The Camarrow Autosport crew didn't really know what to expect going into the 2008 Daytona Kartweek, as it was our first national event, and our first race out of the sportsman class. All we knew is that our competition would put up one heckuva fight, and we weren't disappointed. When we arrived at the track we found that there would be 48 kids in my class - not a bad turnout! We were very consistent all weekend long, finishing 33rd both days, just missing the final by 3 spots in the LCQ's.
It was a very different story however for my teammate Dakota. On the first day, he finished 10th in Yamaha, and HPV was so disappointing that he just gave up on it for the second day! It was a rough first day in Dakota's garage, and everyone was honestly feeling disgusted. Little did we know that Dakota still had something to prove...
The second day started out a little better, with Dakota qualifying 5th in Yamaha Jr. Heavy. I can't tell you as to what happened in the prefinal, but I CAN tell you that the final was nothing short of brilliant. Starting from 5th, Dakota took the lead about midway through the race. At this point his dad walked back to camp and hid behind his trailer, too scared to watch. With one lap left to go, and with Dakota still holding a firm lead, his dad finally made his way back to the fence to watch. That last lap was heart pounding, as we watched Dakota seemingly INCH his way around the track. Finally he crossed the finish line a winner, and his dad just started crying. It was a strange sight to see. Here in front of me a tall , well-built, full grown man just sat crying his eyes out, because he was so proud of his son!
When we all got back to the trailers, Dakota and our friend Cody, who himself is an accomplished karter, said to Dakota's dad with one of those I-told-you-so looks, "You know what this means right? You gotta stop drinking." Dakota's dad replied simply, "That's why I was crying!"
There are many, many things I can take away from my experience at Daytona, but I think there's one obvious lesson to be learned here - never give up. Dakota, being the champion he is, never stopped believing he could win. His triumph, as fantastic and surprising as it was, has inspired me to keep working hard, even when things aren't looking so good. Hopefully my hard work will pay off some day, and I too will be able to create an awe inspiring, mind boggling, scene like the one I saw at Daytona.
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