Vicki Baker
Get ready racers. Rev your engines. And put the pedal to the metal. Girls on Wheels were looking for something new and exciting to do; we were looking for an adrenaline rush and found it at K1 Speed – indoor go-kart racing. Most people picture go-karts as loud, smoke-belching beasts that guzzle gas. But these were high-performance, all-electric go-karts which can reach top speeds of 45 mph.
When we first entered, a chipper greeter ushered us to a bay of computers to sign an electronic waiver form. As first-time racers, we were required to sit through a quick training and safety briefing that stressed the rules, such as no alcohol consumption before racing and no bumping, and the meaning of the various colored flags used throughout the race. After our helmet fitting, we got behind the wheel and settled into our electric-powered cars.
The checkered flag was waved signaling the start of the 14-lap race, and we put the pedal to the metal. We experienced the rush of speed, adrenaline, and competition as we negotiated around the many tight bends and accelerated on the straight-a-ways up to speeds of 20 mph. Using a sophisticated lap timing system, our lap speeds and times were recorded. With system accuracy all the way to 1000th of a second, we were able to determine the best and fastest driver. (The overall winner has the quickest average lap speed). Connie Bjella came in first for all three races with her best lap speed of 21.347 seconds. For the rest of us, just finishing was exhilarating enough.
In the words of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, “Second place is just the first-place loser”. With all due respect to the racing legend, it didn’t matter who came in first, second, or last place, because with friendship, everyone is a winner.