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Welcome to my website! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daly wins again at Barber Motorsports Park
Conor won the first round of the Skip Barber National double header at Barber Motorsports Park on Saturday July 19th. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rally School Ireland
While in Ireland I attended Rally School Ireland. I drove a Ford Escort, a BMW and my favorite, the Subaru WRX STI Spec C. What a blast....with a navigator sitting beside me giving instructions at every corner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated July 9th Successful test in England with Formula Palmer Audi
Indeck/Cytomax driver Conor Daly adapted to 300 turbocharged horse power with ease during his first test with Formula Palmer Audi at the Bedford Autodrome on Monday July 7th. The test started in wet conditions with the final two hours being in the dry. Conor did 92 laps of the South circuit under the watchful eyes of two former Grand Prix drivers, his Dad, Derek Daly and FPA series owner, Jonathan Palmer (ex-Tyrrell & Williams).
“When the turbo kicked in, the horsepower was massive”, said Conor. “The circuit had some very fast corners where I could really feel the downforce and wide tires. The most impressive aspect of the car was its ability to brake and turn from such high speeds. After every run, my data was downloaded and I debriefed with the engineer.”
“Conor was impressive, particularly in the difficult conditions he had to drive in initially, said series owner, Jonathan Palmer. From what we saw, we think Conor is ready to run in our English National championship right now and we would love to see him contest the six races of our Autumn Tour in October/November”. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- British Grand Prix
With Sebastian Bourdais With "The Stig" from Top Gear The Grand Prix in Silverstone was awesome. I met so many people including Sir Jackie Stewart, Frank Williams, Sebastian Bourdais, Adrian Sutil and of course The Stig (from BBC's Top Gear show). It is hard to describe the motorhomes that the F1 teams now have....they were pretty insane to say the least. Have a look..... McLaren's Office block Williams' small city I spend a lot of time with Force India. On the top floor of their three story "Office" center (the highest in the paddock by the way), drivers like Kubica, Barrichello, Alonso and Sutil etc, gather to play poker together in the evenings......what? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated June 30 2008 Outstanding debut for First Kart at Ironman Enduro
First Kart tuner Ben Cruttenden works with Conor
Indeck/Cytomax driver, Conor Daly had an outstanding debut for the Team First Kart at the inaugural Ironman 3 hour single driver enduro in New Castle, Indiana, Sunday June 29th. The race started in the rain and from his third starting position Conor led at the end of the first lap. Team First Kart’s threesome (Chris Larson & Tony Loniewski) then pulled away from the rest of the field with Conor leading until the first pit stop to change to dry tires on Lap 37.
Conor rejoined in second place and on lap 39 his throttle cable broke. While reaching over the engine to activate the throttle and steering with one hand, he continued for the next six laps and incredibly re took the lead of the race. On lap 48 he pitted again to have the throttle cable replaced.
On lap 79 the chain broke coming down the straight and he was able to coast into the pit lane for repairs. On lap 112, the throttle cable broke again. After three grueling hours, he finished in 8th place and set his personal best lap of the race on his last race lap.
Conor will next be in a race car in England on July 7th when he tests a Formula Palmer Audi at the Bedford Autodrome, in Bedford, central England.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daly testing F2000 in Florida with Andersen Racing
Fresh from his two recent wins in Canada (Skip Barber National & Ontario FF1600), Indeck/Cytomax driver, Conor Daly was back behind the wheel in Florida on Wednesday June 25th, where he completed his second day of testing in one of Andersen racings F2000 cars. Conor completed over 100 laps at Andersen’s private test track in Palmetto, Florida with temperatures above 90 degrees.
“This was the hottest my body has ever been, but it was great training for me” said Conor.
Conor left Florida to travel back to Indianapolis, for three days of testing in preparation for the first ever Iron Man three hour enduro kart race in New Castle, Indiana. Conor will be part of a three man team representing the Canadian First Kart team. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Discovery Channel covers Conor Daly’s first drive in Ford Mustang
When Conor won both of his races (Skip Barber & FF1600) in Mosport, Canada, on Fathers Day, he was invited by Ford Racing Miller Cup series director, Lynda Randall to test a Mustang at Mid Ohio last Thursday. He had never been to Mid Ohio before and had never driven a lump that weighs 3.500 lbs. Former Trans Am Champion (17 wins over his career), Dorsey Schrader, drove the car in the morning session.
