The older I get, the more everyone around me seems determined to act their age. I’ve never found that especially interesting. And at this point, you could say I’m something of a connoisseur of what these home bodies view as questionable decisions. That is how I ended up on the grid for Round 1 of the Music City Kartplex Winter Ironman Series. One hour in a go-kart, at night, in below-freezing temperatures, with a Southern winter storm closing in fast. My kind of adventure.
Why Karting and Why Ironman
It’s no surprise that I get antsy in the off-season, and karting is a great way practice racing skills during this time. And Music City Kartplex is the perfect place for just this purpose. They offer plenty of public karting sessions, as you see at venues across the country, but what I really appreciate is their dedication to racing. The facility hosts Ironman, Endurance, and Sprint race series year-round, attracting many drivers.
I particularly enjoy the longer Ironman format, as it more closely mirrors the racing conditions I experience in the racecar. Requiring sustained focus and consistency. And even though I would love to put a team together for the Endurance league, I swear, every driver in my age group immediately comments on something about their back. SMH.
However, I have begun asking the younger generation(s) racers, and for this outing, I was joined by Midsouth Time Trial champion and endurance racer Jonas Hannah. (that (s) is hard to stomach, btw.)
Staying Warm
The main focus was to simply stay warm. Driving for an hour in 29-degree weather at 50 mph in an open kart would be no simple task. And that’s not including the wind chill that was probably in the teens. My plan was foolproof … almost.
For my body, I wore a layer of thermals, then sweats, and finally my firesuit. For my feet, I wore wool socks with my racing shoes. This was important because the racing shoes are unvented, unlike the athletic shoes I normally wear. My feet would remain toasty while Jonas’ would freeze in his tennis shoes.
But not as bad as my hands. I guess I didn’t realize how thin racing gloves actually are. I wore a thick nitrile glove beneath my racing gloves, and as you can see in the video, it wasn’t enough. Within 5 minutes, I am already flicking my fingers and clenching my fists to fight the cold.
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
And that is why these longer races can easily relate to the big racetrack. My battle wasn’t with the kart, the track, or the drivers during the one-hour race; it was with my hands. Within 10 minutes, I questioned whether I could finish. Being the racer I am, however, and knowing I had the pace to win, I shut those voices down. I eventually settled on a system of driving the kart with my knees on the straights, flicking and flexing my hands to force blood back into them. But it is that ability to shut out discomfort and get to work that translates to real pace at the racetrack.
Here is another time I drove through physical discomfort. Although I don’t recommend pushing to this extreme. (Miata Hot Foot Solutions)
The Race
I love competition, and Jonas and I were outpaced at the start by a third heavyweight driver, James. Which means we had a scrap from the beginning. And at the very beginning of the video, you can see the acceleration difference 50lbs makes as the 2 lightweight drivers zoom past. I would get caught with cold tires and spin to avoid an already spun lightweight driver on the backside of the track early on. But I would close the gap back quickly to Jonas and James.
Unfortunately, my GoPro malfunctioned again, capturing only half the race. However, it would take me a bit longer than Jonas to pass James, leaving me in the pursuit of Jonas when the video cuts out. Which, ironically, is the more exciting half. In short, I would catch Jonas, we would swap positions a few times before I pull a bit of a lead towards the end. Placing me in 1st, Jonas in 2nd, and James in 3rd for round 1 of the Music City Kartplex Winter Ironman Series.
Winter Storm
After the race, I would retreat back to Northern Alabama, where it would rain for a day and a half straight. But in Tennessee, it would be a different story. With most of the state looking like this, only 12 hours after the Ironman.
GoPro Woes
On a side note, I am a bit frustrated with GoPro. I have been using GoPro cameras for a very long time, and the more recent models have been finicky in racing conditions. Starting with the GoPro 9, they intermittently stop recording or end early for no apparent reason. As such, I am going to experiment with alternate cameras before the race season starts. I’m sure many others are frustrated with the 400-plus action-cam market in general, so I will report back on what works soon.
