Outdoor Test

Outdoor Karting

Today was the day I was finally going to go and test in an outdoor kart! I was so excited and couldn’t wait to get in the kart. I was doing the test at Hooton Park with Team Karting using one of there old Xkart karts, coming along to coach me was my driver coach Jack Burgess who currently drives in the junior fiesta championship and currently sits 1st in the standings.

When we got to the circuit we met up with Mark & Tom from Team Karting and Jack, I watched them not so patiently build my kart ready for me to take it out. Now I had been warned off everyone that outdoor karts are louder and lighter than the indoor karts that I was used to so it may take a while for me to get used to it so I was ready. Before I got to go out in the kart Jack took me on a track walk so he could show me things like the racing line, breaking point etc. Then it was time to take out the kart.

Jack had told me he would jump in the kart first to demonstrate how to warm my tyres up so I could do it for the rest of the day. I watched and learned while eagerly awaiting my turn in the kart, then Jack came into the pit lane and said jump in! Well you didn’t need to ask me twice I got straight in and waited for Jack to give me any last minute advice/instructions. I was told to enjoy it and just get a feel for the kart and let them know if there’s anything I want/need changing.

The first time they started the kart up while I was sat in the seat I was just extremely excited, the louder engine noise didn’t bother me in fact I loved the sound of it. When I pressed the accelerator that first time and set off I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life! I absolutely loved it.

Now Jack had told me to take it easy the first few laps but after the first lap I had found the racing line and was comfortable going at the faster speeds. So after that first lap I just put my foot down as I needed to test what the kart and I could do. I stayed on track doing lap after lap for around 10 minutes then Jack told me to come in the pits as we needed to let the engine cool.

While waiting Jack tested a few different things on the Kart and changed the tyre pressures then it was time to get my helmet on and go back out! Before going back out Jack told me he would stand at different corners on my laps and point to where he wanted me to break, I did this and after a couple more laps I felt confident in myself and the control I had on the kart that on some of the corners I wouldn’t need to break at all and I didn’t!

Again after 10 minutes on track Jack pointed for me to go in the pits, I did and when I was out of the kart Jack told me he was really pleased that I had learnt so much after only being on track a few times and that I was confident in the kart.

Now don’t get me wrong I did have a few spins throughout the day, went wide on a few corners and at one point a pin came out of the breaks for which Mark & Jack fixed while the kart was still on track. Overall the day ran smoothly and I got as much track time as I possibly could.

At the end of the day Jack and me sat down and he told me what my times were, it turns out I was only a couple of seconds off the pace which according to Jack and the other guys was amazing considering it was and older Kart with tyres on which were around 4 years old!

When my parents told me it was time to go home I was devastated as I just wanted to stay out on track and get more laps in but the circuit was closing and we needed to go. On the way home i was telling my mum and dad how happy i was with everything that had just happened. They both turned to me and said “I think it’s time to buy you your own kart! I must say that I was the happiest I’d ever been.

Thank you all for reading my blog(story) so far and I hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for more updates on my karting journey and don’t forget to get to like my posts and let your friends/family know all about my website and story