Impossible to get into karting

Guimengo Wrote:
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> Want more inspiring stuff? Lewis Hamilton's father
> worked 3 jobs so he could provide his son with a
> chance.

We know, Steve Ryder reminds us every 10 minutes

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LoL

I feel sorry for you guys without a track. I'm lucky enough that we have a Half Mile oval right here in town, which turns their track into a Roval (As they have a Quarter mile oval inside the half mile one), And they actually run Karts out there. I'm lucky enough to know the Track champion out there, and his brother (Who isnt as good... still decent though)

Funny story (Well, I thought it was)
One day we were bored, so we decided to go to one of those go kart places (As Gui described. Only ours were faster, and we got around 7 minutes for 7 dollars or something like that (The place is no longer in business.... Unfortunantly) (And you could also sign up for a Drivers Card... Which knocked the price down to 5 bucks until it expired, and gave you 2 free races, and another free one on your Birthday.) It was quite the place.

So, we go out there, they have their helmets (Theyve been there before... I havent.) All serious racer. The first race, I spun quite alot (Mainly under braking. This track had a sweeper that tightened into a hairpin... You have to brake for the hairpin, but the car snaps sideways under braking there )

Next race, I absolutely pwn the guy's brother, and set like the 4th fastest time of the day. (Which, for a 6'4" 250lb guy in a little go kart I consider quite impressive ) Then... All hell breaks loose. I get into the Zone (If you saw me through the visor on the helmet... Pure concentration. I start gaining on the Champ towards the end of the race.

We decide for one more race before leaving (So they paid once... I paid nonce. (Bday Special! Ya, I cleaned them out) I ask the champ about this corner that he beats me through every time (And if it wasnt for that corner... I would have him) Its a fast left hand sweeper at the end of a straight. Taken NEARLY Flat. He says "Just take it flat. Its easy" (Best way to describe it is 130R at Suzuka... Only slightly tighter) Well... The first few laps We're racing eachother, I get infront and pulled away (I swear I shouldve been a race car driver) every lap pushing harder and harder through that corner. Then, I decide to go for it. Flat out.

Hit the apex perfectly, but... Next thing you know the thing snaps sideways (As You have to put more steering into it for the hairpin that follows (Another decreasing radius curve... Track was full of them) and I back it into the wall. The Visor off of my helmet POPPED OFF (I'm sure it wasnt on to good anyways, it was just a loaner after all). So, Spin it back around, ignore the pain in my shoulder (The Belts dug into my skin... I had a nice mark for a week or two), fix the visor, and drive off. By now we're even, and we have one of the best battles I've ever seen. Back and forth the whole time. He won, Barely. He nearly put me into the wall, so I lost some time, but I was again closing on him fast.

After that, I nearly got into serious Karting. They said that I could probably do it and be quite fast (It may not be the real thing, BUT, I adapted quickly and was quite quick instantly).

Unfortunantly, it never happened.

Must say though, I now know what they mean when they say a driver is in the zone... It feels so good. Its as if everything slows down, you hear things you dont usually hear, and dont hear what you dont need to. (Another reason why people dont enjoy riding with me in empty parking lots... I get that look on my face and they know to hold on)

Well, theres my story. Anyone else have a good one?


The Flanker is gone.

If your parents aren't rich, forget it. If you parents are rich but won't sacrifice their time and money for you, forget it also. In fact, just forget it, it's fun but ultimately rarely worth it.

I was lucky in that my Mum, despite not having much money, sacrified a hell of a lot for me to do what we did, involving an 8 hour drive to Sunderland to pick up and test out a kart (1 hour drive away? that's really nothing in karting). We never had enough cash to compete on a regular basis and no-one to help us out, therefore it wasn't really a good experience. Driving around on 6 month old, heavily used tyres versus guys with new tyres for each day, tuned motors sitting snobbily in their huge motorhomes with a team of mechanics to set up their kart and examine data?

To get far in motorsport, you need huge amounts of money and family sacrifice and lots of luck. Talent is a bonus.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2007 10:46PM by elemental.

hi~< karting..hi guys what if u want to race and u noe its real...but its too late to kart? what you gonna do?as for myself..im 16 have student d.license and driving school..just finished...about that it doesnt satisfy me..i know my dad know i want to race..but its just time..too busy..and i neither touch that dreaming go kart...and here i am spenting time on a...whatsoever...gt4 and enthusia game...dreaming to be a winner...on difficulty 10?hahax....anyweiz guys outtheir for those whose too late that want to race and u noe ur dad can u race ur career up..dont give up~1...i min its not really too late..next yr im on college haha gonna get pilot license well atleast soon...someday..ill bo on gt's or openwheel.much comfortable on openwheel......

just lyk elemental said ...if ur rich and ur parents wont sacrifice their time and money for you...forget it..

lyk me..
when i think im 15..my dad said to me u'll gonna go on karting..just lyk my 4 yrs old brother doing right now..its just i have problem on school between balancing and really i dont have imagination to study well but i passed every subjct on it..~~hhax

but now im 16...my dad im gonna get to try stock which i dont lyk..now or next yr?(too late)?/ his finding some sponsor..2 actuali he get..for formula bmw..or whatsoever..to support me...~hope zo..im read to waste my time on dat just to do it...or if not..to be a pilot on sky hahahx!

I don't have rich parents or bags full of cash yet am still taking part in a 24 hour race this month!

