I went for a two-day test with AKT Racing in Orlando Florida. The experience of driving on a different track was fantastic, made all the more interesting by Hurricane Hermine. This gave us two full days of driving under monsoon conditions, all under the watchful eye of Gonzalo Aponte, National Champion and team owner. Because of the conditions, I was able to work on braking technique, and the finer points of driving a kart at racing speeds under the worst of conditions. I drove on slick tires all the way, both on a team FA Kart, powered by a Senior MAX and on Gonzalo's own Championship-winning Senior ROK powered FA. Evening's were great, as we were able to visit Disney Springs, a shopping and dining area that is fun and entertaining. Those two days were hard work, but it was well worth it, as I think it made me a better driver overall.
Racing in the rain takes a lot patience in the beginning, and thereafter a lot finesse and control. The track never really got dry those two days, so there was no let up on the track conditions, and using slicks meant I had to be extra careful. I'm happy to say that I was able to get up to competitive racing speeds very quickly, and was also able to hone and fix some little issues here and there that are worth tenths of a second here and there - even in the dry. Many thanks to AKT Racing in Orlando, for great instruction and a wonderful (if wet!) experience.
