Commentary | Day of kart racing at Andersen RacePark leaves head, car spinning
PALMETTO
Going into Thursday's fifth annual Media Kart Day for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, my motto was to drive it like I stole it.
Or to borrow a phrase from Will Ferrell's popular fiction character Ricky Bobby, "I just wanna go fast."
I should have made sure I had a go-kart that wasn't loosey-goosey.
The annual event pitting media teams in a race around Andersen RacePark saw me representing the Herald with members of other media outlets and IndyCar driver Gabby Chaves as our team captain.
We finished seventh out of eight teams.
The pro driver of each team took some laps before rotating with a media member. Each media member took turns completing five laps before exiting back into the pit to switch out with another team member. The pro drivers drove a second stint at the end, racing for the checkered flag.
But racing Thursday wasn't about winning. It was about experiencing a miniature version of what the drivers who will compete at the St. Pete Grand Prix will experience at the end of March.
The event began with a three-lap Mayor's Challenge. St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman won the race, which saw Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn take last after spinning out and failing to finish. Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant placed fourth out of the five participants.
Following that, I got some practice laps in.
Practice was a bad omen, as the engine on the kart stalled out after the first U-turn curve. However, I received some pointers from Chaves prior to the actual race that I was sure to implement.
"I think the biggest thing is not to try to overdrive the car," Chaves said. "A lot of guys that don't have the experience, they try to go way too fast before they have the practice."
Armed with a lead foot, this sports reporter also asked Chaves how much to let off the gas when going into the tight turns.
Chaves said to keep the foot down on the gas, but lightly brake for those spots. And the method is to go wide to in to use the momentum of the kart.
However, the kart used in the competition wasn't the same as the one used in the practice laps.
The gas pedal was a little loose and the back end slid around a bit, so the first lap was a little rough.
Then the pivotal moment in the race: my final lap.
Seizing upon some space, I went to pass a driver and jockey for a better position. So I adopted my mantra and tried to drive it like I stole it.
That quickly failed as I headed into a turn ahead of the opposing driver, but she caught my back end and I spun out into the infield grass.
Getting pushed back onto the track, I navigated the lap and we slipped from first to fourth. Then we went backward from there.
But it was all in good fun.
My other team members included Tampa Bay Times sports reporter Matt Baker, Rocket Sports & Entertainment's Travis Failey and two event photographers in Chris Brut and Chad Donahue.
Racing the slick, paved track at Andersen RacePark yielded lots of adrenaline. The hardest part about leaving was adjusting back to driving a regular car. But it was a signal to leave the racing to the professionals.
The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be held Sunday, March 29.
"I think when you combine the fans, the atmosphere, the race cars and an awesome street race track, I just think it makes for a great show," Chaves said.
A show happened Thursday in Palmetto, too, but it's time to let the pros do the racing.
Jason Dill, Herald sports reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7017. Follow him on Twitter @Jason__Dill or on his Facebook page at Jason Dill Bradenton Herald.
This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Commentary | Day of kart racing at Andersen RacePark leaves head, car spinning."