If it turns out Jeremy and Tracey Jowett have competed in their last races, then the husband and wife team will have gone out on top.
They picked up national titles at the New Zealand Grass Kart Championships held near Milton during the Easter break.
Tracey (31) claimed the lifan 200cc class title, while Jeremy (31) won the super kart class.
Both have got to the top of the podium at the South Island Championships before but these were their first national titles - and probably their last.
''The goal was to go out on top,'' Jeremy said.
''I hadn't raced for about three seasons and got back into it this season with the intention or the hope of winning it and I've done that. So I'm quite happy to park them up now.''
The pair have been racing for about eight years and Tracey had ''mixed emotions'' about retirement. She got her start racing karts on tarseal as a 9-year-old with her family.
It is an exhilarating sport. The super karts can reach speeds of up to 100kmh which must seem like a lot faster when you are just a few inches above the race track.
''Going that fast that close to other competitors and that close to the ground is a buzz. If feels faster than it actually is and it is hard to describe, really,'' Jeremy said.
While he will miss the excitement of racing, he will not miss all the work that goes into building the karts.
He is a mechanic and the thought of coming home after a long week only to spend the weekend in the shed tinkering with motors was not as appealing as it once was, he said.
The couple also have two daughters - Emma (4) and Jenna (1) - so time is precious as well.