He did nine timed laps in the first session and twelve timed laps in the second session. He ended up faster than Dorsey and came within .9 of a second of the series leader. He looked completely at home and just kept getting faster. He now wants to do the Daytona 24 hour race.
His exploits were covered by Discovery channel for a feature to be aired in October as part of three one hour shows about the new Miller Cup race series. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Daly wins big in Canada
Indeck/Cytomax driver, Conor Daly won the sixth rounds of both the Skip Barber National Championship and the Ontario Formula Ford 1600 Championship on Fathers day, at Mosport Park, Ontario, Canada, on June 15th 2008.
From his fourth position on the Barber starting grid, Daly moved to the lead of the race just before the half way point. After a full course yellow, the race was settled after a green, white, checkered flag last three laps that got hectic with contact at the final corner. Daly escaped to take his first Barber National win of the season.
On Saturday during the Formula Ford 1600 race (round five of the championship) Daly was leading from his front row starting spot, when the top three cars all left the road at high speed when they hit oil from a blown engine of a lapped car. On Fathers day it all came good for Daly in the Formula Ford 1600 also. After a race long tussle between championship leader, Matt White and Shannonville winner, Shane Jantsi, Daly won his first Canadian FF1600 race of the season after finally taking the lead with a daring outside pass at the high speed turn eight at the end of the Andretti straight. Daly, who set a new race lap record for FF1600 cars at Mosport in May, also set fastest lap of the race.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daly’s new lap record pace continues in Canada
Team owner Brian Graham coaches Conor In rounds three and four of the Ontario Formula Ford Championship held at Shannonville Motorsport Park, Ontario, Canada, Indeck/Cytomax driver Conor Daly scored two podium finishes, and for the second consecutive race weekend, set another new race lap record for the Formula Ford 1600 class. His second and third place finishes keeps him second in the championship.
Daly qualified on the front row of the starting grid for both races and after falling back on the opening lap of race one on Saturday, he battled back and made a last gasp effort to take the lead on the last corner of the last lap, but had to be content with second place. He also set fastest lap of the race.
Race two on Sunday saw Daly start on the outside of the front row where he again fall back to fourth place at the end of lap one. Former champion Shane Jantsi pulled out a commanding lead before a full course yellow bunched up the field. After the restart, Daly hounded second place Matt White before passing him on the penultimate lap. On the last lap Daly reeled in leader Jantsi and in a daring move for the win, made contact with Jantsi at the final corner, which broke Daly’s steering arm. The incident allowed White through to finish second with Daly crossing the line in third place with a deranged front end. His chase of Jantsi netted him a new race lap record.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daly sets new lap record in Canada
In the first two rounds of the Ontario Formula Ford Championship held at Mosport International Raceway, Ontario, Canada, Conor Daly scored a pole position, two second place finishes and set a new lap record for Formula Ford 1600 cars.
Race one on Saturday saw Daly’s BGR VanDiemen battle with reigning overall FF1600 Champion Matt White, with Daly leading at the drop of the green flag. The close battle continued until the race was red flagged following a mid pack multi car incident. After the restart White and Daly swapped the lead multiple times with White just able to pip Daly for the win.
Race two on Sunday saw Daly start on the outside of the front row and again do battle with White. Daly tried all he knew to find a way past. In the end it was to be another second place and the satisfaction of having set a new race lap record for FF1600 cars. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Conor Daly to contest Canadian Formula Ford Championship
Conor Daly in the BGR Van Diemen in Shannonville Motorsport Park 200 It was announced today in Indianapolis that INDECK-Cytomax Driver, Conor Daly, in addition to doing the Skip Barber National championship, would also contest the 2008 Canadian Formula Ford Championship in a Brian Graham Racing (BGR) prepared Van Diemen. To do this Conor will drop the originally planned Stars of Karting TaG Championship. Conor drove three races in 2007 for BGR scoring a podium finish in Shannonville Motorsport Park. "We very quickly developed a good relationship with Conor last year. His speed and ability, with such little time in the car, makes me think that we are well positioned to attempt to pull off a repeat championship win this year also" said team owner Brian Graham. "I need as much mileage as i can get and with BGR i have the advantage of being guided by a very experienced and successful team. I want to learn as much as possible this year, and this is a perfect part of the plan" said Conor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Piaggio/Aprilia to support Conor Daly
It was announced in Indianapolis today, March 27th 2007, that INDECK-Cytomax driver, Conor Daly, would receive support during the 2008 season from Italian scooter manufacturer Piaggio. Piaggio will use Conor and his exploits to promote their Aprilia scooter brand. Aprilia will appear on Conor’s helmet, driver’s suit and on his cars and kart. “Aprilia has consistently tried to align itself with professional role models and Conor fits that model for us in America. We look forward to our involvement” said Gary Pietruszewski, Executive Vice-President Sales and Dealer Development, Piaggio Group Americas Inc. “I am honored to represent Aprilia in the United States and I look forward to enhancing their brand image throughout the season”, said Conor.
