My 13yo son races KAjr. It’s our 2nd full season in the class, and 8th season of racing. We hold our own at club races against kids who are top 5 at Rte66 and race USPKS and SKUSA pretty regularly. He recently finished 10th at Rte66 at Road America.
For the first time in his life, he probably won’t have a winter sport to occupy our time. This has me considering trying a SKUSA winter series race.
My concern is, are we worthy? He’ll likely be a backmarker, and I don’t want to be laughed off the track or cause issues for other racers.
The goal is to experience this level of racing before it’s too late (he’ll likely physically outgrow his kart in a few years), and I hope that it translates to a better start to our 2024 racing season.
To be completely honest, you will probably be in the back. But that shouldn’t stop you, it’s a great opportunity to learn and see how the top drivers in the country operate.
The level of the winter series is a bit lower than the actual Pro Tour, but still far higher than a Route race, especially when you consider you will be on a track you aren’t familiar with. That’s a huge consideration when thinking about what level your driver is at. Lots of drivers can hold their own at home but don’t actually have the technical prowess needed to compete on other tracks. They are driving by feel and muscle memory.
But continually pushing yourself and getting your butt kicked is how you learn and keep from plateauing. If money isn’t an issue and the risk of damage isn’t a concern, go for it. Also note that there may be an LCQ so there could be a chance you don’t make the final. Although I don’t think there was this last year.
Ideally you would run a Route race at an unfamiliar track first to really get a feel for how you stack up when you aren’t on home turf. That can be a nice stepping stone.
The new track will definitely hurt us, and I’m anticipating that. It took all weekend to get fast at New Castle for round 1 of Rte66 this year. Ended up 19th out of 28 I think.
From a money standpoint, we could probably only do 1 event.
If we made it out of the SKUSA weekend in 1 piece, that would be a victory. If we made it to the final, that would be icing on the cake.
After 8 years, our racing program is more about the experience and creating lifetime friends and memories. We are not on the racing ladder, as we’ll never go beyond go-karts.
But if we can get a little better every year, and I think experiencing a SKUSA event could contribute to that, it makes the journey even more fun!
Blake will most likely be near the back of the field but as you said it’s about the experiences. Take a week off. Rent a place on the ocean or a lake depending on location and throw in some racing.
You’ll never get these days back. Make the memories while you can. The kid will be off to college and living his own life before you know it.
Absolutely go. He will unquestionably be better by the end of day 1 than he’s ever been. By the end of a weekend, he’ll be a different kid. Racing those crazy folks in Florida will do that for you - it is the single best skill level-up that you’ll find anywhere.
Before you try to do a second week, consider going early to the week you can commit to. The track is open all week for practice and the practice is worth every bit of what the race weekend is worth. The truth of the matter is that everyone there thinks you can win every corner, you can win a practice session and you most definitely can win a race in the first corner. And I say that in the best way possible - you are on your A game all week long.
Don’t spend the money on a tent service but find someone that will share knowledge if you can. What kind of chassis are you on? It’s worth a couple bucks a day for gearing and tire pressures if you can find someone. If you find someone willing to work with you on data and video and has a driver in the same class though, pay that day rate if you can budget it.
I’ve always wanted to run a Camp GDI (God Damned Independents) at those events to help make it easier for folks just like you to go, learn, have fun and not break the bank.
Except for the team tent. I would suggest a team tent where all the kids can watch all the other kids videos. I feel this will expedite the learning process. A team tent that allows you to be the mechanic or co-mechanic will also level up your tuning skills.
And I say that in the best way possible - you are on your A game all week long.