Goals, Books and New Friends

Forgive me for being a bum. I’ve been karting, just not at the volume I had last year. Speaking of which, I had set a goal to make it into the top 10 for K1 Speed Points in 2025 and I got right in at number 10. Some will say the whole points thing is designed to make us competitive idiots spend an obscene amount of money. This is not wrong, but for me it was something more. It was about commitment. Could I kart myself into the ground and still love it? After a year of body breaking Mondays going as hard as 17 races in one day, the answer was a resounding yes. The points meant I showed up. It meant I sharpened my reflexes against a lot of good karters and a lot of inexperienced karters who make the track far more unpredictable. But the points are no merit for being fast. I am capable, but I can be faster. A LOT faster. Fast is this strange entanglement of finite elements like physics and mental fortitude. On one of our trips to K1 Circuit I noticed Kimi’s nose stuck in a book called Going Faster. I had considered asking him to burrow it, but then he gave it to me for my birthday. Guess he's a mind reader now.

I’ve taken karting classes and didn't feel like I learned anything to really improve. This book does what those classes didn't. It presents those finite physical elements in a way I can digest. It gives the how and the why. It allows me to think for myself instead of just following someone else's line. I’ve been reading and re-reading relevant sections. It's empowering.

I made the trek home recently to Chicago and decided to pack my helmet and see how this new found knowledge would play on a brand new track. I headed to the K1 Speed in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Great staff and a wide, sweeping track with unique challenges.

The staff said in their current state, the best time someone could get in those karts was 19.3. In 5 races I managed to go from 20.8 to 19.9. for 3 of my races I had the track to myself. No lines to copy, no traffic. The only thing that could get in my way is me and my own bullshit. I was problem solving on the fly, attacking sections one at a time. I had patience, NOT my strong suit. Maybe because my head was now filled with viable solutions and not just instinctive deviations. I guess there are some things track time alone will not solve.

In another exciting update, I seem to have fallen into a crowd of wiley karting women. Shout out to friend of the Sesh, Chris Buccola for connecting me to Nicole Simone and Blue Fox Racing.

I headed out to K1 Speed in Burbank for their first GP and took home a win.

There were a lot of us, it was really cool to experience. We were all incredibly competitive but we like keeping it clean. It was a good time I will continue to seek out. Shout out Nicole for putting that together. Can't wait to race you again, Red.

Gonna try and keep more consistent on here. The chaos is real these days but there's no better medicine than the track so I’m gonna keep at it.