Sixteen year old Conor Daly, son of former Formula One/Indy Car driver turned TV commentator Derek Daly, will race in the 14 round Skip Barber Racing National series in addition to selected karting events. Conor will race his karts exclusively on Bridgestone tires and will be sponsored by INDECK Forsythe Racing, Cytomax Performance Drink, Pedigo Chevrolet, The College Network, Tom Lange Company, Aprilia and Alpinestars. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Podium Finish in Skip Barber National
Conor Daly began the 2008 Skip Barber National Season quite successfully. The first session out on track on Tuesday Conor was immediatly the quickest. Conor then was able to put his Skip Barber car on the front row of the grid in second for the first race. Unfortunatly Conor was involved in some first lap contact and was put back deep in the field. Then again midway through the race Conor was contacted in the right side, damaging his side pod. After all of the chaos Conor was able to salvage an 11th place finish. The next day however provided completely different conditions and results. Qualfiying in the morning did not go as well as planned with Conor ending up 7th. After qualifying in the morning, the race was not until later that evening. This provided a new type of racing condition which Conor had never experienced before. This condition was torrential rain. Although Conor had never raced in the rain in a racecar, he was up for the challenge. After getting a good start moving into 5th, he was put back to 9 after avoiding an accident. One by one Conor started picking off positions moving up to second with a few laps to go. After making a slight mistake in turn 13, Conor only lost one position and ended up finishing 3rd. This was a great result for Conor and an incredible experience gain for the future. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona
Conor Daly got another chance to go to the 24 hours of Daytona this year and again it was a great experience. Not only did Conor get to see a lot of his friends like Spencer Pigot, Kyle Marcelli, Liam Kenney, Jordan Taylor, and Ricky Taylor, but he also got to meet many important and upstanding members of the racing community. Conor also got a chance to meet and talk to ALMS and former Formula 1 driver Alan McNish. Alan had many insightful and important things to say which helped Conor out a great deal. The race was another fun one to watch but neither Conor or his Dad made it the full 24 hours without sleeping. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 2008 2nd Annual Team Bold Glory Sponsorship Dinner
The second annual Team Bold Glory sponsorhsip dinner was held shortly before christmas at Flemmings Restaurant. The dinner was another enjoyable and successful time for Conor and his sponsors. The group discussed how the year of 2007 went and what Conor's future plans were for this year in 2008. Conor would like to thank Gary Pedigo, Phil Gumpert, and Gary Eyler for making the dinner a possibility. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 2007 Formula Ford 2000 Test with Andersen Racing
On Wednesday December 5th, Conor Daly experienced a Formula Ford 2000 for the first time in his career. Conor had the opportunity to test with Dominic and Nicholas Cape of Andersen Racing. Conor was testing at Anerson's personal track Palmetto. This track was very tight and very challenging. Conor did well over one hundred laps and enjoyed every one. He got to experience advance car data and really see where he could pick up time on the track. Conor also got to experience everything from older tires to a set of new set of sticker tires. Conor would like to thank everyone at Anderson Racing for all the support given to him at this test. Conor would also like to thank all the mechanics and engineers who were helping him with the setup and maintenance of the car. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 20007 Conor Daly finishes sixth at SKUSA SuperNationals
With four world champions competing, the SKUSA SuperNationals in Las Vegas lived up to its reputation as the most prestigious karting event in America.
The biggest class of the weekend, (the 125cc TaG class) with eighty entries from the US and Canada, produced a week long battle of “the best of the best”. After five days of practice, qualifying, heat races and the finals, Conor Daly produced a sixth place finish against some of the toughest competition he has ever faced in the TaG class.
The class was dominated by the Italian Tony-Kart team with the latest Italian Vortex engine. The Vortex engine qualified in the top three positions and finished in the top four positions with Joel Miller taking first place. Conor was the fastest qualifier of a six kart Top-Kart team (Parilla engine) and was also the top finisher.
