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.