Chapter 17: Return to Apeldoorn
Saturday, April 11th, 2009 – Apeldoorn Kart Track
The air was colder than last week. A breeze swept over the asphalt of the Apeldoorn kart circuit as grey morning clouds hovered low above the paddock. Alex stood beside Victor, helmet in hand, gazing at the track he had raced on before. Familiar corners stretched out in front of him—places where he had once found flow, and even tasted victory.
But today felt different.
Victor zipped up his jacket and nodded toward the circuit. "Looks familiar?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah. I've been here before."
Victor smiled. "And you won here. But that was a club race. The regional tournament is another level."
Alex followed him through the paddock. Mechanics were already rolling out karts from vans, adjusting tire pressures, tightening wheel nuts. The faint smell of petrol and burnt rubber hung in the morning air.
Victor pointed to the track map. "Same corners, same layout. But today, we go deeper. We're not here to remember the track—we're here to master it."
Alex nodded again, clutching his gloves. He knew the lines, but Victor was right: knowing and mastering weren't the same.
---
First Session – Feeling the Corners
Alex eased into the first session. No pressure for lap times—just reconnection.
He rolled out of the pits and stayed low in the seat, feeling every movement. The kart's tires squealed slightly through Turn 2. Turn 4 still demanded respect—and Turn 7, even though he knew it, caught him off guard with its downhill braking.
Back in the paddock after ten laps, he took off his gloves and shook his head. "I thought I remembered it better."
Victor handed him a bottle of water. "You're not the same driver you were last time. That's a good thing."
He flipped open his notebook. "Turn 3—you're turning in a bit early, which is costing you speed on the next straight. And in Turn 5, you're not trusting the grip. I want you to experiment a little more there."
Alex listened quietly. He liked how Victor gave feedback: precise, never judging. He felt he had the right person by his side.
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Second Session – Pushing and Mistakes
This time, Alex went out harder.
Turn 1: cleaner. Turn 2: smoother. Turn 4: still twitchy, but he held the kart tight against the inside line. Then came Turn 7 again. He braked later this time—too late.
The rear stepped out. The kart snapped sideways. Alex corrected, just in time, and wrestled the kart back onto the racing line, but lost all his momentum. His heart pounded.
When he pulled into the paddock, he threw off his helmet and stared at Victor. "I messed that one up."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "You survived it. That's something."
"I thought I had it. It felt right."
"Feeling and reality don't always match at first. But here's the thing—now you know where the limit is. That's progress."
Alex looked away, frustrated. "I hate going slow."
Victor smiled. "Everyone does. But going fast without understanding is just luck. I want you to understand."
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Lunch – Learning Outside the Kart
They sat on a wooden bench next to the paddock, lunchboxes on their laps. Alex munched on his sandwich quietly, still thinking about Turn 7.
Victor took a sip of coffee and looked at him. "You want to know what makes a real racer?"
Alex looked up.
"Anyone can be fast when the kart feels good. But the best ones? They can fix it when it doesn't. They feel when the tires are cold, or when the line is slightly off. And they stay calm. Even when they make mistakes."
Alex frowned. "So I should've stayed calm?"
"No. You did. You saved the kart. Most kids would've spun. You didn't panic. That tells me more than a fast lap ever could."
That meant more to Alex than he expected. He looked down at the track again. "Can I try again?"
Victor grinned. "That's the spirit."
---
Third Session – Flow
This time, it clicked.
Alex attacked the lap with more precision, not more aggression. He braked later into Turn 3—but not too late. He let the kart drift wide through Turn 5 before cutting back sharply. And in Turn 7, he found it: the right braking point, the perfect steering angle. The kart flowed through the corner like water around a rock.
Lap after lap, his times improved. A tenth faster. Then two tenths. Then half a second better than his best time this morning.
Victor stood at the end of the straight, stopwatch in hand, saying nothing.
When Alex pulled in after the final run, he was grinning, sweat on his forehead.
Victor looked at him. "You feel it now?"
Alex nodded. "I wasn't thinking. I was just… driving."
"That's what we want. When instinct and understanding meet—that's flow."
He showed Alex the laptimes. "You shaved half a second off. On a track you didn't know. That's good."
Alex beamed. "Best session so far."
Victor placed a hand on his shoulder. "And we're only getting started."
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The Drive Back – Quiet Progress
The van hummed quietly as they drove back toward Arnhem. Alex sat beside Victor, helmet resting on his lap, looking out the window as the sky turned golden.
"So… we're racing here?" he asked.
Victor nodded. "Regional tournament. Three weeks."
Alex was quiet a moment. "Do you think I can win it?"
Victor kept his eyes on the road. "If you keep training like this? You won't just win. You'll stand out."
Alex smiled, but only a little. The thought excited him—but also scared him.
As the trees blurred by and the first stars appeared above the highway, Alex thought back to Turn 7. The mistake. The recovery. The perfect lap afterward. He wasn't the same kid as last month. Not anymore.
He didn't need anyone to say it. He felt it.