Conor’s next race will be the televised Stars of Karting All Star Classic in Orlando on December 6th, 2007. He will be teamed with Marco Andretti, Brian Herta, Kyle Wiegand and last years winner, Matt Jaskol.
"Jack the Bear" aka, Doug Sharp from MMS Engines warms up the engine proir to the final -------------------------------------------------------------- On TV in Las Vegas
Interviewed for TV
For the fifth time this year I qualified on the pole for a Stars of Karting event. However, a few mechanical glitches threw away any chance of winning the TaG National title. It was televised and will be aired on Versus later on this year. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Updated October 16th 2007 Wild weekend at New Castle 4 hour enduro Team Cytomax finishes 20th
Former Indy 500 winner, Dan Wheldon, promised to go toe to toe with Conor Team Cytomax drivers Conor Daly and Matt Jaskol finished in 20th place at the Mazda- RoboPong presented by Bridgestone 200 mile endure karting event in New Castle, Indiana on Sunday October 14th.
From a field of almost 100 entries, Conor started on the fifth row of the grid beside former Indy 500 champion, Dan Wheldon. Conor immediately began a run towards the front and was in a comfortable fourth place when the exhaust header broke. The resulting pit stop dropped the team four laps behind in 64th position.
Matt then put in a 25 lap stint before suffering a punctured radiator. With chewing gum, silicone and pepper from the NCMP restaurant, the leak was sealed. During Conors second on track stint, he suffered brake failure that required a change of brake pads. Before Matt’s last 50 lap stint, a second set of brake pads had to be fitted. At the end of the 200 laps, the team had gone from 9th to 4th to 67th to 18th to 20th position. Conor on Speed TV Conor had television cameras follow him for the weekend to document his trials and tribulations. The team’s exploits will be covered in an upcoming television broadcast to be aired on Speed TV.
Matt & Kristy
The lovely Kristy (Matt's squeeze) made sure that Matt Jaskol was "on the board" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sept 30th 2007 Two Podiums and fastest of all at Road America
What a wild weekend....cars at all angles and three abreast in almost every corner. Road America is awesome. After taking a two month break to concentrate on the Stars of Karting East Championship (which I won), I returned to the Skip Barber race series at the super fast Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, September 29th - 30th. Despite it being my first time to race at Road America, on Saturday I set the fastest race lap of the weekend as I came from seventh place in qualifying to finish on the podium in third place. I repeated the podium result on Sunday.
This weekend started a run of four consecutive race weekends for me with the next outing being at Virginia International Raceway, where I will contest the final round of the Skip Barber National Championship. I then compete in the four hour enduro kart race at New Castle Motorsports Park, Indiana, before going to Las Vegas for the Stars of Karting National Finals, October 20th – 21st.
Updated September 16th 2007 Difficult & Brutal in California....but really fast...
Me with Andretti Green driver, Brian Herta (Co-owner of Stars of Karting) I have never been so sore after a race weekend. Moran Raceway in California is very fast and turn one is a banked corner with a big bump in the middle. It was so punishing that some drivers just could not race on Sunday because of severe bruising to their ribs. I used a new carbon fiber rib protector and was just about able to withstand the punishment. I got the pole on Saturday but had the clutch pin shear off the end of the crank in the prefinal (a result of breaking a chain in practice). I finished 11th but then got caught up with the "questionables" in the final and got taken out on lap three. Just about everything on the front of the Top Kart chassis was bent. On Sunday, I got the pole again and won the pre-final. In the final, Michael Self (running 3rd) forgot how to race and started using his kart as a battering ram. He hit me (I was 2nd at the time) about four times per lap until he just "lost the head" and hit me twice at the last corner on lap four (right in front of the officials). The first hit got me sideways and the second punted me right off the track sideways. He hit me so hard that I started spinning off on the outside of the track and spun righ across in front of the pack and ended up on the infield. I restarted somewhere around 18th place and came back to finish 9th. Self got DQ'd and was placed behind me in the final results.
Interviewed for a new karting video All Top Kart front row ...me on the pole
Top Karts are strong but in the Saturday final, I bent just about everything on the front of the kart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated August 24th 2007 Elkhart Lake........Easy weekend Myself and my Dad went to Elkhart lake for the weekend to see the Champ Cars, American Le Mans and Formula BMW. My sponsor Cytomax was represented by the company owner, Greg Pickett, who races a Lola with Klaus Graff as his team mate.
