Catching up

A lot has happened since my last post, back in August 2009. God! August 2009! That's 2½ years ago. Anyway, in that time, I've gone from having a girlfriend to having a fianceé and now a wife. :) Said wife has also started learning to drive, which has required the purchase of a slightly more sensible car: a 5-door, 10-year-old Ford Focus. That said, the 350Z remains in the garage. So, in short, I've grown up, but am still clinging the last vestiges of boyracerdom. ;)

Another thing, pertinent to this blog, that's happened in the past few years is that I've almost completely stopped doing trackdays. The last trackday I did in my own car was February 28th 2009; just under 3 years ago. And I was dreadful. The last track experience I did was a second Palmersport day, in August 2010. Since then, nothing. Well, except for a charity karting event, which hardly counts.

All of this has left me feeling pretty flat about my own motoring/motorsport. The presence of the Focus on the drive has also meant that the Zed gets pretty much zero outings too, as there's always the (self-imposed) pressure to save money on petrol. I've driven it twice in the past month. I probably couldn't hit an apex even if I took the corner at 5mph. :(

Thankfully, that'll be put to the test next Thursday, as I'm off karting at Warden Law with an old mate and some of his colleagues. In the past, I've purposely competed at less than 100% at this type of thing — no-one likes the outsider turning up to a works do and taking home the trophy. People like to see it back in the office the next day. Well, fuck convention. I'm desperate for a bit of competition and desperate to prove — to myself, if no-one else — I can still do it. I want to win. I want to win and I want the fastest lap, preferably by a good margin.

Of course, I've no idea what kind of competition I'll be up against. I wonder whether there'll be someone there with all their own gear. That's always a mixed blessing: they might be genuinely good and therefore too good to beat; or they may be ripe for taking down a peg or two. ;)

Even if there's no all-the-gear, no-idea guy there, I still figure there's a good chance there'll be someone who can drive. So I'd better be on my mettle. Remarkably, I'm actually half a stone (3½ kg) lighter than I was when I last went karting regularly, which should be in my favour... provided I've not simply atrophied. ;) Have to say, I'm really looking forward to it. If all goes well, I'll post the result here. And if nothing appears... well, it's probably fair to assume I'm in a huff. Wish me luck! :)