Sloane's First Season

It's easy to underestimate how much there is to learn when you are starting from scratch. On top of figuring out gas brakes and steering, there are rolling starts, cars buzzing around, flags to watch, not to mention all the other noises and and vibrations that you've never heard before. Off track there is a routine to learn as well, mainly making sure you're ready when your class is up, and staying out of the way when you're not. Sloane had a lot of questions, some of them I had answers for, others not so much. We learned a lot though and had a great time doing it.

On track it was an emotional roller coaster, both for Sloane driving and myself watching. She didn't like crashing into others cars as much as she liked watching it, but we got our first minor incident out of the way mid way through the season. Getting on pace with the rest of the field was a lengthy process. After some gentle encouragement (harassment) over the course of the season to use the gas pedal, I believe the quote at one point was "that is as fast as my body will let me go". So that was that. By her final race though, she was keeping pace with the rest of the group, and I think we're both feeling a lot better about going into next year. She finished off the season in 5th place and brought home a trophy to show for it.

Off track we met some goals as well. Sloane came out of her shell as the season progressed, and managed to go off on her own and chat with some of the other drivers. We were fortunate to be introduced to this racing series by a very positive and supportive family that made sure to take the time to stop by on occasion and offer some words of encouragement. Drivers and parents from all divisions made an effort to boost Sloane's confidence and make us feel comfortable, despite both of us being terribly socially awkward.

Overall it was a good experience, and we are looking forward to doing it again in 2021.