"I've never had so much fun on a go-cart!" That's what we all kept saying. It must be true if everyone in your group keeps repeating the same thing over and over. How fast were they? 40 mph. I'm not sure if the go-carts I've driven/ridden in the past went this fast, but 40 mph is the speed that was advertised at this specific race track. So is the speed what made it so much fun? Not even close.
It had been raining earlier that day, and we didn't think to look at the size of the track before we bought our tickets to race. When we rounded the corner, the adrenaline running through my veins began to diminish. I am a competitive person. Being the middle child of five, there was always something to win. "Race you there." "Last one to finish has to do the dishes." "I bet you can't do this." Its amazing as much as we competed that none of us became professional competitors. Of course I was taught that its ok to lose every once and a while, but I don't like it. The way I look at it, there's only one first place, all the rest are behind, and if you give it your best, you'll be in that first place. As we grew up, the challenges became harder. When we moved my brother to Utah, it was like the ultimate race. We had a few planned stops along the way, and the first one there would reap the bragging rights. We also figured out that as we drove across the state of Wyoming, we could literally road test the vehicles to see how fast they really could go. Pedal to the metal, needle on the dash past the last number, we maxed out all three of our rides in that state, and even tried to go faster than their max as we descended down a few hills, closely watching the GPS speedometer. Talk about a rush. Drive a SUV at about 120 mph while watching for cops. Shew, my first speeding ticket ever I was caught going 95 mph...needless to say, I like to go fast.
So, back to the races. My adrenaline definitely slowed down when I saw that track. Part of the track was covered and part was open air track. It looked like it would be fun, IF the outside part was open. Since it had rained earlier that day, the outside part of the track was closed off, leaving a small loop track that was covered. As we watched the other racers, the claimed 40 mph looked slower than I could ride my bike. Just going around in a loop wouldn't require much strategy...get in front and stay in front. One of my closest friends was with me this day, and we began discussing "tag team" efforts to make sure we could win our challenge of the day. As we are plotting, one of the employees at this track armed himself with what looked like a backpack leaf blower and went to the outside track. Oh what excitement began to emerge in the awaiting racers. We could only hope the track conditions could improve enough so that we could race outside...and they did.
There was one more group that needed to race before we would buckle into the first ever go-carts I've driven that had spoiler tails above their rear engines. As we watched this group perform, I began analyzing each car/driver to pick the one I wanted to race. The outdoor track was still wet enough to cause some steering problems for the racers. Some drivers would spin out as they tried to go around a turn. There was one woman who kept ending up coming into the pit area sideways...that was the one I selected. Apparently I've gotten a reputation as being an adventurous person the last few years. Anyways...our turn was coming up...and adrenaline was pumping. I've been asked not to come back to a few go-cart tracks before but I have never been able to drive as reckless as the ones we had just watched. They were literally out of control. Before I knew it, I was going through the gate toward my rental ride.
The car I wanted to drive was the fourth from the front, but that didn't worry me. I'm good at bumping and clipping other cars to allow room to pass, so there was no need to fret. The employee who opened the gate told us to get in the six cars from the back...bingo...this made my car the front car of our group. We harnessed in securely as the man told us that we would really need to learn to use our brakes in the turns. Brakes? Yes, I knew most go-carts had brakes, but i had never used them. "Pssshhhht" I thought to myself. Who needs breaks? It will be more fun without them!
We peeled out of the pit as soon as we were given the signal. As we drove from the covered area to the outdoor area the throttle kicked in and we were going about as fast as usual for go-carts, or so it seemed. I slid a little in the first turn and thought the drivers before us just had no clue how to drive. I didn't wipe out in that turn...what was their problem.
“Then, the rain came. Then, the rain came.”
It started sprinkling steadily at that moment and I only hoped they wouldn’t stop us from racing. As we progressed around the track, I glanced over my shoulder to see where my competitors were. The next racer was a little ways back so I felt at ease that this race was definitely won. The loop was almost over and I was coming upon a sharper curve ahead. It was almost a 180 degree turn on an incline as you approach the turn. There was a downhill slope to the track after the turn, which I thought would be great to build up a little speed. As I turned the wheel through the curve, I suddenly realized why the safety instructor had emphasized the use of brakes. I slid almost backwards into the side railing as I tried to steer and regain control. Luckily I stopped in a wide spot of the track with enough room to right my way. I checked the situation. I had went from first place to fifth. I began working my way through the ranks to regain my composure. At one point I pulled into the covered area with all of the other cars in a pile up. Luckily I arrived just as a few were able to pull through the wreckage. I had moved from fifth to third, and was moving up fast. The next moves were almost priceless. As I started to slide through another curve, I was just close enough to the person in second place to give him a little bump to let him know I was there. When I bumped him, the car infront of him must have bumped him also because he started to turn and lose control. I believe that moment I helped him learn the fun of riding sideways. As the driver infront of me and I pulled into the track we were motioned to park, and we pulled in behind some of the other drivers. Apparently last pile up was the end of the line for them and we were allowed to finish the last lap. In conclusion...I went from first, to fifth, to second on the best go-cart adventure I've ever driven.
Moral of the story: Never give up when you think you are losing a race, because you might just make your way back to the front.
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