I'm still coming off the high I got from having an incredible weekend at Long Beach Grand Prix. Thanks to a friend of the Sesh, Chris Buccola, Kimi and I were given IMSA credentials for the weekend. Even better, we were given a guide in the form of racecar driver and coach, Morgan Burkhard (@morgan.burkhard).

Thanks to these incredible folks, Kimi and I got to tour the pit lanes, the IMSA paddock and get up close and personal with CSM’s Porsche.

I had never been to LBGP before. The last racing event I attended was the NASCAR Clash at the USC Coliseum. Ironically enough, also with Kimi before he had activated my karting addiction.

The major thoughts I had while observing were as follows:

1. Oh shit, the Indy cars are the quietest things here.

2. Holy shit those Prosches are loud.

3. This is way, way more fun to watch than F1 right now.

The big star of the show for me was the Aston Martin Valkyrie, all 12 cylinders of her.

Nobody needs this, the damn thing didn't even come close to first. It came in 10th. However, when it hit the straight, it was over, I had melted into Aston fangirl goo, never to reassemble. Does it help that she was the only non-hybrid in that race? Probably.

Morgan was on staff with CSM (@csm_motorsport). They are a lovable operation with a family dynamic. We had the pleasure of talking to the C from CSM, Co-Owner Matthias Czabok. He has been in racing a long time. “I do not have children, I have drivers.” He also confessed that his day to day vehicle is a pickup truck these days. Pretty hard not to love. Best of luck to everyone at CSM this year, I look forward to watching.

Finally, to Chris, you're an angel and so I will disclose that he is currently fundraising for his racing adventures so if you want to support I recommend following him on Instagram @chris_buccola.

The LBGP was very motivational. Kimi and I are considering building a kart. We are also determined to get back to K1 Circuit. I'm very curious to see if my time with the SIM will have any effect.

Obviously it's been a minute. Yes, I am still karting. As far as writing about it, I’ve been slacking. I just got back from Burbank, the track that used to drive me insane is climbing out of its hole. Not only are the karts getting better, there's a brand new second track that has stolen my heart. It's tight, technical and absolute murder on my core. It's addictive.

However, tonight was all about track 1. It's uneven, narrow and the karts are… coming along.

That said, I found myself back in the 24 second lap zone. To be clear, this is far from fast, but it is decent. It was the fastest I have felt on this track in a LONG time. I'm stoked there's hope for Burbank.

In other news, I was number 10 for K1 points in 2025. I had a goal of making it into the top 10 and couldn't be happier I pulled it off. 2025 was incredible for me and karting. I loved racing at that capacity. However, it's now 2026 and my time and budget require that I pull back on track time this year. Luckily, I had the resources to invest in a solid SIM setup.

Obviously I hate to admit when Kimi is right, but the data I get from ACC is incredibly valuable. Tonight was a great test of putting what I’ve learned there into the real world. I noticed I am more patient and methodical in my steering which has changed my line. I also listen to my tires. I swear I can hear the grin on Kimi’s face. He takes his tires very seriously, even if they're shit. I have notoriously been an absolute brute on tires. I’ll be honest, I don't know how the SIM got me there. All I know is my priorities have changed for the better.

There's a lot I have swirling in my head when it comes to karting right now. I can feel the driver part of me evolving. I will do my best to keep you all posted. Shout out to everyone who subscribed and yelled at me for not posting. I'm determined to get back to it.

Our hope was to have an empty track. There’s a lot I’m still getting used to out there and newbie traffic scared the hell out of me. So of course, we got TONS of traffic. Lots of first timers full of aggression and horrific track manners. It had been so long since I raced I decided nothing was going to get in between me and some good laps.

I was working my way through a pack like I do on indoor tracks. It was unreal to feel this evolution in myself in real time. This was the most overtaking I had ever done at Circuit. Watching Kimi blast off ahead of me and obliterate my times probably added a smidge of motivation as well.

Then came our third race. I really liked that kart I got, the track was warm and the grip was good. I get to the downhill “S” section that had haunted my dreams when I first started racing at Circuit. A young driver who had landed himself in the gravel came blasting back out onto the track and shunted my ass into the light pole. The whole thing was captured by fellow karting enthusiast and track gentleman, Jason Montez, who happened to be behind me. Shoutout to him for the footage.

I cannot begin to tell you how slow time felt as this happened. Anywhere but the “S” I thought as I saw this kid rocketing at me. I was terrified but not frozen. As the back of my kart went up I leaned back and then relaxed my muscles. I hit the brake and let gravity do what it was gonna do. I hardly felt anything but frustration, I was having such a good run.

Something happened to me after that race, I felt massive relief. I had played crashes like that in my head over and over. Now that it happened, my brain was done trying to manifest it. I was free, I spent the rest of my day fearlessly trying to catch Kimi. It was one of the best racing days I ever had, wouldn’t change a thing about it.

I would love to say that it was my determination alone that allowed me to attack traffic like I never had before. I really would, however, something else might be to blame. You see, I have made a purchase….

I’ve been reading a lot about self-preservation when it comes to drivers. This also included a gem from fellow Substacker Terrance Dove:

On Racing Drivers by Terence Dove

Why Intelligent Racing Drivers are a Nightmare

Thick drivers are really easy to work with. You can say ‘take that flat out’ and they just do it…

Read more

a year ago · 5 likes · Terence Dove

For a long time, I pinned my hesitations on generalized fear. I didn't really take the time to determine what kind of fear. Personal injury could certainly be a part of it. I think more so there's also kart integrity. It’s very common at K1 to have someone slam your kart into next week and the battery dies. If I really dig, it's preservation of flow. I will do almost anything to preserve forward motion, including slowing myself down or being more conservative on gaps. But sometimes I can tell I’m overly cautious and doing serious harm to my laps.

