Go Karting Blog

Monday 14th November: 9 Best of British Go Kart Racers Compete On World Stage: ROTAX Grand Final 2011

9 out of 264 – what are the odds in that? Well let me tell you, 9 of Britain’s best Go Kart racers are pitted this weekend against the very best in the world and it’s all taking place in the United Arab Emirates.

What could be better? Well again, ROTAX the championship organisers might say buying one of their Ski-doos or Sea-doos might be better but as I’m not here to sell ROTAX recreational sports engines (mores the pity – sorry boss!) I’ll just have to let you answer that question?

As this week heats up we will be seeing the starts of the 12th global Go Karting grand finale, yes that’s right – it’s been going on for 12 whole years now and it’s about time team GB got on the podiums for individual and country efforts. Last year was dominated by Spain, Estonia and Australia with Canada pinching a few top spots - this year who knows? All UK drivers at this point seem positively poised, on form and ready for the coming challenge.

With the driver registration starting today (give or take time zone differences) they now only have a 4 x 15 minute practice, a 15 minute warm up, an opening party and a mid-week BBQ standing between them and the qualifying heats so pressure will be mounting up thick and fast.

With 9 of our very best Go Kart champions taking the field Uk Go Karting wanted to know what common denominator went into making a national and international champion, is it their location, or maybe the school or even the race club? Strawberry Racing account for 4 of the 9 champions in the starting line up so club could be the thing – I would imagine however that champions are attracted to the ‘strawbs’ rather than them home growing them (excuse the pun). It doesn’t even seem to be location as there is a real even spread across the country which automatically puts schools out of the equation too.

To really find out Uk Go Karting have decided to follow ROTAX, the best of British schools at BSKC and also speak to the top guys from the top teams across the country over the coming year – all you have to do is stay tuned in!
For now though we have ROTAX covered for you – watch out for our next post which will go through the best results and find out who really is the world number 1 Go Karting Champion!

Sunday 6th November : Lydd Kart Circuit Arrive and Drive Session

I took my two nephews to the Lydd track at the weekend to give them the opportunity to try out a new track. They have driven at Buckmore Park with their dad many times, but as they had been limited to the junior circuit and the cadet karts. I was eager for them to have a go at something a bit more exciting (read: faster) and they were very excited at the prospect of having a go on a full 1200 metre track. The Lydd circuit is one of my favourites, not just because of its fast straights and demanding curves, but because of the way it is set out that allows you to always be able to see your opponents (read: mortal enemies) position on the track. At Lydd you never get the feeling that your driving around on your own that you can at some tracks when you are so far in front of everyone (not particularly likely for me) or so far behind (that sounds a bit more like it) that there is no sign of anyone else around. Here, there’s always a sense of urgency, because you can always see where everybody else is, and get to laugh at them when they spin out, which makes it great for racing at all levels.

The boys went absolutely crazy for it, and as their confidence grew, their lap times began to improve considerably and they both started to put in some fairly consistent times, but I beat them both soundly…of course, at least that’s the story I’m sticking to, but they both did really well and who knows, I may be able to nurture an Formula 1 racer out of one of them yet! I hope they remember me when they’re living in Monte Carlo.

Tuesday 4th October : Club 100 at Bay Meadows - Neil Williams

So, off to the Bayford Meadows track in the north of Kent to take part in a test session with Club 100 who operate an open 2-stoke competition that anyone over 16 can enter. The series travels throughout the UK and is decided over eleven rounds. The karts are powered by 115cc TKM units that I have been told ‘go like the clappers’ and I had been anticipating an opportunity to test them for quite some time.
The karts are direct drive, so throttle response is massively improved as there is no clutch robbing power from your right foot. The downside to this is that the karts need to be push started and instantly stall if you spin out or otherwise forget how to drive. This in itself was a new and exciting experience and I waited with joy for the ‘push kart’ to nudge me from behind with its metal ‘kart catcher’ scoop on the front before whisking away me away as I waited for the engine to fire.

All of a sudden life sprang into the kart and I shot off like a missile and went hurtling towards the first corner. I managed to slow the thing down in time for the first complex of corners and spent a couple of laps familiarising myself with the course.

The Birel Chassis is very forgiving and (according to those who know) are less ‘edgy’ that the frame that they had been using for a number of years. As long as you get all of your braking done in a straight line approaching the bend you’ll be fine but linger on the brakes on the turn-in and you face the prospect of dragging the kart back on to the track out of the scenery.

