I decided to head North to CT to visit the RPM in Stamford and see what the fuss was all about.
My pal @nikspeeds had been up a few times as a guest of management and had nothing but nice things to say. I have to say, it is a nice place and the karts are great.
They just got an entirely new fleet of Sodis which feel and drive great. These Sodis have really nice adjustability… seat, pedal tray, and steering column height. Easy to find a comfy position.
The track is terrific. It’s a 360 designs effort, two tracks that can be combined into the mega-track. The first track is more of a speed run, less technical while track 2 gets more twisties. Both are excellent layouts.
The staff was super cool and helpful. They put me in pro speed after one heat in normal and were very helpful in terms of advice. It’s easy to overdrive here! They also made sure I got to try both layouts, which was cool!
I am told that their league sold out! I can see how it would be popular. Further, I am told, that this will be a SWS facility! Luck folks who live nearby have a brass ring to strive for!
I did a total of 7 heats: 3 track 1 and 4 track 2. Nit enough to get quick but enough to get a feel for the place and some thoughts about what to do differently next time.
The karts are plenty fast at normal speed and at pro speed, they have more top end. Compared to SC, these karts are faster and geared better. Really fun to drive but alas, no piped in engine sounds (I really enjoy that actually!).
This is a very high quality facility and is well worth a visit! 10/10 would apex again!
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So I’m back…
The drive up was at the worst possible time, ensuring that my optimistic 2:06 drive time turned into significantly longer. However, I crested Manhattan in a stunningly beautiful pastel sunset.
Turns out there’s a private thing till 7, so I’m grabbing a bite and then will do 5 pro speed sessions on t1.
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Yeaaa !!! More people liking electric karts !!!
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Yeah, unlike supercharged, the power isn’t all in the first two seconds of bottom end. These Sodis have breadth of power and there’s distinctly top end pull. These drive more like normal karts and are raceable!
I think most kart drivers don’t mind driving electric karts. They just aren’t interested in buying or owning one. I’m sure that will grow over time.
To be frank I don’t want to own any kart. Just want one waiting for me when I’m ready. I do love arrive and drive.
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Yep I think Gas and Electric will be at alot more tracks as a option for both kind of racing categories . Especially as K1 Speed and Circuit keep growing… And Blue shock racing keeps making more events around the US…
Clever kart with great adjustability.
My only complaint (and I hear similar from other pilots) is that it doesn’t use a proper harness. It’s got a dippy regular seatbelt that doesn’t tighten you down. Its is like a car one and will tension in an accident but otherwise is loosey-goosey.
Strapped + Jacked is better.
A race! TKC visits RPM Stamford
We had a fun race this Sunday at the new RPM up in Stamford, CT. Alec Vidal’s Touring Kart Championship hosted a well run sprint event on Sunday morning.
I believe we had 18 drivers, so we did only one division and had everyone on track. Format was simple: 5mins practice, 5 Min qualifier, 10 min prefinal and 15min final.
We also had the good fortune of running the Supertrack (both tracks combined). The layout works very nicely in its combined form and takes about 50s a lap.
The race went well and we had no issues. Although I felt I drove well, I did poorly, placing towards the back. Looking at my footage I need to tighten up ramp down, but, otherwise, my driving looked pretty solid.
Im guessing my pace issues was a combo of meh kart and getting over covid (although I felt ok). Hopefully we get to race again soon, I’d like another crack at it. That being said, my better kart in prefinal was good for 49.6’s, which was in the general ballpark.
I noticed after the race that they got the “mychron” screen on the karts working. The lcd screen shows your laptimes now!
Thanks to Alec and Rpm for making the race happen. It went super smoothly and the karts/track were great!
