Zachary Foster

Professor R. Arnold
Writing 1101
14 September 2015

Becoming literate in a certain area takes time and focus. There are different levels of
literacy and the level of literacy is dependent on the amount of interest in a topic someone has
and the amount of willingness one has to obtain more knowledge in that specific area. For me,
however, I am at a higher level of literacy in the sport of auto racing. Racing has been a part my
life since I was born and I became interested in racing as soon as I was able to comprehend what
racing was. I have increased my literacy in racing over the years by being introduced to different
aspects of racing and people involved in the sport. Being as literate as I am today was a process,
which included me being observational, experimental, and attentive. My sponsor(s) of literary
and my personal experiences have significantly increased my interest in racing and my racing
knowledge. Experimenting in the go-kart myself as well as receiving advice from my sponsors
and peers were important to understanding the racing challenges and skills needed to be
successful. The process to becoming more literate was similar to stepping stones. Every piece of
information has the potential to be important at some point and the information connects to other
pieces of information. Whether the information was learned through my personal observations or
given to me by a peer or mentor, it increased my level of literacy and improved my skills on the
track.
My personal experiences of racing include being present at the variety of professional
race tracks and racing go-karts in a formal and informal manner. As I increased my literacy, I
became more motivated to improve my skills, physically and mentally. However, the more

motivated I became, the more frustration that came along with it. The physical skills that I
aspired to improve on would frustrate me, of course, since I could not get them on point. I
seemed to have a natural talent for racing and was a quick learner, normally achieving objectives
in my first attempt, but the goals I could not achieve, even with multiple attempts, would bring
frustration and a little bit of discouragement. For example, in go-kart racing, the tracks are
similar to a road course, which requires certain skills to maintain and/or increase speed. The
angle and speed in which one must enter and exit the turn is crucial to the amount of speed one
has after exiting the corner, which affects overall time and, more importantly, the distance
between opponents. My frustration would come from not being able to enter a turn at the correct
angle at maximum speed. Not being able to execute this combination in, not just in one single
turn, but in multiple turns equals a loss. Accuracy is vital in every race, similar to other sports.
Accuracy is ultimately the main goal and is what I have always been improving on, but failure is
always present. I have always enjoyed the challenge and knowledge that could be learned from
attempting and achieving new objectives, but continuous failure becomes repetitive and
frustrating after a while. Along with the physical skill, the mental skills are also needed to
expand literacy. One mental skill I have improved on is thinking. Having the ability to think
ahead and anticipate every action that will be made, while under pressure, has improved my
skills. Even though I was content with execution, my racing was not complete without
thinking. I became more literate after learning about the mental skills required to be successful
in racing. I learned these skills through experimenting in the drivers seat, observing others on
the track, and by acquiring advice from peers.
I have obtained more knowledge in racing from observing the professionals as well as
racing with them. One example that sticks out in my mind would be when I raced with a

professional by the name of Joey Logano. I was at the intermediate stage of my literacy when I
had the opportunity to race with Joey. While racing against him, I would watch his hands, feet,
and his kart and took mental notes simultaneously. I experimented with the new information I
received and attempted to adjust his driving style to mine. Afterwards, I spoke with him and took
any advice he had and, later, I utilized those tips to hopefully improve my skills. This was one
experience I had that increased my literacy in racing. During that time, I knew there was more to
learn, but did not realize what there was to improve on until observing someone else. Also during
the time in my literacy stage, I had the opportunity to work with a short term mentor, who was a
minor sponsor of my literacy. Once we chose a track, we walked the entire track pinpointing
each individual invisible mark before the turn and in the middle of the turn. The marks were
where the kart needed to be in that specific turn. Afterwards, we drove the track side by side,
which was a significant learning curve for me. This taught me the importance of where to be on
the track according to my opponent and also the dangers of being in a certain spot/position on the
track. This also taught me to think ahead and know what is about to occur next. Anticipating an
action and capitalizing on it before it even occurs is crucial and was a skill I acquired and
improved on every race. Both of these experiences were significant to my literacy. Knowing how
to maneuverer the kart as well as mentally being active were two aspects of racing I learned
from these two experiences.
My major sponsor of literacy in racing is my dad. Since he has been professionally
involved in the sport of racing as a mechanic, the sport was passed down to me. Racing came
almost natural to me. I have attended the tracks with him as well as received advice from him.
He has provided me with opportunities to race and support. Since we race together on occasions,
we have been able to learn from each other. Since he is professionally involved, I have also

learned about the mechanics outside of the car. The building and preparation of the car as well as
other subtle details have been introduced to me. I have become well-rounded in racing by
learning about the details inside of the drivers seat and the details outside of the car. My dad is
my major sponsor since he initially introduced me to racing and has assisted me in my personal
racing. My minor sponsor of literacy was previously mentioned. I learned, from my minor
sponsor, more about racing with others at different distances and what to do in those situations.
My sponsors of literacy have introduced me to different aspects of racing and assisted me with
improving my skills.
My racing hobby is a sport I have become literate in. Each year has been stepping stones
and has lead to where I am today. Personally experimenting in the kart and observing others were
ways of learning I could do myself. Most of the driving knowledge is self taught through
personal experiences. However, listening to others for advice was important because I was given
a different perspective on how to achieve the same goal, either more efficiently or with the same
amount effort. Knowing multiple ways to achieve the same goal may be needed if a new
situation arises. Without any sponsors, my literacy would not be as strong as it is today. My dad
introducing me to racing and getting me started sparked my interest and motivated me to become
more skillful and knowledgable. He has also provided me opportunities to allow myself to
become more literate in racing. My other sponsor introduced me to subtleties on the track and
taught me how to apply them to different situations, whether it be on the track or in the outside
world. My literacy continues to expand and there is always more room for improvement and
more knowledge.