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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Not sure why I do this to myself...indoor cincy ohio gocarting

Nov. 27, 2011 9:39 p.m. plance1 Dork

Learned yesterday that there was a new indoor gocart place in town up in the Tricounty area....got halfway through my first lap, inadvertently banged into my nephew who was in front of me during a pass, next thing I know the pimple faced kid running the place shut my cart down for a lap and a half I suppose to give me space lol. I sputtered along at about 1/4 of normal speed with my foot all the way on the gas and had no one to race with for the rest of the time. At 22 bucks for 8 minutes though, I was less then pleased.

Last time I was in a real race at an indoor facility was in Lawrenceburg Indiana with the Cincinnati Miata club. Got passed on yellows a couple different times by the "track experts" who show up with their own helmets and who spent a ton of dough on previous visits to the track. On the two occasions where I went around them to get my position back, while still under yellow, I got black flagged!

Indoor carting is as frustrating as golf, like I said, not sure why I do this to myself. Does anyone else get as pissed as I do at these kinds of things? Should I start using decaf?
Nov. 27, 2011 11:06 p.m. kb58 HalfDork

Meh. I treat it as nothing serious and have a great time. I suppose if I was in some sort of league then yeah, little stuff like that would get to me. Then again I only go about once a year or so.
Nov. 28, 2011 12:24 a.m. plance1 Dork

I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people (who are faster then me on the go cart track, which I guess is just about everyone so yes, most people!)
Nov. 28, 2011 12:46 a.m. loosecannon Reader

The track did the right thing in enforcing their no bumping rule but they shouldn't let regulars get away with bad behavior. I own an indoor kart track and wrestle every day with what to do about people who break rules. I enjoy racing very much and I use racing against customers as a way to test that the karts are all equal. I figure I have almost 40,000 laps on a variety of track configurations and I have only had impact with another kart 3 or 4 times, and in each case it was my own fault. Usually its because I assumed they would one thing but they landed up doing another. Anyways, if you look ahead and are prepared to take evasive action, impact with other karts can be avoided. I say "impact" because it's different than "contact". If you are 6 inches off the bumper of another kart, there is no way to avoid contact if they hit the brakes, but at 6 inches seperation, there wouldn't be enough speed difference to be considered impact-at least not at Speedworld. By the time there is enough of a gap where one kart spinning out or stopping could cause enough speed difference for impact, there's enough time to react and avoid. As for unfairly imposed rules, I have shut down my own family members and investors for running into other customers. I told a staff member the other day that if i ever hear of him doing a bump-and-pass on any other driver, his racing privileges will be suspended. My advice is befriend the staff, get a reputation with them as a clean driver and they will likely never shut you down again.
Nov. 28, 2011 5:45 a.m. novaderrik Dork

i did a few laps on a rental at a decent sized (about 1 mile track length) outdoor track where the karts get up to about 50mph, and they really don't have a policy about not hitting anyone else other than "don't kill anyone".. it was my first time on any track and in any sort of a kart and i was "racing" with some cousins that go there on a weekly basis all summer long and race in a few leagues.. they were beating and banging and spinning each other out- one of them even moved me out of the way with his front bumper- NASCAR style- as he lapped me.. not because i was in his way, but "because he wanted to spin me out", in his own words. i didn't spin, but i did go off into the grass a little bit... the kid running the show didn't say a word to anyone about any contact that was made and only asked if we wanted to go again..
Nov. 28, 2011 5:49 a.m. plance1 Dork

Maybe I should have been clear and used the word "contact" if it makes a difference, it was unintentional and more due to unfamilarity with the track, frankly I'm not sure who was at fault, it may have been me.
Nov. 28, 2011 6:42 a.m. 1988RedT2 SuperDork

The local place here is pretty well-run. I've never had an issue there. Often there are opportunities for trouble when you have "experts" running with first-timers. The staff is very active waving flags and pointing (never at me, of course!) but I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone black flagged. I've always had a blast there.
Nov. 28, 2011 7:41 a.m. dsycks Reader

You should get into Lemons.

Just maybe after you chillax a little.
Nov. 28, 2011 7:47 a.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork

details on said track? I cant find any info on teh googel.
Nov. 28, 2011 8:16 a.m. cghstang HalfDork

Full Throttle Indoor Carting

I haven't been there yet, but know a couple of people that work there.
Nov. 28, 2011 8:40 a.m. Drewsifer Dork

If you aren't in for a trophy I wouldn't take it too seriously.

There's an Indoor track near Indianapolis I always go to when I'm home (I can't remember the name). It's pretty well run, the allow a little bumping but are good at keeping an eye on trouble makers. What's neat is a lot of race stars go there for fun. They've got a wall of fame. I even met Ludacris there once!
Nov. 28, 2011 9:05 a.m. pinchvalve SuperDork

I was asked to leave the last indoor track I visited. It was in Germany, and I am not as light as the average European. I was just out with some friends, and trying hard to keep up with someone much lighter and more experienced than I. At some point, physics wins out over talent and you can only enter a 90-degree left so fast. I exceeded that point and slammed the wall hard. I was kindly asked to call it a night (I think, my German is limited to what is required in a Beirgarden) I complied without issue because it was entirely my fault and I can understand wanting to protect their cars, if not their walls.
Nov. 28, 2011 9:27 a.m. Raze SuperDork

plance1 wrote:

Maybe I should have been clear and used the word "contact" if it makes a difference, it was unintentional and more due to unfamilarity with the track, frankly I'm not sure who was at fault, it may have been me.

Your first post indicates you ran into the back of his cart:

plance1 wrote:

...inadvertently banged into my nephew who was in front of me during a pass, next thing I know the pimple faced kid running the place shut my cart down...

