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Welcome! We are a Karting Club that invented and races extremely affordable 5hp
flathead, Single Wheel Drive "Gas stocker" karts for a
Points championship every summer at
Galletta's Greenhouse
Karting Speedway and a traveling points show at other local area tracks. Hybrid between a yard kart and a WKA kart and
built to race anywhere
- the cheapest competitive karting series in the world! Easy to set up,
fun to race, affordable to build, and race weekly all summer. We also have recorded weekly dirt karting classes in the Oswego area and make them
available on DVD,
except one track that banned us because the operator and his crew were getting
big-time shown up by karts that cost just a fraction of the cost of theirs.
Weak, lame, and juvenile.
GALLETTA'S BACKYARD GO-KART SPEEDWAY 2009 SCHEDULE:
Card is subject to
change. Dates and times are tentative, and based on (1) Weather, (2) Club
Member/Regular Driver schedules. Dates can be removed or added based on
regular driver work schedules and free time. Changes will be added/corrected
as they come.
Discuss here. RAIN DATES: May be any day before or after each scheduled race. Will
often be the following Monday or Tuesday. Call
315-343-0879, 315-343-4281 or check here for updates.
EACH PICTURE LINKS TO EACH RACE'S PAGE AND HAS A 2-10 MINUTE YOUTUBE VIDEO!
Race
Date (Subject to change)
Estimated Time (STC)
Event Name/Type
(Card is subject to change - dates
may move and/or lap totals/heat qualifiers may change - usually
based on member votes. Practice is free for rookie-newbies, but call
for appointment.)
Matt's Time-Trial Session #1
(Matt takes all of the karts
out and times them. The goal is to get all the karts
as-close-as-possible to the same speed, and the slowest karts get
some TLC to get them up to par. When you see how close our racing
is, this means he is doing a great job.
4
Sunday, June 28th, 2009 and
Monday, June 29th, 2009
*Friday,
September 26th, 2009
*Saturday,
September 26th, 2009
*Sunday,
September 27th, 2009
N/A
OPEN DATE/ NO
SCHEDULED RACES:
Friday evening was
another tune-up/time-trial session for Matt to get all the karts
fast for Klassic. Success: All are VERY close in speed! Also, Matt's
two Karts were NOT the fastest, either.
Next scheduled race will be our 15th
Annual Galletta's Backyard Karting Speedway Season Opener! See you
next Summer!
TBA
TBA
* = Fall Series races are subject to change. As always, they are Saturday
afternoons OR substituted with a Sunday-night rain date, and are
often subject to change dependent on driver interest/attendance, as it usually wanes
after Labor Day (work, school, cold, rain, driver burnout). All Fall races
DO NOT COUNT for Annual Track Championships (which are all Summer races
concluding with each Klassic 200). However, Fall races DO count for ALL-TIME
POINTS totals, which is why they are BONUS POINT races! Summer series dates are fairly
firm, although
regularly
attending drivers can request to have certain times or days.
Start times:
1. Veterans should arrive on-time OR LOSE YOUR HANDICAP STARTING
POSITION. Summer-race starts are usually
around 6:30p.m. every Sunday (weather) for veterans and experienced rookies,
or every other Saturday or some Sundays in the Fall.
See front page of website
weekly.
2. 1st-time rookies with little-or-no experience should arrive at
least 30 minutes before start time veterans so they can be signed up and get
a practice and a qualifying race in before the veterans get ready to race.
This is important! The veterans can run for days with few cautions, but it
takes time for newcomers (prior racing experience or not) to get used to the
feel of the karts and the fastest grooves on the track (usually takes
between 1-10 races to get a good hang of it, and compete to win within a few
races to a year of getting the hang of it.)
Mandatory To Race:
1. Helmet (full-faced helmet, shield that can be seen out of. We have
a limited amount of spares if you do not have one, but bring your own if you
do own one)
2. Full skin coverage (No exposed skin. Pants, long sleeves, gloves,
shoes must all be worn)
Strongly Suggested to race:
1. Neck brace (We have one or two spares, but it is advisable to
bring your own if you have one, and buy one if you don’t)
3. Padding (Not mandatory, but if you have chest, elbow, and/or knee
pads that do not restrict flexibility too much, then they can’t hurt)
Prices:
1. To watch the races: Absolutely free. We aren't a racing facility,
we race for fun in the backyard, and if you want to watch the races, just
pick a safe spot away from the racing surface and enjoy! If you’d like to
donate, by all means, do so. Matt runs all of these karts out of his own
pocket, and the same goes for our visiting kart owners.
2. To bring your own kart: No fee. A $3-5 donation (or gas, or parts,
or help) is suggested to help Matt with time and expenses with track work,
water, and electricity for lights and welders is a nice tip. ESPECIALLY
if there are no "renters" (see 3).
