brick
08-27-2006, 11:58 AM
I just got back from a buddy's batchelor party weekend. I'm not even going to get into my crappy FE for the tank I'm about to turn in...rain, following people through areas I'm not familiar with, and generally poor technique resulted in some of my worst numbers in months. But I did get enjoy some of the best fun I've had in a long time: go-kart racing!
We did a Grand Prix style race at F1 Boston, ( www.f1boston.com ) which is a relatively large indoor/outdoor facility with two or three separate tracks. Ours was the city course, which consisted of 6 or 7 turns over a relatively short distance. The carts are probably laughable by professional standards, but man do those things handle! I never realized physics would allow a vehicle to stick to the ground the way we were throwing them around at their limits. They are supposedly good for 45mph, but we topped out in the 37-38mph range since we didn't have quite enough room on the small-ish track. (A good lap was in the 21-24 second range.) Not bad for for something powered by a glorified lawnmower engine!
I can't say that I'm a particularly good racer, but it didn't make a shred of difference to the fun factor. The first couple of full-throttle laps were positively terrifying ("There's no ****ing way I'm not going to hit that wall!") and it was pure adrenaline once I got a feel for the car. My achilles heel was the stupid hairpin, which was the turn that separated the men from the boys. I didn't wreck like most, but didn't gain any time there, either. Maybe I'll get a chance to go back and try again :) .
This is an absolute must-do activity for hypermilers with a speed itch that needs to be scratched without sacrificing FE and safety on the real road. If you need another excuse, think of it as a good way to practice your skid recovery and other emergency drving techniques.
We did a Grand Prix style race at F1 Boston, ( www.f1boston.com ) which is a relatively large indoor/outdoor facility with two or three separate tracks. Ours was the city course, which consisted of 6 or 7 turns over a relatively short distance. The carts are probably laughable by professional standards, but man do those things handle! I never realized physics would allow a vehicle to stick to the ground the way we were throwing them around at their limits. They are supposedly good for 45mph, but we topped out in the 37-38mph range since we didn't have quite enough room on the small-ish track. (A good lap was in the 21-24 second range.) Not bad for for something powered by a glorified lawnmower engine!
I can't say that I'm a particularly good racer, but it didn't make a shred of difference to the fun factor. The first couple of full-throttle laps were positively terrifying ("There's no ****ing way I'm not going to hit that wall!") and it was pure adrenaline once I got a feel for the car. My achilles heel was the stupid hairpin, which was the turn that separated the men from the boys. I didn't wreck like most, but didn't gain any time there, either. Maybe I'll get a chance to go back and try again :) .
This is an absolute must-do activity for hypermilers with a speed itch that needs to be scratched without sacrificing FE and safety on the real road. If you need another excuse, think of it as a good way to practice your skid recovery and other emergency drving techniques.