Lucky for me, this was the year I decided to attend Burning Man for the first time. To put it simply, this is a deeply masochistic act of spending gobs of money to terrform a VERY hostile environment into a party city rife with pickles and grilled cheese. Wind, dust storms, a murder, a birth and rain which brought mud were all present this year. And yet… we partied and explored and burned a big wooden man among other things.

The entire time I was there I had karting and racing in my dreams. It's worth noting that when the playa is not hosting Black Rock City, it's a hot bed for super cars and record setters. Perhaps the dust is haunted by speed. In my dreams I'm a completely different driver. Sometimes even driving manual, which I haven't done in decades. In that state, I am unbothered and my confidence is fearsome. Something I've been trying to translate into real life.

So many parts of Burning Man were volatile. You’re a guest on that terrain, in fact, you probably shouldn't be there. This kept me very present and open to rapid changes. Immediacy is a big thing at the Burn, you are not in control. So when I got home to indoor plumbing I was a little thrown. After a few days I decided to make the trip to Anaheim and get back to racing.

My expectations weren't high for myself but right away I noticed something changed. I was feeling extremely loose out there. I ran five races with the times ranging from 27.0 to 27.3, winning all of them. That is some nice grouping. Neither of these races were the same. Some had high traffic, some had very little. I had a different kart every time. My feet were light and quick, my steering was decisive. My relation with self and or flow preservation has clearly shifted. My lines were so fluid and my braking was custom tailored to every lap. I’ve stopped fighting circumstances with my line. As for overtakes, I was practically fearless. I made several clean passes that I would have considered “spicy” previously. I know the kart dimensions and I know when I will fit, it was just a matter of stepping through the door.

Since I’ve been home, the racing dreams have stopped. Maybe after navigating such a high strung environment, my mind treats racing problems as things that are more manageable. A good reminder that solving my issues on the track is not limited to driving more.

I don't think it had to be Burning Man, though given the current state of humanity, I think I picked a great year to disconnect from the world. I just needed something to rattle me and reboot my mindset. Whatever happened, I’m grateful for it, we’ll see how these changes in my driving evolve.

As of August 13th, 2025, I have been a go-karting for 2 years. When I started, Kimi shared a lot of wisdom and philosophy with me. “No bad days at the track, “fast is in front you.” All that stuff I still carry with me, but in these past 2 years I’ve carved out my own understanding of the sport as well.

Lines Are Personal

There’s more than one way to conquer a track. One driver’s line could be another’s undoing. Naturally your line will align strongly with someone else’s. Even if it’s almost identical, the footwork and how you get there could be so different. A line is a unique signature made up of several unseen factors.

Find The Quiet

My brain can be an absolute dick to me. It will sabotage me and replay my worst fears over and over. It takes a lot to shut that noisy, neurotic fucker up. The big pull for me when it came to karting is that all of it goes quiet. All the prepping, calculating and over-thinking shuts down when I sit my ass in the kart. It’s good medicine.

K1 Speed Is Not Perfect

This company changed my life. I learned everything I know on their tracks. Their expansion into outdoor tracks is very exciting. However, there are things slipping through the cracks. They are the only game in town which puts a microscope on them. My biggest gripe is lack of knowledge and maintenance of the karts. There are tracks operating with karts that are fighting even the most basic of functions. Snapped brake cables and dying karts are way too common. My biggest compliment goes to the staff. These are passionate people who have helped me grow. They are also the best karters I know. I would love to see internal opportunities for them to compete with one another. So yeah, not perfect, but I will always be rooting for K1 to succeed.

Ego Trip Is Cancelled

I am determined to be a student of karting until my last lap. I will never claim to know everything. I am not owed anything. Some days I will win, some days I will make an absolute ass of myself. Sure, there are factors that can be working against me, but at the end of the day, I’m the one driving.

It’s Only Been 2 Damn Years

I STILL need to learn to be more patient with myself. I am extremely privileged to know and race with incredible drivers. They are all around me and sometimes I feel like the slowest idiot in the room. Even if that’s true, so fucking what? I’m lucky to have proper criminals to race with and learn from. I’m trying to embrace my time in the back and cherish when I’m ahead. Two years is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount time my friends have spent doing this. I’m committed to appreciating the skills I have and enjoy the journey to gaining new ones.

This Substack has been so cathartic. I’m not always an open book in my personal life but for some reason, I feel compelled to bare my karting soul. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read about my shenanigans.

Due to Kimi being an unforgivably busy bastard, I went to the Circuit on my own. It was a Monday, my hope was I could avoid the crowd and conquer some of my fears.

I spoke to my brother, an avid mountain biker, about my struggles out there. He said to be patient but also that I was probably a lot like him. I need to run that track until I can see it when I sleep. Make every mistake and know how I will respond. Winchester needed to feel like home.

As an extra added motivation, Kimi proclaimed a new rule. I was not at liberty to fantasize about Fernando Alonso in any capacity until I could get myself in the low 36s lap times on the North track. Harsh, but effective. I stopped checking his Twitter for neck workout videos, it was brutal.

I grabbed five races. It was a gorgeous day. The track was warm but not too hot. The first two races, I had a couple of fast guys who were a joy to run with. They were so generous with their knowledge and keeping pace with them really let me relax out there. I was opening fully on the downhill portion and lifting my braking foot more on the final corner. I finally had confidence to really build momentum and try to keep it.

Race three, I was on my own and feeling so excited while simultaneously in a sort of zen mode. Was I still cursing Kimi’s name for not being there? Of course, what a wanker, BUT, he did provide me with his racing footage from last time. I studied it the night before. With no fast boys to copycat, it was just me and the images of Kimi’s twitchy tells. The endless amount of time I’ve spent behind him paid off. I could read his knees and hand movements like a book. I stepped off that race feeling hopeful. I ran over to the monitor with my times on it and BOOM 36.3. Alonso fan cams were back in my algorithm.

