re: Racing in the British Universities Go-Karting Championship I was in Race 3 out of the 6 races. Seeing how the first 2 races panned out did make me anxious to be honest. The number of people spinning off the track was too high. It was going to be the fastest machine I have ever driven/ridden. The rookies is a complete mix of talent pool. There are newbies like me who've never driven a two stroke kart before and at the other end of the spectrum are people who race in the British Touring Car Championship. I think you can guess how messy it can get - but that is the fun of BUKC.
As I mentioned earlier, the karts stall if the throttle is shut off and if the speed is insufficient. Therefore, when you go off track you are most likely to stall. The slick tyres have absolutely no grip on the wet/muddy grass. Once you make a small contact with grass, you're off. Thankfully it was a dry race (extremely rare in the UK). As my mates pushed me off the staring grid for the practice session, I realised how hard it was going to be. I took it really slow in this session. So slow that I stalled. You then get out of your kart, pick one end up and pull it on track. Then you wait for a marshal in a pusher kart to give you a push and crank your engine. Going off track is the worst thing you can imagine. - You have to wait ages till the pusher kart arrives - precious race time is lost.
- You lose the temperature in your tyres leaving you with no grip
- Your tyres get covered in mud - another lap gone
- Picking up the kart a few times can be physically taxing
The karts are insanely fast. Its literally driving metal scaffolding with an engine on it. And it goes 0-60mph in <5 seconds. The centre of gravity is so low that you can take the corners at crazy high speeds. (not that I did compared to the pros, but I was pretty decent). I qualified 32nd (second last). I was happy with the result. It was the most fun I ever had on a race track. Each time I braked for a corner I realised that I could brake even later and get onto the throttle earlier as I got into the groove. The secret was to stay on track. Almost everyone spins off so just staying on track can help you tonnes.
All the six qualifying sessions take place first followed by the six races. You do have to wait quite a bit for your race. I understood how bad it can be in the next race when it was soaking wet.
I started 32nd of 33rd for the race, made up a few places at the start and lost them all when I spun off. This was the time I really understood how race drivers feel when they crash. Going over the kerbs hurts your spine like hell. Picking the kart up does actually make you very tired. Mind you the temperature was -2 degrees Celsius as well. But all this does not matter when you have a stroke kart under your bum.
The jet aircraft like acceleration when you hit the throttle, the high flickability into corners and that sweet sweet feeling when you feel the rear sliding a bit. Its an experience every petrolhead needs to have at least once in his life. My words probably wont do justice to my thoughts or the experience. |