KARTING, to those who love it, is considered an art, like dancing on a knife’s edge between throttle and brake where the slightest of imbalances can cost you severely.

And no one understands that more than Paige Mendonca.

The second generation racer, who commenced in the 60cc Kids cup, picked up her first X30 Junior win last weekend in round two of the GT Motorsports Grand Prix.

But it was not without hard work.

Karting for the first time in pouring conditions, she found her groove on the slippery surface of the GT Motorsports track.

During the overcast qualifying session, her fourth-place time of 33.357 was just three-tenths off pole- sitter Zachary Persaud, with Jeremy TenPow and Nathan Rahaman also getting marginally better times.

In the first race, she adapted well to the interchanging surface of the track where she fought her way up from P4, to finish second on the podium.

A clinical array of buildup moves coupled with the pure grit of recovering from a tough round one were the main fuel behind this new-found confidence, which it took to produce the moves that the young Mendonca initiated.

But perhaps her most joyous moment in karting was the second race. She timed the flag perfectly, shooting off the line and leaving the boys in her spray, and from there on they never saw her till the chequered flag.

While from the outside looking in, it may have been easy; it was no means a walk in the park. The ever-changing conditions, the puddles of water that had settled from the showers before and the lack of grip on an already ‘green’ surface were all factors. But she handled it well.

And in that moment when the chequered flag dropped and history had been created, there was a sense of satisfaction among those present.

All the hard work, the track time, the gym time and even studying, the race lines had paid off.

“The feeling was great. I have to thank my dad Carlos and my mom Tammy– they are my biggest fans,” she later said.

She would go on to pick up one more second place and then the overall driver’s trophy for that round, setting herself in contention for an all-expenses paid trip to the United Sates next year for a karting series.

Apart from her sponsors, Rick’s & Sari Agro Industries Ltd and ExxonMobil, she received support from her mechanics, Kris Gonzalves and Coach Stefan Jeffrey.