Text & photos by George Dolak
Videos by Eliot & Reid Shanabrook

The inaugural AONE Kart Racing Event was a blast! The Winter weather was waning and the AONE racers were in top form! Eighteen members were on hand for a fun afternoon, while satisfying the NEED for SPEED.

The race gang arrived at the scheduled time, some with trepidation about how they would perform once on the track. This wasn't without reason, as a number in attendance had brought their own helmets. "Say, haven't I seen pictures of that guy driving a race car at Lime Rock?"

After a quick registration on a keyboard, we gathered to view a short video reminding us that yellow means caution and green means ... VARROOM! Soon, we were outfitted with helmets and horse-collars, and again reminded what yellow means.

Since the track can handle ten racers at a time, our participants were split into two groups of nine. The first race is intended as a 12-lap familiarization race but there was competition just the same. Some of the drivers seemed to be awfully fast learners ...

The second time behind the wheel was a timed qualifying race, results of which determined positions in the final "all-out" Championship Race. As one group completed its race, their times were viewed on overhead monitors and a good bit of kidding (and excuses) were heard. The winner of the final race of the first group was added to the racers in the second group's Championship Race, and this made for a full complement of ten cars on the track.

The race started with some rapid position changes and then the yellow came out. Three laps were completed before the caution flag gave way to the green, and the race was really on in earnest. Fifteen laps swiftly passed, and all too quickly the checkered flag was waving.

And the winner is ... All who participated are the winners, as their smiles upon departing clearly demonstrated!

Be sure to check out the in-car videos below!

AONE Kart Racing Day Participants

Meg Anderson
Richard Carey
Dave DeSantis
George Dolak
Nick Fonte
Tom Freiberger
Jonathan Kirshtein
Gabrielle Leone
Paul Leone
Debra Leccesse
Mike Leccesse
Larry LoPresti
Sarah Matthews
Joe Moscariello
Kevin Redden
Eliot Shanabrook
Reid Shanabrook
Peter Walker

(Click on the thumbnails below for a larger view, and then
swipe, scroll, or use the arrow buttons to navigate)

Below are a pair of fun Go-Pro videos contributed by Eliot Shanabrook, one with Eliot driving and the other with his 16-year-old son Reid at the wheel. They really convey the feel!
 

See the original event announcement