I'm sure most of you got a story to share. Let's share your racing stories. It does not matter whether you're on a car or a kart. As long as your story involves in any vehicle that has wheels count.

I'll start first.


The car club/group I'm with held annual "Beginning of Summer" meets in the last 3 years. The 2nd and the 3rd one took place in an indoor karting track an hour away from me. I didn't go to the 3rd one though. We invited 10 other clubs in the 2nd year to join us.

The meet featured some fun mini-game events throughout the event and a feature karting race. The karting race is volountary, however. Those who would like to participate has all-day until the cut-off time to log his/her PB by purchasing as many 10-minute sessions as they want. The top 30 were chosen then to participate in the heats and the final 10 people (~3 from each heat) were in the feature race. I started 8th in the feature race after a 10-min qualifying. I gained couple places, but the tires lost grip towards the end of the race and finished in 8th overall.

How about yours?

The first time I hopped into a kart, I was mighty slow. So slow that one of the track staff pull me back in and told me to drive faster.

So I drove fast. Had a few oversteer moments when my wheels touched the grass, but didn't go off. I even went wheel to wheel for a few minutes with one of the club regulars (who was bloody fast, one of the best in the club, we were told), but he eventually got past.

Then the staff member pulled me in again: "This is not a race, OK?"

I was confused.

I spun a Formula First, in the wet, at my all time favorite corner. I feel soiled by my own stupidity.

Co-driving for my cousin in the snowman Rally a couple of years back......Couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that

a). Should have completed my will the day before
b). I thought he was having trouble seeing the BIG BLOODY ROCKS at the side of the road
c). Death was only a matter of seconds away every time we did a Stage.

Overall though I enjoyed it, and really have respect for some of those guys flying around the woods, on surfaces that I wouldn't even take my mountain bike on.

To many to list! Raced in snow, a wet track with slicks... even nearly hit a segal!

Although my most remembered battle would have to be my first year karting in cadets. I had a torrid day struggling on very worn wets and ended up qualifying quite far down the grid. I decided to gamble on slicks whilst most others stuck with wets as it was a far safer option. During the opening laps I struggled to get heat into them but I kept it on the island and the dry line was starting to get a bit bigger.
After a couple of laps I started feeling more confident and really put the hammer down. 4 laps or so in I was really starting to close up on the `leading` pack and going into the final lap somehow managed to pass 2/3 karts in the final corner. To this day I still can't figure out how... the only reason I've come up with is that someone had tried to overtake and slowed the pack down enough for me to join the party. Down into T1 I took 3rd around the outside when the driver decided to give me the dry line whilst trying to defend. About 2 or 3 corners later I took 2nd. I could see the leader, he was so close and was struggling with wets on a drying circuit so I really pushed on the final few corners. I managed to get right on his rear bumper coming into the last corner, stuck my nose to the inside but got shown the grass and thought better of it.

The only reason that really sticks in my head is because of the amount of people that congratulated me! I went from 5th or 6th to 2nd in one lap.

Used to have mixed emotions on racing in the wet. At times I'd be really competitive and others absolutely no where...

Scariest moment I've had was when my TKM decided it had enough at about 50mph whilst at the sharp end of the field... needless to say facing another 8 or so drivers all jinking around last second trying to avoid me was pretty scary. All I remember thinking is this is going to hurt!!

when i was karting (rent), some guys from the U.S. (im on the border(almost)) were racing there too. I was like fighting in every turn because in the straights they left me behind, they were faster... after the race one of them said to his friends "He is good"...
and i've heard that a lot of times, because i pass the whole track flat (sucky karts) and i always win, taking risks and everything (:rolleyes ... so i think if i had the opportunity to race karts i'd be good

Quote from samjh :

The first time I hopped into a kart, I was mighty slow. So slow that one of the track staff pull me back in and told me to drive faster.

So I drove fast. Had a few oversteer moments when my wheels touched the grass, but didn't go off. I even went wheel to wheel for a few minutes with one of the club regulars (who was bloody fast, one of the best in the club, we were told), but he eventually got past.

Then the staff member pulled me in again: "This is not a race, OK?"

I was confused.

haha thats weird. you shoulda put the club member into a wall, then see what happened or better yet hop in a real kart, although racing is getting fairly dirty out there in karts.. much worse than it was say 5 years ago

i have a sorta cool one. it was going for my CAMS license, at sandown raceway a couple of months ago. it was my first time there. we had a lend of a little suzuki swift (which was basically standard, just stripped interoir and a roll cage), which weighed about 750kg, not sure how much bhp, but not as much as the other guys in their holdens and porches and bmw's
anyway, you do a 'mock up' race, where they grid you as to how fast your car is, then you do a warm up lap and come around and the marshalls grid you up for a start. anyway, thanks to lfs i suppose i was very fast on the lights, and as soon as the lights went out i went. i started off 19th (last), and by turn 1 i was 9th. i think it would have looked quite amusing watching this little tiny suzy swift weaving between all these big bmw's and porches, then out braking 2 or 3 guys into t1, due to the light car i suppose. anyway, i drove around still trying to get a feel for the track, and ended up coming home in 7th place, which is not too bad considering it was the slowest car there on the day.
after the race everyone kept coming over to the car, asking me to pop the bonnet, only to see a stock engine

anyway, thats the start of many for me

Quote from [DUcK] :

haha thats weird. you shoulda put the club member into a wall, then see what happened or better yet hop in a real kart, although racing is getting fairly dirty out there in karts.. much worse than it was say 5 years ago

I tried to get into karting when I was was about 12, but my father baulked at the cost. Since then, I've done some motorkhanas, some karts, but not much more. Money is too much, especially these days.

I was fortunate enough to get a really good driving instructor, an ex-policeman with a passion for driving, who went far above and beyond what one needs to teach a student for a driving test: empty car parks on rainy days learning J-turns, brake-and-swerve, etc., for no extra cost. Pretty much the police driving course, minus pursuits (my friend is doing the police academy now, and she's learning what he taught me). Much respect to the man.