Go-kart season starts tomorrow, and I can’t wait to see everybody in our karting club. Karting is remarkably supportive, and it’s a family activity – so our competitors have become our good friends. You should see for yourself – come check out the track in Ravenna on a raceday sometime this summer (tomorrow is “rookie day” and practice – the first time we can get on the track).

I’m very proud of the work that I’ve done on Gus’s kart to get it ready. Check out these knuckles:

That’s not a scrape, it’s a burn – I was using a cutting wheel to fabricate a bracket, and the sparks burned through my gloves! The bracket’s awesome, though.

I can’t thank my friend Chuck enough for all his help in getting the kart simplified. With his help, I’ve learned how to use a chop saw, grinder (soft and hard pad), cutting wheel, sanding belt … he thinks I’m even ready to weld now.

The main benefit of all this work is that the kart won’t require so much work on race days. When I do need to work on it, everything is easy to remove and put back. I’ll take pictures showing the difference over the summer.

Now all I need is a bit more grease under those fingernails, and I’ll be a real gear-head.