Racing again

It's been a long time since I've done any motor racing, far too long in fact; there's good reasons for it, the cost, the fact that it's really taxing on the body (and I'm getting older) but mostly it's time related. I miss it.

I used to race karts as a younger man and enjoyed it a lot. I'd tinker on my kart for weeks preparing for a race and then go out and have a great time racing against others and finishing first getting a place in the top ten or so usually, maybe even closer to the pointy end sometimes. I was good at it, not the best, but I had a lot of fun though and that's why I was there.

I loved the technical aspect, finding small increments of speed through settings on the kart and the personal improvement aspect of driving better but as things progressed I wasn't able to throw new parts and equipment at it like the other top guys did and that meant I was racing with a handicap. In the end, I decided to stop and sold off my kart and all the bits and pieces that went with it. A sad day.

Since then I've driven from time to time and loved it, but always regretted selling off my kart despite it being the best decision at the time.

A couple days ago a friend called and offered me a chance to drive again and I jumped at it. There's nothing locked in yet but we're working on it for one of the weekends coming up soon and I'm confident we can make something work. It's a one-off drive, a track day, but I'm really keen. Time to break out the old racing suit and see if it fits. Ok, I'm that excited I've already done that! (It fits perfectly.)

I'm really excited about this opportunity and will make the most of it.

Have you ever done something that you've eventually had to stop doing for one reason or another? What was it, why did you love it and what caused you to stop? Do you regret stopping and if so how have you dealt with it and, the big question, do you think you'll get another chance? Comment if you'd like.