ROUND 2

Round two of the fall race series Kicked off Last week and with a few weeks off from the recap were back in action giving you highlights on all the racing that took place.

Entering into the first turn all drivers made it through clean. Randy G. would be able to make his way into fifth place coming around for the second lap but have some tough drivers to pass if he was looking to get the race win. Bj C. would also on his way to the front early passing both Chase T. and Tom D. Curtis O. a new driver to leagues would make a slight mistake entering the split and opt to the outside. Randy was smooth around the corner making an easy pass up the inside. Still early in the race we would jump back up to our leaders who were Mike J. and Mike M. already with a 2 second lead on the rest of the field. Bumper to bumper they came around with Mike J. unfazed by Mike M. presence. At the halfway mark Bj and Curtis O. were battling it out allowing Tom to close the gap and put the pressure on both of them looking for any little mistake to get around. As the laps would slowly be winding down Mike M. would start look for lines that would give him a passing opportunity on mike J. Mike M’s lines would come together being the only driver to turn a nineteen sec. lap time however this would not be enough to make the pass and they would finish in second. Meanwhile the battle between Curtis, Bj, and Tom would be heating up, as Bj would look to make a pass on the inside of the last corner. Entering the first one-eighty side-by-side Curtis had the inside. Bj held on the gas and was able to keep the inside showing Curtis a wheel entering the split. Curtis took the outside making an easy pass for Bj also allowing Tom to squeak by. Curtis would find the outside the next couple laps and allow Chase T and Philip to catch up. Chase would slide by on the inside at the finish with one lap to go and Curtis would again take the outside entering the split and Philip would make a last min pass for an extra pass. The top three would end as followed Mike J, Mike M, and Randy G coming all the way to third from a tenth place position on the start.

Entering into the second start it would be very clean. A few laps would go by until the action would start. Randy would make his way around Mike M. through the split and Bj would follow right behind. Mike would tuck right back in and follow for a couple laps before making the pass back carrying more speed around the last corner. Mike J and Randy would be not far ahead and randy would make a move to the inside at the split and tangle up with the top three. Bj would be the beneficiary of the crash and inherit the easy lead. Mike J would fall back into fifth place and try to gain back a few positions. Getting a good drive around the last turn he would be able to pull along side to Chase but not be able to make the pass. Mike would make his way past. Mike M would be in the number two position again and start setting up his pass with ten laps to go. Eight laps remaining he made the pass and makes it stick. A tuff first main event would make Philip start at the back but with only five laps remaining he would have made his way up into third and was clearly the fastest driver on the track. With Bj and Mike M the two drivers in front who are not new to running at the front of the pack would drive a wide line and hold Philip to strong drive into third. Mike M would take the win followed by Bj C.

That would wrap up round two of the fall race series and with some great battles tune into next weeks recap to relive all the battles right at home or make your way to Unser Wednesday night to be a part of all the great racing.

Scott Sutton walked out of the Chicago Indoor Racing facility in 2007 and thought to himself: What a unique business model.

The place offered not only fun on the track, but corporate meeting spaces and food. The Broomfield resident stored away his impression of the facility and brought it back out a few years later after selling his technology company and trying to figure out what to do next with his professional life.

Eighteen months ago, even though the country was in the middle of a recession and bank loans were dry, Sutton went through with his plans to open an indoor, high-end entertainment venue. With a limited budget, he purchased the former Larry Miller Toyota building at 7300 Broadway and retrofitted the second floor with a racetrack for high-speed go-karts. Unser Racing and Entertainment opened its doors Oct. 18, 2010.

“Phase one was to utilize the existing space, get the doors open and generate revenue,” Sutton said.

Unser is in the process of phase two – constructing a tavern-style restaurant adjacent to the second-floor track and installing a racetrack on the rooftop.

“Our goal is to have (the restaurant and rooftop racetrack) up and running in the spring,” Sutton said.

The Adams County Board of Commissioners earlier this month approved a liquor license so the tavern can serve not only pizza and sandwiches, but alcohol as well.

“We’re focused on the bar aspect,” Sutton said. “The food aspect we’re going to take slow to find out what customers’ needs are.”

However, there will be procedures in place so that only people who are not planning to race or who have already raced can drink, said Scott Shirk, director of marketing.

“We have a very strict policy about drinking and driving – we don’t allow it,” he said.

Safety is a priority for Unser – all newcomers must complete a 10-minute training, every driver must wear a helmet and the go-karts can be remotely controlled if a driver is being unruly and ignoring flag warnings.

Although the facility caters to corporate customers for team-building meetings, the track is open to the public. Drivers must be at least 6 years old.

“This is a safe and controlled environment for kids to be exposed to motorized vehicles,” said Shirk, whose 7- and 12-year-old children love going to work with Dad.

The drivers get to go around 18-20 times. At 45 to 50 mph, that takes about seven minutes.

“(With the karts) that low to the ground, it feels like 110 mph,” Shirk said. It’s priceless, he added, to see “the people’s faces when they get off the track.”

The go-karts are made in France and are gasoline-powered. The racetrack has a full-ventilation system.

There are more plans in the works at Unser that include a third racetrack on the ground floor, and perhaps eventually, the use of the outside ramp to connect the first- and second-floor tracks, Shirk said.

Within five years, Sutton said he sees Unser branching out to other Colorado locations and places outside the state. His enthusiasm is fueled by how well the business has been received by the public, despite the tough economic times.

“We’re approaching the 35,000 (new customer) mark since we opened,” he said. “It shows the business is fresh and people are enjoying it. It’s been fun to create jobs and contribute to the economy.”

For more information on the indoor racing facility, visit unserracing.com. To view the original article, CLICK HERE.