TIM SILENCE - Driver Feature By Janice Bond of PR2DAY DALLAS, TEXAS - To race a 125cc shifter kart competitively requires agility, physical endurance, quick reaction, patience, stamina, and a focused mindset. Action in the cockpit includes constant up and down shifting, working the throttle and brakes, controlling power slides, maneuvering hair pin turns, and winding through the chicanes. But, for one Texas karter, there's a lot more to it. Meet Tim Silence, a 43 year-old racer who lives in Fort Worth, Texas. On weekends, Tim is racing his #8 kart at his home club track - North Texas Kartway (NTK) in Denton, Texas, about an hour north of Dallas. During the week, Tim spends his daylight hours at Lockheed Martin where he works as a stress engineer. In the evenings, he's in his garage, puttering around, helping fellow racers and friends with their racing and mechanical/fabricating needs. This could describe many people, but not Tim. Tim is physically challenged - he's a paraplegic. But first and foremost, he's a karter. One afternoon at a local motocross track several years ago, a red flag was thrown to a field of motocrossers while one competitor lay motionless, conscious but unable to feel anything from his arms down. Tim's not sure how it happened, but he remembers being in a slow speed corner, falling and landing in mud. Unable to move, Tim's back was broken in 3 places, leaving him a paraplegic. But, life didn't stop for Tim. He made sure of that. Just two months after his accident, he was back at work, wearing a full body cast instead of the traditional men's suit. In 6 months time, he was back to racing. Only this time, he was racing an Odyssey, and did so for 3 years until the track he raced at was closed. A few years ago, he made the move to NTK and karts - but, not just any kart - a 125cc kart was his preferred choice of racing machines. Tim wasn't about to let anything stand in his way of following his heart's purest desire - racing. Tim designed and fabricated a special steering wheel for his Honda 125 shifter that has all the controls at the touch of his hands and fingers. "It took a lot of time in the beginning to create the steering wheel that I wanted. I would add controls, move things around 1/16" for a race, try it and bring it back to the garage for a millimeter change. It was frustrating at times, but I finally came up with the steering wheel I wanted. Even today, I still find myself making minor changes to the wheel, making a lot of difference in my performance," he says. His custom made seat provides support to his upper body, and provides an arm rest for comfort, allowing him to operate his Tony Kart with precision. However, getting into the cockpit presented a challenge. So, Tim designed and fabricated a sling resembling a chin bar that pulls his body up while his crew chief, Jim Rothgeb, places the kart underneath him. Once in the seat, Tim positions himself comfortably, and he's ready to go racing. In between heats, he can be found wrenching on his own kart, changing tires, and performing the cursory check after each heat . And if he isn't happy with the first kart, he brings out his second, custom designed kart, a near duplicate of the first. When speaking about his racing, he is soft spoken and mild-mannered in his statements. When asked about wins and podium finishes, he cracks a corner grin and tells me he's 'won a few'. Truth is, Tim's talent behind the wheel in the 125cc Expert class has won him 3 Overall Class Championships at NTK in 1997, 1999 and 2002. When he is on the track, he has one objective, and it isn't battling for a win, or even trying for a podium spot - he wants to have fun. That's it - he just wants it to be fun. It doesn't matter to Tim that he is without sponsorship, and foots the bill by himself - he's just happy to be racing. And should he win or grab a podium finish, it would just be icing on the cake for Tim. When asked what advice he would give a newcomer to the racing arena, Tim said "keep it fun - don't take it all so seriously. I see guys on the track getting all bent of shape over things that happen in a race. It's all just racing, and it's all just about having fun. A fun attitude produces winners." Tim should know; he IS a winner. For information about Tim, or to schedule an interview with him, contact Janice Bond at PR2Day@sbcglobal.net.