Race Recap - TRAK Race 5

This weekend was supposed to be about building on the progress we've been making lately.

And for most of the weekend, that's exactly what happened.

Practice started off really well. Instead of finding one quick lap and then falling off, I was able to keep putting together laps within a few tenths of each other. That's something we've been working really hard on, and it feels really good to see it starting to come together.

My fastest lap was only a few tenths away from several drivers further up the order, and the kart felt much more predictable than it has earlier this year. So far, so good 👍🏻

Sometimes racing has other plans...

Then my mechanic noticed something strange. The tires were wearing unevenly, which usually means something isn't quite right with the alignment. The team went to work to fix it before the pre-final we were good to go.

So we thought...

When I went out on track, there was a noticeable wobble. The pace dropped off and the lap times became inconsistent. It was pretty clear something just wasn't right.

We kept working on it between sessions, and the team threw everything they had at it before the final. Friends from other teams even jumped in to help. That's one of the coolest things about the karting community, by the way.

We came sooo close, but for the first time in my racing career, I never even made it to the starting grid. Officially, it goes down as a DNS (Did Not Start) 😩

Racing doesn't always feel fair

Sometimes race results have nothing to do with how you drive, and it's important to remember it's all part of the experience.

The good news is that I got back on track the very next day for a few laps before my CRKC Race and the kart felt great.

That doesn't change what happened on Saturday, but it was nice to know we've found and fixed the problem.

I'm already looking forward to getting back at it next weekend.

And on another positive note, the new livery from OMX Graphics looks slick, even if it was just sitting in the paddock 😂

---

A big thank you to Team UltraKart and my sponsors: TDot Wraps, Glasslake Funding, NGD Services, Durham Wealth Planning Group and Clarke Engineering. Thanks to your support, I'm able to compete, learn, and keep improving every time I hit the track ❤️