You could never really describe karting as a team sport, even when you’re racing for a team or sponsor it’s not quite the same. When you’re behind the wheel of a kart you’re on your own and a successful races is down to how well you perform as an individual.
In other sports such as football and rugby there’s always a chance you can get away with a poor performance by sharing the blame. You also get to share the joy of winning as a team no matter how well you performed individually. This has never really been the case with motor sport with one major exception – the Le Mans 24 hour race. For anybody who doesn’t know the Le Mans race is the ultimate test of endurance and teamwork. Drivers compete to complete the most laps within 24 hours of action packed racing, taking it in turns to get behind the wheel.
Now you can experience a heart racing Le Mans style race on the karting track and really put your teamwork to the test. As good as it is to have the bragging rights over your mates by beating them to the top of the podium taking part in a team race will really bring out your competitive side. The aim of the race is simple; complete the most laps within the allotted time. That includes frantic driver changes and any emergency pit stops you might have to make. The team that wins isn’t always the team with the fastest individual drivers but the team that works best as a team and nails the tricky driver swaps.
You’ll have to put pride aside and decide who the fastest drivers in your team are, as well as masterminding your race tactics to get the most out of your best drivers. You’ll also have to factor in the amount of time it takes to swap drivers and make any necessary pit stops. It’s one thing having a plan before you head out to the track but it’s quite another to execute it. When all’s said and done it’s a flat out race and you’ll still experience the excitement of tearing round the track and trying to overtake everything in your path.
A team challenge combines all the most exciting elements of an individual race with the added competitive edge of racing for your team (it’s amazing how deep you’ll dig to shave seconds off your lap times to avoid being the one who slows your team down). It’s also a great way for larger groups to get some track time. That makes it the perfect choice for a stag and hen parties as well as corporate events as not only does it give everyone a chance to get behind the wheel it also helps develop teamwork.
So if you’re looking for a fresh and exciting way to experience karting, why not see how well you and a group of mates really work as a team by taking on the clock as it ticks down to zero?