Me hangin' with X-games xpert Cameron Steele & Jon B Me and Cytomax owner Greg Pickett ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated August 6th 2007 Awesome Snap on Stars of Karting weekend winning TaG East Championship
Alpinestars Grid girl What a weekend in Shawano, Wisconsin. Thanks to Mike Tetreault of Grand Products I was in a Top Kart with great technical assistance from Chris Wehrheim and Kyle Weigand. The kart was awesome all weekend and I got two poles, four fastest race laps and a first and second in the finals. It was one of the most enjoyable weekends of karting ever for me.....just drove hard all weekend and the kart did what I wanted it to do. Shawano is the best kart track in North America......it goes up the side of a mountain and then down into a steep valley with lots of fast corners in the middle. I was teamed with Adam Johnson and on Saturday I won everything. On Sunday we ran in tandem with me just inches from his rear bumper. I just did not have enough to get past him and I did not want to try anything wild. Doug Sharp was there tuning our engines and it was his first Stars win and his first Stars chamopionshiop also.
My Team....Dad, Mike Tetreault (owner)...Top Kart...Doug Sharp (engine builder) & of course the most important piece....me I got thrown in the pool during the podium celebrations
Karting suits are not fireproof or waterproof ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated July 26th 2007 Race for Riley-New Castle I ran the Top Kart for the second time at the annual Race for Riley event hosted by John Andretti. It really has become a high profile event with all the TaG top guns turning out. Jay Howard won on the Gillard but I had the best handling kart in the field. For some reason, we could not match the quicker guys down the straight. It was a great event though with a lot of family in attendance . Our Cytomax team in full color ...my stepmom, Rhonda (in green) made all the shirts
Me, my Grandma and my aunt Nyla Match Race against John Andretti At the end of the day there was a match race against John Andretti (he started at the back). It turned out to be a three way battle between me, Josef Newgarden and Cody Doyle. It was a big drafting/blocking fest. Josef won, Cody was secind and I was third.
Before the Andretti match race....with my brother Christian, who just won a wakeboard shoot out competition last weekend in Kentucky....and he got paid, at 10 years old. Sponsors day out One of my sponsors, Gary Eyler also attended. Gary has some awesome cars including one of the new Ferrari 599's. He has a Bugatti Vehron on order.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Update July 14th 2007 Two wins in Lime Rock It always feels good to be on the top step of the podium. In Lime Rock I managed to win twice during the Eastern Championship regional weekend. It was a hard fight each time with Jordon Taylor. I was on the pole for the first race and on the outside pole for the other. The track is really fast but short.....probably not my favorite.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated July 7th 2007 Stars of Karting...Utah With temperatures over 100 degrees each day, Stars decided to start practice on Saturday at 6:45am. Judging by the enclosed photos, I got there plenty early....in fact, just after sunrise.........
This might be taking being first out to practice a little too far
Just after sunrise in Utah for TaG practice updated June 28th 2007 A good weekend in Cleveland
My Family support crew Cleveland Champ Car weekend got off to a good start when I was fastest in the first practice session. Qualifying was OK when I was sixth fastest. In the first race on Saturday, I really struggled with a lack of horsepower. My car handled really well but I could not stay up with anyone on the straight. Even worse, I would get passed easily on the straight. The Skip Barber officials agreed that my car looked a bit "sketchy" in the horsepower dept., but we all agreed to not change cars because the new one might be worse. In the second race I was really mad because I struggled so much just to stay in the draft. I got a good start to move up to fifth place but a train of cars followed and slowly they picked my off.....ugh. I was really mad at the end. I finished 5th on Saturday and 10th on Sunday.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated June 22nd 2007 US Grand Prix weekend I spent four days at the US Grand Prix watching everything that moved. I had a VIP pass that my Dad got from Bernie Ecclestone that allowed me into the F1 paddock. From there I was able to go to many of the garages with my Dad because he still has a lot of friends in F1.
Gil DeFerran showed me around the Honda garage
The latest Red Bull car The Spyker is cool Alpinestars had a midget promo event on Thursday night at the Speedrome oval in Indy. Media types got to drive a midget in a controlled competition. I tried to drive but there was too many people there. However, my new Alpinestars suit was on display with Ralf Schumachers and Kurt Busch's.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Released June 11th 2007
Canadian Grand Prix....Up....Down...Up...Up
What a weekend.....by far the biggest weekend of my career....and what a way to unfold.
