Washington Post article

I just finished reading the article about the young go-kart drivers who wish to become Formula 1 drivers. I am extremely disappointed in how this article focused on only the extreme aspects of Karting. 

I have been go-karting since I was little (around 6 years old), and it is the single most valuable thing for him in my life. I have a love for science and technology and outer space, but the one thing that has always and consistently brought a smile and a deep sense of satisfaction and purpose to me is karting. 

Of course I know that the article covered the terrible circumstances surrounding the high financial cost of the karting world, but I didn't get the feeling that it really represented the heart and soul of karting, which is a sport just like any other. It encourages a sense of ownership of one's self, and it requires immense dedication and grit. 

I like to think that I am extremely bright, but I will admit that I also can sometimes struggle with traditional academic and social settings. So when I get out on the track, which is every day that I have time to get there, I show up and race, which allows me to fulfill a part of myself that I have had difficulty finding anywhere else in my life. 

The fact of the matter is, there are so many wonderful karting teams here in the United States that you could have interviewed as well. Yes, the cost is absolutely insane, and me (and my family too) have definitely made sacrifices in order to be able to pay for my sport. While we do live comfortably, all of us are definitely not rich by anything close to the standards which you described in the article. 

At our local track, which is north of Atlanta, I can say with confidence that most of the kids families are in the same or similar situation regarding their finances.  I know that there are definitely a few families there that would be counted as pretty wealthy, but there are some others who literally just grew up near the track, and so that was the thing that they got involved in despite not being rich. They work at the track in order to get track time. They work on the kids' or adults' go-karts in order to be able to pay for their own go-kart. 

What really upsets me about this article is that because of the way that it was written and the way in which karting was presented, I'm seeing tons of comments come up every few seconds that are calling the sport abusive, sickening or some other negative view. I absolutely believe that your article and the way that it was presented is causing people to create very firm negative beliefs and feelings about my passion. 

I sincerely worry that people that we know might read this article and form a negative opinion of me and my family. 

I can't speak about the lives or the personal feelings of the kids in your article beyond what you printed, but as for me, I would be out on the track all day every day if that were a possibility. My new coach recently expressed his astonishment that if he didn't call me off the track to go over film footage and technique, I would just keep going, and not just keep going, but getting progressively faster laps every lap as I was learning the track and the kart more and more, even without coaching, but that's besides the point. 

Will I eventually get scouted or trained to eventually become an F1 driver? Possibly, but I also recognize that it's unlikely. Is the sport stressful and demanding? Absolutely. But so is any other sport or physical activity that any person, young or old, is deeply involved in and dedicated to. 

I ask that the authors come by and talk to the "regular" people who love racing. Our home track is Atlanta Motorsports Park (AMP), but other tracks we love are Trackhouse in N.C., Monticello Karting and Motorclub in FL, and Orlando Karting Center, also in FL. 

Two last points: 
1) I'm only fairly sure of the rules or kart structure in Europe, but karts in America (and karts competing in both the World Karting Association, and FIA World Karting Championship) do not have seat belts. I noted in the article that when the one child flipped their cart, it was described that they were "strapped in." 

Since there aren't any safety cages or roll bars, there are no seat belts used because you don't want the child or adult to be trapped under the kart as it slides upside down at 30 mph. The idea is that they should be able to get flung away from the kart and crash site as quickly as possible. It sounds insane, trust me I know, but there are actually very few fatal crashes in karting. 

It's also important to note that all of these children and adults wear excellent protective gear, including road burn resistant suits, rib cage protectors, neck support apparatuses that prevent whiplash, and of course their helmets which must meet strict safety requirements. 

2) if you really want to get a better and more complete picture of the karting world, then I recommend that you also speak to some of the adult drivers. There are drivers out there who are in their late 60s. Their division is usually called "Masters" or "Legends." (at least in LO206, they're called "Masters" and "Legends" which is pretty much entirely in Europe, I'm not sure about in Europe if it's the same thing for KA100, but this is the case for LO206 in America)

All I hope for is that those who wrote the article either edit the article, or create a follow-up article that has more complete and accurate information about the driver's perspective on Karting too.