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| Last minute preparations |
It was over eight years since our last go round of this place, and after the first practice session we couldn't help but wonder why it took so long to get back. Two miles of flat out (and wide) track that most karts don't get to see too often. And although some areas could have used a layer or three of pavement where the cars dug it up, an altered line or two solved what ever issue we thought we'd have for the weekend.
When we last visited the track Sam was barely ten years old. The kart he was in; a flathead Briggs powered full body kart that propelled him to somewhere around 60 miles per hour. Both his mother and I wondered just what in the heck we were doing letting our son play at those speeds.
Now nearly eighteen years old, and behind the wheel of a 125cc water-cooled kart, he averaged 93 miles per hour a lap and found trap speeds in excess of 110 mph on the front straight.
Why in the world was I worried back then when today he has his license? And my car. And girls to impress...
A father can only hope his lessons didn't fall on deaf ears.
Considering we originally had the wrong clutch in the kart, burned through tires at break neck speeds, and chased our tail for the better part of one afternoon trying to find the right gear, we didn't do all that bad.
Saturday's race found us in fifth place at the checker and Sunday we had to settle for a sixth place finish. But the big prize came in the form of the fastest lap time in our class at a 1.19.56. Not too shabby for being a few years away from the track and having a kart that we still felt had a lot left in it when we were done.
So we're off to Badger again for this upcoming weekend and a relaxing trip back to our roots at the local scene. There's something to be said about no pressure and just going out to have fun. Everyone is in a much better mood and the trip back after all is over is a lot livelier. I think we can all use a little of that.
