GO KART RACING
The right sport for Kuna’s Ford family By Dennis Lopez
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his story began because of a torn sleeve. It was a 2020, pandemic summer afternoon and I was shooting photos at the Glenn Morgan Raceway near Star, Idaho. The karts were colorful, the action fast and gave me a chance to work on my motorsports photo skills. Using a telephoto lens, I could pick out individual drivers to follow. That’s how I first saw the tear, and ultimately, how I met the kart racing Ford family from Kuna. The kid at the wheel was driving well, but unlike most of the other drivers and their karts, there was something different about Number Seven. The graphics on the kart were tattered, the numbers faded and the driver’s little racing suit had a visible tear on the right sleeve. It seemed to me that this was a racer with a lot of heart, but a limited budget. I wanted to learn more. It was easy to spot the kid’s grandparents sitting trackside; the couple cheered and waved when Number Seven went by. “Would you like some photos of Number Seven?” I volunteered. “Sure.” And with that brief exchange, I began to learn more about the driver. The driver was then 10-year-old Charley Ford. Later, through emails, I met her dad, Chris Ford, and ultimately the rest of the Ford clan: mother Jamie and youngest son Cam. Chris Ford is no stranger to motorsports; he has raced a variety of cars from bone-stock “bombers” at Meridian Speedway to open-wheel midgets in the Midwest. So when in the course of his work as a Treasure Valley property maintenance technician, he came across a pair of inexpensive-but-neglected go karts, it seemed only natural to buy them for his kids. “It took a while but we were able to make one kart from parts of both,” he remembers. “Our first race was a bit scary. The first time out, the throttle stuck on Charley’s kart and suddenly she was going flat out. She got it under control with the brakes and shut it off with the kill switch without incident.
She got right back in the kart as though nothing had happened.” From that somewhat dubious start, the Fords gained knowledge of both driving and building go karts, in part with the help of the local go karting community. “I can’t say enough about all of the help we have had along the way,” Chris recounts. “People in the karting community are generous with their time and experience. They are there to help anyone who needs it.” He also greatly credits his wife, Jamie, in helping with the formation and growth of the family’s karting efforts. “We could not have done this without her help,” he says. “She has supported and trusted us to be financially prudent, safe, and have fun, without really knowing a lot about the sport.” To some parents, the idea of their child competing in motorsports may seem dangerous or questionable at best; however, Chris Ford believes it is a family sport that provides valuable, quality time with his children. He says the time they spend working on karts each week or time at the race track is time that he knows where his kids are Continued on Page 9
While taking photos at Glenn Morgan Raceway near Star last summer, Dennis Lopez spotted racer Number 7 through his camera lens. Charley Ford, then 10 years old, whizzed around the track in her humble racing outfit, steering her ordinary kart. Eventually, the photographer met her and other members of the Ford family and learned about their enthusiasm for kart racing. (Photo by Dennis Lopez) www.idahofamilymagazine.com
Idaho Family Magazine | MAY/JUN 2021 3
