Superkart experience
Discussion
We did the superkart experience at Darley Moor yesterday, here’s a quick review
Arrived at Darley Moor at 0845 having left Bristol at 0530…. It was already hot and there was t a cloud in the sky which was the way it stayed all day.
Our group of five were mixed experience, all had something of a karting background, one or two had a bit of single seater experience too. Sign on, get leathers, start sweating….
The team that run the day are all established superkart racers and know their stuff. They are friendly and helpful, and most importantly happy answering all our stupid questions.
The format of the day is like this.
A few laps in a car driven by the main guy, Terry Bateman, to point out marshal posts, pit lane entrance etc
2 sessions in a 400cc four stroke thunderkart to learn the track
2 sessions in a 250cc four stroke gearbox kart
2 sessions in a 125cc two stroke “screamer”
Each session is three laps which sounds short but they limit your track time so you don’t get over confident, especially in the 250cc which isn’t that hard to get to grips with but is quite fast. You could easily get quite brave in that kart and have a big moment. As they said, time spent pulling you out of the gravel/tyres is time wasted and their agreement with the Council is a hard stop at lunchtime.
Out in the thunder kart first. You’re pretty much flat in the thunder kart everywhere bar the hairpin, a gentle lift for the corners and chicanes is all that’s required. Second session is fun, it’s hot and you’re starting to think where braking points might be in the 250.
The 250s are significantly faster but you get confident quickly. The 250 fitted me better, the gear lever fell to hand and it was felt easy to drive. The engine has a lot of torque which means braking is light and drive out of corners is ever present.
The speed builds up during the morning until you get to the 125, the two stroke really is a different beast altogether and has a very narrow power band which means you have to be on top of the gears 100% so you’re in the right gear for the corner otherwise it bogs down, you’ve lost momentum and you’re shifting down to pick up the revs again.
When the power kicks in though, it goes like stink. Get a few corners right and you feel like a total hero, sadly I didn’t really get to grips with it at all though more time and some adjustments to the driving position would have been ideal.
It’s not cheap, it’s £185 for the morning but it’s a pretty unique experience to day the least, but it’s not driving a Ferrari around Thruxton in 3rd/4th gear, you’re encouraged to push a bit and try some advanced techniques like powering into the corner to build the revs up etc, in short you do get to “experience” what the karts are capable of. We had a few spins and the people that run it are very helpful.
Unfortunately there is no telemetry which would be useful but I guess that would only encourage you to push harder than your skill level. I’d go back for more time in the 125 and see if they can make some small adjustments to make it fit better. You leave with a good idea as to whether or not you want to commit to superkarts.
www.superkarting-uk.com for more info
Ready for anything
|https://thumbsnap.com/MDzVrtBk[/url]
Thunderkart
125
The view from the assembly area
On track
Arrived at Darley Moor at 0845 having left Bristol at 0530…. It was already hot and there was t a cloud in the sky which was the way it stayed all day.
Our group of five were mixed experience, all had something of a karting background, one or two had a bit of single seater experience too. Sign on, get leathers, start sweating….
The team that run the day are all established superkart racers and know their stuff. They are friendly and helpful, and most importantly happy answering all our stupid questions.
The format of the day is like this.
A few laps in a car driven by the main guy, Terry Bateman, to point out marshal posts, pit lane entrance etc
2 sessions in a 400cc four stroke thunderkart to learn the track
2 sessions in a 250cc four stroke gearbox kart
2 sessions in a 125cc two stroke “screamer”
Each session is three laps which sounds short but they limit your track time so you don’t get over confident, especially in the 250cc which isn’t that hard to get to grips with but is quite fast. You could easily get quite brave in that kart and have a big moment. As they said, time spent pulling you out of the gravel/tyres is time wasted and their agreement with the Council is a hard stop at lunchtime.
Out in the thunder kart first. You’re pretty much flat in the thunder kart everywhere bar the hairpin, a gentle lift for the corners and chicanes is all that’s required. Second session is fun, it’s hot and you’re starting to think where braking points might be in the 250.
The 250s are significantly faster but you get confident quickly. The 250 fitted me better, the gear lever fell to hand and it was felt easy to drive. The engine has a lot of torque which means braking is light and drive out of corners is ever present.
The speed builds up during the morning until you get to the 125, the two stroke really is a different beast altogether and has a very narrow power band which means you have to be on top of the gears 100% so you’re in the right gear for the corner otherwise it bogs down, you’ve lost momentum and you’re shifting down to pick up the revs again.
When the power kicks in though, it goes like stink. Get a few corners right and you feel like a total hero, sadly I didn’t really get to grips with it at all though more time and some adjustments to the driving position would have been ideal.
It’s not cheap, it’s £185 for the morning but it’s a pretty unique experience to day the least, but it’s not driving a Ferrari around Thruxton in 3rd/4th gear, you’re encouraged to push a bit and try some advanced techniques like powering into the corner to build the revs up etc, in short you do get to “experience” what the karts are capable of. We had a few spins and the people that run it are very helpful.
Unfortunately there is no telemetry which would be useful but I guess that would only encourage you to push harder than your skill level. I’d go back for more time in the 125 and see if they can make some small adjustments to make it fit better. You leave with a good idea as to whether or not you want to commit to superkarts.
www.superkarting-uk.com for more info
Ready for anything
|https://thumbsnap.com/MDzVrtBk[/url]Thunderkart
125
The view from the assembly area
On track
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 23 June 08:44
not sure I’d be comfortable pushing them. I have a 125 and drive it often - CRG KT2/IAME x30 it’s a TAG not a shifter, I love it. They’re functional, it’s an experience not a test/race day. You come away with a reasonable idea if you want to go long circuit racing or not.
I had. Rotax Max for a few years but the 125 was miles faster, far more involving to drive and you had to be very committed to keeping it in the power band.
I had. Rotax Max for a few years but the 125 was miles faster, far more involving to drive and you had to be very committed to keeping it in the power band.
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