High-octane go-kart racing explodes at RPM

Fri, 29 May 2009 20:53:53 GMT

By Paul Kessler, Page Editor

Michael Lewis
Drivers maneuver their way through the "S" turn on RPM's "Unbound Energy" track, the one recommended for beginners.

Race Place Motorsports (RPM), which opened in 2003, has developed into Sacramento’s premier go-karting facility, attracting racing fans of all ages as well as a significant part of the high-school community. Of 117 students surveyed, 42 have raced at RPM. Sophomore Tom Lincoln has recently discovered RPM. “After I raced for the first time, I just wanted to go again,” he said. Upon arrival, you can tell that you have stepped into racing-fan heaven, after you spot a full-size, race-driven NASCAR car on display in the entrance hall. Behind the car is a glass wall, where you can glimpse the karts on the track as they round a turn and head down the straightaway with the 9.0 horsepower engines growling. Heading up the ramp towards the sign-in desk, you walk by helmets and driver suits used and autographed by professional racing drivers, including Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and fictional driver Jean Gerard (from the movie “Talladega Nights”). To your right is a guard railing autographed by celebrities like basketball player Vlade Divac and Formula D drifting champion Tanner Foust. After checking in and getting your session time and number, you’re given a fireproof suit. While you wait, you can watch the live action either from a patio near one of the tracks, or from the Skybox on the second floor. Eventually, your race session is called. Once assembled in the “briefing room,” you and your fellow racers watch a video that goes over the rules of the tracks, including flags, penalties and on-track safety. Finally you step into pit lane, where you pull on your headsock and strap on your helmet. The crew members call your name and tell you which kart to get into—the right side is the “Monster Energy” track with long straightaways and hairpin turns, and the left side is the “Unbound Energy” track for beginners. When you get into the kart, you are given a neck collar for safety and a crew member starts your kart. It is at that moment that you really begin to feel the rush as you exit the pit lane at a walking pace. After taking a caution lap (lap taken at a walking pace), the flagman waves the green flag and you begin driving as fast as you can. I recently went to RPM with senior Michael Lewis and sophomores Case Nichols and Tom Lincoln. Six other competitors joined us on the track. I sat in the second position around the caution lap, but on the dive into the first turn, going nearly 40 mph, I moved to the inside of the “Monster” track and passed the lead driver easily. Next, I dashed for turns two and three through sweeping “S”-shaped turns at roughly 25 mph. When I hit nearly 30 mph, I had to throw on the brakes and take a hairpin (180-degree) turn and accelerate out without drifting. Then I made an assault on turn five, which comes after another hairpin. After exiting turn five, I headed down the straightaway to turns six and seven, which Lewis took a while to figure out. “On my first couple laps I didn’t realize that you could take (six and seven) full throttle,” he said. After six and seven, I drove through another set of “S” turns and crossed the finish line in 22 seconds. I had the quickest time amongst our group, but I was .54 seconds off of the day’s best. When you exit your kart after 10 minutes of non-stop excitement, you can pick up a data sheet showing your lap times and how you stacked up against the competition. Then you can head back upstairs to watch some more racing, or you can buy some racing gear in the “Speed Shop,” which offers equipment from racing gloves to helmets. If you’re in the mood for some intense, aggressive, high-octane racing action, indoor go-kart racing at RPM may be just the thing.

The Octagon

High-octane go-kart racing explodes at RPM