were flying.  Finding the fastest lines took 3-dimensional thinking.  Just making the "longest radius" of each turn was like adding an automatic one-second penalty.  In some cases a succession of bumps made it very challenging to nail the apexes at the right point.  For example the right hander at turn 4 took a very tight line which would seem to set you up for turn 5; except the fast way through 5 was to move over to the inside on the approach taking the first brick crosswalk bump and hoping you would land with the manhole cover directly under the center of the kart - while the kart pitched just enough that you were pointed right - before hitting the second brick crosswalk.  Get it right and you'll shave 5/10's of a second off the lap time by getting set up for turn 6 - considered the most important turn on the track by most.

While many saw the bumps as a nuisance they tend to place a heavy emphasis on driver skill.  Power doesn't play a big part of competition.  Chassis setup was more about keeping the tires on the ground without turn the chassis into a "wind-up spring toy".   Grippy tires may not be the solution to turn speeds.  Too much grip like the Vega Yellow has forces a bind through some turns as tends to amplify any bouncing effects through turns.  One of the first timer Yamaha racers was totally baffled by the range of tires that were on the front runners - from full soft to full hard, 6" and 5" diameter, 6" - 8" wide wheels.  The key is work with what you know how to set up the chassis with.  All in all, the bumps are a big part of the element to put 90% of the competitive ability in the hands of the driver.  Most drivers learn to deal with billiard table smooth tracks.....

Faster Track - It seems that every year a few changes are made mostly in the interest of safety.  This year the funnel barriers approaching turns 1 & 2 were widened - effectively removing the funnels.  While that helped reduce the number of barrier contacts at turn 1, turn 2 turned into a kart magnet.  Removing the funnel approaching turn 2 exposed some old bumps.  Turn 1 speed was up by about 2 mph paying off with lower lap times then in the past.  Track records in all classes were falling like Walmart prices. 

Crash counts - with 406 entries filling most classes to capacity a few more crashes then previous years will happen.  They did, but not as many more as would statistically be expected.  The ambulance rolled a few times bringing the red flag out each time.  In the 12 lap 4 Cycle Medium class the red flags flew twice bringing the race to a premature end.  While making an exciting show for spectators racers generally like to avoid crashes and even more prefer to avoid ambulance rides so they tend to take notice when the ambulance rolls.  Thankfully no serious injuries came about although one racer was held overnight for a possible concussion.  The SKUSA Tec-Pro barriers and the safety requirements have really proved effective over the years.  Imagine how many more times the ambulance counts would be among 406 high school football players vying for a national championship.  All of a sudden karting looks a lot safer doesn't it?

Schedule Delays - Running 15 classes is a lot to compress into an afternoon.   Part of delivering a show to spectators is keeping the track in use.  As a result it's hard to build a cushion into the schedule.  No one predicted that drivers would be late (or missing from) to the parade.  The rain came just as the TAG Sr class was on the grid adding a lengthy delay to allow them to switch to rain set-ups.  Each of the 3 red flags added to the unplanned delays.  Race Director Terry Riggens did a spectacular job given the size of the event and the detours the day presented.  Two thumbs up Terry.

Tech - Lots of anticipation from the 125 Moto and 125 Masters crowd.  The 10.5 cc rule applied to Motos in 125 Moto had a few people wondering if everyone in tech would be legal, especially when some of the front runners were using pipes that don't perform with low compression.  Everyone passed tech for compression.   Chief of Tech Bob Paladcuik had a busy weekend for a range of classes governed by multiple organizations.  Tech is one of the most challenging jobs in a position where "no news is good news".  Bob had some help for Stars classes from Scott Evans and TAG classes from TAGUSA President Dave Larson.  Big thanks to Bob, Scott, and Dave for a well run Tech effort.  You guys keep the sport honest.

Once again the Rock Island Grand Prix put together the pinnacle event of International karting.  Hopefully the Stars organization will grow the relationship with CIK to recruit more drivers from Europe, Asia and Australia for 2006.  With all the chassis importers that attend the Rock it could be made to happen.  How about it Paul?

It goes without saying that such a spectacular event couldn't happen without the leadership of a great manager like Roger Ruthhart, spirit and enthusiasm from Becky Rasmussen, the Rock Island Board of Directors, the corner workers, and of course the racers.  Only 364 days until the 2006 Rock Island Grand Prix!

Race Reports are posted by class linked below.  The official 2005 Race Videos are coming!

1. King Of The Streets SKUSA ICC
2. 4 Cycle Heavy
3. TAGUSA Sr
4. 125cc Masters
5. 2 Cycle Heavy
6. Stars of Karting ICC
7. Yamaha Heavy
8. 4 Cycle Medium
9. TAGUSA Masters
10. Stars of Karting ICA
11. Tom Argy Jr Junior Animal
12. 2 Cycle Super Sportsman
13. 125cc Moto
14. Rumble at the Rock Sr Animal
15. Yamaha Medium