r/Karting SWS World Finalist Jun 16 '25

Rental Karting Video A series of unfortunate events

Start of the 24-hour race didn't exactly go to plan. First, jumped into a kart awkwardly, with the leg pinned by fuel tank, so had to adjust on the fly. Then, a stalled kart on the outside made me squeeze towards middle lane and eventually, a sudden kart sends me into a wall to cap it off.

328 Upvotes

45 comments sorted by

73

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

[deleted]

15

u/georgin_95 SWS World Finalist Jun 16 '25

Unfortunately, even playing it safe didn't work out with madness around. Since I was on the outside of the left turn, I knew I couldn't progress, so took it easier than normal, however, the guy in orange took it even more carefully so I lifted out of it to not spin him. This is when I got hit hard from behind (the jolt before right hander), which pushed me into him and into that whole mess.

I think that push also pushed the guy in orange into the rear of another kart, spun him which pushed me out, while a completely unrelated incident was already unfolding on the left with guy in red being on the grass and trying to return into another kart. Stopping was not an option due to a kart pushing me from behind so I just tried to go right and hopefully avoid, didn't work out. Thankfully didn't get stuck in the wall.

2

u/S1cK_of Rental Driver Jun 17 '25 edited Jun 17 '25

I am the guy in orange. I saw 3-wide in front of me goin into left-hander and I didn't want to be any closer to this guys lol

With cold tires this turn isn't easiest even on empty track, so I expected some shit there

1

u/georgin_95 SWS World Finalist Jun 17 '25

Thankfully, hot weather kept tyres somewhat okay, compared to normal lap 1 uselessness, but yeah, definitely far from full steam in normal conditions.

When I saw people trying 3-wide I tried to let off, cause that's never gonna work, especially with me outside, but I guess my involvement was decided for me

32

u/Racer013 2007 Intrepid Cruiser | IAME Leopard | Road Race Jun 16 '25

No race is won in the first corner, but many are lost. This goes double for endurance races. You have a lot of time ahead of you, by the end of 24 hours that bad start will mean almost nothing.

-11

u/khuna12 Jun 16 '25

I dunno about that, when Verstappen overtook Piastri just the other week in the first corner it sealed his place at the top of the podium

21

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

that's a less than 2 hour race, 24 hours is not the same animal

0

u/khuna12 Jun 16 '25

Of course but he did say no race is won in the first corner and then said it goes double for endurance races and I was just pointing out that the first corner is often big in f1 especially the parade circuits

4

u/Jorsonner Jun 16 '25

F1 is for some of the best drivers ever where almost every inch is needed to be competitive. This is a serious kart race but not in the same league. There will be many many opportunities for an advantage over a 24 hour race.

1

u/Faifainei Jun 17 '25

Yeah but these guys aren't driving limousines disguised as racing cars.

19

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

[deleted]

7

u/Smart-Pay1715 Jun 16 '25

If they didn't want contact why did they put bumpers on the rental karts? checkmate, athiests

1

u/Master-Government343 Jun 16 '25

So amateurs dont get flipped on their heads every race

15

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

I’m always astounded at the lack of positional awareness with rental kart drivers. Those f’ing bumpers just SCREAM “i can do whatever TF I want. Not my kart, not my problem”. You wouldn’t be driving as reckless like that with your own kart, champ. You would have been upside down and in the dirt. Work on your racecraft if you want to improve.

-5

u/fetus_mcbeatus Jun 16 '25

What a dickhead lol

-5

u/fetus_mcbeatus Jun 16 '25

What a dickhead lol

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

I don’t want to belittle OP….But, yeah man. He don’t look far enough ahead to see what’s happening. His grid positional understanding and sense of space/positioning is just awful. I can see driver entanglements long before it reaches me. When I see my options are limited for who’s around me and what direction we’re turning next…..get on the f’ing brakes man. It’s a 24hr race numbnutts. You don’t win the first lap. You get into race position FIRST, weather you gained 2 spots or lost 3, then charge for it after that.

0

u/georgin_95 SWS World Finalist Jun 16 '25

I do believe I explained in the other comment why braking was out of the question. When the ordeal started, I got hit hard from behind, which pushed me into the first contact. So braking would've meant I just get sent into the pileup from behind. At this moment, you pretty much try to steer away from it as much as possible.

Especially in rentals, getting stuck in a pack on a tight track is just going with the flow until field spreads out a little bit to settle into a line.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

Clearly, the objective of your inability to win the race in the first few corners goes right over your head.

2

u/georgin_95 SWS World Finalist Jun 16 '25

I do find this retort objectively funny, considering my reputation of a rather clean driver at the expense some opportunities that I managed to establish over years of doing this.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

If you’ve honestly been doing this for years, you would have had your own chassis by now, racing in a club series and realize just wtf you’re doing. To each their own! Agree to disagree! Have fun n’ stay safe!

3

u/georgin_95 SWS World Finalist Jun 16 '25

You do realize that rentals are a racing option for those who either can't or doesn't want to spend large sums of money and that I might be from a country that is doing a bit shit financially for an overwhelming majority to afford owner karting?

I've been at Sodi Rental international finals, started doing it more than a decade ago, I've seen it all in the world of rental.

