Whether it’s Micheal Schumacher or our very own Narain Karthikeyan, all of them started their motorsports career as Kart drivers. With the growing popularity of the sports last weekend even I thought of trying what it takes to be on the fast lane as I reached the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. And it was time for me to take part in the two day pro karting training run by Former Formula 3 driver Akbar Ebrahim and rub shoulders with the professional Kart drivers.
The training started with Akbar first taking me through a theory session to make me understand the basics of karting. Once we were through with that, then came the most important bit - the seating. It's very important for one to what is the perfect way to get in and out of the kart as a small mistake can cause damage to the kart as well as the body. However, after a couple of attempts, I finally managed to get in alright. And then as the engines warmed up, it was time for me to ride a machine, which neither offered me the cushion comfort of my car nor had the power steering to ease off the pressure of maneuvering. To start with, Akbar had given me the task of driving on the straight line to get into the hang of the throttle and the brakes. As I slowly picked up on my pace and confidence, a satisfied Akbar gave me the green signal to get onto the practice tracks before the day came to an end.
The second day was the D-Day as I had to hit the race track. This was my opportunity I realised as I followed the two young Kart drivers onto the track. Once on the track, I got the real feel of what it takes to drive on the fast lane. It was a back-breaking experience and with the two stroke karts going upto a speed of 109 km/ hour, it was getting difficult for me to get a hold while at the curves and secondly, with my body close to the ground and no sort of protection available, it was as if I was always on the edge. However, with every completed lap I started gaining on confidence. And as I ended my first outing, I was quite familiar with the track. My timing was a 1 min 5 sec, way below Akbar's expectations. But the real test was yet to come. In order to get the perfect maneuvering line, Akbar had now put cones on the curves and here I was, out on my second and final session. 1 min 3 sec, 1 min 1 sec, 58 secs….. I had finally done it. A lap in the fifties…Wow. I was more than relieved. But when I saw the timing of the other drivers on the track, I knew I had a long way to go as drivers were doing rounds of forties and fifties on the same track.
Suddenly I realized that Sitting in the gallery, it's always exciting to see karts speed by at over 100 kmph and drivers maneuvering the curves of the high-speed racing tracks. But one you are in that kart how difficult it is to maneuver that small but powerful machine…Hats off to all the racers for the grit.
The training started with Akbar first taking me through a theory session to make me understand the basics of karting. Once we were through with that, then came the most important bit - the seating. It's very important for one to what is the perfect way to get in and out of the kart as a small mistake can cause damage to the kart as well as the body. However, after a couple of attempts, I finally managed to get in alright. And then as the engines warmed up, it was time for me to ride a machine, which neither offered me the cushion comfort of my car nor had the power steering to ease off the pressure of maneuvering. To start with, Akbar had given me the task of driving on the straight line to get into the hang of the throttle and the brakes. As I slowly picked up on my pace and confidence, a satisfied Akbar gave me the green signal to get onto the practice tracks before the day came to an end.
The second day was the D-Day as I had to hit the race track. This was my opportunity I realised as I followed the two young Kart drivers onto the track. Once on the track, I got the real feel of what it takes to drive on the fast lane. It was a back-breaking experience and with the two stroke karts going upto a speed of 109 km/ hour, it was getting difficult for me to get a hold while at the curves and secondly, with my body close to the ground and no sort of protection available, it was as if I was always on the edge. However, with every completed lap I started gaining on confidence. And as I ended my first outing, I was quite familiar with the track. My timing was a 1 min 5 sec, way below Akbar's expectations. But the real test was yet to come. In order to get the perfect maneuvering line, Akbar had now put cones on the curves and here I was, out on my second and final session. 1 min 3 sec, 1 min 1 sec, 58 secs….. I had finally done it. A lap in the fifties…Wow. I was more than relieved. But when I saw the timing of the other drivers on the track, I knew I had a long way to go as drivers were doing rounds of forties and fifties on the same track.
Suddenly I realized that Sitting in the gallery, it's always exciting to see karts speed by at over 100 kmph and drivers maneuvering the curves of the high-speed racing tracks. But one you are in that kart how difficult it is to maneuver that small but powerful machine…Hats off to all the racers for the grit.
No comments:
Post a Comment