About the Author

I have a background in physics, instrumentation, chemical analysis, computer control algorithm development, safety shutdown systems, mechanical maintenance and reliability, process risk assessment, continuous improvement, and business process management. I also have a passion for racing. The passion and background combined when Karting was taken up as a retirement activity. I couldn't simply go to the track and not understand how things worked on a first-principles basis! However, I found that much anecdotal information existed out there, with little of it explaining the total picture of the Kart's performance. Some of that could be attributed to teams wanting to keep key pieces of information to themselves; however, the largest contributor was not having the language to precisely describe my struggles to more experience Kart mechanics. This resulted in vague and non-specific answers like, "Try this, and if it doesn't work, then go the other way." My professional career did not sit well with these responses, so I set out to learn everything I could to get a complete picture of what makes a Kart perform. Once I had this knowledge, I wondered how many folks out there don't have the time to do this extensive research and struggle as drivers or mechanics, perhaps for years. The concern was how many talented young Canadian drivers would quit because they never had a Kart capable of consistently good performance. Their true skill levels were never visible to those looking for top talent in motorsports. This, in part, inspired me to write the book.