Racing, and seeing things through

My son has been pestering me for the better part of the year about this box which he keenly spotted in the garage:

I hesitated because I didn’t know if there’s any sort of indoor track near Minneapolis that we could go to and race.

I had at many times contemplated selling it all since it had been boxed up since I moved back to Minnesota in 2008. Back then I inquired lightly at the hobby shop about racing outlets but didn’t get much traction. Besides with a baby on the way, who’s got time for hobbies?

R/C Racing

One recent winter afternoon I gave in to my now 5 year-old son, and pulled down my car. I was pleasantly surprised to see that after a quick charge, it still ran as fast as ever. So is there a track to race at? YES there are two – one in St. Louis Park and one in Woodbury.

This is where things quickly go downhill for me. I had put this car away for 5 years. When I brought it back down I found an unpainted body I had purchased in January 2008 specifically for racing – 6 months before I moved back to Minnesota. To jog my memory I went through my email and found a conversation I started with one of the nitro racers where I had lived in Las Vegas. It was about rebooting an electric racing series now that brushless motors and lithium batteries were on the scene.

Seeing it through

Nothing obviously ever came of the email, but now I feel like I need to finish what I started. I have some sort of hang-up when it comes to seeing things through. I get bent out of shape when others don’t, and now I was doing it to myself. Whether it’s a season in a sport, scouting, or marching band – you should do it to it’s completion before you decide you don’t like it and quit.

Hang up your cleats after the last whistle, not at halftime. There’s something satisfying about completing a season. Putting your equipment away knowing that you set out do something and now it’s done.

It’s a stupid analogy, but for me it’s time to reboot the (electric) car craze, and see if I can hold my own.