We had one 30 minute practice session on Friday evening. It was stopped after two laps when my team mate Kyle Marcelli crashed on the back straight. When it was restarted, my car broke a fuel pump on the out lap. So, myself and Kyle would go straight into qualifying and try to learn the track and get a descent grid position with a total of two laps of experience. To our surprise, despite the traffic problems with 39 cars on the track all at one time, Kyle and I qualified 6th and 7th on the grid.
My stepmom, Rhonda was my umbrella girl for the weekend
It was pretty cool to pit with the Formula One boys and see them working as we did our thing. Just before qualifying, Massa’s Ferrari passed me in the pit lane.
Massa’s Ferrari passes me in the pit lane I got good air time during qualifying on the Big Screen
Team owner, Brian Graham, discussed many scenarios for the standing start, including what might happen if the clutch failed (Van diemen clutches are basically junk). Well, sure enough, my clutch failed as soon as I stopped on the grid. I had never done a standing start before and I was really looking forward to seeing what it might be like to use the Formula One starting lights system. I had to put my hand up and I was immediately pushed to the pit lane where he I start last. In a mad dash scramble, I managed to pass 26 cars in fourteen laps. Incredibly, Kyle Marcelli’s clutch also failed on the actual grid when the lights were on, and he was push started also at the back of the grid.
Team owner, Brian Graham discussed what “might” happen if we had clutch trouble
My mechanic Ken was awesome
Discussing the race with my data engineer, Ian Macpherson
On race day we spent some time in the F1 paddock and the Toyota F1 team manager, Richard Cregan, invited us in to have a look around.
My new Megwear T-shirt debuted this weekend also --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Released June 3rd 2007 Podium on Formula Ford debut weekend
I finished on the podium in 3rd place on my Formula Ford debut weekend in Shannonville Motorsports Park, Ontario, Canada, June 3rd. I drove a Van Diemen for Brian Graham Racing.
It was a great weekend of learning as it was the first time I worked with a race car engineer and with a team mate (Kyle Marcelli). The Shannonville weekend was used to prepare for the Formula Ford support race at the Canadian Grand Prix next weekend where I will also compete. Kyle won both races from the pole. I spent the week between the two races with Kyle at his home
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Released April 22nd 2007 Three races-three podiums in Virginia
The Skip Barber instructors are awesome....this is Phil "the bruiser" giving me advice.....then I got on the podium
Cytomax driver Conor Daly finished in the runner up position three times in three races at the Skip Barber regional championship event at Virginia International Raceway, April 21st-22nd. In race one Conor was relegated to start at the back of the grid because he put all four wheels off the road during qualifying. He came from last place to second, setting fastest lap of the race along the way.
Race two on Saturday was a memorial race where the students race against the instructors. Conor started on the front row of the grid and led strongly for more than half the race. The race then turned into a fierce tussle between Conor and one of his instructors, Phil Lombardi. Phil passed Conor on the last lap to win.
Race three on Sunday again saw Conor run at the front for most of the race but a small mistake at the oak tree hairpin on the last lap cost him the race win, which he lost by a mere eight hundredths of a second. Conor’s next race will be the World Karting Association Zoom Zoom Nationals, May 4th-6th 2007 in South Bend, Indiana. His next Skip Barber race will be at Cleveland Burke Lakefront airport on Champ Car weekend, June 23rd-24th. ---------------------------------------------------- Impressive debut with ArrowUSA Factory Team
My First Stars Podium
Cytomax driver Conor Daly had an outstanding debut performance for the ArrowUSA Factory Team at the Stars of Karting, Race of the Americas, in Norman, Oklahoma, April 13th-15th 2007. Having never seen the kart before official practice on Friday, Conor was on top of the speed charts by the fourth official practice session. He was again fastest in the Saturday morning practice just before qualifying. He qualified third fastest but got a bad start for the first of his two heat races on Saturday and fell back to seventh place. While attempting to take third place he made contact with the other kart and failed to finish. His only satisfaction was that he set the fastest lap of the race. He won the second heat but his starting position for both of Sundays finals would be determined by his accumulated heat race finishing positions....which meant a 15th place start for both of Sundays finals.
In the A final on Sunday he fell back at the start to 19th place at the first corner. He then charged through the field in impressive style to finish the 18 lap final in second place. In the B final he charged through the field to finish on the podium again with a third place finish. His points total for both races puts him in joint second place in the Stars championship after the first two rounds of the series. Conor’s next race will be April 20th-22nd in the Skip Barber race series at Virginia International Raceway. His next Stars of Karting race will be at his home track in Newcastle, Indiana.
