On the Road

Nope it’s not Formula One. Neither is it GT racing. Nor is it LeMans. It’s also definitely not drifting.

I’m talking about go-karting, which was described as such by Ayrton Senna.

Go-karting might sound like kiddie business, and it is, if you’re using normal machinery. Racing karts however, are a much more serious (and seriously fun) endeavour.

I got to sample some real go-karting the other day on a weekend jaunt up to Johore Bahru last week. Why I waited until now to tell you about it is because I wanted the pain in my neck to go away first.

I’m still waiting for it to disappear a week later.

The reason is I got to try out a 125cc racing kart on a blistering track for ten laps and I’ll say it was probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever driven – the forces a kart like that can put on the body is amazing. The track, at Plentong, features a 270-degree bend which is single-handedly responsible for the pain on the left side of my neck.

Part of the reason is the light weight (160kg or so, depending on your competition formula) coupled with the 125cc two-stroke engine. They’re the same sort as found in 125cc motorcycle racing, and give out around 30bhp like this Italian Tonykart shown.

This gives you a power to weight ratio of 0.2bhp/kg. In comparison, a normal family sedan gives less than 0.1bhp/kg, while the McLaren F1 sports car offers 0.5bhp/kg. And with just 160kgs to pull on slick tyres, karts generate huge cornering forces – which is why most F1 drivers today start out in karting.

You can watch some ‘old friends’ having a little fun in karts here.

Like any motor sport though, pro karting is dangerous and expensive.

Racing karts cost around $10,000 or more and can easily reach speeds in excess of 100km/h so I’d recommend trying out less powerful machines – you can seriously injure yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing.

But if you’re just looking to have some fun (and it’s the most fun you’ll have on four-wheels), hiring is good enough. I know I’ll be back, once my neck is.

Tags: go-karts, motor sports, racing, Senna

The age of the electric car is dawning and we’re the ones lucky (or unlucky) enough to be around to see it. After the first gasoline/electric drive hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight will come the completely electric drive ones.

Examples include the Chevrolet Volt and Jaguar’s forthcoming XJ saloon, which will use gasoline engine purely to charge the batteries.

After that when battery technology finally gets into shape and cell phones stop acting the goat, we will have completely plug-in electric cars, zippin along silently, only realising their huge velocities when they collide with one another.

Ok I am kidding about that last bit, but it is a danger. And if you’ve heard of the Tesla electric sports car, then it might be a legitimate concern.

The Tesla Roadster is a plug-in electric car from America, already on sale, and does 0-100km/h in about four seconds with a 200km/h top speed. Made by Tesla Motors in the USA’s Silicon Valley, the chassis design was supplied by Lotus and light weight gives the car a quoted range of 340km.

In other words it sounds like driving heaven and I can’t wait for some entrepreneur to bring some here right away. But back to the real world…

While testing out the fuel economy of the new Volkswagen Golf VI (1.4-litre twincharged engine, I managed a superb 8L/100km thanks in part to the new seven-speed DSG gearbox) it occurred to me that when fully electric cars arrive, it’ll remove a barrier to going fast.

Going fast requires a lot of fuel – F1 cars clock in approximately 75L/100km.

What with the oil prices that came before the credit crunch, nowadays the only thing I feel guilt-free about gunning the throttle on is a motorcycle or a go-kart.

Cars like the Subaru WRX and Honda Type-Rs have brought accessible high-performance to the everyman, but fuel is something which has remained pretty costly. Zooming along on electrons though, will cost cents, not dollars.

It’s certainly no bad thing, but before long (you heard it here first) you’ll have the safety fanatics demanding all electric cars blare some insipid public service message to announce their presence.

I suggest a loop of the first line from Lionel Richie’s song “Hello”: “Hello, is it me you’re looking for?”

If it’s the Tesla talking then I certainly am.

Tags: electric car, hybrids, Lionel Richie, Tesla