A Word of Thanks...

A note of gratitude from our own Rick Dresang:
On May 18, I was at Road America to watch my son Jacques compete with his AAR Eagle Formula Ford in a vintage SVRA event. While there, we visited the Road America CTECH Manufacturing Motorplex kart track to see some friends from the World Karting Association, as there was a WKA Manufactures Cup event running concurrently the same weekend.
The next thing that occurred was what I’d call a ‘deer in the headlights’ moment.
At the end-of-day awards ceremony for the kart racers that triumphed that day, WKA President Kevin Williams presented me with a plaque to signify my induction into the World Karting Association Hall of Fame.
Wow- and at my home track no-less. My family and some of my friends were there, knowing all along. It was a very special moment.
The honorees that have been inducted into WKA Hall of Fame are a very special group of people- some of whom I’ve had the honor to induct and know through the years.
In all honesty, I looked at the award as Kevin made the presentation and I saw names and faces embedded into the grain of the award. These people that worked together as a team during a very difficult financial time at WKA, putting in hundreds of volunteer hours while trying to get the organization to a better place.
Looking back at that time when I was president, I know it was a hardship for many of the team members in WKA, as we were all in different points of our lives, with family commitments and personal business obligations outside of the organization.
Despite the hardships, the hard work and the many hours spent donating time- I look back at my time with WKA as a truly amazing time of my life.
But like I said, we were a team.
I’d like to thank WKA and its President, Kevin Williams for the induction, which was truly out of the blue. Kevin was on our WKA team when I was president, and I know he has the interests of kart racers at heart.
A thank you as well to the rest of our WKA team- Angelo Buffomante, Marie Borsuk, Johnny Bartlett, Jerry Cole, Gene Davis, Bobby Gettys, Van Guilder, Todd Shaw, Dan Stowell and Missy Nelson-Tate. All of you will forever be in my thoughts for your endless perseverance, leadership, trust and dedication in the time we shared together.
I’d also like to thank my wife, Alison, who during my time as WKA President prepared me for many conference call meetings, took meeting minutes, scheduled flights – it goes on and on. I couldn’t have done it without her.
Without some very special dedicated WKA sponsors during that time in the organization, running the day-to-day operations would have been an even bigger struggle. Thus, I’d like to thank Bridgestone Tires and Kevin Hunley, Mazda and John Doonan and Dennis Reeves, RLV, Margay and Keith Freber, Grand Products and Mike Tetreault. I will always be indebted to these companies and the people behind them, as they trusted us to do the right thing for karting.
Thanks for everything-
Rick
[Photo Courtesy of World Karting Association]