The regional race two weeks after Florida was where I first experienced the real power of the Tire Management skill.
We were at a track outside Montreal, twenty-lap feature race, and I'd qualified fourth. Not my best qualifying, but the race distance would favor drivers who could preserve their tires while maintaining pace.
"The track surface is abrasive," Marc explained during the pre-race briefing. "Tire degradation will be significant. You'll need to manage them carefully, especially the fronts."
I nodded, but internally I was smiling. Tire management was exactly what I'd bought with my Florida points. Time to see if it was worth the investment.
[RACE ANALYSIS ACTIVE]
[Tire Management Skill: Enhancing perception]
[You can now sense tire condition instinctively. Current tire state: 100% grip, cold]
[Optimal operating window will be reached in 3-4 laps]
[Peak performance window: Laps 4-12]
[Significant degradation begins: Lap 13]
[This information is normally learned through experience. You have it from lap one.]
The race start was clean. I held fourth through turn one, slotted into position behind the top three. The leaders immediately pushed hard, trying to break away. I let them go, focusing on my own pace.
[Leaders pushing too hard. They're overworking front tires.]
[Your pace: Optimal for tire preservation while staying close]
[Gap to leader: 1.2 seconds and stable]
By lap seven, I could feel the leaders' pace dropping. Subtle at first, but my Tire Management skill made it obvious—their tires were past peak performance, losing grip with every lap.
Meanwhile, my tires felt perfect. I'd been gentle through the early laps, building temperature gradually, avoiding aggressive steering inputs that would scrub speed and wear rubber.
Lap nine, I closed to within half a second of third place. Lap ten, I made the pass. He tried to defend but his kart was sliding, tires giving up.
[Position: P3]
[Your tires: 85% grip remaining]
[His tires: 70% grip remaining]
[Advantage: Significant]
Second place fell on lap twelve, same story. He'd pushed too hard early, and now his kart was sliding everywhere while mine was still planted.
[Position: P2]
[Gap to leader: 0.8 seconds]
[Your tires: 80% grip]
[His tires: Estimated 65% grip based on driving style]
[You will catch him. Just be patient.]
Lap fifteen, I was on the leader's gearbox. He was defending desperately, but every corner he was losing grip, washing out wide, struggling to keep the kart pointed straight.
Lap seventeen, I made my move. He went defensive into turn three, but his tires couldn't support the aggressive line. He ran wide on exit. I stayed tight, maintained momentum, took the lead.
[Position: P1]
[Tires: 75% grip, still competitive]
[Gap behind: Growing as they struggle with tire degradation]
[Three laps remaining. Bring it home.]
I won by four seconds. Dominant victory, not because I was dramatically faster, but because I'd managed my tires better than everyone else. The skill had been worth every point.
[RACE COMPLETE - VICTORY]
[Regional Race Win: 30 points]
[Fastest Lap: 10 points]
[Dominant Performance Bonus: 15 points]
[TOTAL EARNED: 55 POINTS]
[CURRENT BALANCE: 55 POINTS]
Marc was impressed with the post-race analysis. "Your tire management was exceptional. You were slower than the leaders for the first eight laps, but you preserved your tires and made it count when it mattered."
"Just being smart about it," I said, not mentioning the supernatural assistance.
"Most drivers your age don't have that kind of race craft. They push hard from lap one and wonder why they fade late in races. You're thinking strategically."
[Tire Management Skill: Already paying dividends]
[Strategic skill purchases will compound over time]
[Consider your next purchase carefully. You're 55 points toward the next significant upgrade.]
I opened the Skills Shop mentally during the drive home, studying the options. The next Florida race was in two weeks. What would give me the best advantage there?
[SKILLS SHOP - RECOMMENDED FOR NEXT PURCHASE:]
Race Start Mastery (75pts): Perfect launch technique, optimal clutch/throttle control, better reactions to start lights. Would help gain positions immediately.
Pressure Resistance (100pts): Perform at peak level regardless of stress or championship implications. Valuable for high-stakes racing.
Wet Weather Expert (150pts): Superior car control in rain, optimal racing line selection on wet surfaces, instinctive water management. Expensive but race-winning.
Setup Intuition (200pts): Understand vehicle setup changes instinctively, feel what adjustments are needed. Long-term advantage but requires more points.
Twenty more points would get me Race Start Mastery. Forty-five more for Pressure Resistance. The question was whether to grind regional races for points or focus on the Florida series for bigger rewards.
"How many regional races before the next Florida trip?" I asked Lawrence.
"Three. One this weekend, then two next weekend at a double-header event."
