There are many ways to start off in motorsport locally. There is a large contingent that cut their teeth in the Americanised oval track racing – both tar and dirt – where kids hop into an old-school Mini and race around with similarly aged rivals.
Then there is the more Eurocentric approach of karting. We are all familiar with these little machines, usually two-stroke powered, that kids can race from as young as six years old. Anyone that has risen to the top ranks of motorsport anywhere in the world has raced and been successful in a kart at some point.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=PXqpQPMe5uA
Dirt karting, an unknown quantity
But never before had I heard of oval dirt karting. That is not until I was recently approached by Cape Oval Dirt Karting club and asked if I’d be interested to race at its next event. Always keen to expand my racing horizons I agreed. A few days later I dusted off my race suit, which in retrospect I needn’t bothered doing, and headed to the track in the Contermanskloof area just outside Cape Town.
Oval racing and dirt oval racing at that was a concept completely foreign to me and I had NO idea what to expect. Club members were very welcoming and warm to me, and other CAR staffers in attendance. I was introduced to the club committee and shown to my steed for the day.
This club, not the only one in the Cape region, runs five classes: Juniors (who can be as young as five and half) 200, 300, 390 and the really quick 425 cm3 modifieds. Only Hoffman and Honda four-stroke engines that conform to the classes set out are permitted. The engines, usually employed in industrial applications remain completely stock, except for the 425 cm3 class.
The 390 class has the biggest field with 20 karts, of the 57 entered on the day, comprising the field I’d be racing against. I have driven karts before, but nothing quite like this, so the club officials were kind enough to send me out for some free practice.
Getting to grips
As you can see from the pics and attached video the track is not glass smooth like a circuit. It is, however, prepared for hours ahead of the racing to make it as smooth as possible and grippy. Anyone who has ever driven a kart will tell you how bumpy the ride can be. It is twice as bad on an oval dirt kart. There is no suspension whatsoever to absorb the surface imperfections and I am sure that I spent at least 25 per cent of the lap off the seat.
The off-road spec tyres provided more grip than I expected. After a few laps of practice, a few spins and some immensely fun drifting antics, I had a good feel for what would come later.
Non-stop action
Once the racing starts the action is frenetic with hardly a moment to relax between races. Each class runs a number of heats. Drivers score points during each heat and the top 10 drivers with the most points qualify for the final in each class. Some drivers contest more than one class so you can imagine how busy they are.
Race distances vary and the duration is the size of the field plus two laps, I am not quite sure why though. There isn’t really a qualifying session, initial start positions are drawn out of a hat. I would start race one from the back of the field, which I was quite happy to do. That did, however, mean that I started heat two from the front of the field thanks to an inverted grid.
There is little time to warm up before the race starts – no need for heat in the tyres – and half a lap after forming the grid we were racing. I was caught out at the start as the field was really cautious through Turn One. As a result I tagged the kart ahead of me and spun. I spent the remaining laps playing catch up and thanks to a few other shunts managed to gain a few more positions. Before I knew it the heat was over.
Heat two seemed to take place a few minutes later. From the front row, and on the favoured inside line, I was keen not to make an early mistake and give away any positions. I seemed to get the jump on the field when the SA flag signalled the start. I lead easily for two laps but was then hounded by two drivers. I went extremely defensive and made my kart as wide as possible, oversteering out of corners and diving back inside on corner entry to protect the line. As it turned out I held off the challengers for the entire race and claimed the heat win.
In the third and final heat I managed a mid-field finish from a mid-pack start. Between the last heat and the finals the club officials tally up the points, which takes a while for all the classes. I took the chance to walk around and meet up with other drivers and soak up the atmosphere.
Family-orientated
Walking around I spotted no fewer than eight female racers, ranging from 8 years old. Lots of father son/daughter pairings and even a few oupas; the oldest racer is 63. The family that loaned me the 390 kart brought no fewer than 12 race machines to the track that day. And there is no booze allowed in the pit area.
It turned out that I scored points enough to make the finals. After the short interlude the mood became a little more competitive. Drivers were busy preparing their karts, cleaning visors, checking tyre pressures. I did the same in an effort to look busy.
I jumped into my kart a few minutes early trying to focus on a good race start. Unbeknownst to me the front right tyre had a leak. Fortunately another team’s mechanic saw it and came running over with a pump. He was sure it would hold for the entire race.
In the finals
From the rolling start I held position but two laps in I realised all was not well with the steering. The kart struggled to turn right, NOT ideal on a clockwise oval. I tried to compensate by steering with my right foot, ie drifting the corners but it couldn’t last and finally the stub axle broke and I was pitched into the tyre wall. I retired half way through the finals and watch the remainder of the race from the in-field.
A fun day out
For anyone looking to have some fun I highly recommend having a go. Not only does it seem like an extremely fun and cost effective form of motorsport but the sense of camaraderie among the competitors that other forms of racing could really from. Special thanks to the club for hosting us and to the Geldenhuys family for the loan of the kart.
Cape Oval Dirt Karting has four more events in its 2013 season:
- 23 March
- 13 April
- 04 May
- 25 May
If you are interested in dirt oval karting take a look at this website www.capeovaldirtkarting.co.za or e-mail [email protected]
Images courtesy of CloudNr9, Keaton Kock and DavetheCarGuy