CRKC Race 1 & 2 Recap

The reason I signed up to race in the CRKC arrive-and-drive series on top of club racing this year is simple: seat time.

Every lap is another opportunity to work on racecraft, build confidence and learn lessons that carry over into my club racing program.

The last two CRKC races were a great reminder of why that's so valuable.

CRKC Race 1 – May 18

Race 1 started with a solid qualifying session that put me P3 on the grid. The race itself was a bit of a battle.

The kart never really felt quite right all evening, and I spent most of the race trying to make the best of what I had. The pace wasn't where I wanted it to be, but sometimes racing is about maximizing the day you're having rather than wishing for a different one.

By the end of the race, I had worked my way up to P2 and a podium finish.

There was also one important lesson from the evening: Never choose Kart #9 again.

Whether it was the kart, the driver, or pure superstition, that thing felt slow all night. The official Dinescu Racing engineering department has permanently blacklisted Kart #9 pending further investigation. 😂

CRKC Race 2 – May 30

Race 2 brought a completely new experience: my first-ever pole position.

After spending most of the season trying to work my way forward from the middle of the pack, seeing my name at the top of the timing sheets felt pretty special.

That was exciting right up until I realized something: I've never actually started a race from pole before.

When you're used to lining up behind everyone else, being the one responsible for leading the field to green suddenly feels like a pretty important job. 😅

The race stayed close from start to finish. I wasn't able to hang on for the win, but I crossed the line in P2, just 0.526 seconds behind the leader.

Losing by half a second is a little frustrating, but it's also a nice reminder of how much progress we've made.

Building Confidence

One thing people might not realize is that I'm actually supposed to be racing in the teen category because I'm turning 13 in June.

Unfortunately, I'm still a little too small to comfortably fit in the full-size rental karts. Even with the seat all the way forward and the pedal extensions fully extended, reaching everything properly is still a challenge.

For now, that means racing in the youth category and using every opportunity to gain experience.

A first-ever pole position, two podium finishes, and a lot of valuable laps later, I'd call these two races a success.

The extra seat time is helping build consistency, confidence and racecraft. The podiums are nice, but the biggest win is knowing that every lap is helping me become a better racer. It's only a matter of time until those lessons start showing up in my club racing results too!