Friday 9th December 2011

PH blog: PistonHeads beats Autosport! (at karting)

No matter how wet you get, karting is still motorsport at its best

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An activity that leaves you cold, aching and soaked to the skin should not, by rights, be all that much fun.

But yesterday evening PH, and representatives from a gaggle of other publications, headed down to the little 900-metre kart track in the middle of Sandown Park racecourse in darkest Surrey. And it reminded myself and RacingPete (ed Trent had to back out at the last minute) just how unreservedly brilliant one of the most basic forms of motorsport can be.

Ostensibly we were there to report the fact that circuit operators Daytona have recently invested in a fleet of 44 brand-new twin-engined four-stroke prokarts (quite an investment in the arrive-and-drive karting world, we're told - go try 'em out for yourself, they're dead good, etc...). But in all honesty, such were the lashings of the wind and the rain that it was hard to make a remotely objective appraisal of the karts - especially considering that rain tyres were not proffered, so we all made do with slicks...

But that didn't matter, because it was 90 minutes amusing, terrifying, exhilarating time I've ever spent on a track. Picking out braking points with fingers metaphorically crossed that you hadn't overshot, desperately trying not to lock up the rear wheels, teetering around the very edge of corners. It was all rather more fun than chuntering around in a suspension-less vehicle with two lawnmower engines strapped behind you ought to be. It's easy to moan about modern motorsport being either too dull, too expensive or both. Karting reminds you that it doesn't have to be.

And in comparison to the sheer, unbridled hilarity of hooning around a soaking track, on slicks with less grip than a cat on laminate flooring, the fact that Team PH actually won, beating several teams from the super-competitive world of motorsport journalism, was just a pleasant bonus (but we do of course have to mention it - we're not that modest)...

Riggers

[C2james]

oohhh just got one more lap in than them.

[benim83n]

looks like theres some big teams there, f1 racing sounds rather scary...
All in all another reason why piston heads is the best motoring website.

[Cotty]

They always give you slicks, whatever the weather, more fun that way anyway.

Well done

[The Stiglet]

I race there myself, it must have been very very wet with those times! Well done boys

[VPower]

Know the track well.
Used to take my lad there with his friends on a Saturday practice in his Pro Kart.
Cost me a few £'s but my plan worked and kept my 15 year old under control!

My lad would put in 50 second laps continiously and get out the kart looking like he'd not even tried.
His friend used to do 45's and get out dripping wet! That 5's was hard work!

It all got a bit too agressive and he nearly decked an adult once!!

Well done PH, that's just what we like to see you enj...er working hard!

[sparkybean]

You could have just skipped the karting and given the cat video its own article.

fking Hilarious

[carinaman]

Not their year is it.

I beat Edd Straw and Jonathan Noble on the Castrol Extreme F1 predictor fantasy F1 game scoring over 600 points despite me not starting until the 2nd GP.

[FlashBastd]

Castration Racing?

[Threeh]

Recently went karting with work. Being the only one in the office who's actually into a cars, I thought I might have been okay, I came last. Epicly good fun mind!

[MC Bodge]

Threeh said:

Recently went karting with work. Being the only one in the office who's actually into a cars, I thought I might have been okay, I came last.

How embarrassing!

I really like karting, but I've only done it a few times. Whenever I've been the people who ride bikes have done quite well.

[LDN]

Well done PH! Sandown is a great track and yes, Karting is Motorsport in its purest form; no doubt about it.

[chevronb37]

I always feel a bit clumsy indoor karting but had the chance to sample a Rotax Max around here over the summer. I would rate it as the most fun I've ever had on four wheels. Actually felt comfortable and easily the fastest, most brutal thing I've ever driven. Well done to the PH team on beating Autosport; looks like they had at least 3 teams and still lost!

[Zed 44]

My karting days in the early 60's at Lubbock, Texas.

Stats.
2 x 125cc Westbend engines with 3 carbs each running on nitro methane
Hydraulic brakes steel lined finned magnesium drums front and twin discs rear
5 mile long Enduro circuit with 1.5 mile straight
An hour long race
Top speed 142mph (clocked by police radar)
Spectators - 7,000



Regrets. Wish I could do it all over again.

[LDN]

Zed 44 said:

My karting days in the early 60's at Lubbock, Texas.

Stats.
2 x 125cc Westbend engines with 3 carbs each running on nitro methane
Hydraulic brakes steel lined finned magnesium drums front and twin discs rear
5 mile long Enduro circuit with 1.5 mile straight
An hour long race
Top speed 142mph (clocked by police radar)
Spectators - 7,000



Regrets. Wish I could do it all over again.

Wow wow wow! Love it!

[Centurion07]

sparkybean said:

You could have just skipped the karting and given the cat video its own article.

fking Hilarious

Absolutely!! I called my missus in to watch it as we have cats & she was only laughing at the cats, didn't even notice the apt sound effects over the top of it! Jeez.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Karting on slicks in the wet is mental fun!

And thanks for giving me additional motivation to get on and lay laminate flooring!

[garypotter]

Sandown is great fun and in the very wet at the end of the straight through the puddle on slicks - nothing can beat it.

looking at your last lap i hope you did that with yellow flashing lights on ??

[garypotter]

Forgot to mention, if you prefer your karting a bit dryer try the circuit at frimley in surrey as they have lined the track with 8x4 sheets of ply wood so very slippery and evens out the weight difference between karters.