Before the Florida International Rally and Motorsports Park, there was another official test track of Grassroots Motorsports: The Ocala Gran Prix. We tested there back in the 2000s. Located in Ocala, Florida, the eight-corner kart track hosted a number of karting events—the most recent being United States Pro Kart Series and ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour events.
As for why …
Ocala Gran Prix:
Fun in a 100 hp car.
Scary in a 200 hp car.
Exceedingly Dangerous in a 300 hp car.
"Sir you need to stop bringing those here" in a 400 hp car.
Rest in peace.
That's a shame. Still, at least it's still going to support a hobby. Better than turning it into another soulless subdivision or strip mall.
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:That's a shame. Still, at least it's still going to support a hobby. Better than turning it into another soulless subdivision or strip mall.
Yeah, but another horse related venue in Ocala? Its like the punchline for a joke or something
Tom Suddard said:Ocala Gran Prix:
Fun in a 100 hp car.
Scary in a 200 hp car.
Exceedingly Dangerous in a 300 hp car.
"Sir you need to stop bringing those here" in a 400 hp car.
Rest in peace.
I see nothing wrong with a 500 hp car on a kart track. Chasing another 500 hp car...
Props for the picture of the CMC Locost!
Kart tracks always have a shelf life. You build them far enough out to be cheap, but still draw people. And civilization gets closer. And the land either gets too valuable to be a kart track or the noise is too much. And another one gets built further out. Hopefully.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
Unless your state is a peninsula?
Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
Unless your state is a peninsula?
whole lotta nothing in the part of fl my grandparents live
mazdeuce - Seth said:Kart tracks always have a shelf life. You build them far enough out to be cheap, but still draw people. And civilization gets closer. And the land either gets too valuable to be a kart track or the noise is too much. And another one gets built further out. Hopefully.
Reminds me, I should try to get down to Andersen soon.
I'm sad to hear this. At least I got up there to drive it once before it was gone.
Andersen is my home kart track and its a great spot!
Bummer - was close enough but I never made the time to get there. Hate to lose venues.
I'm glad I got to spend a Saturday there last December. I saw it used in an old article and realized it was less than an hour from where I was living at the time. It was good fun.
As I remember, it wasn't horsepower as much as curb weight. After a repave, they asked that we stop running the heavier cars.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Yeah, I remember visiting one of the last times in a Taurus SHO (the 10-ton modern version, not the old-school one). Not really the right car for a kart track.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
4,000 pounds isn't too bad for a modern sports sedan with AWD.
In reply to 350z247 :
That made me laugh. What's one of the biggest complaints about EVs? They're so heavy. Guess what an AWD Model 3 weighs? 4072 lbs :)
Meanwhile, people make jokes about my Cadillac, which weighs about the same as a Camero convertible.
Until I read the site would be repurposed for storage... I wondered if Bubba the Love Sponge would be investing in another Ocala Motorsports venue. (I only know that name from his days working with Howard Stern on Sirius.. haven't heard much since - outside of "Bubba bought a dirt track in Ocala")
My in-laws live in Slowcala. Never knew it was there. RIP.
Does the world really needs more storage?
OHSCrifle said:Does the world really needs more storage?
Well, since most people are spending money they don’t have to buy stuff they can’t afford to impress people they don’t know...
racerfink said:OHSCrifle said:Does the world really needs more storage?
Well, since most people are spending money they don’t have to buy stuff they can’t afford to impress people they don’t know...
Thank you Dave Ramsey!
(So thankful my wife is on a minimalist kick lately)
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Yes, but Taycan Turbo S weighs about 600 pounds more than a Panamera Turbo S. While not identical cars, they're as close as I can get. 600 pounds is pretty significant, especially as the chassis gets smaller.
I wasn't comparing "as close as I can get" between two different models with the same badge, I was comparing an actual EV AWD sports sedan to what you identified as a typical AWD sports sedan. Like you said, it's not too bad.
My E39 M5 is about 100 lbs lighter, and it's only got drive at one end.
Keith Tanner said:I wasn't comparing "as close as I can get" between two different models with the same badge, I was comparing an actual EV AWD sports sedan to what you identified as a typical AWD sports sedan. Like you said, it's not too bad.
I'm not sure I agree that > 4K is typical. Per google, a 2021 330xi curb weight is 3582 and an A4 is 3720.
Well that's a different discussion, isn't it ;) I did not research all possible sport sedans, merely responded to 350z247 stated. I don't pay much attention to the weight of four doors, I just happened to have come across the M5/Model 3 numbers and they struck me.
The 2021 M5 is 4345 lbs and an M3 is around 3900. An Audi S6 is 4486, the S4 is 3847. An AWD Charger is 4200. A Ford...uhh, wait, Ford doesn't do sports sedans anymore ;) But a RWD 5.0 Mustang is 3700.
I think 350z247 may not be far off their assertion. 4000 lbs is not an outlier for an AWD sports sedan. There are some that are heavier and some that are lighter.
What is really impressive out of this is the extra mass of an M3 over a 330xi.
Keith Tanner said:What is really impressive out of this is the extra mass of an M3 over a 330xi.
Apparently it takes a lot of weight to make it ugly :)
(also, FWIW Google says an M3P is 4250)
In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
It's slowly growing on me, but yeah, it's bad.
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