It was thrilling and very humbling to participate in this great event this year. I was one of about 46 cyclekarts that showed up for this event.  What a magnificent collection of cyclekarts and builders.

I had barely finished my cyclekart in time for this event.  I was up until late the evening before fixing the brakes and packing all the items for my pit.  I was almost too excited to even get to sleep.  I had dreamed and anticipated this event for one year now, ever since I attended GP-3 one year prior as an onlooker.  At that time, I knew deep down in my bones, that this was where I wanted to be.  These were my type of people and I wanted to be a part of it.  It was in my DNA; it was what gave me excitement in my life. 

So now, to actually be here and be an active participant after all the planning, researching, learning new building skills, and actually constructing a running and functioning Bugatti Type 13, I had arrived!  It was truly a pinnacle moment of achievement for me.

Unfortunately, not all my dreams came true.  I experienced significant mechanical issues and had it not been for my son Kurt, who came to be with me and help me in my pit, I would probably not even have run at all.  Never-the-less, I only participated in two parade runs and two races.  My second race ended with my transmission belt exploding halfway into my last lap and having to be towed back to the pit.  I had practically brought along enough tools and spares to build another car, but did not have another belt, so it was game over for me.

I felt bad because I had a lot of family who had come to watch me and share in my joy.  But now my once running cyclekart was kaput.  What a disappointment.

But the greatest disappointment, in fact, one of the lowest times in my life occurred on Friday before the races began.  After running practice laps and tweaking the car, we all gathered in front of the local bar in town for pictures after which we would all take a parade lap before retiring to the park for a dinner group gathering.  Disaster struck as I started up my cyclekart after all the pictures were taken in preparation for the parade lap.  I pull started the engine as I always had, but unlike anytime before, the engine revved up to full speed and took off without me inside the car thus becoming an unguided missile.  After accelerating for about 50 feet and dragging me along and flipping me to my backside, it struck another cyclekart waiting in line for the parade to begin.  The collision obliterated the other cyclekart’s rear wheel, and peeled off a good chunk of my knee and elbow skin.  I have never felt so low in my life!  To have this happen in full view of all my fellow builders and the public onlookers was the most humiliating experience of my entire long life.  My fellow cyclekarter, who’s kart was now rendered unusable, was a supreme gentleman, few if any on earth could ever match.  His understanding and unwillingness to accept compensation for my bad actions exceeded anything I could ever have imagined.  Skylar, you are an incredible human being; I owe you a debt I can never pay back.

I so desperately wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.  I seriously considered packing up and leaving; I was too ashamed to show my face and pretend that I even belonged with this wonderful group of men and women.  Thanks to my supporting wife, son, and others in the group, they showed me great compassion and so I remained.  After getting some medical supplies, we went back to our hotel to literally lick my wounds both physically and mentally.  Despite my physical pain, my mental anguish ran super deep and it kept me up all night.

When morning came, I was determined to participate and not screw up again.  And so, with everyone’s support, I marshaled on and most fortunately ran without incident except for the tranny belt incident.

In retrospect, I was reminded how quickly life can be upended in a heartbeat.  How wonderful compassion from family and friends can heal one’s soul.  And how important it is we not give up our dreams even when the going get’s tough.

I also learned that building a cyclekart was just the first step in my cyclekarting experience.  I discovered that building a cyclekart to run reliably and efficiently was entirely another level that I had not anticipated. 

After returning home, I literally tore apart the entire rear end and started over.  Over the next 4 months I worked on implementing over 40 changes!  And I’m not done yet.  I still want to add fenders, complete the wiring, and fix the shoddy combing around the cockpit. 

Boy did I learn a lot as I rebuilt and tested each modification.  I think I learned more in this stage than when I built the car originally. 

Now I have the car running reliably, strong, straight and pretty fast.  I’ve had it up to 50 mph and can sustain about 47 mph.  I have nearly ten hours running time now on the car and enjoy drives throughout my local community and up in the foothills. 

My dream of my Bugatti build turned out very different from what I initially anticipated; but I am very content to have arrived where I am at now.

This Bugatti project will continue to evolve over time, I don’t know that it will ever truly be complete.  It will forever, be my first cyclekart love, and one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Now with my car running and my pride partially restored, I look forward again to next year’s Huntsville Grand Prix.  I hope to run more events and especially look forward to intermingling with the great cyclekart community.