I'm not sure what racing experience you have but every basic rule of racing I've ever learned is if you run into the back of someone it's your fault.
Nov. 28, 2011 10:21 a.m. failboat HalfDork

i hate it when you have to make a lightning quick decision in karting to avoid a collision and inadvertently try brake with your right foot (like you would in a car).

you get black flagged right quick.
Nov. 28, 2011 2:05 p.m. loosecannon Reader

Here's some video from my track: Crash video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScgcVh3jjfs

GoPro helmet cam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_OUygE9OrU

Glow Karting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-aV5vx6Pd0
Nov. 28, 2011 5:43 p.m. plance1 Dork

dsycks wrote:

You should get into Lemons.

Just maybe after you chillax a little.

I don't want to race in any series that would have me
Nov. 28, 2011 5:48 p.m. plance1 Dork

Drewsifer wrote:

If you aren't in for a trophy I wouldn't take it too seriously.

There's an Indoor track near Indianapolis I always go to when I'm home (I can't remember the name). It's pretty well run, the allow a little bumping but are good at keeping an eye on trouble makers. What's neat is a lot of race stars go there for fun. They've got a wall of fame. I even met Ludacris there once!

No, no trophy, but I pestered the guy who has the track record there into sharing his secrets before going out to see what I could gleen... I ended up with the 4th fastest lap time out of I don't know how many people and if it hadn't been for that cart power down episode I would have done a lot better, but it was crowded.

I read an article about that track in Indy and its not a slam on that place but I do believe someone got killed there a couple years ago, it may have been another track that is in the midwest but the point is, I'm in full agreement with safety because you can seriously mess yourself up at one of these places and if you're a goof out playing silly nascar games then I think you should be kicked out, black flagged whatever but sometimes the track workers go overboard.
Nov. 28, 2011 5:49 p.m. plance1 Dork

pinchvalve wrote:

I was asked to leave the last indoor track I visited. It was in Germany, and I am not as light as the average European. I was just out with some friends, and trying hard to keep up with someone much lighter and more experienced than I. At some point, physics wins out over talent and you can only enter a 90-degree left so fast. I exceeded that point and slammed the wall hard. I was kindly asked to call it a night (I think, my German is limited to what is required in a Beirgarden) I complied without issue because it was entirely my fault and I can understand wanting to protect their cars, if not their walls.

Were you partaking in any German ale prior to said incident?
Nov. 28, 2011 5:54 p.m. jrw1621 SuperDork

Are there any other karting facilities like this elsewhere in Ohio?
Nov. 28, 2011 5:59 p.m. plance1 Dork

Raze wrote:

plance1 wrote:

Maybe I should have been clear and used the word "contact" if it makes a difference, it was unintentional and more due to unfamilarity with the track, frankly I'm not sure who was at fault, it may have been me.

Your first post indicates you ran into the back of his cart:

plance1 wrote:

...inadvertently banged into my nephew who was in front of me during a pass, next thing I know the pimple faced kid running the place shut my cart down...

I'm not sure what racing experience you have but every basic rule of racing I've ever learned is if you run into the back of someone it's your fault.

Geez guy, get off the racer high horse. I knew when I posted this there would be a guy like yourself scrutinizing my post for incriminating details, details I may have left out, etc, etc.., hey what are you a lawyer lol! I really don't recall the exact details, we got bunched up in one of the turns and there was "contact" I hit my nephew, some folks hit me, trust me it was a mess of mutual mayhem. Someone will now say "you said in your first post "banged" not "hit". All I know is I was sputtering around at a very low speed for what seemed like eternity after that. You can't go to a go cart track, especially indoor track and expect there not to be some contact, we can't all be perfect little racers like you. There should be a happy medium and sometimes folks error one way or the other, thats all. It was still pretty fun though and I'm glad to see this track is in business.
Nov. 28, 2011 6:47 p.m. donalson SuperDork

man some of my fondest "driving" memories are of contact while in a go-kart... and never had anyone at any of em do much of aything lol...

one was in 9th grade... went out with my family to what was my fav gokart track in panama city beach (lived in the area... and was cheap in the offseason)... there was this real tight hammerhead section and I took clipped the rear edge of my little sister... she spun and was PISSED...

the other one was at a water park in Panama (the country)... they had a nice track built into the side of a small hill so 1/2 the track you where going down hill and the other 1/2 it was up hill... it was unlimited rides and in the school season for the locals (panama is off dec-march or so)... we'd ride it though the day... right after they opened after the rain we slid all over... and into each other... but that was 3rd world country where they just didn't care untill something got broke... and we where 14/15 y/o boys lol
Nov. 28, 2011 7:20 p.m. corytate HalfDork

abotu a week before my friend Dylan graduated from school, we went to the pit, the indoor track in mooresville nc. I had been there before and he hadn't, but they were having a member's special of $50 unlimited racing 5-10pm
so he ended up spending 65 on unlimited racing, and every single heat we were stuck with a group of idiots. the same idiots.
I got bumped by one when I was in the middle of flicking for a sharp turn into the S, then immediately t-boned by the next retard
both of us were spun intentionally after the checkered flag, and they made no apologies.
what really killed me about it was we were killing it out there on the rare occasion that we got to make a clean lap.
the all time record for the track is 44.0x seconds, I ran consistent low 46's and dylan ran low 47's (amazing for his first time there) but we couldn't even get one entire 6-8 lap race without them wrecking us.
people like that should have been black flagged until they learned to drive without trying to kill other people.
the track itself is amazing, though, and the first time I was there I had nothing but good things to say.
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