Calgary Kart Racing Club to Build New Track

[speedog]

Originally posted by tsi_neal
I think your not getting this. Actual racers who have replied to this thread have no issues with the current and forthcoming facilities. You as a guy who proclaims to not have an interest in racing has a problem with no local track, not sure why.

Because I used to be a bit involved at Race City and knew the local racing scene and especially so on the oval and lesser extent drag side and there are lots of people who have just parked their rides or have just gotten out of the sport all together.

I would even bet that there's people on this forum who used to race quite a bit more (maybe even regularly) when we had Race City as opposed to now where we don't have a local publicly accessible facility. Those lareg amounts of Secret Street people just didn't die or start showing up at other facilities - a lot of them are still out there with their vehicles in storage or racing locally on the streets. Please note that I'n not saying that street racing will disappear if we get another local publicly accessible racing facility but certainly a number of these types would start showing up at another similar Secret Street event if it were to come to be.

Finally, I never once proclaimed to have no interest in racing - what I said was "my interests lie elsewhere and I am involved there". If there were a local racing facility that hosted oval racing, I'd be back there for sure as a paying spectator and possibly at some point in the future, as a volunteer.

[chrenan]

It's not that these people aren't interested - it's that they're not interested enough to drive a few hours to keep their hobby alive.

People drive a few hours for fishing, hunting, skiing, biking, hockey tournaments, canoeing, kayaking, cross-border shopping, etc., etc. If someone isn't interested in driving the same distance for some track time I don't know what to tell you, that's a pretty sad state of affairs.

[speedog]

Originally posted by chrenan
People drive a few hours for fishing, hunting, skiing, biking, hockey tournaments, canoeing, kayaking, cross-border shopping, etc., etc. If someone isn't interested in driving the same distance for some track time I don't know what to tell you, that's a pretty sad state of affairs.

Another mud wrestler I see.

As I was involved at Race City years ago, I can tell you that there were many racers who'd pretty much only come out to local events - many who would only come out to Secret Street events or the oval enduro races. It wasn't a sad state of affairs but more of a case that they only had so much of a budget or just didn't care to take a whole day or more out of their weekend to go race at a facility a few hours away. I know from the oval side that there were many who would compete only at the 3-4 enduro events in Calgary and that was it - it allowed them to get in their racing fix at not much excessive expense to them. Same for the Secret Street side - many of the people who showed up for Secret Street were of the same mindset.

Let's not knock these auto sport enthusiasts as they were part of the very real racing environment/community out at Race City - that be akin to berating someone who only fishes 2 or 3 days of the year. That occasional fisherman is just as important to the sport of fishing as professional guides and people that go out every weekend.

[chrenan]

Originally posted by speedog


Another mud wrestler I see.

I'm not sure what that means.

Originally posted by speedog

someone who only fishes 2 or 3 days of the year

Exactly, if travel is involved you adjust your budget and number of events accordingly. Everyone has a budget, that's life. Some summers I've run 15 events, some summers 5 or 6.

Here's the dates for some events at Castrol where you can come and run your street car, track car or full race car:

http://trackjunkies.ca/upcoming-track-junkies-events/

http://cscc.speedracer.ca/forums/ind...c,12140.0.html

NASCC runs the racing on the road course, you need a full race license and race car for these events obviously, here are the dates in any case:

http://nascc.ab.ca/

Hope to see you out there!

[speedog]

Originally posted by chrenan
Exactly, if travel is involved you adjust your budget and number of events accordingly. Everyone has a budget, that's life. Some summers I've run 15 events, some summers 5 or 6.

So if someone's budget only allowed them to compete in 3-4 oval enduro races, then why say "that's a pretty sad state of affairs"? Attending only local events was a very real reality for some racers because that's all their budget and their lives allowed them and they were just as excited about being able to race as the regulars in the street stock, hobby stock, etc classes.

If anything, it was more fun to be out working at Race City at the enduro races because of all the enthusiasm - there was just more of a vibe in the air and the same went for the Secret Street events. There's just something about people who bring out a vehicle that they work hard on but can only race a few times a year due to constraints they have in their lives - hell, I remember a kid who used to live out at Shepherd who'd ride his very old and small displacement motorbike a mile to Race City for secret street and would have the biggest crowd approval. He was consistent as hell with respect to his ET's on the track and had a great time doing his thing - that kind of racer has no legal outlet anywhere in Calgary's current or upcoming race venue scene.

[chrenan]

If someone could race 3-4 in Calgary they could possibly do 1-2 in Edmonton. You're putting words in my mouth saying running 3-4 events is a sad state of affairs, I never said that so don't speak for me please. I said if people are willing to drive a few hours for various hobbies, but not for motorsports, that is a sad state of affairs.

Anyway, I gave you the information above on how to stay involved in the hobby if you're interested. Please come say hello if you make it up, I usually track a black 944 or sometimes a red RX-8. My name is Chrenan (pronounced Cree-nin). Your name is?