3. To use one of the 12 Galletta’s Racing Karts: There are no
standard fees, but a donation of anything between $10-20 is what the karts
need to be run on a weekly basis for a regular-season race (usually 45-60
green-flag laps). If you don’t have $15 or so to donate, then the karts
don’t get fixed when they need repairs and maintenance, and they don’t get
filled with gas. They run 100% on non-profit donations, and no money is made
from these donations. Every year, Matt loses money on them, but as long as
it comes close to breaking even, we race every week because we
love racing, and feel like no other karting club in the world does what
we do: super-affordable, fast, competitive, equalized, and fun racing on a
weekly basis!
4. To buy a DVD of the races: Usually the master DVD is ready next
day after the race, and will be copied-to-order only. Disc plays in any DVD
player, and are $5 each disc. We have almost every race dating back years on
DVD. Ask
Chris.
KEY & NOTES:
It is
free to attend a Galletta's Karting Event. There is no charge to watch a
Galletta's race - it is not a public track, although you may attend via
request or invitation - the only requirement is, because there is
potential for injury, is to just BE SAFE and sign a waiver
ensuring that you will not hold anybody responsible for injuries. You
may only race if you are a club member, which is free of charge, and
involves signing a waiver and agree to race as many weekends as you can,
honor all rules, regulations, and prove that you can race safely. You
may enter your own kart (must be a clockwise gas Briggs & Stratton
5hp engine kart with stock '90s carb; aka a Galletta's-type
Supermodified Racing Yard Kart), The only cost is if you wish to borrow
a backup Team Galletta's Kart, where there will be a nominal gas & parts
donation so that we can prepare the kart for you to race ($10-20
depending on kart/gas usage/damage/laps). We are a
private race club in a private backyard raceway, not-for-profit, and not
a business nor a professional race facility.
THIS IS
A TRACK THAT RUNS ON VOLUNTEERS AND DONATIONS AMONGST MEMBERS, MOST OF
WHOM ARE CLOSE FRIENDS AND FAMILY. While it is free, you are expected to
donate your time, kart parts, tires, lights, cash, or anything that can
be used on the track or in the karts. We charge no money and make no
money - and whatever kart repairs come out of Matt's wallet and time of
day. Don't be a freeloader, as the track doesn't exist without people
helping each other and racing! The track exists because friends and
family take their time to do it and want to have an extremely affordable
way to kart without outrageous prices and dictator-kart-operators found
in "organized" kart racing tracks filled with beauty-pageant-dads and
people who take it too seriously (it's just kart racing, folks! If my
website offends you, then you just don't get it!).
Practice
is free for rookie-newbies, but call for appointment. Practice for vets
a small tip for Matt's track work or volunteer to do track work assists
for vets. Small donations to Matt for track work are strongly suggested,
as he does not get paid for his efforts. Donations in terms of cash,
kart parts, lights, gas, or anything that can be used on the track or
karts is welcome, as this is a free kart club run completely by
volunteers and no funding.
The
schedule is basic and open, and drivers can request on special shows on
Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays (must have at least 8-10 regular drivers
to create a special event).
** = In
case you missed it, we are no longer allowed at Oswego Speedway's
"Little O" Dirt
Oswego Kartway. The reasons were never given, other than
a few weak and demeaning ones, such as Fartgay operator James A.
Losurdo personally hated us despite all of the support (brought
ourselves and an entire class of 6-15 paying customers per week) and
services (free website and word-of-mouth promotion, and weekly complete
show $5 race DVDs) and used insurance, Steve Gioia' s paranoia, and a
missed off-season/mid-winter meeting at a bowling alley as an excuse to
boot us. In addition, they didn't want to pay us for
the logo (and still haven't a year later), and apparently, few of the more prissy
and arrogant methanol kart drivers - most of whom we have never met and
don't even know - had a problem with karts costing a
quarter of the cost of theirs getting the same amount of track time and
putting on every bit the show as--and many times putting on a BETTER and
cleaner show than-- their expensive karts, so would mock us on public
forums. While we initially were
peeved, we will be saving large amounts of money (totaling over $2,000
collectively that we could use on our own track and karts, or just save
it), and now have hours
more free time to actually work...
(instead of collecting worker's comp yet be healthy enough to work on a
kart, track, and race, like we've heard some of them do.)
Each event will have an order of races:
1. Some special events will be preceded by a cookout (drivers/spectators
expected to bring food & share, or pay to part & gas fund)
2. Rookie/Newbie Practice (if newbies attend) 3. Rookie/Newbie Qualifier/Heat (s)
(if newbies attend) 4. Veteran Qualifier/Heat (s) 5. Rookie/Newbie Feature
(if newbies attend) 6. Main Event Feature (s)
NOTE: Rookie/Newbies
(drivers with less than 10 races under their belts) can have
practice sessions.
Galletta’s Handicap
System for regular-season feature and heat:
1. Veterans who have never once won a feature in their careers (ordered via
inverted points-per-race)
2. Rookies (with at least a couple completed features; ordered via inverted
points-per-race)
3. Veterans who have not won in current season (ordered via inverted
points-per-race)
4. Veterans who have won in current season (ordered via inverted [1] Wins,
[2] Points-per-race)
5. Rookies (drivers who have either limited or no prior experience, until
they can prove to drive clean lines and not spin out.)
