The plan is that once I leave work I'll go pick up the readied trailer, stop by one of a couple places to get 110 octane fuel, then be at the track by 6:30. I suspect this will be much like heading to church the night before Christmas as a 6 year-old. You have no idea why it must last so long, and it is the same story you heard last year.
9-hours later
Talking about karting at work did not help the time to pass. I got a couple of "good lucks" from friends and some chatting with my racing buddy Ken wrapped up the end of my work day. Tonight, I was going to be "That awesome guy in the suit". Out of the way Mr Ferrari, I'm faster.
I arrived and hitched up the trailer without a -- hitch. Once on the freeway the entire scenario was starting to seem more real than when I bought the kart and towed it home. I was finally that guy on the way to the track. No spectating tonight for me. I could see the kart atop the trailer in my rear view mirror Actually, that was all I could see in the rear view. As people kept passing me concluded I needed to make a placard for the back on the trailer. On the left side it would say, "This trailer does 55 -- so go around." On the right side it would say, with an arrow pointed up, "But this does 120, so move-it"
After driving to two of my 'locations' to get fuel and still empty handed, I noticed something rather rare in Arizona. Rain. Rain in a dark column. Rain in a dark column amid blue skies directly NW of where I was getting fuel at my 3rd and last hope for where people still sell 110 fuel. What is NW of where I was at that time? The track. God thought it funny to show me a beautiful morning, then piss right on where I was about to go racing. The entire valley was clear skies, but the track was right in the narrow path of what would become a puddle. Luckily the guys at Innovative Karting did still sell fuel. Once I stepped outside again the rain seemed to be moving on, but now the whole of the sky was darkening.
Yet I will not give in hope, nor turn my head in shame, I ventured on to the track and gave my racing buddy a call. He said 'It's on'.
So I arrived at the track and he starts giving my kart a good once over. Since I still have zero experience with setting up a kart, he played in invaluable role in helping me out that evening. He's also not a fan of looking at the camera. So between me only showing a helmet, and he only showing a hat, I guess no one really knows who the hell we are.
The stage was set. It was newbie night so I figured I'd be with newbies. Do 10 year-olds that have been driving for 2 years still count as newbies? I feared not. worse comes to worse I'd rely on my greater top speed.... or something.
In the pictures above you can see a small canister where the steering wheel used to be, that's to bleed the brakes of any air-bubbles. By pushing brake fluid into the master cylinder (where most of the brake fluid sits until you push it with the brake pedal), you can open small holes at the bake calipers (the part that grabs the wheel to slow down) and let air leak out. Once that is complete the brakes will function smoothly.
So all was said and done after about 2 hours of help from Ken. Then, as would be expected with the dead give-away from before. It rained.
But we didn't come here for a boring story, so after about an hour of light rain and moderate winds, the track seemed clear and dry enough and I said "Lets do it"
My trusty camera was of course running, enjoy the show.
The after math
So it turns out I'm not that shitty a driver, it's just that my left wheel had a broken king-pin and that threw everything out of alignment. This pin was likely bent before I'd even bought the kart. But none-the less I'm almost glad for it, because the follow day, every muscle and every joint in my body was sore. So if the kart was functioning at full force, I'd be even worse off physically.
But the ride was still a cacophony of unprecedented physical sensations and fear. Like riding a roller-coaster for the first time, or meditating deep in the mountains, all else faded away from the track. It was me, the karts, and the road. While I did experience fear throughout the entire ride, and accelerations that I could only describe as "uncomfortable" at times; the belief that I knew I would be safe brought a calm I haven't felt for a very long time.
Thus after an excellent first time out, it was now time to inspect, repair, and learn all about the kart.
Below are the broken parts.
The king pin is the part that allows you to turn each front wheel. That was bent (the one on the right is bent just above the threading only about 5 degrees) and did not allow the wheel to rest level on the pavement. The broken bearing.... that shouldn't look like that and it actually fell apart in my hand.
So next episode will likely be about repairing the steering, the brakes, and the motor. Maybe even give the kart a small bath of love.
So until next time,
-S
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