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• December 12, 2000
  Maintenance of the site was officially stopped. The site itself continues to exist, with the current content.
  

• December 28, 1999
  The karting safety survey has had more than 500 participants now! Thank you very much to everyone who helped make this survey a success.
  

• December 1, 1999
  We are happy to annoucne that Resonate® has joined our team as a major sponsor. Please support our efforts by reading all about this exciting Silicon Valley Internet/intranet software company here. Resonate is looking for talented individuals who want to join their team, work in this dynamic field, enjoy a great work environment and earn pre-IPO stock options. Could this be for you?
  

  Our team name is now officially: Resonate Brendel Racing
  

• November 19, 1999
  The karting safety survey is now online. Please participate, it will only take a minute. The results will be made available soon.
  

• October 23, 1999
  Today was a special race at the BlueMax kart club: A night race. Practice started at 3 pm, but most of the racing took place under the lights, with the cool evening air a nice change from the usually grueling heat in Davis. The race format was also a little bit different than usual. There were two heat races and a main. The starting order for the 1st heat was set by inverting the qualifying order. The results of the 1st heat would be inverted to to get the starting grid for the second heat. All results and the qualifying would be combined for the starting order of the main event (not inverted). Our driver: "I struggled in qualifying. With only one timed lap and a badly handling kart, I recorded one of my worst qualifying times so far. We were able to make some adjustments before the first race to improve handling and engine performance, but the damage was done. So I now had the 'honor' to start from pole. This time I kept my engine running through the formation lap, but was passed by two karts at the start. Just a few laps later, though, these two karts did not exit a corner correctly, drifting off just enough to let me pass. I was back in the lead, just to lock my wheels under braking and spinning. After almost everyone drove by, I could resume the race back in 7th place where I also finished. The second heat then I started in 3rd place. Due to a collision in turn one, during which I was actually air-borne for a brief moment, I was not able to hold that place, and finished the second heat in 4th or 5th position. So everything was set for the main event, with me starting in 5th position. The main event was actually the least chaotic one of the three races. After a good start in which I was able to hold my position, the leading group of 5 was able to get some distance to the rest of the field. I was there at the end of the lead group, trying to find a way to pass anyone. The possibility finally arose towards the end of the race. So after everything was said and done, I was able to finish in 4th position for the day. This was also our best finish at the BlueMax track so far. Considering all that happened on that day, I am quite happy with the result."
  

• September 18, 1999
  Brendel Racing won its first karting trophy: Third place! But this success came at a different setting than usual. We participated in an indoor karting enduro competition at 'The Inside Track' in Stockton, CA. 6 HP rental karts were used. The frames were very stiff, but inisde wheel lift was induced through the caster setting of the front wheels. The event was organized for N.A.S.A. (National Auto Sport Association) drivers. 22 competitors went through several rounds of practice and qualifying. A B-race for the slower 11 drivers and an A-race for the faster ones was held. We had qualified quite well and had to start almost all the way from the back at the A-race, since a reversed starting order was used. After a 30 minute race (almost 50 laps) every muscle hurt, but we had earned a third place finish!
  

• September 12, 1999
  Our fourth race at the BlueMax kart club. Our driver: "Even though I was again held up on one of my fast laps, I was able to achieve a quick time, qualifying second fastest. Since the fastest six drivers are started in reversed order for the first heat race, I started from the fifth position. Just after the start I was able to improve a place. But on cold tires my rear became loose in corner 2 and the fastest qualifier was able to slip past me. Shortly after that one of the drivers before me dropped a wheel off the track, which allowed me to improve to fourth place. Again a few laps later I passed for third, which is also where I ended the race. I was happy with that result. It earned me a starting position on the front row, just off pole. The main heat then saw confusion on the formation lap. Being all the way in front, I could not see what was going on behind me, but the start had to be aborted several times. In fact, a total of five formation laps needed to be driven. Unfortunately for me, on the fifth formation lap my engine stalled and I was out of the race. Of course I was very disappointed. It was my best starting position ever, front row in just my fourth race. Stalling the engine is a very unsatisfying end to a race day. But my good qualifying times and the first heat race makes me hopeful for the next event. We just have to keep working and improving."
  

• September 10, 1999
  A test day at the track in Davis. We experimented with a new type of tire, the Bridgestone YDS, which recently replaced the YBNs. By the end of the day we had found a setup which allowed us to drive some of the fastest times we ever achieved at this track.
  

• July 18, 1999
  Our third race at the BlueMax kart club in Davis, CA. Here is the report of our driver: "The whole day was quite chaotic. During practice a driver spun in front of me. I could not avoid him anymore and in the subsequent collision my right tie-rod was bend. Fortunately, we were able to fix it before the qualifying started. Qualifying went well, and even though I was driving on pretty old tires, I managed to qualify sixth fastest in a field of 14 starters. Due to my X-status, however, I had to start the first heat race in 10th position. I had a good start in the race and was able to make up a couple of places right before the first turn. In the tight hair-pin, the slowest part of the track, I was bumped from behind. Usually no big deal, but unfortunately this caused my engine to stall. We are still investigating what exactly happened, but that was the end of the first heat race for me, half way through the first lap. Because of this, I had to start the main event from the last place. The start went well again, and I was able to improve several places. After a few laps, though, the hair pin raised its ugly head again. A driver had spun and several other karts were bunched up before him. I saw it too late, and spun under braking, trying to avoid a collision. I kept the engine running, but faced the wrong way. A kart was stuck on the curb and blocked me from driving forward and turning around. I leaned the engine, grabbed my rear wheels and rolled myself back far enough so that I could clear the stuck kart. Finally, I was able to turn around and continue the race. But the whole incident had taken about 20 seconds, so everyone had passed me and I had to close a huge gap. After several laps, I was finally able to catch up to the backmarkers and was able to pass a few of them. Even though I was lapped in the last three laps by the two race leaders, I am quite happy with my effort. I started from 14th position and managed to finish in 9th."
  