The next race was with staff. They were amazing, I felt completely safe with them. For this one, I forged my line and stuck to it. I kept myself consistently in the low 36s range.

For my final race, the staff hooked me up with a kart freshly serviced. The mechanic made it clear he wanted me to push with this one. Given his generosity, I didn't want to disappoint. We all headed out and this time I was locked in. Tunes were cranking, I had The Crystal Method’s “Born Too Slow” blaring in my subconscious. This race felt GOOD. I was right on the heels of the staff. 35.6, holy shit. Whether Kimi was performing surgery or defusing a bomb, he was getting a text.

Conditions will not always be this perfect when I race on the Circuit, but it's nice to know I can push. There's a lot more work for me to do and I'm excited to get back out there. Shout out to the K1 Circuit staff at Winchester, they're all so passionate and it's contagious.

I’ve talked about how music is constantly filling my head as I kart. As a kid I played the flute and sang in choir. I was also a figure skater performing to many classical pieces. Later on in life I was music critic. Like many audiophiles, I often disassemble everything I’m hearing and then put it all back together. It wasn’t until Anaheim that I realized how connected my music hobby could be to my karting.

My first trip to the Anaheim K1 Speed was unplanned. I sauntered over to Torrance in early 2024 only to find it was closed for an event. The thing is, once I’ve put on my karting shoes, my body insists on racing. Turned out Anaheim was only 30 minutes away so I took off to get some races in before they closed.

The first thing I noticed, air conditioning, very plush. Second thing I noticed was the last corner. It is deadly, and people were beefing it hard on that thing every other lap. Next thing I noticed was my ears perking up. It sounded like the karts were running very well. The track is on the longer side with lots of places to gain momentum and then several technical corners tucked in.

It became clear with my first race that my ears did not deceive me, these karts were booking it. I was also right about that last corner. It’s a real test of footwork. To this day I haven’t mastered it. The grip is sensational, it gave me the confidence to push. However, around lap 4 something interesting happened, I started composing.

The start of track is robust, big sweeps like a grandiose overture. There’s a ritenuto (sudden slowing of the tempo) as I exit the last sweep to ensure my set up is perfect.

Next, I put my foot down, building a crescendo that plays over a very sneaky, technical, tiny pin.

After that, my foot is back down and the strings are frantically bowing all the way to the finish where I get an epic finale as I navigate that fatal corner.

The composition in my head is pretty fluid. When more traffic is involved I do notice that I up the amount of pieces in my internal orchestra. I can’t discern how original it is. Typically it sounds like Vivaldi, a personal favorite. If I’m dueling with someone faster than me, Wagner will make an appearance. In the event traffic is particularly hazardous, out comes Handel.

It really is a fantastic track and I would be doing it a disservice if I didn’t mention the incredible staff. The internal orchestra is something I’ve been able to bring with me to other tracks including Winchester.

Thus far with this Substack I’ve been catching you all up on tales of the past. But now you’re all caught up and I can begin to let you in and what’s going in my current karting life. As of right now I am no longer a regular at my home track and no longer race with the folks I have come to know over the past year.

A little while back I had come in for some sweet Monday night double point action. The track was packed and a bunch of us regulars showed up in force. Traffic is great for points but on this night, the attitudes were shit. These kids were determined to burn every kart to the ground and be kings of the ashes.

Despite that, the hot lap boys were determined. The way it works is they want a warm, rubber-laden track. So yes, numbers are good. The problem then becomes traffic blocking your line. The trick is for the hot lapper to hang back and wait for everyone to get far enough ahead of them to have a clean lap. On the setup lap they go wide to create more of a whip when entering the hot lap. The hang back technique is not perfect and many times I have been forced to go wide to accommodate their setup and sacrifice the finish on my lap.

This race was overbooked, 13 racers, 9 of them brand new and craving violence. The first few laps we all took turns prying ourselves off the barriers and avoiding deadly brake checks. All of us regulars were heated. I finally found some clean air and then one of the hot lappers decides he’s going wide for his setup in front of me. This put me in a bind.

Behind me: a pack of ravenous teenagers who I don’t want to slow down for. Ahead of me and coming up fast: a trusted friend I had been racing with for over a year. His kart wasn’t great, he was going pretty slow, I couldn’t tell if it was actually a set up or if he was giving up. In the moment I made a compromise to go wide on the entry for the first turn which would allow the hot lapper to get by me.

Instead he came right at me, full on t-bone with his foot on the floor.

My kart lifted, the seatbelt yanked on my shoulder and stomach. The wind was knocked out of me, I couldn’t breathe. I’d never had that happen while wearing the helmet. I raised my hand, the race stopped. As I was finding my breath, I saw my friend pull around and look at me. I was in shock.

I came off the track with an open mind, maybe his brakes were shot, it happens. He walks up to me with two other hot lappers I know. He says he’s sorry, he didn't realize it was me. He thought I was one of the young terrors out there. He then proceeds to tell me that when he’s going wide that means he’s setting up for a hot lap. Like I didn't fucking know. Like I hadn't ruined perfectly good laps of mine for all of them a hundred times over. And now the two others are echoing his sentiments. He also accused me of bumping his backside, not true. I felt myself getting internally hot while at the same time, my neck was screaming and my stomach felt like it was hit by a truck.

The three of them are all giving me the same lecture in unison. Somehow I came out of this shit on the back foot and outnumbered. I smiled, shook hands with everyone and left knowing I was done racing with them. This meant putting Torrance on ice.

