Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Cornell's SAE Baja buggy helps us get even with would-be alma mater]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/04/cornells-sae-baja-buggy-helps-us-get-even-with-would-be-alma-mater/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/04/cornells-sae-baja-buggy-helps-us-get-even-with-would-be-alma-mater/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/04/cornells-sae-baja-buggy-helps-us-get-even-with-would-be-alma-mater/#commentsFiled under: ,

Cornell's SAE Baja Buggy - Click above for high-res image gallery

How much horsepower do you need to have fun in a car? More is usually better, but sometimes less is okay too. Sometimes even none is enough - if you have gravity on your side. When you're running off-road through mud, rocks, up hills, crashing off of whoops and flying over jumps, you certainly can't rely on the attraction of physical bodies to get you around the course. You need power. Cornell's Baja SAE buggy admittedly doesn't have much, driven by a lowly 10-hp Briggs & Stratton that wouldn't look out of place on a lawnmower. This most certainly is not a lawnmower.

Cornell's team of students past and present have built an impressive chariot to cradle that engine and a driver. CAD modeled, CNC hewn and carbon fiber-skinned, nearly everything on the kart is a one-off created by the sort of technology that drives Formula One. When an offer came in to come drive the thing, we jumped right in - right in to a mudbath as it turned out. Won't you join us?


Gallery: Cornell's SAE Baja buggy tour and test drive

Continue reading Cornell's SAE Baja buggy helps us get even with would-be alma mater

Cornell's SAE Baja buggy helps us get even with would-be alma mater originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>buggycartcornellcornell baja saecornell sae bajaCornellBajaSaeCornellSaeBajafeaturedkartkartingsaesae bajaSaeBajatest driveFri, 04 Dec 2009 11:57:00 EST<![CDATA[Introduction to Karting - Part 7]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/13/introduction-to-karting-part-7/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/13/introduction-to-karting-part-7/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/13/introduction-to-karting-part-7/#commentsFiled under: ,


WRAPPING UP

The leaves have long-since changed and most have fallen off. There's a chill in the air and the odd snowflake, too. The summer motorsports season is at an end, and it's time to think about putting everything into stasis for the winter. With a kart, this requires a bit of work: freezing temperatures and race hardware don't tend to get along. But, even if you have a spacious, heated garage there's still some prep-work and general maintenance you should know how to do. In this final installment of An Introduction to Karting we'll walk you through tearing down and cleaning the kart, answer some questions received from readers, and mix in a little more race footage from the final event of the year.

Continue reading Introduction to Karting - Part 7

Introduction to Karting - Part 7 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS

If you have the money, there's nothing like a sweet, freshly painted beauty that's been buffed, shined, and carefully assembled by the skilled hands at your local kart shop. It only came out of its box thanks to a check you signed, the first time it hits the track will be with your rump in the seat, and the first time it gets spun into the kitty litter it'll be due to your lack of grip/road/talent. Unfortunately, not everybody has the bank account for that, having to do a little extra work themselves to get onto the track. That's us.

If you've been following along in our An Introduction to Karting series then you learned a bit about the sport, came along with us to driving school, and most recently got a strong a dose of budgetary reality. Now it's time to find a kart. Read on to find out where to look, what to look for, and how to get it ready to race.

Continue reading Introduction to Karting - Part 4

Introduction to Karting - Part 4 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuredintroduction to kartingIntroductionToKartingkartkart racingkartingKartRacingrotaxFri, 23 Oct 2009 14:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Introduction to Karting - Part 2]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/09/introduction-to-karting-part-2/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/09/introduction-to-karting-part-2/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/09/introduction-to-karting-part-2/#commentsFiled under: ,

RENT YOUR WAY TO GLORY

Welcome to the second installment of our Introduction to Karting series. Hopefully the first piece piqued your interest with tales of tiny machines pulling 3 g in the corners then hitting 60 in under three seconds on their way up to over 140 MPH. (Well over, as it turns out; one commenter indicated he hit an indicated 156 this season.) That kind of performance is unequaled outside of top-level formula motorsport, yet is available to anyone with some disposable income and a passion for going quick.

However, karting isn't for everyone so suitably endowed. The physical demands placed on a kart racer are hard to comprehend until you're in a fast turn, holding your breath because you can't inhale, feeling like your head is going to fly off and land somewhere in the pits. Chances are it won't, but whether or not you can withstand that while maintaining a good racing line and keeping an eye on a swarm of opponents is an important thing to find out before breaking out the charge card. The best way is, of course, to try it, and given the big up-front cost to buy a kart, a rental is the way to go.

To get our first real experience we signed up for an afternoon's racing school. We walked the track, worked with multiple instructors, got a lot of advice, had an impromptu race, and stuck it out for way more seat time than was probably advisable for a newbie. How'd we do? Read on to find out, and see some videos of our on (and, occasionally, off) track antics.

