An Open Letter to My Youth Drivers as we wrap up another Race Season

We believe in our Youth Driver\’s Dreams of achieving Professional Race Car Driver status and desire that each of them to have a long and successful career in Motorsports. One thing is true about our drivers, you have to Earn your Wins and Podium Finishes at KAM and we don\’t just hand out Championship Cups to everyone. In fact, only the Top 5 in each class even get a Cup, making it a very sought after and coveted racing prize to own.



We are especially proud of our Drivers and their racing accomplishments. We take pride in knowing that we had part in their Driver Development and it\’s our goal to lay the foundation for them to go on to higher levels competition with the skill sets & techniques needed to compete at the big tracks when the time comes.



But for now, we want to keep you in Outlaw Karting for as long as we can so we can continue to enjoy you here at KAM Kartway.  All our Class Champions are talented and skilled drivers, otherwise they wouldn\’t be in the Top 5 – so maybe you didn\’t get the end results you aimed for but don\’t let that discourage you…the competition is fierce at KAM and I\’ve heard people say that if you can race up front at KAM Kartway you can go anywhere and race.



KAM drivers have a long history of dominating at other tracks and special events and the off-season Indoor races. Just know that you are a part of that and our #KAMFam includes dedicated drivers who strive for best with big dreams and goals that continue to push them to be their best. Our drivers know that they are fast becoming a skilled professional in Outlaw Karting as they move up the ranks from their humble Beginner status, and may not always get the finish they wanted but putting on a good race show for the spectators in a hard fought, wheel to wheel competition with his fellow racers is always more important than getting a win (especially if it was an easy win with no hard effort given). Being pushed to the limit and beyond makes our drivers the best the sport has to offer and are among the best Sportsmanship contenders in the racing community. Our KAM Drivers make me so proud. Mike and I are your biggest fans and we will support you throughout your racing careers.



We have to take a lot of negative feedback and criticism along with harsh behaviors from some Race Parents (most of time it\’s not even slightly warranted), but it\’s all worth it in the end if our drivers learned a lesson, a new skill-set, or a new driving technique that was mastered after many failed attempts. Those things will prove to be more important to your racing career giving you a race resume & driver stats to be proud of. Just taking the checkered flag for a win especially when it wasn\’t an honorable win (ie: You EARNED it) cripples a driver talents and skills because they didn\’t have to give any extra effort.  When you don\’t have to fight for a top finish order in a stacked or highly competitive race event with a full field of equally skilled drivers, you simply can\’t be the best driver I know you are meant to be.



So kids, don\’t let anyone make you feel bad for not winning a race – because I bet you learned from your experience and like I said, that is what develops new and improved skill-sets and driver techniques that other drivers don\’t gain because their parents bullied the race officials to get their way or put them on a track with little to no competition just so they would secure wins and collect trophies. They are only being set up to fail in the end. I promise you that a trophy or title isn\’t worth crap if you didn\’t \”earn\” it. That hardware only means something if it was the hardest thing you ever had to do as a racer to get it. And don\’t let the mistakes you make bring you down because those are learning opportunities that will make you a better racer in the end, and for the most part are necessary mistakes to make to developing and improving your driving techniques.



It\’s hard I know because your non-racing friends and family want you to win – they all but expect you to win.  You are being associated with a \”Race Car Driver\” status – a celebrity in the making in their eyes. The sport has a prestigious status and racing is something that all kids dream about.  Don\’t get caught up in any negative behavior or entitled way of thinking or acting, because that will derail your racing career faster than anything. Take your lumps with a grain of gratitude that you get to do what you love in a sport that others can only fantasize about and keep a good attitude and respect the race officials who only want to teach you the sport and wish the best for you.  Demonstrate a good Sportsmanship character and you will be a respected racer among your racing peers and the officials. You will also get adoring fans that will love you in droves and pledge their undying loyalty to you as they come out to the track just to watch you race. And remember that You are living your Dream. I can\’t wait to see what you do in the future and how far you will make it – I bet you go to the highest level of Motorsports that you desire for your race career ambitions, and I will be right there cheering you on.