10-11-2004, 11:53 AM
gather round children, it's uncle scotty's story time again! for those of you at work or just bored, i hope you enjoy this.
As we pulled up to G Force it almost didnÔÇÖt look like a karting venue at all. Blending into the somber gray loading bays of the adjacent warehouses, the front door was the only clue that inside this vast expanse of corrugated metal some amazing kart racing takes place. After filing into the lot and exchanging a few wazzups, we pretty much invaded the place to the tune of 20 MMÔÇÖers hungry for some high quality karting. Paperwork and politically incorrect team names out of the way, it was time to check the track out and get a little lecture from one of the employees on kart etiquette, which mostly involves not beating the crap out of their karts, and that green still means go and red still means stop, etc. Good stuff. After donning the sexy (read: dumb) looking head socks we grabbed our helmets and got our first good look at the karts and the track.
Looking through the scratched lexan shield of the helmet the karts look innocent. Cute actually. They have little blue side pods and a little blue shield over the steering column, little LED taillights, a meek looking roll hoop, and that goofy plastic halo that encompasses the entire cart so as to deflect blows from the tire wall and more importantly, other competitors. Despite their meager appearance though, deep down you know they are most likely no joke. The steering wheel is teeny, with little bulges where you hands need to be. The pedals have a cage over them to hold your feet in place. The front tires are wide, but the rear tires are FAT, and rear haunches of the kart bulge out shamelessly to contain them. The seat is nothing but a plastic bucket designed to wrap around your lower torso, and it has a noticeably thin layer of fabric stretched onto it making a weak effort to comfort you. The engine, although small, has a vented fairing over it and is very low set in the chassis, to the right of the driverÔÇÖs torso. Next to the fairing is the only other covering on the kart, which hides the rear axle directly behind the seat. Come to think of it, everything is low. Nothing mechanical really rises far above the height of the tires save for the steering assembly and the top of the engine and pedals. The lack of weight, low center of gravity, and wiiiide stance are blatant and speak strongly of the purpose of this machine. The thoughts of the go-karts at the fair or boardwalk were now totally absent. So much for cute.
One by one the first shift MMÔÇÖers took to their assigned kart. Drop in (and I mean drop, as you end up with your butt literally about an inch off of the concrete), slide your feet into the pedal cages on the left and right of the steering column, and pull the shoulder belt over from the left. This happens all very swiftly really. There really isnÔÇÖt much happening but everyone is anxious. The head guy, who I shall name Tiny since he was very much not, began to rip on the starter cord of every kart, and with the whisk of an armstroke the burble of each 6.5 horsepower engine filled the open expanse of the warehouse. The track begins to take on the likeness of a blank canvas, and the coughing little karts want to smear tire marks allllll over it. You can just tell they want to. Heck, when Tiny would start each kart it would jolt forward and try to take off unless the brake was applied because the choke mechanism added a little throttle to the engines. But really I knew those karts wanted to rumble.
I took off my helmet since I knew I had 15 minutes to wait (can you tell Im anxious?), and as I did I got a better whiff of the fumes. How they keep a place like this ventilated so well Ill never know. But anyway, the smell, sound, and look of 10 drivers ready to tackle the track was really getting to me, I almost wanted to run out really fast and beg Jay to let me drive first, even though I was kind of apprehensivethis being my first time and all (and considering we got NO warm up lap due to time constraints). But just as the thought crossed my mind, Tiny gave a wave of his arm and there was no mistake in anyones mind that it was officially go time.
In no time the track was being navigated by packs of roaring karts. Despite everyone leaving in single file, the lack of experience and a degree of caution by most of the new drivers meant 3 or 4 kart packs soon developed where faster drivers who were staged towards the rear were trying to pass. So for the first 5 laps or so it was mayhem, MM style. Passing, nudging, screeching, waving. Through the slower corners, the engines bogged down, but as soon as some momentum was gained and the engines hit the upper RPMÔÇÖs, they really took off down the straights and through the fast sweepers, no matter who was at the wheel. For 6.5 horsepower, these little things could move!
As I ran between spectator areas I came to realize one very apparent thing. These karts oversteer.alot. The hairpin, sweeper leading onto the back straight, and turn in front of the pit area were all ripe with the sound of chirping rear tires indicative of some drift action. At any given moment I could look around and see Maeng, Jack, or Jay (among others) leaning into opposite lock or blipping the throttle with abandon to tame the loose rear end. It had just never occurred to me that these karts had the power to pull that off! Eventually the field thinned out some more as the pace of each driver retained more of a rhythm and the faster drivers battled amongst themselves while the other karts vied for the occasional pass.
Someone yelled out, ÔÇ£2 minutes!ÔÇØ Whoa, it was already time for me to get the helmet on! I fumbled around with my gear, shaking from excitement. Headsock pulled on tight, helmet squeezed on, neck brace secure. I sauntered over to the pits, and in a minutes time Tiny briskly waved the checkered flag to signify that round one was over, and round two was up!
tune in tommorow for part 2 of the 3 part series! same time, same channel.
cliff notes: sea monkeys stole my money, Mike got his own class, Jack got to test the first airbag equipped kart and Dave raced a 69 charger over some railroad tracks on the way home.
