Chasing your dream is getting more expensive every day.

That's especially true when the chase involves a race to the finish line in the battle for a go kart national championship.

Over the past few years, John Blum has become an expert on the subject.

“We use 110 octane gas in all of our go karts. It costs about $7 a gallon,” Blum said Sunday afternoon at the Santa Maria go kart track. “Actually, the price of go kart fuel is about the same as it's been for a while now. It's the cost of gasoline for our motor home that's really hurting us.”

Blum, an electrical contractor from Nipomo, and his wife Renee are heavily involved in the world of go kart racing.

“We have five sons,” Blum said. “Michael, our oldest, is 14. He's retired from racing and is now our crew chief. Kyle is 12. He won the Santa Maria Karting Association's (SMKA) Junior 1 (2-cycle engine karts) and Junior 1 Animal (4-cycle engine karts) championships last year and is on track to win them again this year.”

“It's a lot of fun racing go karts,” said Kyle Blum, who will be in the sixth grade at St. Patrick's School in Arroyo Grande in the fall. “You get to race against all your friends. Driving about 55 miles an hour down the straight-aways - that's cool. What you need is the courage to floor it, go through the first turn without putting on the brakes and then find a good line around the track. When I find a good line, I stick to it and just go for it.”

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Blum's 6-year old son Colin races in the 5 to 7-year old Kid Kart class.

Sons Christopher, age 4, and Kaiden, age 3, will move into the Kid Kart class as soon as they are old enough to compete.

The kids concentrate on the racing. But their parents have to add up the cost in terms of dollars and sense.

“We're lucky that we have such a nice track and a good karting organization right here in Santa Maria,” Blum said. “But there are good tracks all over Southern California. Every time we go on the road it costs us about $400 just for the gas to get to the tracks in Perris, Fontana, Apple Valley, Willow Springs - even Bakersfield. There's always a race somewhere every weekend, but we can't afford to go to them all any more. We'd like to go to more races but it doesn't make sense financially.”

Santa Maria is in the International Karting Association's (IKA) District 7. The district encompasses all of Southern California.

Many of District 7's finest racers were on hand Sunday at the Santa Maria track.

“It's our regularly scheduled monthly day of club racing,” Blum said. “But I'll bet that seven out of 10 of the best drivers from all nine racing divisions are here today to get a feel for the track ahead of the District 7 championships.

“Those races will be held the weekend of June 27 to 29. Then the IKA 2-cycle Nationals will be here at the end of July - from July 26 until Aug. 3.

“We think Kyle has a good shot at winning one or two titles at the upcoming District 7 championships and at the IKA 2-cycle (engine) Nationals. He's currently ranked in the top 10 in both Junior 1 and Junior 1 Animal. Fortunately for us, both the District 7 and 2-cycle National championships are being held right here in Santa Maria.

“But the IKA 4-cycle championships are being held up in Oregon later this summer. We would need between $5,000 and $6,000 to get us there and back,” Blum said.

“That includes motor building for the karts, entry fees, the hotel and food and, of course, the gasoline to get us up to Oregon and back. The gas for our motor home, which is pulling a trailer loaded down with six go karts, is just so expensive. We just can't afford to make that trip.”

Sports Editor Elliott Stern can be reached at 739-2235 or by e-mail to estern@santamariatimes.com.

June 16, 2008