Back From The Burn
What did Burning Man do to my Karting?
I’ve been reading a lot about self-preservation when it comes to drivers. This also included a gem from fellow Substacker Terrance 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.