I think for these guys, they see themselves on the side of speed, pushing the karts and themselves to the limit. That’s a noble pursuit. I loved watching them do it. However, trying to do it in bad conditions is pure misery farming and they would do it often. Then they would get pissy, be shitty to the staff and just kill the mood.

Stepping away from the home track also meant stepping away from the GPs and to be honest, I don’t miss it. Again, emotions get too high, people get hurt and take it out on each other. I’ve realized that I have a real allergy to shit sportsmanship. Just being around it makes me feel sick.

For the rest of this year I’m focused on points and currently fine-tuning my footwork. I’m finding my way back to the fun and found some great new folks who wanna do the same.

This post is 100% a bitch fest. I'm not naming names, I’m just gonna tell you all the lessons I learned in trying to educate myself.

We’ll start with the more expensive endeavor of me getting into a gas kart for the first time. Ever since I started racing at the Circuit, the gas karts had caught my eye. There is a class offered at an outdoor track for 350 bones. That included a rental kart fee, instructor, a track walk and 4 driving sessions. Not bad, right?

First red flag, the “class” portion was just mapping out exactly how this instructor drives the track. A few things, people's lines are gonna be different due to weight and kart type. There was no basics like “slow in, fast out.” Nothing about managing traction when braking. No foundation.

Red flag number 2, the “track walk” was us walking alongside it and looking over it from a high vantage point. This is an old track, it would've been nice to feel out where I could catch air if I wasn't careful. Spoiler alert, there are LOTS of places for that to happen.

Third red flag, after a couple runs on the track we get back into the classroom. I thought maybe the more foundational instruction would begin. But no, it was a confidence booster telling us we were all well above beginner (not true) and that we should buy the intermediate class.

Final gripe, my 4 sessions were cut down to three due to poor time management. So what did I learn? I love gas karts, don't love being ripped off.

The next class I took was 175. I got there at 8am and immediately realized I was fucked out of 175 bucks because the class size was enormous. We had a karting pro as our instructor for the day. I am by no means saying this man can't kart. Obviously, he can kart his ass off and has done so professionally for a long time. But can this man teach? I say this as the daughter of a teacher, fuck no. And certainly not with 30 people in his class.

The track walk was legit and informative. I asked about a certain corner, the pro had not done that configuration so he had nothing for me. Awesome. I then asked about acceleration on the karts we were using. Did I want to roll on the acceleration or slam it? He responded with “you don't want to ask the tires to do too much. Remember the 80/20 rule.” It's a good rule, not what I asked. The good thing about this one, I got the track time I paid for.

The best education I get seems to be from my racing friends. I have yet to do a proper one on one driving coach session. I’d consider it but obviously right now I'm a little skeptical of higher kart education.

Kimi and scheduled a whole weekend for karting in Winchester. It’s not exactly a happening place but the views are incredible and we found some legit diner food. It’s also a short drive to Riverside where you can visit the March Field Air Museum which we did and highly recommend.

From the first time Kimi and I hit K1 Circuit, it wouldn’t leave my mind. I studied it obsessively, I often dreamt about driving on it. Roberto Soto, San Diego record holder and friend of this Substack who had the audacity to move to Florida, has several videos of his runs on it. It’s better for me to watch someone I’ve raced with. I know his ticks, I can tell when he’s lifting and braking. Otherwise body cam footage is a bit of a riddle to me.

After my first go on this track I knew I was lacking confidence. I needed real quality time racing it to feel comfortable. We spent most of the weekend on the North track with and without chicanes. I was slowly creeping down from my comfortable 37s laps into the 36s zone. Kimi was knocking out 35s laps no problem.

We got plenty of track time and we also had LOTS of company. I got bumped around and at one point, someone spun me out. These people were slamming karts left and right and yellow flags were plentiful. My lap time improvement froze immediately. Kimi’s accustomed to me moving around traffic and being incredibly gap greedy when it came to indoor karting. At one point he even called me on it. “You look scared out there.” And I told him I was. “I know there’s a lot to process, it’s pretty overstimulating. You just need time. There’s plenty of room on this track to deal with dipshits once you know what you're doing.”

On the second day, I tried pushing myself out of my comfort zone. We were given an opportunity to race on the South part of the track for the first time. There’s more straights which means more speed along with some treacherous curves including a bus stop that haunts my dreams.

Now, Roberto made it clear in his videos, this is a flat out endeavor. That was NOT happening on this run but regardless, this was the shakeup I needed. My heart was in my throat. It was sketchy as hell out there and we still had psychotic yahoos to contend with. I managed to finish without incident and eager to hit the South track again.

Our last race was back on the North track and I found my way to a low 36s lap. It was not the 35 I wanted, but I could feel my feet getting lighter. Despite frustrations and setbacks, I loved that weekend so much. I came home, slept like a baby and felt incredible.

One souvenir I got was Kimi managed to capture some footage of himself which would come in handy on my next trip to the Circuit.

The very first GP of 2025 came so fast and so much had changed from last year. My first GP in 2024 I spoke to no one, now I knew everyone. I had the new helmet and my line had evolved. I felt different but not necessarily confident.

I wanted to chuck all my bad quali habits this year. Things like not taking time to warm up tires and set up whips for stronger momentum. My first quali was suspiciously smooth sailing. My second was spooky good. The kart held up all the way through. I was placed in a good group allowing me to take full advantage of my fast line. I was being my most behaved and it paid off.

There were A LOT of new faces and I wasn't sure where I stacked up until one of the staff members pointed at me and yelled, “You did it! You're in A!” An entire year of GPs in ‘24 and I had never gotten into the fastest group. This was one hell of a way to start the new year.

