Getting out of kart number 27 Jayden took off his helmet. There was no smile on his face this time when his uncle came over with the camera to film him. He wiped off his sweat and put his gloves in his helmet. "Great job again Jayden you managed to improve your time once again. I must say I'm impressed. Your father used to tell me you were fast but this is exceptional!" uncle Anthony said with a smile on his face. Hearing his uncle mention his father Jayden's did not help lighten his mood. He ignored his uncle's comment and sat down calming down for a bit.
It was at this time that Jan walked over to them. "You don't look so good, kid! Not satisfied with your result?" He asked.
Jayden took a deep breath before looking up."I never got a chance to get a clean lap in. There were too many people on track!" He answered trying to keep the dissatisfaction out of his voice. He knew that even the slower drivers had just as much a right to be here as him. Complaining would not change anything.
"If you want to be a professional racing driver you'll have to get used to having people slower than you on track. They can't magically disappear when you're trying to set a fast lap. You will have to plan ahead when a situation like that occurs. Today luck was on your side and you safely managed to pas that driver. If either one of you made the slightest mistake you would have hit each other and that would have been it for the day! You don't make a desperate move like that when going for a fast lap! Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" Jan said giving Jayden a stern look.
Jayden looked away ashamed knowing what Jan said was correct. It's one thing pulling a move like that when trying to pass someone for a race win but there are no points to be gained in a qualifying session! Looking back at Jan he nodded to indicate he understood. This put a smile on Jan's face. The old man understood Jayden's frustration but he wanted to use this opportunity to teach him something. Racing isn't just about being the fastest. To finish first you first have to finish is a popular phrase among racing drivers and he wanted to help Jayden understand why this is so important.
Anthony was looking at them both figuring out how to best work with this situation. He needed Jan to help out Jayden. If he could accomplish this Jayden would have his best chance yet to really start racing. He decided to risk it. "Now Jan, what do you think? He did good right? The time he set is the fastest of the day in the type of kart he's driving. Do you think he is good enough for you to introduce him to your sponsors? He said this trying to plead Jayden's case. He knew now was the best time to do this. Jan was impressed with Jayden's results and Anthony was too good a businessman to miss an opportunity like this.
Jan frowned hearing this. He did not like Anthony's forceful way of trying to get Jayden in contact with his sponsors but he had to admit that the kid had talent. If he could get into a professional karting team he would surely be able to showcase the full extent of his talents and become a skillful racer. After thinking about it for a bit he came to a decision. It would be easy for him to sponsor Jayden himself but this was not something he was planning on doing. He looked from Jayden to Anthony and then nodded. "Give me your contact information. I will arrange a meeting between you and one of my smaller sponsors. That's all I will do though you will have to convince them yourselves!"
Jayden was so happy he thought that his birthday and Christmas were rolled together all in one and that he had just received the biggest present ever. They had come here today to get footage of him driving a kart and hopefully setting a fast time. The footage would be used to gain interest from sponsors but it looked like they wouldn't have to go through that route and get into a meeting with one through old man Jan. "Thank you!" He said grinning from ear to ear. Anthony thanked him as well. He knew that Jan was doing them a big favor. If they made a fool of themselves at the meeting it would look bad on Jan too. In a way, he was sticking out his neck for them without asking anything in return. "You're doing us a solid her Jan we really appreciate it," he said. Jan just waved his hand indicating that it wasn't a big deal and told them he would contact them soon. He was about to leave when he turned around and spoke directly to Jayden.
"I can see you have the talent and the skill to be a professional karter. But if you want to succeed in the world of racing you will need more than that. First of all, you can't show up at a track without having basic knowledge of the layout. You wasted at least 30 minutes of your time on track today just getting familiar with the track and to a lesser degree the kart. That ties into the second point of advice I have. Know what your driving! I'm not saying you need to know every detail of the machine your driving but you need to have basic knowledge of what the key components do. This will help you discover how to change a racing car's setup to best suit your driving style. If you can improve both of these then you will be on your way to becoming a more rounded and complete racing driver!" Saying what he wanted to say he left them behind. He was never planning to stay for as long as he did so it was time for him to go.
Jayden took this advice to heart. He admired and respected this man for his accomplishments in the racing world. Him taking the time to help Jayden discover his weaknesses would be a big help for Jayden in the future.
"Time to pack up our things Jayden. We'll get something to eat and then I'll bring you home. I need to check all the footage from your helmet camera and combine that with the footage I shot. We've been given a golden opportunity here and we have to prepare to make sure we don't let it slip!" Anthony said while carefully detaching the camera from Jaydens helmet. He would try his utmost to help his nephew achieve his dream. Even more so now that he knew there was a real possibility he could succeed.