Words To Race By

'Nuff Said

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.