Aaaand now my nerves were fired up. There's a lot emotions and ego in this group. I’ve learned a lot from those guys, but I never raced beside them like this. I didn't want to make enemies but I also couldn't be Miss Manners. I placed 7th for the final. As we were gridding up I told myself “give nothing, waste nothing.” As in, don't leave openings and don't waste an opportunity.

The green flagged dropped and I stuck to my ugliest, most defensive line possible. The level of contact was higher while at the same time, everything felt faster. After a few laps, the pressure from behind had backed off. I had room to operate on a faster line. Suddenly I was right on someone's ass. Overtaking hadn't really occurred to me for this race. I was honestly terrified of slowing everyone down. But an opportunity presented itself at the end of the track that I couldn't ignore. He went a little too fast into the final pin and I was able to slip into the inside.

Now I had a very talented, pissed off driver behind me. He wasted no time letting me he wanted his place back. I was back on the ugly line, I was the hugging the inside so tight I could lick the barriers. I was driving him insane to the point that he almost spun me out at the twin pins.

The kart was not loving the contact and I could feel it fading which meant I was going to have to slow the pace of the race for everyone. This was hard for me. I knew how fast the guys behind were. It was a selfish thing that had to be done for me to hold on to 6th. It felt like a pack of fire-breathing dragons behind me as I held that position for 2 more laps before finally seeing that checkered flag. Part of me was terrified, and the other part of my absolutely LOVED being an absolute menace. I came out of the pit with a big grin on my face. I held my ground, ten toes down and it felt amazing.

The adrenaline from this GP hit a little different. This was a new level and it was going to take work to keep my skills there.

2024 was a wrap. I came in 35th for K1 Points, grabbed some new PRs and even ventured to the great outdoors. 2025 had arrived and I committed to upgrading my racing attire.

HEAD

What inspired this makeover was my first trip to K1 Circuit where you may recall I had some rocks chucked at my face. Luckily my face was protected by my helmet, however the visor suffered a serious scratch right in my eyeline. Unfortunately my helmet was discontinued, so there was no replacement visor to be found.

It was tough to let it go, that helmet had been with me through everything, but it was time.

A brand new olive green helmet made its way into my life. Was me being a Halo fan a factor in this choice? I’ll let you decide.

BODY

For the longest time I was racing in stretchy jeans and t-shirts. In 2025 it was time to upgrade to high quality leggings. Maybe because I’m a millennial and I recall the days when leggings were not to be used as pants that I delayed this change. The difference was immediate, the amount of races I could do in a night doubled. For tops, it’s either 100% cotton tees or proper jerseys and even rash guards for warmer days.

FORMAL WEAR

For the Circuit I wanted a suit. This is the first time I had ever raced in one and I loved it. Nothing riding up, everything felt secure. This OMP suit is very lightweight and for cooler days and nights I have a fleece base layer I can slip underneath.

HANDS

I have been through an obscene amount of racing gloves. On thing I have come to despise is Velcro. It sticks to the fabric of the gloves causing pilling which I find unacceptable. When it comes to grip, I prefer pretty damn sticky. For my indoor gloves I got these Alpinestars slip-ons with silicone palm grips. They fit my tiny hands and the grip is REAL.

Of course I bought a couple pairs during a sale. However, I have been using these pink ones for just under six months and am not pleased to see this seam ripping.

For the circuit I love these OMP KS4s. Leather grip and a little thicker for outdoor purposes. They take a beating but so far have hung in there like champions.

THE KICKS

I opted for these Saprco K-Poles and yes they are high top.

I know a lot of you are not fans. As a former figure skater, I like the ankle support, deal with it. Sleek, extremely lightweight, I can feel everything. These have really helped me to listen to karts more as well as take the edge off my ankles.

Obviously I’m not going to rival Lewis Hamilton anytime soon when it comes to track style but for now, it works.

The idea of racing outside never crossed my mind when I started karting. I recall hearing at the start of 2024 about K1 putting together some kind of outdoor track. As the year progressed, rumor turned into fact and then this project had a name, K1 Circuit. A brand new outdoor track with electric karts.

Events were happening in the summer but they were very need to know and invite only. As fate would have it, I met a young Texan karting champ named Kaitlyn while racing at Corona. She was racing in the teen championship at Circuit the next weekend. She put me on her guest list so I could watch her kick ass and see the Circuit. I showed up and watched the races obsessively. I studied the lines and in between races I was reading up on the specs of the karts. My studying continued until December, when it was finally time to get my ass out there.

It was crisp, cool Sunday morning where I woke up at the ass crack of dawn and headed to Hollywood to pick up none other than Kimi.

**For those of you just jumping into Kart Sesh, I nicknamed the person who introduced me to karting as Kimi. As in Kimi Räikkönen, F1’s most charismatic and approachable driver. **

As you may recall, this rat bastard left me high and dry for his sim chair several months back. Luckily, Circuit had him more than curious. It was a 2 hour drive straight East. The location is beautiful desert land with sprawling hills. As soon as we arrived I fell in love with the view. We walked up to the track entrance only to find several familiar faces from Torrance. It was a very adorable hivemind moment.

We watched the safety video, suited up and were in a kart in less than an hour. We left the pit and right as I tackled the first uphill climb, I realized I was brand new all over again. All the studying didn't really mean shit. Everything I had ever raced on was flat and indoors. The only karts I knew were cased in thick bumpers, these karts leave way less to the imagination. I also had to compensate for things like wind.

I decided to slow down and take my time to get to know this new environment. My biggest foe was the goddamn rocks. We had a couple folks in our races who loved kicking up rocks and dust on the track. This creates slip and the bigger rocks feel like boulders when they smack the undercarriage. At a certain point, I got a rock chucked up right onto my visor. I know people often clock me as a brave and even reckless person because I’m a mouthy idiot. This is a misconception. I am perfectly capable of being cautious out of fear and have no qualms admitting it. Despite all the shit I was getting from my peers, on this first day, I was only going to push on my terms.