Why we do this?: This system usually provides the best-possible
scenarios for racing. It gives everybody a great shot at having a
competitive race, giving people who are starving for a win a good shot at
getting one, and making people who have won have to earn it. Rookies get
worked into the system after a few races, usually just after one or two
(they must prove they can run clean lines and avoid spins & accidents). We
used to allow rookies up front, but we had far too many accidents. It is
safer and better racing for everybody this way. It also makes for more
different winners and exciting close action than any other handicap system
in the world. Bar none. Why not just draw?: Drawing out of a hat is weak, and it is basically
gambling on whether or not it is going to be a good race. And, by the laws
of averages, will make for a boring race 99 times out of 100 because some
fast guys will be up front, some in back, while some slow guys will be up
front, some in back. Besides, it’s anti-str8, not very professional, and
used by lazy, stupid race operators. Why not just invert the heats?: Because then people purposefully lay
back in the heat to start up front in the feature. Duh. I thought you invert some races?: Yes. On Twin-30 nights, the first
feature is handicapped via the above formula, the 2nd feature is usually
inverted from the finishing order of the 1st feature (minus 1st-timers,
still in the back for safety purposes). Nobody lays back in a feature
because you're going for wins and points are at a premium in features. What about time-trials?: Yes, once per year. The Galletta’s Klassic
Championship Race is a marathon event (200 Laps as of 2007), and time-trials
will only determine the starting order. Anything and everything can happen
in 200 laps (that take 16-17 seconds per lap) , and the most experienced
vets pace themselves for a large percentage of the show. The formula for
all-time-leading Klassic winner, Matt Stevens, has always been that he times
up near the front, drops to the back to save his kart, then pick off beat
karts at the end of the race. Chris and Wes, the only other two Galletta’s
Klassic winners, have also used this formula to differing degrees, so the
start rarely matters in a marathon race, the finish does. It only really
matters in a short sprint race (which makes time-trials and drawing even
more asinine, unfair, and unprofessional). Why do you start single file?: We do for regular-season events. Why?
Because we race open-wheel AND we want to give people the best chance to
hold off a slightly faster/more experienced driver or kart. Double-file
starts are not only more likely to have wrecks, but they also reward a
faster guy in the back to can easily pick off karts out of the faster
groove. We'd only consider doing them if we had at least 15 karts on the
track. Do you ever start double-file?: We do start double-file in the
Galletta’s Klassic. Since it is 200 laps, it is a tradition, and
tip-of-the-hat to the Oswego Speedway Classic, which inspired our whole race
track’s size, shape, handicapping, and “Klassic” starts. Not the Oswego
Kiddie-Cookie-Cutter-Cluttered-Clique-Kartway, however - who never had an
original thought that they didn’t take from our advice or example - boot us
out for no reason, then mock us afterwards. Wannabes. :-P
Want to race in
a weekly karting series but can't afford it? Now you can. We are a homemade and inexpensive alternative to the costly WKA-type karting series.
Literally a grass roots karting league invented in the early 1990s essentially as a "Racing Yard Kart" carting league, and running collectively hundreds of drivers in hundreds of races on two tracks every Summer-through-Fall in Central NY. Points standings and online descriptions weekly.
Join us racing by either building your own or renting one of our team backup karts.
Our karts are not only cheaper than
WKA/NKA karts, but also cheaper
than "Clone/Box Stock" karts, as the entire class uses "used"
5hp flathead motors, mostly used or homemade frames, ban high-priced racing parts and limit
most racing
modifications. No "rich" engine builders, no secrets kept - all friends and families
racing and having FUN! No fighting and no whining about the
rules
or rough riders! Clean , affordable racing. Build a kart for a few hundred bucks. Race
all season for maybe $10-30 a week. Acquire speeds comparable to
karts that cost three to ten times as much. Please read on and learn more about our extremely affordable brand of highly competitive racing! We're always looking for new racers! Start racing, affordably, today!
Comments, questions, and additional info with Galletta's Kart Club drivers and officials can be found on
our new message boards. ->
Our karting club's home track is located in back of: Galletta's Greenhouses 60 County Route 20 Oswego, NY 13126-6512 (315) 343-0879 or (315) 343-4281 Need directions? Here they are!
Please visit Galletta's Speedway racer/co-founder/co-owner Chris "Crusher Comics" Stevens's other websites containing his new graphic novel, children's book, and his old old cartoon strips & comic books:
Galletta's Greenhouse & Karting Team 60 County Route 20 Oswego, NY, USA 13126-6512 Telephone: (315) 343-0879 or (315) 343-4281 (Ask for Matt or Chris only!) Directions
Website designed and maintained by Chris ChrusherComix. All content is his, and nobody else's at Galletta's (unless noted).). Chris ChrusherComix is available for commissioned website design and graphic artwork at low-prices. This website is best viewed under 1024 x 728 screen resolution