Kart Race Training 26 October 2006

The kart race training group enjoyed a highly successful first day at the track on Thursday. By the end of the day the boys had made huge gains from long, uninterrupted sessions behind the wheel.  This was made possible by going to the track near Queanbeyan when other club members were away, and the boys were grateful that the school got behind them by granting leave for the day. The focus was on the quite demanding logistics of actually getting a race car onto a grid, track safety and protocols, maintenance, and an exploration of the racing line, eventually at racing speeds.  That part went as expected, with some new drivers moving up to the limits of the kart cautiously and steadily, and others going past the limits and then pulling back.  We had to spend a deal of time removing gravel picked up in the karts from the catch traps, and there was a great deal of physical work done by all in carrying karts around and push starting those who had spun and stalled. There were very many memorable moments, like the view we had of Adrian Richards going quickly and smoothly around the bottom turn, until a better focus into the distance showed he was actually travelling backwards at the time, accompanied by puffs of tyre smoke.  The racing lines drill with the marker cones saw an errant Harry Sachs hit every single one of 20 on the bottom corner, an unrivalled feat on the day, but he improved markedly as time went on.  It was also good to see James Hall, the student representative on the new Karting Association, demonstrate through consistently good and smooth lines that he is just about ready for a race meeting. The consensus was that this day was about as much fun as can be had, but while we were at it the boys learned so much that they will now be comfortable mixing it with the other club members at the track.  They also now have a very strong appreciation of the real and uncompromising physical limits of vehicles, a very important lesson for young men as they gain their “L” and “P” plates for the road. They also appreciate how much physical effort is involved in this sport, both as a driver and as pit crew, and everyone was just about exhausted by they end of the day. One striking impression was made on Mr Alexander and myself by the end of the day.  This new group is already cohesive and very cooperative, and we witnessed impressive raw talent in the new drivers.  There is much work to be done on technique, as race driving skills are developed in much the same way as other sporting skills, but we have potential to work with.  This promises much for the future development of the sport. Terry Werner MiC

 

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