Va Va Varsity

My last two posts have all had a smattering of karting content, so my apologies for those who find all this petrolheaded talk a little tedious and unintelligible, but today I intend to continue the trend and recount the experience of yesterday's Varsity Kart Race.

Unfortunately, it was one of those "this'll sort the men from the boys" type events, where I ended up resolutely in the boys camp. Having only really taken up karting last year, and having only driven the Pro karts twice, the step up to yesterday's Club 100 karts was going to be a shock, but I didn't bank on it being quite such a shock. Firstly, they can do 0-60mph in about 4.5 seconds. Second, they have a top speed of about 65mph. And thirdly, they're clutchless, so they need to be bump started, and if you brake too hard, spin, or go too slowly, they stall and need to be bump started again. On my first lap out of the pits in practice I spun about 4 times, so it took about 5 minutes to do one 45 second lap, my distinctive red helmet didn't do anything to lessen my visibility.


Fortunately I eventually got the hang of it (just about) prior to the race. Unfortunately, one the first lap the engine refused to fire up, leading to the rather embarrassing situation of my kart being pushed around the track by a pusher kart trying to kick some life into it. It didn't work, and I had to swap into another 'cold' kart. Starting 8th, I made it to the first hairpin in roughly the same position before being hit and spinning out, needing a bump start. This entails dragging your kart back onto the track and waiting for the pusher kart, by which point, we were last, and there we would stay.




I can though claim that this was not entirely my fault. Early in the stint I realised that something was wrong when the car seemed to 'top out' along the back straight. In the practice the thing just seemed to keep on accelerating, but now it wasn't. Having already changed kart once and not knowing if it was something I was doing wrong, I plodded on while all streamed past me. But even with what turned out to the automotive equivalent of a blocked-artery it was a pretty nerve racking and bone shaking experience. But one I can't wait to have again.

My teammate Graeme subsequently went out, and came back in right away to get another kart, and managed to salvage things - we finished second-last, some way off of the podium, with Oxford retaining their title.


Needless to stay, I've got this bug, and I don't think it's going anywhere.