As we pulled up to G Force it almost didnÔÇÖt look like a karting venue at all. Blending into the somber gray loading bays of the adjacent warehouses, the front door was the only clue that inside this vast expanse of corrugated metal some amazing kart racing takes place. After filing into the lot and exchanging a few wazzups, we pretty much invaded the place to the tune of 20 MMÔÇÖers hungry for some high quality karting. Paperwork and politically incorrect team names out of the way, it was time to check the track out and get a little lecture from one of the employees on kart etiquette, which mostly involves not beating the crap out of their karts, and that green still means go and red still means stop, etc. Good stuff. After donning the sexy (read: dumb) looking head socks we grabbed our helmets and got our first good look at the karts and the track.
Looking through the scratched lexan shield of the helmet the karts look innocent. Cute actually. They have little blue side pods and a little blue shield over the steering column, little LED taillights, a meek looking roll hoop, and that goofy plastic halo that encompasses the entire cart so as to deflect blows from the tire wall and more importantly, other competitors. Despite their meager appearance though, deep down you know they are most likely no joke. The steering wheel is teeny, with little bulges where you hands need to be. The pedals have a cage over them to hold your feet in place. The front tires are wide, but the rear tires are FAT, and rear haunches of the kart bulge out shamelessly to contain them. The seat is nothing but a plastic bucket designed to wrap around your lower torso, and it has a noticeably thin layer of fabric stretched onto it making a weak effort to comfort you. The engine, although small, has a vented fairing over it and is very low set in the chassis, to the right of the driverÔÇÖs torso. Next to the fairing is the only other covering on the kart, which hides the rear axle directly behind the seat. Come to think of it, everything is low. Nothing mechanical really rises far above the height of the tires save for the steering assembly and the top of the engine and pedals. The lack of weight, low center of gravity, and wiiiide stance are blatant and speak strongly of the purpose of this machine. The thoughts of the go-karts at the fair or boardwalk were now totally absent. So much for cute.
One by one the first shift MMÔÇÖers took to their assigned kart. Drop in (and I mean drop, as you end up with your butt literally about an inch off of the concrete), slide your feet into the pedal cages on the left and right of the steering column, and pull the shoulder belt over from the left. This happens all very swiftly really. There really isnÔÇÖt much happening but everyone is anxious. The head guy, who I shall name Tiny since he was very much not, began to rip on the starter cord of every kart, and with the whisk of an armstroke the burble of each 6.5 horsepower engine filled the open expanse of the warehouse. The track begins to take on the likeness of a blank canvas, and the coughing little karts want to smear tire marks allllll over it. You can just tell they want to. Heck, when Tiny would start each kart it would jolt forward and try to take off unless the brake was applied because the choke mechanism added a little throttle to the engines. But really I knew those karts wanted to rumble.
I took off my helmet since I knew I had 15 minutes to wait (can you tell Im anxious?), and as I did I got a better whiff of the fumes. How they keep a place like this ventilated so well Ill never know. But anyway, the smell, sound, and look of 10 drivers ready to tackle the track was really getting to me, I almost wanted to run out really fast and beg Jay to let me drive first, even though I was kind of apprehensivethis being my first time and all (and considering we got NO warm up lap due to time constraints). But just as the thought crossed my mind, Tiny gave a wave of his arm and there was no mistake in anyones mind that it was officially go time.
In no time the track was being navigated by packs of roaring karts. Despite everyone leaving in single file, the lack of experience and a degree of caution by most of the new drivers meant 3 or 4 kart packs soon developed where faster drivers who were staged towards the rear were trying to pass. So for the first 5 laps or so it was mayhem, MM style. Passing, nudging, screeching, waving. Through the slower corners, the engines bogged down, but as soon as some momentum was gained and the engines hit the upper RPMÔÇÖs, they really took off down the straights and through the fast sweepers, no matter who was at the wheel. For 6.5 horsepower, these little things could move!
As I ran between spectator areas I came to realize one very apparent thing. These karts oversteer.alot. The hairpin, sweeper leading onto the back straight, and turn in front of the pit area were all ripe with the sound of chirping rear tires indicative of some drift action. At any given moment I could look around and see Maeng, Jack, or Jay (among others) leaning into opposite lock or blipping the throttle with abandon to tame the loose rear end. It had just never occurred to me that these karts had the power to pull that off! Eventually the field thinned out some more as the pace of each driver retained more of a rhythm and the faster drivers battled amongst themselves while the other karts vied for the occasional pass.
Someone yelled out, ÔÇ£2 minutes!ÔÇØ Whoa, it was already time for me to get the helmet on! I fumbled around with my gear, shaking from excitement. Headsock pulled on tight, helmet squeezed on, neck brace secure. I sauntered over to the pits, and in a minutes time Tiny briskly waved the checkered flag to signify that round one was over, and round two was up!
tune in tommorow for part 2 of the 3 part series! same time, same channel.
cliff notes: sea monkeys stole my money, Mike got his own class, Jack got to test the first airbag equipped kart and Dave raced a 69 charger over some railroad tracks on the way home.
2010 Civic Si
2019 4Runner TRD Off-Road
--------------------------
Past: 03 Xterra SE 4x4 | 05 Impreza 2.5RS | 99.5 A4 Quattro 1.8T | 01 Accord EX | 90 Maxima GXE | 96 Explorer XLT
2019 4Runner TRD Off-Road
--------------------------
Past: 03 Xterra SE 4x4 | 05 Impreza 2.5RS | 99.5 A4 Quattro 1.8T | 01 Accord EX | 90 Maxima GXE | 96 Explorer XLT
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hock: 