Three races, potentially 90-150 points if I could win them all. That would open up more expensive skills.
[Optimal strategy: Win all three regional races]
[Expected point range: 90-120 points]
[Combined with current 55: 145-175 points total]
[That opens Wet Weather Expert or saves toward Setup Intuition]
[Plan: Dominate regionally, then return to Florida with enhanced capabilities]
The weekend race was at a familiar track where I'd competed in junior class. I qualified on pole, led every lap, won by eight seconds.
[Regional Win #2: 30 points]
[Pole Position: 10 points]
[Fastest Lap: 10 points]
[Clean Sweep Bonus: 10 points]
[TOTAL: 60 points]
[BALANCE: 115 points]
The following weekend's double-header was more challenging. Saturday's race had rain during qualifying, mixing up the grid. I started fifth, fought through to second, couldn't catch the leader who had perfect wet-weather setup.
[Race 1: P2 = 35 points]
Sunday's race was redemption. Pole position, led from start to finish, set fastest lap by half a second.
[Race 2: P1 = 50 points]
[TOTAL WEEKEND: 85 points]
[CURRENT BALANCE: 200 POINTS]
Two hundred points. Enough for Setup Intuition, the most expensive skill available. Or I could diversify, buy multiple cheaper skills. The strategic possibilities were fascinating.
That evening, I discussed it with the only person who knew about the System—myself. Everyone else thought I was just training and improving naturally.
Setup Intuition would be transformative. Understanding exactly what changes to make, feeling what the kart needed before testing confirmed it. That was the kind of advantage that separated good drivers from great ones.
But Wet Weather Expert would win races when it rained. Race Start Mastery would gain positions immediately. Pressure Resistance would help in championships.
[RECOMMENDATION: Setup Intuition]
[It's the foundation skill that makes everything else better]
[Better setup = faster car = more wins = more points = more skills]
[It's the multiplier, not just another addition]
"Setup Intuition," I decided. "Two hundred points."
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED: SETUP INTUITION]
[POINTS REMAINING: 0]
[INTEGRATING ADVANCED TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE...]
The integration was different from Tire Management. This wasn't just instinct—it was complete understanding of vehicle dynamics, suspension geometry, weight distribution, aerodynamic balance. I could feel in my mind how changing front tire pressure would affect turn-in behavior. How adjusting rear ride height would impact stability. How different spring rates would respond to track conditions.
It was like having an engineering degree downloaded directly into my brain.
[INTEGRATION COMPLETE]
[You now understand vehicle setup at expert level]
[This will make you significantly more effective at testing and providing feedback]
[Mechanics will be impressed. Try to act like you learned this gradually.]
The next practice session with Marc revealed the skill's value immediately. After five laps, I came in with specific feedback.
"The front end is washing out in medium-speed corners. Need two clicks more front wing. Also, the kart's bottoming through turn seven—raise rear ride height by three millimeters. And the left front tire pressure is point-five PSI too high."
Marc stared at me. "That's... very specific feedback. How do you know about wing clicks and ride height?"
"I've been reading setup books. Trying to understand what makes the kart fast."
"Eight-year-olds don't usually comprehend vehicle dynamics this thoroughly."
"I'm not a usual eight-year-old."
He made the changes I requested. The kart transformed. Suddenly I was a second per lap faster, the handling balanced perfectly. Marc checked his timing screens, then looked at me with something like awe.
"Those changes were perfect. Lance, this is advanced engineering knowledge. Where did you really learn this?"
"Books, videos, listening to you and other mechanics. I pay attention."
It wasn't entirely a lie. I had read books and watched videos. The System just made me understand them at a level that shouldn't be possible for my age.
[Cover Story: Holding]
[Marc is suspicious but accepting]
[He knows you're unusual. He's choosing to help rather than question.]
[That loyalty is valuable. Don't abuse it.]
The second Florida Winter Series race weekend arrived with me armed with two significant skills—Tire Management and Setup Intuition. I was ready to demonstrate real improvement.
Qualifying showed the Setup Intuition's value immediately. I worked with the mechanics through practice, providing detailed feedback, fine-tuning the kart. By qualifying, the setup was perfect for my driving style and the track conditions.
I qualified fifth. My best Florida qualifying yet, only eight-tenths from pole.
[QUALIFYING ANALYSIS]
[P5 of 47 drivers]
[Gap to pole: 0.8 seconds]
[You're in the top 10% of the field]
[This is where you need to be]
Race day brought mixed conditions—dry qualifying, but clouds threatening rain for the race. Some teams gambled on wet setups. Most stayed with dry.
