Karting Saturday March 20 at Champs in Mill Creek

Seattle area folks, if you don't have other plans already, come on out at 4:00 PM on Saturday March 20 to Champs in Mill Creek for some indoor kart racing. They have supposedly moved some of the barriers around to revise the track layout, so it will be new for everyone.

Bring your spouse, significant other, friend, neighbor, etc. We will have a womens division, a novice division for first-time drivers and an expert division if there are at least 3 or 4 drivers in each category.

Where: Champs karting, Mill Creek, 18311 Bothell-Everett highway. Here is their website for location, directions, etc: www.champskarting.com

When: 4:00 PM, Saturday, March 20.

Cost: 4 races for $50, or 10 races for $100. Races are about 5 minutes long. You have 6 months to use the races you purchase, so 10 for $100 is the best deal. There may also be a $5 or $10 membership fee if it's your first time at Champs.

Tips for first time drivers: Wear comfortable clothing and old shoes. Champs has racing suits to keep your clothes clean, but your shoes can get kind of dirty. They have helmets for you to use, or you can bring your own auto racing helmet.

These are electric karts with good acceleration and no exhaust fumes. The track surface is asphalt and completely indoors, so you stay dry and warm, and the cornering grip is great.

It is a little bit hard to find Champs the first time you go there. There is a tall, narrow Champs sign out by the street, but the building is back away from the street so you can't really see it when you drive by.

Children must be 12 years old and at least 56 inches tall to drive. Restrictions are similar to roller coasters: No heart problems, women must not be pregnant, etc.

Try to stay relaxed when driving. Brake lightly before turning, then accelerate through the turn for maximum speed down the straights.


Hope to see you there!


Note: This is not an FCA event. It is just an informal function, open to anyone. No trophies, just timing sheets and bragging rights.

 

So far we have 6 drivers that I know of. That's enough for some good competition. Hopefully there are a few more people thinking of joining us.

Right now the womens division is empty, but don't let that stop anyone from showing up. We can adjust the run groups to match the driver's experience and/or preferences.

Cheers,

Mark

 

We had a good turnout for such short notice - ten people overall including four club members. Excellent competition on a new track layout. Dan "Le Mans" pretty much blew us away, winning four out of five races, and getting fastest time of day. Domenico, one of our co-workers from Italy, won a race, had the third-fastest time of day, and it was only his second time karting at Champs.

We had two run groups, an Expert group and a Womens/Novice group. One of the women in the second group would have placed well in the Expert group, and actually got second-fastest time of day. It was only her second time karting too, but she is a rock climber, plays water polo and volleyball, and runs cross-country and 10k races. Amazing!

These new-comers are putting us old-timers to shame. We're going to have to stop inviting them! Hopefully we can get an event set up at the South Seattle track for next time.

Cheers,

Mondial