Meanwhile, Kimi was off like a shot, no copycat opportunity there. I expected as much given his track experience. He fell hard for Circuit after our first race. Something Kimi and I have in common is our default facial expressions are rather stern looking. On this day his face resembled that of a kid sitting among his opened presents on Christmas morning.

We were only racing on the North part of the track. It's very technical with a downhill section that I quickly identified as the spot that scared me the most. A clear indication this was the spot I should focus on first.

Downhill is not what I thought it would be. At first I would lift and slide quite a bit. Then I started putting my foot down more and to my surprise, I found more control. By the end of the day I was feeling more confident in that section, but I would not say my fears were conquered.

I had never felt this intimidated while racing, which only added to the adrenaline elevation. I left understanding I had a lot to learn with a burning desire to get back there as soon as possible.

In 2024 I was karting about 3 days a week. I had lost some weight and my mind was feeling clear. It became an essential part of my routine and overall well being. I may not have been the fastest but I was always keen to show up. I sauntered into Torrance late on a Friday night. It felt like an episode of Cheers. All the regulars were there. A bunch of them were looking at their K1 points, something I hadn’t given much thought to.

The deal is the top 50 drivers with the most points all get a hat. The top three walk away with some cash. Now, is this a pay to play situation? Yes. Did I love the idea of a hat declaring what an absolute idiot I was for karting? Of course I fucking did. I casually pulled up the leaderboard and holy shit, right there at 47, Rebecca Rothschild. I was in the game and didn’t even know it. That placement was a little too close to the cut off point for my liking, I wanted the damn hat.

I was determined to move up on the list. First thing I had to do was commit to racing every Monday for the rest of the year, that’s double points night. I also needed numbers in my races. The more people you beat, the more points you get. I didn’t mind crowds, in fact I liked navigating through packs and keeping my reflexes sharp. I had to show up on weekends when it was packed. This also kept some of the faster folks away which allowed me to cash in a lot of wins.

One drawback to this method is the skill gap. New racers can be brutal on your lap times, spine and sanity. You can spot a problem driver from a mile away. Visor is often up which is great because now they’re squinting. They constantly look back at me coming up behind them instead of focusing on the wall they’re about to eat in front of them. They love braking hard on an apex or opting out of braking altogether. Perfect recipe for T-bones and wall slamming.

I decided to get back in the gym to prepare my body. Leg and arm days were a given. I channeled Fernando Alonso and worked on my neck as well (no, I can't crack walnuts). I also got back into yoga for the sake of my tendons and ligaments. The amount of races I could do in a session was rising. 10 races in a night became a normal thing and I slept like a baby afterwards.

I skipped the final GP in 2024 opting to spend that cash on a points run. I was possessed and also having a lot of fun. I raced my ass off and made it to 35 by the end of the year. The hat was mine and my name would be on the Top 50 board at every K1 for a whole year.

Grabbing that 35th spot taught me a lot about what I was capable of. I made a commitment and stuck to it. I learned that I had developed pretty good racing endurance. I have no regrets about pursuing the points.

2024 was an awesome year of learning and racing. The one thing missing was me getting faster. Luckily, there was something on the horizon that would require me to put my brain back in fast mode.

I didn’t start karting with the delusion that I would be the fastest. However, I do want to be faster, and probably always will. I did 11 GPs in 2024 and not once did I make it into Group A, the fastest group. I was a permanent resident of Group B with a few cameos in group.

After a GP, good or bad, I felt a sense of accomplishment. If it was bad, the one thing I could say to myself was that I drove through the pain and gave it my all. If it was good, I studied what I did like crazy to try and repeat it. Over the months I snagged some medals for myself. I hadn’t managed a 1st place medal yet. The pride I had after a good night in B was fading.

I was starting to feel stuck and defeated. Improvement began to feel impossible and I had this creeping feeling I had hit the peak of my racing skills. I started changing lines, adjusting my braking. My brain was too full, the music was too quiet. I was fixated on a version of myself that didn't yet exist. So of course I was driving like shit.

One night, I looked at my GP medals. I had four and remembered that in the moment of receiving each and every one of them I was proud. I decided to go through and makes notes on the back of them.

Each one was a rollercoaster, none of these medals felt guaranteed. I remembered what I did right, where I fucked up and where I could’ve locked in.

I recall the night I had to fend off a good friend of mine from taking my third place for five laps. Or the time I was in pole position for the final and it got yanked away from me in one deadly pass and I ended up in 2nd. It didn’t matter what group it was, I did some good karting. It’s not like I was the only one pissed off to be in B. There’s a lot of hunger there and a lot of damn fine racers. If I can keep pace with them, I should consider myself at least decent.

I made a commitment to appreciate the capabilities I had in the present. I needed to make peace and accept the driver I was. Otherwise I would have nothing to build on. I could learn, improve AND enjoy my time in Group B. I went over to Torrance on a Friday night. “We Don't Care” by Audio Bullys was blasting all night long in my head. The music was back, my lap times were down. I was smitten all over again.

My plateau in Torrance had shape-shifted into a nasty slump. Kimi stepped back from karting to chase greener, simulated pastures. I decided to hit the road and conquer new tracks in the San Diego area.

Using my brother's home in San Clemente as my home base, I was going to conquer three tracks in one night.

First stop was Carlsbad. Tiny, technical, damn near a flat out track with tiny lift requirements at just the right moment. A great place for me to practice mapping out geometrical lines. I had to be patient with this one, not a lot of places to stretch your legs. I felt slow slow until I found the lines that really let the speed carry through. I did five races and hit the road.

