Leading up to my first race I was feeling confident. I changed up my regimen at the gym to train the muscles I’d need most — lower back, chest, forearms, all light weight, high reps — all for endurance. In my downtime, at work and at home, I watched helmet-cam videos on YouTube to learn Lime Rock Park’s autocross track, where I’d have my turn to trade paint for an hour and a half in a Dino Racing Kart. I practiced my “armchair commentary,” of course: “He could’ve gotten on the gas earlier there… Why the hell did you start braking there?”
Clearly the guys in those videos didn’t know what they were doing. I’ve been around race tracks in fast cars and I’ve been to a number of racing schools — I felt like I already had a leg up on the less experienced drivers I’d be racing against. And because it was going to be an endurance race, I had the option of teaming up with other drivers, sharing stints and swapping in and out of the kart during the pit stops. There were teams of three or four drivers, but I chose to go at it alone. 90 minutes, straight, in a kart? How hard could it be?
The morning of the race, I showed up to the track and eyed the competition — then I started talking to them. It’s a friendly event. There’s no cash prize for winning, and everyone’s there to have a good time, as was I, but I still wanted to see how I stacked up. A couple guys had done a handful of track days, and a few raced sports cars; others had never even raced before; there was a group of older guys and younger kids who were in karting leagues and had raced this exact track a dozen times. I’d be competing in the rookie class, since this was my first race. In line for driver registration, I was asked, a few times, how many people I had on my team. My response: “Oh, I’m racing solo,” with confidence and a subtle smirk. After their retorts — “good luck with that,” or “let me know how that goes” mixed with laughter — confidence in my race craft and driving ability slowly downgraded to cautious optimism.
That’s the beauty of regional karting events like the ones Endurance Karting puts on. For most races, the bare minimum requirements are eight years of age and a height of 4 feet, 11 inches (maximum 6 feet, 11 inches, 250 pounds). No experience is required. Karts are provided and the gear — helmet, gloves, suit — can all be rented on the spot. You could show up by accident and still have an amazing day.
The karts you drive are by no means county fair bumper cars, maintained by a ratty-looking guy with fewer teeth than he has holes in his Lynyrd Skynyrd tee shirt. The Dino Racing Kart used by Endurance Karting has a single-speed, 270cc Honda engine and tops out at 50 mph. It’s a simple machine, easy enough to hop in and learn its quirks. And the slick tires and next-to-nothing weight means the karts have loads of grip, turn direction on a dime and are quick enough to dish out some high-quality, white-knuckle racing.
Trying to manhandle a racing kart around this blacktop is like trying to stop an industrial paint shaker by sitting on it.
