Automobiliac Video of the Week: Shifter Kart at Laguna Seca

Imagine going through the corkscrew 3 inches off the ground! This video will make your hair stand on end!

via Axis of Oversteer

hat tip to Drew

Local Karting: Motorsports at the Grass Roots

This weekend, I had the pleasure of doing some arrive and drive karting in Englishtown, NJ.  In addition to the city-slicker dilettantes such as myself, there were a whole host of serious amateur racers, including a lot of kids and teen drivers.  In Europe, karting is a more well-publicized sport for youngsters to get started in, but it was nice to see that this obscure activity is alive and well Stateside as well. While it seems on the surface like a somewhat dangerous activity for children to participate in, I couldn't help but think it compares favorably against the head-cracking skateparks we let our kids hang out in unsupervised (with no helmets on), or today's increasingly intense football and hockey squads that leave kids with concussions and torn ACLs at the age of 14.  Here, adult supervision was everywhere, and an ambulance was present as well. Plus there was a lot of family bonding going on which was nice to see, with fathers, sons, daughters, and mothers too working on the karts together.  The setting sun, and smoke from the motors made for some atmospheric photographic conditions. Click HERE for the full gallery.

Automobiliac Video of the Week: Michael and Ralf Schumacher as kids at the family karting track

I saw this video a long time ago and find it kind of amazing.  I can't understand German, but I just love the footage of Michael and Ralf as teenagers, bombing around the karting track that their father ran.  You can see by Michael's driving suit that he has already attracted some sponsorship, and I also love that he already had the helmet design that would become world famous one day.  I would say that it's hard to believe that this kid would someday become one of the greatest drivers in history, but let's be honest; His poise, confidence and skill are all evident in this little video, so maybe it's not so hard to believe after all.  I also love the footage of their sturdy, teutonic parents. They look like they just walked out of a Breugel painting or something.