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I did an Endurance Karting event a couple of years ago at Lowe's, on the .6 mile "road course" at the NASCAR 3/4 end of the infield. A friend of mine who really did race a Formula Vee (unlike me, who really just owned one) and I decided to do a four-hour event. We picked up a third driver (who had experience in Formula Fords) at the event.
It was a lot of fun. We didn't do well - I didn't figure out that turns didn't really require much braking, so I got passed a lot - but it would have been hard to win anyway. The winning team in our division (the oldsters 40 and over) were from Racer magazine, including a Brit who'd competed several times in the English Formula Ford championship.
For an 'arrive and drive' kind of thing, people took it very seriously. There was a red flag stoppage midway through the race because a kart flipped after contact (the driver was just fine) and a couple of teams insisted that they got screwed out of a lap because of the way they did the red flag.
They did use a transponder timing system, and even had a laptop set up so that teams could check on lap times, etc. We weren't all that interested, but other teams were.
One thing that seemed weird to me - they required a certain number of driver changes. Of course, we really took more than that because we were trying to keep stints short and because our third guy had to leave early to get to the airport. Even so, I got over an hour of seat time and I was completely tired and sore. And that was when I was in moderately good shape!
If an individual were to show up at one of these endurance races and get placed on a team, they'd probably end up paying $295 or so for a six-hour race, so $200 per driver for a team isn't so bad.
You really don't need a nylon karting suit or anything like that - jeans and a demin jacket will protect you - but it's classier-looking that the jeans and denim jacket. Neck collars are required, by the way, but you can rent those from them, too. If anyone wants to do this, I can check to see if I still have my horse collar.
One thing that's cool about karts is that they're so low to the ground that the sensation of speed is magnified. The karts that EK had when I did their event would top out at about 50 or so, but it seemed like so much more when my butt was two inches off the ground.
If anyone does decide to do this, treat it like an autocross, insofar as personal preparation is concerned. Make sure you have snacks and stuff to drink. Especially stuff to drink. Try to stay out of the sun (it's not easy, 'cause there's no shelter on the kart track). Make sure to take some sheet foam, like a camping mattress, a roll of duct tape and a pair of scissors. The kart seats are 'one size fits big folks', so some of us needed some extra shimming, if you know what I mean....
If my back wasn't still aching, I might consider this....
Jon
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