I had never visited the Bayford Meadows track before and was very impressed with what I found. The venue has great facilities; the club house and canteen structures have the look of an ‘American diner’ about them and the track is absolutely super. I had always admired the twists and turns of the circuit from the aerial shots displayed on the UK Go Karting website and was now discovering it first hand at the controls of a very serious piece of machinery.

It has a wonderful selection of curves and bends that really tests the driving skills to their maximum and demands precise and consistent control, both of which I apparently do not possess!  After a few laps I started to get the hang of the track and as my confidence grew, the tyres began to warm up and the adrenaline began to flow I started pushing to see what this little rocket could really do.

I had a few ‘appointments’ with the pusher karts that sit at various points around the track following some over-exuberant cornering, or ‘running out of talent’ as many others have referred to it. All in all, my lap times were not that bad given the technical nature of the track but on reflection perhaps they weren’t that good considering the fact that I work for a go karting company! More practice required I think. Now what should I try next?

(Coming next... an appointment with fear! Neil in a Rotax Max)

Friday 10th June: How safe is karting? - John Burton

The question most frequently asked by parents who are planning their kid’s birthday treat is – just how safe is karting? So here are a few things to consider before you telephone to ask the same thing.

Let’s assume that you live about half-an-hour away from your nearest go kart track and you going to go in your own car. When did you last check your tyre pressures or your oil level? Have you got a current MOT and is your car fully insured? Can you be 100% sure that all the vehicles you encounter on the way are similarly covered?

Ok, so you set off and you’ve a car full of kids all belted into place; they’re not going to distract you are they? They’re not just a teensy bit excited and asking questions every two minutes? Do you have your mobile phone on hands-free, do you know exactly where you are going?

During your half-hour trip you are going to pass several hundred if not a thousand or so cars coming in the opposite direction. If you’re sticking to the 30mph speed limit as well as the oncoming cars then your possible collision speed will be 60mph but hey, who sticks to the speed limit? I guarantee that you and everyone else will be going at least 35mph so your collision speed will now be 70mph and if you get on to a dual carriageway then you’ll possibly come face to face with someone pointing a two-tonne weapon at you at over 120mph.

Of course none of the other drivers will be on their mobile phone will they, or worse still texting their mates? Likewise none may have just dropped in the pub for a quick pint at lunchtime or be on any form of medication that makes them drowsy will they? Everyone will be motoring along as if they’ve just come straight out of driving school and there is absolutely no risk to you and your kids – yeah right!

The reality, as we all know, is that every trip on the road has its own risks but the consequences can be great or even catastrophic if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.

On the other hand if you make it to the kart circuit in one piece your children will be in a controlled environment, they will be fully briefed and instructed before they get into a kart, they will be wearing a race suit and a full face crash helmet, they will be in a very small and manageable group, everyone will be travelling in the same direction, their speed will almost certainly be limited to about 20mph and they will be surrounded by deformable safety barriers. There will definitely be a First-Aider on site and in addition each kart will have been checked on a daily basis with paperwork to back this up.

So let’s get this straight; you go through all of the risks above and you then ask how safe karting is?

Friday 27th May: Whilton Mill Kart Circuit – John Burton

Oh my aching body – what have I done? Foolishly, I have allowed myself to believe that after just a few laps around Surbiton Raceway and The Raceway Birmingham I am ready for a bigger challenge and I have signed up for a full season in the European Pro-Kart Endurance Championship; to say that I am not prepared is something of an understatement - I am in all sorts of pain.

The events are six-hour endurance races and the rules for hire-kart entries are pretty straightforward; you turn up, collect your kart and go racing. Throughout the event you are required to stop three times for fuel and if you follow Formula 1 you will know that pitting for anything other than an enforced stop is simply out of the question ‘cos everyone else is still out on track racing. My team mates and I have bold expectations about doing ninety-minute stints each in order to make the most of the regulations but after a few laps practice reality takes hold and we decide that 60-minutes at a time is about the limit of what our bodies will take.

The race is at Whilton Mill and I have not driven the track in its 1200-metre guise so the first few laps are something of a mystery tour. And it is so bumpy! Although it doesn’t look like it from the sidelines there are a few places on the circuit that send a nasty jolt through your spine and if you’re using the kerbs as part of your racing line then a quick lap around here can be quite an uncomfortable experience.

 From about 30-minutes into my stint I am looking at my watch to see how long is remaining and at the end of my first hour my left ribs have taken about as much as they can stand. I pit and hand over to the next driver while I stagger back to our encampment to seek solace in my picnic hamper. In the intervening two hours before it’s my turn again my ribs really begin to complain and I am more conscious of them than driving the kart and of course I’m miles off the pace.  After a pathetic 25-minutes in the kart I am forced to hand over to Peter, our number-three driver who, it turns out is suffering as much as I am and he too pits after half-an-hour.

