Northern Nevada is blessed with many good, young racers and here’s an article about one of them.
CARSON CITY – Richard Stock a 16-year-old junior at Carson High School and ski racer is also the 2016 Sanzaru Games Karting Champion. The series is run over at Sonoma Raceway in California and is part of the NorCal Rotax Max Challenge.
Richard Stock stands in his father’s Pantera shop with his 2016 championship trophy and the go kart he races.
The sport of motor racing is a ladder system, one begins at the bottom; as their skill level and experience increases, they are able to move to the next rung. And most, like Richard, begin at a young age.
“I got my first go kart when I was 4-years-old and my mom was not happy at my dad for it,” he said. “Then I started racing at 5-years-old with the Northern Nevada Kart Club.”
Stock began in a kid kart, which then used a 50cc motor, and after a couple of years moved into the Junior 1-2 class, which used an 80cc Comer motor.
“We won our first championship in 2011. We tried another year but the class just went away,” he said. “So that’s when we decided to go to Sonoma for the Red Line series. That’s basically the gold ticket for racing in California.”
The series not only offers a lot of competition but other things as well.
“If you want to race Rotax they give great benefits. If they pick you, you an get a chance to ride in a formula car for the series,” he said. “They each give one free ride for the championship winner. Their biggest class is the Rotax karts and they get about 20 to 25 people for the races there.”
He added there are three Rotax classes; Juniors, Masters and Seniors. Stock raced in the Western Karting Association and competed in either HPV or Tag Junior. In the 20123 and 2013 seasons he was third and fifth in the championship.
Then in 2015 he and his father made a big jump.
“Honda came out with their new engine, the HPD CRF250 and started to promote it because they hadn’t made a shifter kart engine in like over 20 years,” Stock explained. “Up to then they’ve just been rebuilding and rebuilding them. It’s actually really genius as they are going to make a lot of money off it and they are putting it into every Red Line series there is.”
The goal is to get people racing using this motor and eventually get these motors into the SKUSA (Super Kart USA) series.
However to race with this new motor Stock had to make the switch from a clutch kart, where there is no shifting, to a shifter kart, which has a six-speed transmission.
“It was probably the biggest adjustment I’ve had in racing, even more than going into cars because I was just in a little go kart where you didn’t change gears and have rolling starts that are all steering, gas and brakes,” he said.
Shifter kart racing uses standing starts which is a whole science in itself.
“Now I had to learn how to shift first off, had to learn how to start with stalling it, had to learn where I had to shift my gears an learn how to be smooth with it,” he said. “The torque was crazy as I can almost pull wheelies coming off the line, it’s pretty insane as your head just goes right back.”
Well apparently Stock learned his lessons well as his father Larry said, “This first start was absolutely fabulous and the just drove away from everybody.”
As his father added that was no mean feat because Stock was the only 15-year-old in the field.
“These are all seasoned professionals,” Larry Stock explained. “Everyone that runs these karts were invited in and Steve Camron was invited in as a guest pro to highlight the class. So here’s Richard, a bat out of hell, for five laps nobody could catch him, then they just start reeling him in but the heat races are only eight laps. In the main event they’ve got 16-laps so they just reel him in and on the last lap figure out where he weak point was then pass him on the last lap.”
His first year in the series was mixed as Stock would out qualify everyone then run away from them in the short heat races. By the time the rest of the field began to reel him in it was too late, but the 16-lap main events were a different story.
“In the main something always happen. I would be like a bat out of hell, racing away from everyone then I’d be thinking in my head, ‘oh crap I have to finish this race now.’ Then I’d lose my focus, start missing my points, sliding a little bit, my tires would heat up then everyone would catch me and on the last lap someone would pass me,” he said.
Although he’s racing karts Stock and his father are also eyeing to step into cars. In fact he’s already had some time in a Formula 2000 car.
This past year Richard Stock got some track time in a Formula 2000 car.
Photo courtesy – Larry Stock.
Driving one of those was another adjustment as they not only have suspensions, which a kart doesn’t, but there is an aero package that really helps when cornering.
On a trip to the Monterey Historics event they met several people including one now famous retired driver.
“We met Brian Redman, I shook his hand, talked to him and he gave me the most advice that makes sense I’ve every heard,” he said. “He told me that you have to learn how to drive slow to drive fast. I kept thinking about it and it’s really true.”
Going into his rookie season Stock wasn’t sure he’d even make the podium. But the season produced several second place finishes and he won the final race that seaso.
Looking at last year’s season he said, “I knew it was going to be good but challenging. I know what I’m doing, more smooth and the first race was a total world of difference. I kept focus in the whole main, just kept driving away and driving away and I think I got first place in the first race.”
Going over the curbs and lifting the wheels during a race
Photo courtesy – Larry Stock.
As the season progressed he racked up more wins and at least one second place finish.
Asked when he knew the championship was his Stock replied, “About halfway through it, we didn’t even have to do the last three races and we still would have won the championship, we were in the lead by that much.”
Richard Stock celebrates another victory.
Photo courtesy – Larry Stock.
While a driver might perform out on the track they always have people supporting them. Stock gave credit and expressed appreciation to his mechanic Nick Galante for making sure the kart is set up and ready to race.
During that trip to Monterey he also met Steve Adler, who helped him pick up sponsorship from Adidas; the company gave him a driving suit, shoes and gloves as well as help.
But his biggest fan and supporter has been his father Larry.
“Honestly he’s my biggest sponsor, if it wasn’t for him helping me, because I’m a little bit lazy when it comes to some stuff, I probably wouldn’t even be here right now,” Stock said. “I’ve got to start getting responsible for myself.”
After chuckling his father said, “He’ll grow out of that.”
When he joined the series he’s currently racing in Stock also got a contract from Honda.
“When I win races they give me ‘Honda Bucks.’ Last year it was $500 for first place, $250 for second and $100 for third so every race I got those and that actually helped me buy the motor.”
Looking into the future Stock has plans. As far as kart racing goes he and his father want to get into the 125-shifter class so they can race in the SKUSA (Super Karts USA) series.
Looking even further down the road Stock has some future goals he’d like to achieve.
“Eventually I want to get into the Formula 1600 Challenge and do that,” he said. “Hopefully from that I’ll pick up some sponsorships as eventually I want to get into Indy Cars. In order to get into a Formula Car I’d have to get to Europe but that’s too expensive. Indy Car is good American racing.”
Right now Stock is ski racing for his high school but he’s also planning on doing some testing in preparation for this summer’s kart racing. One track he’s tested at is Desert Park Raceway, the home of the Northern Nevada Kart Club.
“The first time I drove the 250 kart there the first thing I said when I got off was, ‘this track got a lot smaller,’ because I was going a lot faster on it,” he said.
Then his father added,” He’s was like, ‘this thing is loud.’ There were about a half dozen people around the track and no boy would go out with him. He was like 10 seconds a lap faster.”
The next season begins the weekend of the 2nd of April and Stock is looking forward to it. For him as the defending champion he’ll be the one people are after.
“It’s a little bit more scary but I’m feeling really confident,” he said. “I know I can beat these drivers, I’ve done it before and have no problem doing it again. Now we’ve got to get going to the track and get prepared for it.”
For this young driver the future is now as he prepares to defend his championship and looks for the opportunity to take the next step up racing’s ladder.
Those wishing more information on the Sanzaru Games Karting Championship should check their website at, www.sanzarukarting.com.
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