The bottom line guys is have fun, 99% of us are never going to be the next Schumacher. The trick is just have fun and what happens, happens.

elemental Wrote:
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> If your parents aren't rich, forget it. If you
> parents are rich but won't sacrifice their time
> and money for you, forget it also. In fact, just
> forget it, it's fun but ultimately rarely worth
> it.


well that just killed it for me. My parents are even having trouble paying the bills. I mean i wanna race. Racing is fun and its not like the cross-country that im doing now.

smorr Wrote:
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... I paid nonce.

YOU MAKE ME SICK!

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As inflation goes up, prices go up in everything.

It's a bugger to get into Karting, my parents would never sacrifice the money in their dreams so I never got the chance . Travelling are too tiring but it would be worth it.

People nowadays who get into the sport are either the rich people, people who have been bred into the sport (such as Rosberg and Piquet Jnr who both have fathers who raced in F1) and their parents would sacrifice everything and go with their child's will.

Sutil said that he had to win over his parents after choosing karting over the piano and once his parents noticed he was really good, his parents became proud of him. (well that can be debatable, he's in a Spyker now)

slicer Wrote:
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> elemental Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If your parents aren't rich, forget it. If you
> > parents are rich but won't sacrifice their time
> > and money for you, forget it also. In fact,
> just
> > forget it, it's fun but ultimately rarely worth
> > it.
>
>
> well that just killed it for me. My parents are
> even having trouble paying the bills. I mean i
> wanna race. Racing is fun and its not like the
> cross-country that im doing now.


Yeah well, let's see the costs to get from the start to your second race.

Helmet - £200 ish
Racesuit £120 ish
Boots - £40
Gloves - £20
Second hand kart, lets say I dunno...a Rotax MAX - £800-1300
Kart license test and fee - £50-80? Was 7 years ago I got mine, can't quite recall
New Slicks - £130
New Wets - £150 (didn't include wheel rims on either of those prices, sometimes you can get them free with second hand kart)
Race entry fee, practice day + race day - £80
Petrol fee for transport to track and for using in kart - can't remember but, think about that
Kart trolley - £40 or so?
Damage! - happens quite alot. Usually new rear axles, rear bumpers, radiators. Need to have the know-how to replace all these as well as the costs (axle = £100 or so, bumpers aren't expensive, radiator I can't remember, over £50)
Engine rebuild every number of hours, kart class depending - £250-300
All the tools needed for the kart - £50 or so I suppose
Add in food and accomodation costs.


Sounds like fun, huh?


Also while I'm talking about it, here's a pic of me two years ago:
[img262.imageshack.us]

cheapest karting in uk tends to be TKM's or Prokart's. although motorsport is ever going to be cheap unfortunatly

ok but, i live in the U.S. and dont know how much all of that would be in america

im not sure what the classes race in the us are. but costwise to run would be the four strokes classes, there also good for beginngers to run themself because they require alot less setup than a rotax max for example.

i notice when your in asia racing on f3 or something..noone of recruiters of driver from some europe will get interest most is from their own country..or start liver their with racing..asia is useless in races alghtough i see theirs a good driver their..but the takuma sato in asia is maybe 10%? or and the chances of being schumacher their is 0.0% hahaxc!

I have kart stories and people's comments, but I've written those a few years back and to this day people still like to tease me so not doing that again

A short story, my story, to follow smorr's idea....

In 1998, (I was still single, no kids, much thinner, lol) I joined a karting race at a local track. I was called the 'dark horse', because I had come to the track quite a few times but never raced. I honestly didn't expect anything else than having fun and do my best.

The qualifying was ok. Good speed, no fear but really nothing special. Certainly not a future winner or champion !
Moreover, the first race was a nightmare. I clipped some tires on the inside of a fast turn and crashed on the outside, straight on the wall. Karting upside down, shocked, not hurt but a good hit on my head (with helmet of course).

From that moment, everything went really strange and weird. It was all slow, calm, peaceful and just perfect. All the things around me were under control. I was able to see clearly and with lots of details and accuracy my driving line, others' lines, my speed and whatever...

I started last for the second race, and on this very tricky and slow track, I found out this trick (see below) that helped me overtake half the field up to the 5th place overall. (There were two classes A and B class, B slower). My girlfriend (now my wife) noticed I was really focused and my laptimes were similar to the A class top drivers.

The third race started, and I did repeat the same trick again and again up to the 2nd place and finished first of the B class and 2nd overall. Wow ! Amazing ! Really a great moment with podium and champagne and paycheck and a little bit of an official press conference !

I think now with a lot of hindsight, it was a case of brain commotion ('commotion cerebrale' in french). I read some similar cases especially with this French football player Zinedine Zidane who hit the bar with his head and was in similar condition after that.

Photos, articles, witnesses available upon request.

Well, there's my story. Anyone else have a good one?

To answer some questions above, I suggest you DO NOT dream too fast or too quickly about thinking being a professionnal driver. Money is not the main problem, ability is. Ron Dennis said one day: 'It's interesting how many people think being able to be as quick as Kimi Raikkonen, but can not think of being as good as Roberto carlos.'

edit 1:
'The Trick'
By braking earlier before the first left turn, I was able to keep accelerating all through the first hairpin, exit much faster than the other guys and being able to ovetake them at the next hairpin.


edit 2:
The image doesn't appear, so follow the link and look at the bottom of the page...
[teamaoc2007a.tripod.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2007 06:26AM by keroliver.

im racing in the motors tv challange his year and going to belgium for my first europian race...

sponorship is bliss

wow. thats quite something
well done!

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"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

Peat Wrote:
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> smorr Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> ... I paid nonce.
>
> YOU MAKE ME SICK!

Can I just put a big LOL on record for this? Thanks



RedSam
Winner: Not the Nickv Comment of the Year 2009
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Mega expensive, i'm getting nowhere. www.ainleykarting.co.uk