My once-and-future racing career

I’ve always wanted to be a racecar driver. I had a few close calls, but didn’t quite make it. I Never had enough money, tools, mechanical knowledge, or a garage to work in. From the lessons I learned from fixing up the moped, I now know that I was reaching too high. I had unrealistic expectations.

I recently realized that I haven’t given up on this dream, but I have to do it right this time. I’m starting at the very bottom and will try to work my way up.

Step 1 is to start going to the arrive-and-drive kart tracks. I started this week at the Orlando Kart Center. This was my first outdoor kart track. I learned a lot. I’ll be trying another outdoor track in St. Petersburg soon.

Step 2 is the troublemaker. It involves settling down near a kart track in a house that has a garage or workshop. Right now, I feel like we could settle somewhere. We’ll have to see how I feel about that when we get back into the Winnebago.

Step 3 is to buy a racing kart and go racing. What I buy depends on what runs at the local track.

Simple enough, but what the cost?

The website Racing Junk has several used karts for sale, ranging from two to six thousand dollars. Then there’s the cost of tools and a trailer to haul the kart.The biggest operating expense seems to be tires. Beyond that, there are entry fees, fuel, and engine rebuilds.

Not cheap, but worth it I think. Of course, as long as I treat everything right, it remains sellable, so it’s not just money down the drain.