a lot of work

last night i learned something about myself. i was racing my go-kart in hartley, ia and in hot laps (the practice session before the actual races) i was the fastest on the track by far.

So, in my typical fashion, i hit the wall in my first heat race, destroying the right rear wheel and bending the rear axel (unrepairable). i sat on my trailer, looking at the mess in front of me, and thought for sure that my night was done and i let a sure win slip through my fingers cuz i was a dumbass.

Then something happened. i got a call from a racing friend of mine who heard how dejected i was and said two simple words: "fix it." i laughed at him. no way would we be able to find a new axel and a new wheel in time, right? well, the spirit of fellow racers again caught me off guard. the guy pitting next to us loaned me a wheel, and i found a guy who used to race against my dad, who sold me a used axel for $20 (theyre normally $120).

so we had the parts, but changing an axel is a ridiculous amount of work. it involves completely removing and replacing 30 different pieces, tightening and lossening countless bolts, all under the pressure of time.

over the course of the next hour and a half, my uncle, dad, and i worked like crazy to change the axel. we had to skip the second heat race, which meant i would have to start from the back in the feature.

we were literally tightening the last bolts when my class was ready to hit the track for the feature race. we ran up, started the kart and hit the track.

i promptly drove to the front and won the race. never had a better feeling. at least until i realized i destroyed the guys wheel i borrowed because we forgot to tighten one bolt that wouldve kept that tire in place.

1 broken wheel (mine) + 1 bent axel + another broken wheel (that guy's) = a race win? that's racin' i guess. im just proud of myself and my dad and uncle for working so hard. it makes all worth it when i cross that line first.

and you know what? i'd do it again in a heartbeat.