It doesn't matter how many times David Cameron tells us that
things are improving, the fact is they are not. The cost of living is
higher than ever. A loaf of bread now costs £400. People are homeless and
jobless and more importantly, motor racing is really expensive. I have written
several stern letters to the PM asking him to address this critical issue, but
still it remains elusive from the House of Common’s agenda. Fortunately, one
company has seen fit to take matters into their own hands.
Just outside of Brighton and within spitting distance of the
A23 is where Q Leisure are starting their revolution. Their outdoor karting
facility has been providing cost-effective corporate entertainment for an age
now, alongside paintball, archery and various other outdoor activities on the Q
Leisure roster.
Recently Q Leisure began its Junior Karting Club. The aim
was -and still is- to get kids into motorsport without mum or dad having to break
the bank. The club was successful, evolving into a junior championship. The
kids got older and needed to make way for the next generation of karters. A
senior championship was created to compliment the juniors and accommodate the
older drivers.
Now those original karters are older still, requiring Q Leisure
to open a further championship. With Junior and Senior already catered for, the
staff at Q Leisure are running out of words. “Senior Citizen Championship” and
“Old Gits Championship” have been bandied about. “The Bus-pass Cup” has also
been suggested.
Whatever name they decide on, Q Leisure bringing their
organising expertise to the world of arrive-and-drive karting has been a good
thing for the sport.
The family run business operates out of the village of
Albourne, about six miles from the sunny seaside town of Brighton and Hove. The
track is 800 meters long and has several characteristics that make it a unique
driving experience.
The start-line points you towards a right-hand hairpin that
goes by the intimidating name of Gurkha’s
Revenge. The corner is tight but, surprisingly, provides very few first lap
incidents from kamikaze last row starters. The exit lines you up for a
left-hand hairpin, the slightly less intimidating Carl’s Bend. Who Carl is, or why he decided that the name Carl’s Bend is a suitable follow up to Gurkha’s Revenge remains a mystery. What
we do know is that the two corners are so close together, they can be treated
as an “S” bend using one line to link the two apexes.
You exit Carl’s Bend
into a subtle left and right, downhill into Hell’s
Drop. This very fast right hander turns you slightly over ninety degrees
and straight into Rattle Snake a flat
out left kink that sets you up for the dodgily titled William’s Pit Entrance. This is a long 180 degree turn that exits
into a tunnel.
After the tunnel, it
is uphill into a hairpin that goes by the unimaginative handle of The Hairpin. It’s unfortunate that this
corner drew a short straw in the name stakes.
It is a tricky little number and worthy of a more valiant alias. It has
a slippery curb on the exit and a surprisingly hard wall to catch out the
unwary. Hairpin of impending doom may
have been a more suitable moniker.
Should you survive the hairpin, you are treated to a fast
right-hander over a bridge. Keep the throttle nailed as the track curves left around
the pits into Mansell-not the moustachioed
British driver who complains about everything. Mansell is actually a very fast right-hander that is enormously
satisfying to drive through.
A short straight delivers you at Sand Pit a fast left that sets you up
for the suitably named Overdrive
hairpin. This corner joins the fastest part of the track to the longest
straight on the track- the straight you started from- so it is important not to
overdrive this corner. See what they did there?
I hate using the word picturesque, but when you arrive at Q
Leisure, it is a bit like walking into one of those beautifully photoshopped
holiday postcards. Through the big iron gates you are greeted by the main
building, which is a quite stunning converted barn. The barn houses a function
room, restaurant area and a licensed bar. The barn, with its oak beams and wood
floors, gives the feel of an old English pub restaurant. This would actually be
a nice place to come, even if you were not racing.
The barn sets a standard for all the facilities at Q
Leisure. Outside there is a neat fishpond complete with a waterfall and a
convincing rubber herring. There is computerised signing on, electronic timing,
a briefing room, toilets and a viewing gantry all above the standard you would
expect of an NKA affiliated track.
The karts used in the Q Leisure Championships are from their
fleet of arrive-and-drive Biz Pro-Karts. Each is armed with one Honda GX200 engine
and has adjustable pedals and seat inserts to fit drivers of all sizes.
So there you have it. One company singlehandedly changing
both the face of British motor sport and the way our country is run. Ok, so
they are not actually doing that, but they are offering the chance to race in a
cheap, well organised, competitive championship in the beautiful Sussex
countryside.
If you find yourself near Brighton, pop in and give them
your support.
As Mr Cameron himself says, we are all in this together.
***All the crap you see written here is Kelvin's opinion and not that of his associates, race team or marketing partners.***