--------------------------------------------------- Speaking for Kiwanis Club Sunrisers Noblesville
I had to miss the first period of school on Tuesday March 27th to speak to the Kiwanis Club in my home town of Noblesville, Indiana. It was a group of local businessmen and women who were really interested in what I was doing. They fired a lot of questions at me which was pretty cool. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A debut win in cars with the Skip Barber Series........cool.....very cool.....
My race car ready to go the the starting line I just did my first car race with the Skip Barber series in Moroso Motorsports Park, Florida on March 24th 2007.. What a blast....we did a practice day on Friday, practiced, qualified and raced on Saturday, and raced again on Sunday. I had to start in the Sportsman class on Saturday (thats where all first timers have to start) and won it from the front row of the grid. I was presented with the chequered flag because I was a first time winner. Another traditiion for first time winners was to be soaked with a cooler full of water.....while I was still in the car...... On Sunday I moved up to the championship class and had to start at the back of the grid (a Skip Barber rule). The race was really awesome.....I ran faster than ever before.....caught 3rd and 4th place cars before my tires overheated a little. I finished 5th and was within a tenth of a second of the fastest lap. The top speeds of the race cars is about 127 MPH down the straight. I thought about doing a practice day on Thursday also....... but I had to take drivers ed instead.
Ready to go The winners flag -------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey...what do you think of my new kart colors?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey....what do you think of my new helmet design? Jamair in Indianapolis undated the design. I think it is really cool.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ March 6th 2007 Skip Barber 2 Day Advanced course I got to drive in Sebring, finally. My Dad won the Sebring 12 hour race twice in 1990 & 1991. It was a really cool experience. On the morning of the second day I had a front suspension failure at just over 100 MPH going into turn 1. It really got my attention but I was able to loose enough speed so as when I went off the track I did not hit the wall.....phew....
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forsythe Championship Racing supports me
Champ Car series co-owner and race team owner Jerry Forsythe announced today that he will support the rising career of karter Conor Daly. “We are always interested in young talent and Conor has proven to be a driver that we want to keep an eye on” said Jerry Forsythe. Conor will compete in the Stars of Karting and WKA National karting series in 2007, in addition to the Skip Barber racing series.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 24 Hours I made my Dad stay up all night........ I attended my first ever Daytona 24 Hour race last weekend. It was a blast.....I made my Dad stay up all night...he managed to stay away awake all night long. We watched every car from ever turn...even through the rain storms. At about 3am in the morning our car was towed away...Dad was mad but we got it back.
Jimmy Johnson was very friendly Buddy Rice is cool
"On Speed" with Pit Reporter Brian Till --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 10th 2007 Team Bold Glory
We launched Team Bold Glory in Indianapolis on January 10th 2007. It is a marketing and management company that will be used to promote my career. I presented my 2007 plans to 4 key businessmen from Indianapolis who all agreed to help support my race efforts. We are flat out right now putting our full sponsorshiop package together with some great possibilities being discussed. We are working on a race car program at the moment that we should be able to announce pretty soon.
The four people are (l to r) Phil Gumpert, a long time family friend, who races historic Formula One cars. He has one of the original black UOP Shadow F1 cars. Turner Woodard owns the famous Stutz building in Indianapolis and he still races an Atlantic car and also has among other cars, a really cool Chevron sports car. My Dad was a factory driver for Chevron in the European Formula Two championship in 1978. Gary Pedigo has been a motorsports fan for years. He owns car dealerships in Indianapolis and he started the Indy Racing League team, Panther Racing. Gary Eyler is a good friend of my Dad's. He sponsored my Dad at Indy in 1987. He also raced in the Ferrari Challenge. Gary has some really cool cars including an Aerial Atom.....have you ever seen an Ariel Atom....it is basically a race car for the road.....really cool. Gary and my Dad saw the Atom for the first time when my Dad was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Paul Newman. Leno had one with him and Gary ordered one immediately. I might get to drive it in Las Veags this summer. A very cool part of the evening was when Bob Weber showed everyone the new on line digital magazine, Winding Road. Bob and my Dad have been friends for 20 years and Bob came in from New Your to address the group. He is working on some deals with my dad as part of the program. You have to see this magazine....log on to windingroad.com and get a free subscription.
