22 February - Florida Spring Training Days 1 & 2: Nearly Uneventful Travel

With a bite in the air and the occasional dusting of snow flakes we loaded up Mike Unger's trailer and were on the road with him and fellow Honda Transportation Research Center test driver Roger Schroer shortly after 9 a.m. and heading south. Quickly we realized we would be learning a lot on this trip but not only at the track. Just eavesdropping on Mike and Roger Schroer as they talked about technical observations and testing experiences - each story either intensely interesting, hair-raising or hysterical - was an education in itself. It came out early in the ride that Roger's several jobs as a Honda commercial "stunt" driver makes him a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Imagine that: Us traveling to Florida with a card-carrying member in good standing of the Screen Actor's Guild.

Unfortunately, the pleasure of our companions was offset by the fact that when Dwight D. Eisenhower masterminded the concept of an efficient, direct and smooth Interstate highway system 50-some years ago, the state of Kentucky underestimated the importance of the smooth part completely. When we checked to see how things were riding in the trailer at the first fuel stop, we found that one of the I75 whoop-dee-doos had caused the 2x4 under the rear of our kart to snap and allow the Conlin kart to come crashing down on the Unger kart. So there we were on day one of a six day test with our two karts tangled up together and not only were we not even on the track yet, we were barely out of Ohio!

Despite riding along like that for God knows how long, there was no damage, our kart narrowly missing the ICC's radiator. We were able to rearrange things around and prop up our kart again to continue. We made it as far as Macon, Georgia, and called it a day. The following morning we found a Lowe's nearby (do you know they open at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday even in the Bible Belt?) and discovered that not only was Roger a card carrying member in good standing of the Screen Actors Guild, but he was also a Lowe's gift card carrying member of the general public. At the point when that came to light, we were more impressed by that card than his S.A.G. credentials. Roger was more than happy to use his card on the $7.83 of lumber and nails we needed and in doing so became the title sponsor for the week's project.

But Georgia is apparently competing with Kentucky in the category of Most Neglected Federally Funded Highways and, by our judgment, won handily. At the first fuel stop after making repairs to the trailer we again found our kart collapsed onto Mike's. We were beginning to lose our sense of humor over the situation. This time the violent yawing pulled the mounting bolts out of the walls of the trailer. Again we shored it up, cursed the GA Highway Department and carried on.

We rolled into Tampa mid-afternoon, dropped our stuff off at the hotel and headed out to the track to see what was going on. What we found was nothing. Not only nothing going on but the first time by, nothing at all - not even a track. The "Palmetto Track" is 7 miles outside of Palmetto and only on the second pass by did we glimpse what we thought was either a kart track or a very long driveway. Turning around again (trailering in Florida has the added challenge or adventure - depending on your point of view - of maneuvering around golf carts and Crown Victorias of the retirees), we investigated and found that Copper Motorsport Complex is possibly the most well-hidden kart track in the country. No signs, no tower to be seen from the road and a tall, view-blocking fence to keep the track a secret from the US41 motoring public. The front gates were locked (I guess sunny and 80 degrees is not Sunday karting weather in central Florida) but we piled out of the truck and peered over the No Trespassing signs to see a fine-looking facility. Smooth, neat and very, very fast if the the whole track is used - the back section includes the longest straight any of us had seen at a kart track and we estimated Mike could see three digits on his speed display before braking massively for the 180 at the end.

Having seen what we could, we piled back in and wondered if we'd be allowed to use the whole track or not. Either way, the excitement level was ratcheted up just by that short preview and we were collectively anxious to get back there in the morning.

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