[pheoxs]

Originally posted by speedog

So if someone's budget only allowed them to compete in 3-4 oval enduro races, then why say "that's a pretty sad state of affairs"? Attending only local events was a very real reality for some racers because that's all their budget and their lives allowed them and they were just as excited about being able to race as the regulars in the street stock, hobby stock, etc classes.

If anything, it was more fun to be out working at Race City at the enduro races because of all the enthusiasm - there was just more of a vibe in the air and the same went for the Secret Street events. There's just something about people who bring out a vehicle that they work hard on but can only race a few times a year due to constraints they have in their lives - hell, I remember a kid who used to live out at Shepherd who'd ride his very old and small displacement motorbike a mile to Race City for secret street and would have the biggest crowd approval. He was consistent as hell with respect to his ET's on the track and had a great time doing his thing - that kind of racer has no legal outlet anywhere in Calgary's current or upcoming race venue scene.

If the nearest track was a days drive or more I could see these arguements but Castrol is south of Edmonton by the airport so you're looking at ~2.5 hours each way. That is easily doable if you're interested in racing for a day trip. Or do 1 night in a hotel.

Even with a shitty truck on gas and a hotel you're looking at what 125$ in gas and another 125$ for a hotel. The reality is if 5 hrs of driving worth of gas and 1 night in a hotel is what breaks your racing budget then something isn't right.

Yes it may not be feasible to drive up every Friday for street legal drags but honestly straight lines gets boring anyways

[94boosted]

Originally posted by beyond_ban
It'd be cool if they had karts to rent for a few hours. Not worth it to me to buy my own, but still would love the thrill of racing.

This!

I'd love to do a few races in a proper kart.

[MGCM]

speedog, with all the time u have spent arguing on here you could have wrote emails to every politician in Alberta.........who has the power to change all this, a bunch of arguing beyonders? or the politicians? spend your time appropriately and perhaps we could have another race city.

Meanwhile back to karting........lots of great karters developing at speeders, hopefully some of them will end up at this new upcoming track

[speedog]

Originally posted by MGCM
speedog, with all the time u have spent arguing on here you could have wrote emails to every politician in Alberta.........who has the power to change all this, a bunch of arguing beyonders? or the politicians? spend your time appropriately and perhaps we could have another race city.

True enough but my efforts when penning letters are spent elsewhere in causes more dear to my heart. Now that you mentioned it, I wonder how many beyond members have actually ever bothered to send a letter to any politician regarding the lack of racing facilities in the Calgary regions - I'm sure a few have but probably not more than a handful.

Originally posted by MGCM
Meanwhile back to karting........lots of great karters developing at speeders, hopefully some of them will end up at this new upcoming track

Now that would be kind of cool because a gas kart on a larger track is certainly a whole different world. How many of you remember Kart Gardens up at the Airport - a totally different experience than Speeders what with gas karts and even some elevation changes albeit minor ones.

[Dave P]

Very Excited to have a place to get back into some SuperMoto.

Rocky Mountain Motards was posting on Facebook that there is a Fencing party this weekend going on to get things moving faster!

[Lustypad]

Not sure if this has been said but CKRC is currently looking for around 1000 tires to be used as barriers around the track. If anyone here has tires or works at a tire shop that would be willing to donate old tires let me know and I can pass the information on.

I'm wanted to go around and pick some up this week while I'm off so message me on here if you know of anywhere with lots to give away.

[sumguy777]

I wonder if the d*ck shaped is intentional?

[speedog]

Bump - aerial view of Calgary Kart Racing Club's new track just to the southeast of Strathmore...



And the CKRC web site is here.

[ExtraSlow]

This is super awesome.

[birdman86]

Goddamnit, now I have to go buy a kart

[speedog]

So if the CKRC can get their act together and build something like this that's under a 30 minute drive from the east side of Calgary, then why can't the various other racing clubs do the same? I do hear chatter of the possibility of a dirt oval out at CKRC which would be cool IMO - could the road course or drag racing communities ever get together and do something similar? Apparently it's doable because the CKRC went out and did it on their own.

[Mibz]

I imagine it has to do with noise and environmental impacts. Tiny, semi-regulated karts are probably a lot easier to propose than "Literally any car as long as it's not leaking too much".

[03ozwhip]

Super close to my house, looks like my kid is gonna have a new hobby.

[killramos]

Originally posted by speedog
So if the CKRC can get their act together and build something like this that's under a 30 minute drive from the east side of Calgary, then why can't the various other racing clubs do the same? I do hear chatter of the possibility of a dirt oval out at CKRC which would be cool IMO - could the road course or drag racing communities ever get together and do something similar? Apparently it's doable because the CKRC went out and did it on their own.

I wonder if it would be easier for them to buy additional land and build a road course now that they already exist.

Expansion vs whole new noisy facility?