From firing up the karts to tweaking the circuit setup, our karting instructors certainly like to live life in the fast lane. But what do they really get up to on a daily basis? For the inside track we spoke Karting Northampton’s Liam Beckwith…
Name: Liam Beckwith
Venue: Karting Northampton
Top Tip: Don’t feel pressured into going flat out straight away. Go at your own pace and slowly speed up when you feel comfortable.
“After spending years racing karts in the MSA Clubman Series, I wanted to remain involved with karting, which is why I applied to become an instructor.
I’ve been working as an instructor for over three years now, and during my time here at Karting Northampton I’ve been involved with the junior and Bambino clubs, as well as the one-to-one lessons. I really enjoy teaching first time karters the basic principles of racing, because it gives them the chance to improve their lap times by mastering the art of overtaking, and learning all about the fastest racing line.
A typical day at Karting Northampton starts with me setting up the timing systems on-track, followed by a quick sweep of the circuit to get rid of any tyre dust from the night before. Once the track’s ready for racing, the only thing left to do then is fire up the karts.
Before the first racers arrive I usually pop into the office and help out with any enquiries, then when our customers arrive I welcome them to the track and get them signed in as quickly as possible. After everybody’s signed in we head for the briefing room, where the karters are kitted up with their race suits and given a full pre-race briefing. The briefing covers all the important safety information, as well as the structure of the session and how to drive the karts – so it’s well worth listening to.
Once the briefing’s over it’s time to take to the track, and whilst the karters are battling it out for a place on the podium I’m usually on track working as a race marshal, or up in race control acting as the race director. Being a marshal is fairly frantic because you never really know what’s going to happen next during the race, but that definitely makes it more exciting. One minute you’re pushing a kart back onto the track after a crash or spin, the next you’re taking charge of the pit-lane.
Working as the race director isn’t quite as hands on, but it’s just as exciting and you get a great view of the action from race control. As race director it’s basically your job to ensure the race runs as safely and smoothly as possible, which means keeping an eye on the karts, the track and the marshals. So it’s a great excuse to be bossy!
After the final racer has crossed the line we gather everybody together for the race results and trophy presentation, which is when you find out just how competitive people really are! All that’s left to do then is collect the race suits and helmets, and thank everybody for coming.
A normal day at the track finishes by closing down all the timing systems for the night, and filling the karts up with fuel ready for the next day of racing. The final thing we do is clean and dry the race suits so they’re fresh for the first racers on track in the morning. All that’s left to do then is lock up and head home.
Working as a karting instructor is really good fun, and there’s never a dull moment. There’s always something to keep you busy too, whether it’s marshalling, carrying out track maintenance or helping out in the office. The whole team like to have a laugh and there’s always a good atmosphere, which makes Karting Northampton a great place to work – and I wouldn’t change a thing!”