All now rests with our youngest driver James who, happily, is our fastest man. There are now two hours left and he’s got to drive them all. As it turns out he is our saviour and he manages to last the distance although at the end his hands look like some macabre victim from a Val McDermid novel after 120-minutes of gripping the steering wheel.

We finish third in the hire-class group and are ever so slightly relieved that the next race is over a month away – Have I really signed up for the whole year?

Monday 23rd May : Birmingham Raceway indoor karting centre - Neil Williams

Another freebie…sweet! This time it’s for the Raceway Birmingham go kart track. A bit of trek from our home base in Kent, but it’s hard to turn down the chance to race at a track I’ve not been to before and it seemed like a good opportunity to brush up my skills in preparation for this year’s European pro-kart endurance championship along with the 24 hour at Le Mans that anyone can enter.

Another early finish and a zip up the M40 to the outskirts of Birmingham city centre. The track is located on a small business park in a renovated warehouse and is easy to reach from the motorway. Inside is what you would expect from an indoor track, a clean and friendly reception area, with the constant buzz of go karts in the background. I went for a quick nose around and a cup of tea from the restaurant, and then to grab a race suit. This was another 2-hour endurance race with teams from all over the Midlands taking part, nothing serious, just a bit of a ‘jolly’ put on by the owner for friends in the industry. The safety briefing over, let the games commence.

The practice session began and all of the drivers made their way to the spectator’s gallery that provides an excellent elevated view of the track, right next to the restaurant for easy access to refreshments. The main thing I noticed was that there was one helluva lot of track crammed into the building with a huge flyover section at the same level as the spectator’s area. I couldn’t wait to get out there and wasted no time when it was my turn to make my way to the pits for a driver changeover.

It was a great track with some really tight twists and turns and some good opportunities to get up some speed, especially coming down the ramp from the raised track section into a tight right hander immediately at the bottom. I looked forward to that sector lap after lap during my stint in the ‘race proper’ and did my best to keep hold of the kart as my stomach shot into my head each time as I lunged down the hill.

There weren’t many overtaking opportunities around the course, and the best tactic was to apply pressure to the driver in front and hope that they would spin out of your way, which didn’t normally take long to happen due to the technically demanding nature of this track. It was a great night out and I enjoyed the best stone baked pizza this side of Napoli, no joke, they were awesome! The next day, however, was not awesome. The aches and pains kicked with a vengeance and it was a struggle to move my arms and legs. I had not expected it to be such a gruelling workout, but it was worth every drop.

Wednesday 18th May 2011 : Go Karting in Birmingham at The Raceway - John Burton

In preparation for our assault on the European Pro-Kart Endurance Championship I accept another invitation for a ‘jolly’. At this point I should say that this job isn’t all about freebies; over the past few years I’ve hardly sat in a go-kart but it so happens that this year the invitations are coming thick and fast.

This time it’s indoors at The Raceway in Birmingham, which for me is a 7-hour round trip, so for market research this really is dedication to duty! Despite covering over 190 miles we are the first there and are keen to have a bit of a track walk but strangely, although the circuit is deserted we are not allowed to have a look around. This is all the more frustrating because the layout of the track, with its flyovers and underpasses, is not at all clear from the mezzanine from where we can only ‘view’ the building.

Needless to say my first lap is ‘interesting’ as I’ve no idea where I am going. Right from the first bend, which is a very tight left-hander under a dimly-lit flyover I am lost. I won’t bore you with all the technicalities of the track as it’s worth going along yourself to try it out, but I am told that its current incarnation is about the fifth or sixth version the owners have tried. There are a couple of corners that I could have done without as they were a bit too close to each other but in all honesty this is probably just a heavyweight driver (me) having a moan; they really have done a good job of getting as much as possible into a confined space.

As I’m in mufti I fit in with the rest of the invitees but there are a couple of drivers who clearly take this seriously and have all the kit, right down to the custom paint job on their crash helmet. Not only do they look pretty but they are quick too... but only when they’re on their own. The moment any of them approach backmarkers it all ends in tears. Not one of them is capable of grasping that the guy in front is a novice and the only rule they drive to is ‘they shall not pass’. This of course means that the evening is punctuated by stoppages to untangle karts from the scenery but for those watching it is an opportunity to tuck in to the complimentary pizzas.