Stop two was San Diego and I was in luck. Roberto Soto, San Diego record holder and fierce karting competitor was racing that night. After a not too shabby first race, I was invited to race with him. I followed his lead for a few races.

San Diego is a lifting track but it takes focus not to scrub the tires. Roberto is smooth and frighteningly fast on exit. Keeping up was a full body workout. I realized I had been lifting all wrong this whole time. It's not like braking. It's more fluid, and in a lot of cases, more brief. I ended up doing five races to really let this lift lesson sink in.

Final stop, the newly opened Chula Vista. New karts, new track. I was frothing at the mouth to try those karts. Little did I know this was also the current residence of William Broderick (@racingwithbrody). At the time he was number one in K1 racing points and also the leader of his local GP series.

I remember walking in and recognizing his name on the racing board. He came out of his race and spotted me immediately. “That woman has a helmet, get her in this race!” I hopped in the kart and learned real quick why this man’s name gets around. No fear, no fucks, crazy fast laps.

The shape of Chula Vista is unique. Big carousel style turns, I was pretty lost. I was also shook by the power of the karts, they were great but steering was stiff. “You're getting stuck out there! Let it rip!” He said.

With these new karts I had to learn to trust them to perform. We were determined to shave a full second off my lap time and after six races, we did it. My arms were completely nuked but it felt amazing. This is where I learned when the kart is good, push it, no fucks given.

Three tracks, 16 races, I karted myself into the ground. I limped back to my brother's house and crawled into the hot tub. This trip was designed to reignite the flame between me and karting and it worked. I sat in that tub grinning ear to ear, eager to get back to Torrance.

Late summer of 2024 was some of the worst karting I had ever done at Torrance. Kimi and I were stuck at 28.2 for months. Naturally he was still several hundredths of a second faster than me. In the spring we were excited at the prospect of summer heat, hoping it would bring the grip of the gods on the track. If only. Everyone was running slower, the karts were just not cooperative. I’m not writing this to raise pitchforks at K1, it’s the nature of the beast when it comes to arrive and drive.

One of the pillars of my karting career was that there were no bad days on the track. An adage Kimi gave to me at the start of this whole thing. We weren’t just having bad days, this was a brutal, sweaty, slump. We were festering at Torrance, 28 second laps were hard to find. The 27 second summer I had planned was nowhere in sight. Unlike the actual Kimi Raikkonen, my partner in karting crime had no yacht to retreat to after a shit day. However, he did have a newly built sim rig.

Our last Kurch session was a humid Sunday morning. We were battling with what seemed like an endless onslaught of shithead teenagers trying to rearrange our spines. We limped off the track after our last race. That’s when he told me he was opting to pursue sim racing seriously and cut way back on karting. Who was I to argue with perpetual perfect conditions and vehicles in peak shape at all times? Not to mention getting more bang for your buck. As much as I wanted to give him shit, I couldn’t.

If at this point you find yourself saying “so he just brings you in and then abandons you?!” Listen, Kimi’s a good friend. I wouldn’t be here without him, he put up with a lot of my shit and taught me everything he knew free of charge. HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean he isn’t TRAITOROUS, ROBOT-HUMPING, TOOLBAG.

So, Kimi went off to be a living room racer. What was I gonna do? Well first thing, I tried sim racing. I sauntered over to World Of Racing on LA’s East side. This place has a fantastic reputation and some very plush rigs. The staff was lovely, the setup was incredible but… I fucking hated it. I know, I know, all you bastards love your sims. I know Verstappen swears by it. I KNOW. I left that lovely establishment woefully unsatisfied, which was in no way their fault.

I knew I wanted to keep karting, but I also needed a break from Torrance. It wasn’t just the karts, I was getting frustrated and driving like shit. I needed a fresh start and luckily there were several tracks I had yet to drive in So Cal. It was time to hit the road again. But now I was rolling solo. No Kimi for me to copy or poke with questions or yell at for getting me into this shit in the first place. Floaties were fully off now.

Kimi fawns over Thousand Oaks for its kart quality and track design. The first time I went, I was solo, couldn’t get him to wake up. It took about an hour to drive up there which was the longest I had driven for some race time.

I got there right at open, there was a birthday party of young kids and a pack of dads. A couple of them asked me if I had brought a party guest. I laughed and told them I was there to race. There was a long pause. Kimi often jokes that he feels like Kramer at the dojo, if you get the Seinfeld reference. They were utterly mystified why an adult would take this so seriously. All I can say is, their loss.

I had the track to myself, with curious dads observing. I noticed immediately these karts were a different generation from what I had been racing. I get out there and right at the first corner I went into a graceful full spin. This happened at several more points on the track. I was totally lost.

I realized I was starting from scratch and for my next two races I slowed down considerably. My goal was to take full advantage of the straight and tackle the first corner without spinning out.

I went at this for the next two races with no success. I stopped spinning out, but I could tell I was lifting too early on the straight. I knew what I needed, but his lazy ass was still in bed.

On my second visit, I gave Kimi a ride, ensuring he would get there. We arrived around noon and the track was packed which meant so were our races. I was hoping to copy cat Kimi as I had done at Torrance but this traffic was brutal. When Kimi was finding clean air, he was flying. I locked in on trying to catch up and something happened.

It was almost as though I was driving through the people in front of me rather than around them. It was an ever shifting, unpredictable puzzle. I had to get into very thick crowds and found myself pretty comfortable there. Finally, I see the back of Kimi’s helmet. However, he had now found more shitty traffic. Instead of lining up behind him, I got ahead of him and took the win for that race.

I left not coming even remotely close to mastering that track. But the thing that stuck out from that day was my abilities in a pack. This entire time I had been avoiding crowds when scheduling my track time.

I was able to navigate thick traffic with minimal contact on unfamiliar territory. Hell, I even liked it. As a bonus, all those bodies on the track kept it warm. There was something about elbows out that felt really natural.

