Three……. two…… one, go! And they’re off !

Hoover junior Isaac Travers wins silver at the K1 national championship. As reported in The Viking Views in May, Travers has been racing for almost two years now and qualified at states; since then, he won second place [B-Main Race] in June at the national championship in San Diego. Going into this race, he was incredibly nervous.

“I was an absolute wreck,” Travers said. “We got there plenty early, [and] everyone there had excellent gear, and they didn’t just do K1, so yeah, I was nervous.”

Unsure how he would do, he recalled his doubts.

“I was thinking there was no way I could make the Top 20,” Travers said. “I didn’t know the track or the kart, I knew nothing about the track going into it.”

Travers had raced on tracks very different from this one, but once he got into the race and got used to the track, he was more focused than he had ever been.

“Everything faded,” he said. “I was at peace when I was on the track.”

Not only had Travers never driven on this course before, he had never driven on a course even similar to it — the track was the hardest course he had ever raced on.

“It was nothing like I’ve ever driven,” he said. “It was the longest course I’ve ever driven and the fastest I’ve ever driven. It was a lot more technical.”

His emotions varied throughout the day, eventually feeling like he was one of the best there.

“My mindset went from I’m not gonna do too great, to I’m not gonna do good at all,” Travers said. “It changed throughout the entire day, it went from, yeah I’m going to suck, to ok, yeah, I’m quick, I stand a chance. It went back down to yeah, I don’t stand a chance, to getting second and being like, yeah, I’m one of the best here…it fluctuated a lot.”

The roller coaster of emotions fi nally reached its peak when Travers won second place experienced one of the greatest feelings of his life.

“It felt amazing, like no other can compare to how it felt,” he said. “I had no words for how it felt. It was to the point where I was screaming in my helmet.”

While winning second place feels great, Travers said that the best part of all of it was just getting to be there and experience it all.

“Just getting to be in a certain area where everyone can relate to one thing… and everyone wanted to be friends with one another cause we all had the same interests,” he said.

The atmosphere and the people were amazing, and Travers won’t soon forget this experience.

“It was cool, just because it was completely random people and we could relate in a lot of ways. It wasn’t an aggressive environment, it was more of like a best of luck, have fun, we’re all here for a reason,” he said. “The people were amazing.”

Travers raced well and now is ready to move forward and start his future in racing. After placing as high as he did, he has set new goals.

“I’m not looking to that,” he said. “I know I have the skill to do that so I’m not looking to do the K1 national again. I’m looking higher than that now. [The] top priority is buying a race car in Alaska to race in legend oval car on asphalt. My dream is still to race Formula One.”