My Mom and Dad Bob Weber from Winding Road Magazine
Me in action ------------------------------------------------------ First Racing School I just did three days at the Bertil Roos Racing School in Moroso Motorsports Park, Florida. It was really awesome. Can you imaging Race cars and alligators all in the same area. There will be a full story in the upcoming issue of National Kart News. Talking with Dennis Macchio, owner of the school --------------------------------------------------- October 10th 2006 Awesome Tag World Championship Win!! Sliding past Kyle Wiegand to take the lead
A very nice pole position started off the racing on Saturday out qualifying the field by two tenths of a second! Then came the first heat race where the kart started to handle badly due to tire pressure ending in a 4th position. That race ended the day at the track but not at home... Timmy Megenbier was here for the race as well and he and his dad and crew came to stay at our house. So Timmy and I decide to take out the dirt bikes when we get home in the pitch black dark of night. After a full day of racing the night was filled with speed as well... Sunday morning came around and we felt pretty confident for the day. The pre final was first up where it was a tough battle. I had moved into 3rd and Kyle Wiegand was in 2nd but I was closing in. Josef Newgarden had taken a massive lead so it was now down to Kyle and I. I made a move a few laps from the end and was able to hang on until the end finishing second.
A smokey start to the final The final now came and I was outside pole. I knew I had to get a good start to get ahead of my good friend Josef. I got one, getting ahead at the second corner after a bit of rubbing...I had stayed in the lead for quite a while until Josef took it. I wanted to push him ahead so we could maybe create a gap between us and the rest of the field. I pushed him for a few laps but he then put a wheel off and myself and Kyle passed him. I lead for maybe a lap then Kyle took it. Coming to two laps to go I decided to make my move and retake the lead. I had done it and pulled a small gap for the last lap. No one could catch me and I went on to win. The weekend was awesome and I would hope to repeat it next week at the endurance race.
The trophy (and a big check)... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 17th 2006 Cool TAG Senior weekend....and Jam session
Leading on opposite lock at the first corner My Dad thinks we are probably finished with junior classes so we bought a TAG engine to finish out the season. Superkarts USA (SKUSA) had the 9th & 10th round of their 2006 Pro Tour at New Castle Motorsports Park so we were game to give it a go. Motorama (mkpshop.com, Moorsville, Indiana) built up the kart using our famous"Pinkie" Q31 birel chassis....... The weekend was pretty cool.....two pole positions and two wins.....one in the Saturday pre-final and one in the final on Sunday. To be quite honest, I struggled on Saturday in the races because I just seemed to loose grip after about two laps. On Sunday we got it right for the final (after struggling again in the pre final because we just did not read the tire pressures properly) and the kart was really good......My teammate Jamie Ferrel won on Saturday.... but I think I wore him out on Sunday,.....in fact he looked beaten up after his attempt to catch me ...have a look at the photos......look at those bruises !!!!!!!
Jamies bruises..... He really likes me .....I think Jam Session...... We also had an impromptu jam session break out in our garage because my friend Collin Swartz (son of rocker Henry Lee Summer) brought his guitar and amp to the track...... and entertained everybody.....fun was had by all.....
Jam session with Rock Star of the Future....Collin Swartz
This is my MKP Team led by Bill ("Larry" to some) McLaughlin....these guys are awesome ...................................................................................... Sept 4th 2006 High Speed Irish Weekend
On Friday I went to Mondello Park, which was the track that I was actually going to race on. My Dad had raced and won here many times in his career so I would love to do well here as well. We weren’t able to test the kart on Friday but we drove round the track in our car so I could get a picture of the track for Saturday the first day of practice. I had a very good tuner, Andrew Fallon, who races in Formula A himself. I also had a very good Team Owner Noel Carey. They both taught me a lot over the weekend. Saturday started out as a rainy cold day. I got to meet my new competitors such as John Norris, Kevin O’Sullivan, and Carl Dunne. John and Carl were my teammates for the weekend. Some of the regular drivers who raced in the Irish National Championships were away doing the World Championships which is very big, however the championship leader Rikki Gordon was there. The first session was in full wet conditions which I thought was very good with the Kosmic. The track was amazing, it was the fastest track I had ever been on and it was very cool. The rest of the day the track was dry and it had also warmed up. By the end of the day my tuner Andrew and I felt very confident with the chassis and our American High Rev motor that we brought over. Sunday started out again raining and cold. For the first practice it was wet again and we struggled. For qualifying the track was quickly drying but still we had to go out in wet conditions. We struggled again in qualifying because of a carburetor problem...and qualified 9th.
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