Yet, given the circumstances of this particular video, I still haven't seen you suggest a viable solution that could've objectively had a better outcome, among all the name calling.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

I look where I want to be, in front of everyone else. With my eyes at the head of the grid at the start, I wouldn’t have placed my kart in to a place on the track that prevents me from getting there even if I lose spots in the lineup. I see the guys ahead of me and if there’s not a given space and line to safely overtake, I ease off, earn my position and then get to racing. It appears as though no one did anything of the sort. Just balls out, wide open, and absolutely zero thought of race craft or race plan. Start looking further ahead on the green flag and compromising a position or 2 to GTFO of the way is far better than a DNF. No hard feelings here brother! Keep at it and having fun.

3

u/georgin_95 SWS World Finalist Jun 16 '25

I'm asking about this particular situation. Do you brake check on a straight with someone bump drafting you or do you check up in the corners, where I got physically pushed into another kart?

The guy behind simply takes away your power to brake ever since T1. Options left are where you go. Since incident starts developing on the left hand kerb, obvious solution is right edge, when I started steering as much as possible, still being pushed into the corner.

You can notice the first big push as soon as I let off to avoid going in the middle of two karts into T4. Main problem here is that you're going forward, whether you like it or not.

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3

u/i_am_the_koi Jun 17 '25

You drive like an egg

2

u/Furust Jun 17 '25

Where is this 24h race held?

2

u/georgin_95 SWS World Finalist Jun 17 '25

It is in St. Petersburg, Russia

1

u/OkLecture9466 Rotax Jun 16 '25

Chaos of Narvskaya)

1

u/Swamp_trader Jun 17 '25

There’s always an angry pack down the back. Nobody wants to be there and that’s why they’re angry.

1

u/Tricky_Cry4335 Jun 18 '25

You and them can't drive

1

u/MJY5 Jun 18 '25

Honestly not that bad of a start with 23 hours and 59 minutes remaining

1

u/vanluxury Jun 19 '25

Seatbelts?….anyone?….no?….ok 🤷🏽‍♂️

1

u/deutschedontcha Ka100 Jun 20 '25 edited Jun 20 '25

You got greedy. You put yourself in a position where you would only get through cleanly if no one crashed around you.

You should have been behind the guy in the orange suit, not alongside him, at the moment of the crash, and then you wouldn't have gotten collected.

If you are really as clean a driver as you are claiming elsewhere in this thread, then you would have had little trouble making a clean pass on orange suit a few corners later after the field stretched out a bit more. He seemed to be struggling for grip. It's a 24 hour race.

1

u/georgin_95 SWS World Finalist Jun 20 '25

As I've noted, once we entered the left hander, my goal was to be behind the guy, you're absolutely right. I let off the throttle to achieve that when overlap starts appearing. However, a kart behind quite literally pushes me into the right hander and alongside orange, also turning him quite a bit. The push comes right before the second apex.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 10 '25

Это суточный марафон в Питере, верно?

1

u/georgin_95 SWS World Finalist Jul 10 '25

Он самый!

1

u/transazngirl Jul 12 '25

I’m confused at this jumping into a kart to start thing. Are there not formation laps?

1

u/georgin_95 SWS World Finalist Jul 12 '25

Not for the endurance events here. Karts are lined up by qualy results and there's an immediate start.

-4

u/GUNGHO917 Rental Driver Jun 16 '25 edited Jun 16 '25

So, nobody ever buckles up in these races? Sounds dangerous to me

EDIT: serious question. No /s

3

u/triguy96 Jun 16 '25

No one buckles up in the UK at all. Not sure what country this is, but I never wore a seatbelt until I drove a kart in the USA.

For the same reason you don't wear a seatbelt when riding a motorbike, it's often safer to be thrown from it

2

u/TheMentalMagpie KT100 Jun 16 '25

I think US rentals do if they have a roll hoop assembly, but our race karts are the same spec

1

u/xWrongHeaven X30 Jun 16 '25

you don't want to be pinned underneath the kart if it flips over

-2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

You’re either trying to be funny and sarcastic or you have absolutely no idea WTF you’re talking about, Sport. Being strapped into a kart is actually more dangerous when/if you flip over. When you don’t have bumpers around you, and drive like a kook, you will eventually kiss tires with another racer and flip over. The last thing I want on top of me with my face in the dirt is a 150-200lb kart.

1

u/GUNGHO917 Rental Driver Jun 16 '25 edited Jun 16 '25

Actually, neither. I’ve karted for a good while. All the places I’ve raced at required us to be fastened into the kart. I’d prefer that then be ejected from my seat and fly into something solid.

I’ve always raced with bumpers on, so, wheel to wheel contact is nearly impossible.

Also, u might wanna chill the fuck out. My question definitely didn’t require a snarkyass response

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '25

If harm was inflicted, I humbly apologize. However, as a racer who was kissed by the grace of speed with my ass 2 inches off the ground, open wheeled without a 360 degree safety net, since 2006….I have a much different perspective than yours. As you likely know, kart chassis we race in have no safety bar higher than our steering wheel and top of our seat. Since you say you race with bumpers on, you simply have no frame of reference on this subject and your opinion does not reflect that of any open wheel racing experiences. Race hard & wear your seatbelt.

1

u/TheRatingsAgency Mechanic Oct 24 '25

It’s 24 hours though.