K1 standard races are all about nailing that fast lap. When it came to fast, Kimi reigned supreme, but when it came to having to fight, my lap average often slipped below his. This was the day I stopped trying to get the track to myself.

Back at Torrance, most of my friends are deadly fast. But they have to create those perfect conditions. Often pulling over and sacrificing laps to create a traffic free environment. I wasn’t ready to do that, I paid for the laps, I wanted to use all of them. I liked fighting for clean air, and I was getting pretty damn good at it.

Gotta love the timing on this. I am currently icing my back from a battle training session with Chan who was quoted in my previous post. I hadn’t done this in almost a year. Back then, I was prepping for the June 2024 GP.

I had made my way to the Torrance track on a Monday night. It was dead, but there were two familiar faces. Chan and his practice partner Greg were keeping the track hot chasing each other down. They pulled me in for a session of defensive driving drills a.k.a battle training. The idea is they would knock me around trying to get me off my line. This is something Kimi and I never thought to do. Just because we have our code of conduct doesn’t mean anyone else does.

I will issue a warning now, this shit hurts. You’re going to take big, nasty, dirty style hits over and over again. In a typical GP you might take one or two before a flag comes out. You have to learn to anticipate them and react accordingly. No time to throw your hands in the air to signal to the staff you’re getting banged up. You have to maintain your line. As Chan and Greg went to work I gave them no reaction. Not so much as a glance. As far as I was concerned these were just bumps on the track. Putting a person behind the damage makes it personal and I didn’t want to attach that kind of emotion to it. I left that night begging for an ice pack.

Day of the GP arrives. This was where I could put all the coaching I had received to work. For the qualis, I was FAST. I felt smooth and confident out there. I scored 2nd in the B group for the final. This was a little spooky, I had never been up there before. Kimi wasn’t too far behind in 4th. Part of me was hoping he'd stay close while the other part was worried he could take my position. At the start of the race, the pack got thick and he fell away. There was both relief and fear, he had left me with the lunatics.

There were a few different tough guys that took their turns trying to knock me out of 2nd. Couldn’t tell you who they were, again, I didn’t wanna make this personal. The joke was, after everything Chan and Greg put me through, I barely felt anything. Thus far I hadn’t tasted the podium and that night I wasn’t gonna accept anything less. I finally managed to pull away from the pack. Now I could switch from my ugly defensive line to my sleek fast line. Those last three laps of quiet were heavenly. I realized it’s this moment that you’re fighting for. It felt like it was just me out there as I finished in second.

I finally nabbed my first medal and while I was in the slower group, I was feeling ambitious. The fast boys at the track had been running 27 second laps for months. I was stuck at 28 and decided I wanted a 27 second summer. I also wanted to conquer more tracks. Kimi and I were due for a field trip.

I had become a fixture at the home track. Whether it was a GP or a discount Tuesday, my ass was in a kart. I have to credit Kimi with letting me poke and prod him with a constant stream of questions. Lucky for him, the cast of characters in my karting life had expanded and all of them were eager to teach me. This piece is dedicated to quotes from the awesome and sometimes psychotic folks I have the pleasure of racing with at the Torrance.

“Steer Like A Lady”

This came from the Russian. He raced GTs in, you guessed it, Russia, as well as Asia. In my youth I was a figure skater and had a merciless Russian coach. This man’s accent brings me right back to those days of wanting to hear the coveted, “that was okay.” The Russian was around a lot but kept to himself most of the time. He approached me on a Tuesday night. “You have good reaction time, but the steering is… too much.” He said. “It should be like a dance, smooth. Steer like a lady.” I laughed but took him very seriously. I was honored he gave me his time and I keep my steering at elegant as possible these days.

“You Gotta Have Confidence In Your Line”

True story from one of kindest racers at Torrance who also happens to be one of the fastest. Josh is on the younger side but his consistency is fearsome. His racing style is clean and very adaptive. He bends any kart to his will. There are days I still find myself not feeling sure about my line or whatever other bullshit is in my head. With Josh I am reminded that nobody wins races feeling unsure. You have to own your shit, including your desire to win.

“You’re Not Thinking Out There Are You?”

Kevin is one of the oldest racers at Torrance. He’s up there with the Old Goat and has been throwing karts around for over 20 years. He adores any opportunity to teach. New karters will flock to him after a race and he will always guide them to the track map for a quick lesson. He saw me struggling one night and asked me this question. I looked up at him like a guilty cat. The tune cranking trick I learned back in Burbank was something I couldn’t find that night. He sent my ass home to recalibrate and he was right. No sense spending my money if I can’t be present.

“So You Hit The Wall. Who Gives A Shit?”

This one comes from Chan, current record holder at Torrance. We started karting at the same time and while I become a lunatic, Chan became unhinged. This man has kids, a wife that hates this hobby, and he still shows up like clockwork. His passion makes him intense. When he’s pissed, you can feel the heat radiating off of him. He accepts nothing but pure domination. His fearlessness is something I aspire to, those lap times wouldn’t hurt either. He delivered this quote to me when he caught me braking too much on the second pin because my kart was loose.

“Me Wanting To Pass Is My Problem”

You really thought I would leave Kimi out of the quote post? This was something he said to me right before our first race ever. It’s solid kart craft advice. You cannot be concerned with what’s behind you. This definitely falls under the “fast is in front of you” philosophy Kimi swears by. No one on any kart track owes you shit. You cannot expect someone ahead of you to be a mind reader. You wanna get ahead? Figure it out.

I’m lucky the Torrance track was ground zero for my karting. The community is unmatched. We motivate, teach, and destroy our wallets together. They’ve all made me a better driver and it was about to pay off in the next GP.