Scottish Elises

Has anyone use Kartstart in Aberdeen since they moved to bridge of Don. I'm looking at a trip with the rig crew, it would be good to get some comments first.

Kerry

my mate went and was disappointed.

he went through his work but he said the track's tight and you can't really find anywhere to overtake and when he did, he was blackflagged. He's a bit of a racer so I trust his opinion.

No cafe or anything either.

If you're getting as a corporate then yes, if not, then no.

Better to go to Elgin I'd think

I was there last week for a practice session (there was only a few of us so not enough to warrant a race session). I must admit it was slightly disappointing also. Karting is always good fun and enjoyable, but at other places you generally come away with a buzz.

The track is tight (just over 2 kart widths), and if someone drives down the middle of the track, then it's impossible to get past, unless they slip up and run wide on one of the many hairpin corners. Apart from one or perhaps two corners, every corner is virtually a hairpin. Fine if you weigh under 7 stone and can accelerate quickly out of the corners, but not so good for those of us of above average body weight

Tried 3 different karts, all were very similar (= good), but some more oversteery than others. Average and fastest lap times were about 0.8 seconds apart from best to worst.

Marshalls were over-zealous though. I caught up with another kart and was coming up to lap the another driver about half way through the 10 minute session. He was about 1/2 - 1 second per lap slower than I was, but being lighter was slightly faster out of the hairpins, and sticking to the racing line or centre of the track it was impossible to pass unless he made a mistake and overshot a braking point. I got closer over a few laps and was about 2 feet behind at the braking points, but was given a warning and told to back off for being aggressive!! At no point did we even come close to touching. Ended up backing off, and then speeding up again.

Good points: Karts reasonably new and evenly matched. New helmets and overalls. No tyre barriers, plastic barriers mean you tend to kiss them (loudly!) without losing much speed or bouncing sideways. Close to my work (under 5 minutes drive, 10 minutes walk) Not much places to sit if you want to watch.

Bad Points: Almost impossible to overtake without co-operation of the driver in front, especially if they are only slightly slower than you. Over-zealous marshalls give you warnings for nothing!. No gloves supplied and the place is cold! No cafe/snack area. Track is concrete so quite slippery in places.

John

tuscan_thunder wrote: Better to go to Elgin I'd think

Sounds really crap then. Elgin isnt't that great either, no facilities but the track is ok apart from that chicane on the back straight

Thanks for the comments, I might consider an alternative option then.
Howie Irvine has a place out past Aboyne, they have a small Karting track, which although small is a good laugh. Organisation is basic but effective and that adds to the fun. They can also do food etc after which will help keep the crews away from the pub!