I split the difference, subtle setup changes that would work in both conditions. Setup Intuition told me exactly what compromises to make.
[Your setup: 60% optimized for dry, 40% for wet]
[If it stays dry: Slightly disadvantaged]
[If it rains: Significant advantage]
[Weather radar: 70% chance of rain during race]
[Calculated risk: High reward potential]
Ten minutes before the race, rain started falling. Light drizzle, making the track treacherous. Some drivers had pure dry setups, completely wrong for conditions. Others had full wet setups, which would be too extreme if the rain stayed light.
My compromise setup was nearly perfect for the conditions.
[ADVANTAGE: SIGNIFICANT]
[Your opponents are struggling with wrong setups]
[You have the goldilocks setup—just right]
[Time to capitalize]
The start was chaos in the wet. Multiple drivers struggled with wheelspin, some aquaplaned, one spun in turn two. I navigated carefully, gained three positions, emerged from lap one in second place.
The leader was the Italian driver who'd been pole sitter, an excellent wet-weather driver on a gamble wet setup. But as the rain stayed light, his setup was too extreme. His kart was nervous, twitchy, hard to drive.
My setup was balanced, predictable, fast. By lap five, I was on his gearbox.
[Gap to leader: 0.3 seconds]
[His setup: Wrong for these conditions]
[Your setup: Perfect]
[Tire Management showing you exactly how much grip is available]
[Setup Intuition telling you your kart is better balanced]
[Advantage: Overwhelming]
Lap seven, I made my move. Into the heavy braking zone at turn ten, I stayed tight while he ran wide on cold tires. I took the inside, held the position through turn eleven, had better drive onto the straight.
I was leading an international race.
[Position: P1]
[Laps remaining: 13]
[Just bring it home. No mistakes.]
The rain intensified slightly around lap twelve, enough to make things interesting. But my Tire Management skill adapted instantly, showing me exactly where grip existed and where it didn't. I adjusted my lines mid-race, finding traction others couldn't.
The gap grew. One second. Two seconds. By the final lap, I was three seconds clear.
Checkered flag. First place. Victory in international competition.
[RACE COMPLETE - INTERNATIONAL VICTORY]
[Florida Winter Series Win: 100 points]
[Led Most Laps: 25 points]
[Fastest Lap: 10 points]
[Perfect Conditions Management: 25 points]
[Youngest Winner Bonus: 50 points]
[TOTAL EARNED: 210 POINTS]
[CURRENT BALANCE: 210 POINTS]
I pulled into the pit area, and the reaction was electric. Marc was jumping, actually jumping with excitement. Lawrence had his phone out, calling Claire to share the news. Even hardened international competitors were applauding.
The eight-year-old had just won against drivers twice his age in mixed conditions. It wasn't just a good result—it was a statement.
"YOU WON!" Marc shouted, helping me from the kart. "Lance, you just won an international race! Do you understand what this means?"
"That the setup was good?"
"The setup was perfect. But more than that—you drove a perfect race. Perfect strategy, perfect tire management, perfect racecraft. That was championship-level driving."
The podium ceremony felt surreal. Standing on the top step, holding a trophy nearly as large as me, with the Italian driver who'd led the points standing beside me in second, and the American prodigy in third.
They both looked at me with new respect. Not the curiosity or dismissiveness I'd seen before, but genuine respect. I'd beaten them straight-up, no excuses, no luck. Just better driving.
[STATUS UPDATE]
[Age: 8 years old]
[Achievement: International race winner]
[Skills Owned: Tire Management, Setup Intuition]
[Points Available: 210]
[This changes everything. You're not just participating anymore.]
[You're competing. You're winning.]
[The question is: what's next?]
That night, studying the Skills Shop with 210 points available, I had serious choices to make. I could buy Wet Weather Expert and still have points left over. Or multiple smaller skills. Or save for something even more expensive that might appear as I progressed.
But one thing was clear—the System had transformed my development. In my previous life, I'd watched others succeed and criticized their advantages. Now I had actual supernatural advantages, and I was proving that with the right tools, I could achieve exactly what I'd claimed.
The journey to Formula 1 suddenly felt not just possible, but inevitable.
To be continued...
Author's Note: Chapter 11 demonstrates the power of the skill system. Lance uses Tire Management to win a regional race, earns enough points to buy Setup Intuition (200pts), then uses both skills to win his first international race in mixed conditions. He's earned 210 new points and is establishing himself as a serious competitor. Next chapter will show him making more strategic skill purchases and continuing to progress.