SWS Karting at the Dubai Autodrome

[PhillT]

Just a non-affiliated plug for the new arrive-and-drive SWS kart sprint race season that starts at the Autodrome later this month.
I did it last year and am doing it again this year - it's probably the cheapest way to go racing in the region and great fun. There's a massive range of talent, from seriously good to beginner, so you're pretty much guaranteed some close action with people of your calibre. Highly recommended and all you need are some trainers.
http://www.dubaiautodrome.com/general/content.aspx...

[dxbtiger]

Cheers, that is very interesting, quite fancy that.

Do you do every month?

Love karting, would be on my toy list if I had bags of spare $ lying around.

Do they do it in the regular Autodrome karts?

[Chilli]

I did a fair bit of karting as a lad, and would love to have another go. I'd be up for it if we got a few PH'ers involved....anyone else?

[PhillT]

I'm going to try and do each one, yeah - they're part of the Sodi World Series, which means you get a world ranking based on how well you do. (www.sodiwseries.com)
Yes, it uses the Autodrome's own karts, although they're special ones reserved for corporate events, this and the 24 hour race, so they're not knackered like the arrive and drive machines.
Loads of the kart tracks around the world that use the same karts take part in the SWS with the top 30 or so going to the world final at the end of the year.
I think the cost is around 400-450AED a pop, for which you get practice, qualifying and two 20 minute races. Min weight is 70kg, but you can carry ballast with you if you're a skinny lad/lass.
It's a good day, as it runs alongside the regular Rotax races, so you get to see how the big boys do it in between sessions.
Rather looking forward to it now.

ETA: Just read through the regs - practice and qualifying are the same thing, and it's 450AED.

Edited by PhillT on Wednesday 8th September 19:54

[dxbtiger]

Good stuff, the regular karts are very variable!

Am keen, what class to enter?

How good is everyone that does it, my best on the outdoor is a high 1m14. Carrying about 88 kg tho!

[PhillT]

dxbtiger said:

Good stuff, the regular karts are very variable!

Am keen, what class to enter?

How good is everyone that does it, my best on the outdoor is a high 1m14. Carrying about 88 kg tho!

It's all one class for the SWS.
As mentioned, the range of talent is varied - the top guys will be in the 1.11s but the times go all the way down into the 1.20s. If you click on the link in my original post you can see the time sheets from last season at the bottom which will give you a good idea.
My best is a 1:12.175, but keep in mind that the karts used are in better nick and therefore faster than the arrive and drive machines. I'm between 85 and 90kg too, but I'm far from the heaviest!

[Harris_I]

Phil - that is a very handy time!

For reference (and to stop the fatties whining ), a few years back the Porsche Club UAE team did a reasonably thorough analysis of the effect of weight in the standard karts, and it worked out to just under 0.4 seconds a lap for every 10kg in weight. (Assuming a flying lap of course, not a standing start).

[PhillT]

Harris_I said:

Phil - that is a very handy time!

For reference (and to stop the fatties whining ), a few years back the Porsche Club UAE team did a reasonably thorough analysis of the effect of weight in the standard karts, and it worked out to just under 0.4 seconds a lap for every 10kg in weight. (Assuming a flying lap of course, not a standing start).

Cheers!
That's interesting - I'm planning some high-intensity interval training this week to try and shift a couple of kg before the season starts again, hopefully that will give me a couple of tenths!

[Asterix]

PhillT said:

dxbtiger said:

Good stuff, the regular karts are very variable!

Am keen, what class to enter?

How good is everyone that does it, my best on the outdoor is a high 1m14. Carrying about 88 kg tho!

It's all one class for the SWS.
As mentioned, the range of talent is varied - the top guys will be in the 1.11s but the times go all the way down into the 1.20s. If you click on the link in my original post you can see the time sheets from last season at the bottom which will give you a good idea.
My best is a 1:12.175, but keep in mind that the karts used are in better nick and therefore faster than the arrive and drive machines. I'm between 85 and 90kg too, but I'm far from the heaviest!

Mine is a high 1:12 but that was one of the better kart I had driven, I'm 75kg - I've given up on the arrive and drive now as the karts are so variable - Last time I went I had three karts in the qualifying session and first race and all of them cut out at various points around the track - I then ended up in a kart that turned left fine but would understeer off the track turning right. I pitted and demanded my money back.

[Harris_I]

I'm a terrible customer. I usually "try on" 2 or 3 karts with bad grace, before settling on the least crap one.

[PhillT]

According to the new regs, they're changing things this year - you get three karts per event, different ones for qualifying, race one and race two. Which could be interesting.

[Asterix]

I remember the old days of going to Jebel Ali and tipping the mechanic a few AED to tell me which was the fastest on the grid

Competitive? Moi?

[Hitch78]

I'm out, I attach a picture of the last time I went karting and offer no further explanation:

[PhillT]

Hitch78 said:

I'm out, I attach a picture of the last time I went karting and offer no further explanation:

You'd fit right in, that's very similar to the rental suits at the Autodrome.
Starts at 7pm if anyone's interested in coming along - can also watch all the Rotax guys racing too.