• June 20, 1999
  What should have been our third race at the BlueMax club took place this weekend without Brendel Racing. Unfortunately, our driver was sick. He's doing better already and is looking forward to some testing days on the next weekend.
  

• May 26, 1999
  The results of the online engine builder survey came online today!
  

• May 23, 1999
  The second race! Today we participated in our next club race at the BlueMax kart club in Davis, CA. Here is our driver's report of the day: "During qualifying I was held up by a slower driver on one of my two fast laps. The remaining fast lap did not turn out so well for me and I qualified somewhat poorly: Third last in a field of 11 starters. We were also experimenting with an asymmetric setup, which I did not feel quite comfortable with. So for the actual race later on I had to change back to a symmetric setup. The first heat race went well since at least I finished, a clear improvement over the last race day. I was not able to better my position, though, and ended in 9th place. The main event I had to start from 9th again. But at the start I was able to improve one place. Later on, two drivers in front of me took each other out, so that I could advance to 6th place. I was able to close the gap to the leading group and keep up their pace, but still my overtaking skills are not developed enough. So I finished the race in 6th place. Overall I am happy with the results."
  

• May 18, 1999
  The engine builder survey has come online. This one will help us to find out about the engines and the engine builders people are using, what they spend on their engines, how happy they are with their engine builders, etc. Please participate.
  

• May 10, 1999
  The results of the online kart chassis survey were put on our site today. Check it out...
  

• May 1, 1999
  Another test day at the Davis track. We concentrated on seat time and reliability. We did notice a strange decline in engine performance throughout the day and will need to investigate this further.
  

• April 30, 1999
  The karting chassis online survey went online today. Let's find out what are the most popular chassis out there. Please participate. The results will be made available shortly.
  

• April 26, 1999
  Today, we had participant number 500 in our online karting survey. The survey was a big success and yielded a lot of very interesting data.
  

• April 18, 1999
  Our first race day! The second club race of the year at the BlueMax track in Davis, CA. Let's see what our driver, Jürgen Brendel, had to say about the day: "I was happy to discover that we had qualified in third position! Due to my 'X' status, i.e. a beginner, we had to start in the back, though. From the 14 participants, about half were X drivers as well, so we could start as the first of the X drivers, i.e. in the middle of the field. On the formation lap of the first heat race, however, I had to realize that in order to win a race, you have to know more than just how to drive fast: The engine stalled, since the fuel mixture was too rich for the very slow pace of the formation lap, and I was out of the race. We never had practiced the formation lap. Quite a dissappointment. For the main race, we still had a reasonably good starting spot, due to the qualifying performance. This time I kept the fuel mixture leaner on the formation lap, the engine did not stall and the race was under way. I lost a place during the start, but regained it after the driver in front of me took himself out. A few laps later, though, I spun (driver's mistake) and could only rejoin after a few slower drivers had passed. Stuck behind one of the slower drivers, I had to realize that I didn't know how to pass! An ill-advised passing attempt ended in a spin and ended the race and the day. So, it looks like the driving is OK, but I still need to learn much about the racing."
  

• April 9, 1999
  Another test day at the track in Davis. Several longer track sessions helped to improve consistency in lap-times. Smaller setup changes where made to reduce the times itself. We also run with more weight, but still not quite the specified limit.
  

• March 26 & 28, 1999
  After a lot of set-backs and difficulties, we finally were able to take the kart out for some testing to the BlueMax track in Davis, CA, on which we will be competing. We still used some older tires, and the weight was not 100% up to the rules, but we did gain a lot of valuable experience. Most importantly, we gained confidence in the kart and the track. We also noticed that you cannot brake very hard on a kart which has only one brake-disc on the rear axle, without getting the kart into a spin.
  

• December 19, 1998
  Brendel Racing proudly presents the Internet Karting Glossary, a comprehensive list of terms and definitions of the karting world. Great for newbies and seasoned racers alike. It went online today, was featured on THE Karting Website and was received very positively by the karting community.
  

• November 14, 1998
  We finally purchased the actual race vehicle, a 1995 Invader ProWorks chassis with a Kurt Jensen built KT100, various mufflers and cans, 1 disk Horstman dry clutch, spares, extra set of wheels, starter, stand, etc. The kart is a proven race-winner, so now it is up to us to be fast. We will spend the next days and weeks thoroughly cleaning the kart, getting the body-work and, most pressingly, arranging proper storage and transportation facilities. Photos will follow as they become available. Stay tuned...