Overall I liked the place. On the few occasions where I had some track to myself I was able to push on a bit and even the fiddly corners weren’t too much of a distraction. The second section I found more interesting but I’m guessing that was because it was the quicker half of the circuit. Years back I would probably have spent more time going back to find those extra few tenths of a second but these days I’m happy enough to say been there, done that.

Monday 16th May 2011 : Go Karting in Kent at Buckmore Park - Neil Williams

The Joys of working for UK Go Karting never end. An invitation from Buckmore Park for an evening of free karting and opportunity to try out their fleet of new super fast 390cc karts; thank you very much.

I’ve always wanted to try out the Buckmore circuit as I had driven past many times and looked longingly at its flowing curves and bends tucked neatly against a hillside just off of the M2 motorway just a stone’s throw from the M25. My time had come at last and I was not disappointed. It is easy to see why Buckmore Park is so popular as a corporate event venue as the facilities are of the highest standard.  The main building is modern and the race wear and crash helmets are maintained to perfection

I was entered into a 3 hour endurance race for teams of 6 drivers and there were 36 teams. Following the mandatory safety briefing, the practice session began and my chance to drive the famous Buckmore Park track had begun. It was incredible! The new karts were like tiny rocket ships with super responsive throttle control and handling and the track was something else. A couple of tight, technical sections and two long sweeping straights, one uphill, and the other, a real roller coaster of a downhill into a tricky couple of bends, that if taken correctly can be worth over a second a lap. If taken incorrectly however, it can lead to you ending up in all sorts of trouble. Buckmore really is the place to hone your race craft and test your wits as many others have done in the past including the current F1 stars, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, as well as many famous racers from the past

After my practice session, I went to sample the food. The track had laid on a full spread of their entire menu for us to try. It was really good quality and the selection included Mexican, Indian and Barbecue food with a huge selection of breads, dips and side dishes. I tried as much as I could, until I became worried that if I continued it would be of detriment to my performance on the track as a result of my increased weight

So I made my way back to the team to see how the race was progressing. We were not doing well. We were not doing too badly though and I was still to drive. I opted for the final stint and my turn soon came around. After a couple of laps, I found my rhythm and managed to pass a few of the drivers in front of me, but made no real headway in our final classification. We came in eleventh, which was not a total disaster but not a great result. Still, it gives me an excuse to go back and try a bit harder; I just have to wait for my next free invite.

Tuesday 10th May 2011 : Surbiton Session - John Burton

“You need to get out more” my other half had said to me in jest. At least I hoped it was in jest. I don’t think that she was trying to get rid of me it’s just that the signs that work was getting on top of me were beginning to show; you know, shouting at the telephone after  I’d hung up, sudden uncharacteristic flashes of temper, that sort of thing. So, I mulled it over and considered getting my crash helmet out of the loft to see whether a few laps in a kart could re-kindle that old spirit.

Purely by chance I’d received an invitation to have a session at the track at Surbiton and had originally thought little of it, but now I had a purpose and decided to give it a go. I quickly ruled out going along in my own race kit as I suspected, correctly as it turned out, that this was merely a ‘jolly’ for a few work mates and a fully ‘togged up’ driver was going to stand out like a sore thumb.

The only time I’d ever been to Surbiton in the past was on business and I didn’t get the chance to have a go. This time I was there strictly as a customer and was using my outing as an opportunity to see how they did things, to have some fun and to find out if I was fast enough to enter something for the remainder of the year.

Ok, so my level of experience was possibly greater than most people there but hey, in my first 15-minute session I was second quickest and I still felt there was a bit more to find – I was having fun! During my second stint I really got into a rhythm and found myself in that ‘zone’ place that real drivers talk of  and I worked out what for me was the perfect ‘line’ to extract as much as I was going to out of the kart on the day.

Result! Quickest driver of the lot by half-a-second and a voucher for two free beers at the bar where my potential team-mates and I discuss whether we are fast enough to enter the well-respected European Pro-Kart Endurance Championship. It’s a big jump from a quick blast around the local track to a full-on 6-hour competition event, but undaunted we decide to give it a go and fill in the entry form. The first Round is at Whilton Mill, which I’ve only driven in its pre-extended days so the full 1200-metre version will be something else to look forward to.

And  Surbiton? Nicely run but relaxed event. All the kit including the karts was clean and the circuit was well thought out allowing even heavier drivers to keep up with the 50kg whippets. Having a bar on site was something of a bonus and the post-event de-brief was mostly about how our ageing bodies were going to stand up to 90-minute racing stints!