Continue reading Introduction to Karting - Part 2

Introduction to Karting - Part 2 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>an introduction to kartingAnIntroductionToKartingfeaturefeaturedfeaturesintroduction to kartingIntroductionToKartingkartkart racingkartingKartRacingoakland vally race parkOaklandVallyRaceParkovrpFri, 09 Oct 2009 14:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Introduction to Karting: Part 1]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/05/introduction-to-karting-part-1/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/05/introduction-to-karting-part-1/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/05/introduction-to-karting-part-1/#commentsFiled under: ,

Autoblog goes karting part I: introduction
Introduction to Karting: Part 1 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Michael Schumacher. Ayrton Senna. Jeff Gordon. Alex Zanardi. Danica Patrick. All great drivers and all learned their trade in buzzy little racing karts with no suspension, no downforce, minimal protection, and arguably more grins per dollar than any other motorsport in existence. The underpowered machines at the local putt-putt course give karting a bad reputation; a 2.5 horsepower motor in a 300-pound chassis rolling on ten-year-old tires is a $7.50 distraction for kids. But move up to a machine that can do 0-60 MPH in under four seconds, hit 125 MPH on the straight, pull 3 g on the skidpad, and do so for well under $10,000 -- that's serious.

Karting is the safest, cheapest and, arguably, best avenue into motorsports for those with the desire to compete, yet lacking the financial means to get into a top-tier series. Sadly, it's also a dizzying sea of classes, chassis, engines, tires, tracks, rules, and affiliations, some of which are tightly controlled by global organizing bodies. So finding the right way in and getting the most for your money can be tough. That's where we come in.

Autoblog is going karting, jumping in as rookies and making some rookie mistakes so you won't have to. We'll tell you where to start, how much you'll need to budget, where you can save some bucks, and where you should just take a deep breath and hand over the credit card. This is the first in a series, an introduction to the sport that will give you the basics of where to start looking. In subsequent pieces we'll cover driving lessons, go kart shopping, talk setup, and finally go racing. So, without further ado, let's get rolling.


Gallery: Famous karters

Michael SchumacherJeff GordonDanica PatrickAyrton SennaAlex Zanardi

Continue reading Introduction to Karting: Part 1

Introduction to Karting: Part 1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex zanardiAlexZanardiautoblog goes kartingAutoblogGoesKartingayrton sennaAyrtonSennadanica patrickDanicaPatrickfeaturedintroductiontokartingjeff gordonJeffGordonkartkart racingkartingKartRacingmichael schumacherMichaelSchumacheroval kartOvalKartshifter kartShifterKartsprint kartingSprintKartingsuperkartMon, 05 Oct 2009 14:55:00 EST<![CDATA[KubiKart: F1 driver teams up with Birel for custom line of karts]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/05/kubikart-f1-driver-teams-up-with-birel-for-custom-line-of-karts/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/05/kubikart-f1-driver-teams-up-with-birel-for-custom-line-of-karts/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/05/kubikart-f1-driver-teams-up-with-birel-for-custom-line-of-karts/#commentsFiled under: ,


Click above for a gallery of Kubica's karts

If you want to be world champion, especially a multiple world champion, you're going to need your own line of karts. Schumacher has one. So does Alonso. They've both won the F1 title multiple times, and Robert Kubica would undoubtedly like to join their ranks, so he's teamed up with Italian kart-makers Birel to offer his own special line of equipment.

Early in his career, the Polish driver was the official pilot for the Birel factory team, which gave him his leg up into the world of motor racing. He's come a long way since, climbing all the way up to Formula One with a shot at winning the title one day, but fast as he is, he's not so quick to abandon his roots. To that end, he's both launching his own RK karting line with Birel, and managing a team of aspiring drivers in the top level of world karting competition. We're sure to see some serious up-and-coming talent rising out of the initiative, but by then Kubica hopes to have made his mark in Formula One. Follow the jump for the full press release, and check out the images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Birel RK karts by Robert Kubica



[Source: Birel]

Continue reading KubiKart: F1 driver teams up with Birel for custom line of karts

KubiKart: F1 driver teams up with Birel for custom line of karts originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>birelbirel kartbirel rkBirelKartBirelRkbmw sauberBmwSauberkartkartingkubicakubica kartKubicaKartrkrobert kubicaRobertKubicaMon, 05 Jan 2009 08:28:00 EST<![CDATA[eBay find of the day: Jet-engined go kart (w/ videos)]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/16/ebay-find-of-the-day-jet-engined-go-kart/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/16/ebay-find-of-the-day-jet-engined-go-kart/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/16/ebay-find-of-the-day-jet-engined-go-kart/#commentsFiled under:


Click image for gallery

Wanna make a wheeled vehicle more interesting? Affix a jet engine to it. And that's just what the owner of the go-kart you see above did. Powering the kart is a mil-spec JFS-100 engine -- the type used as a starter (JFS = jet fuel starter) for the larger main engines on aircraft such as the A7 Corsair attack plane. In addition to the jet engine, the kart's got a push-button afterburner setup that ups the ante by creating "extra thrust, noise, and spectacular fire and smoke effects." Cool!

Instruments include an EGT gauge and an RPM Meter, all neatly organized in front of the driver. There are no hard performance numbers for this little missile, but we'll assume it's plenty fast, and the owner says that it's stable at speed and handles exceptionally well. If you're able to arrange for local pickup in Inverness, UK, it can be yours, too. The bidding opens at £5,000.

UPDATE: Videos added after the jump

[Source: eBay UK via Engadget]

Gallery: Jet-Powered Go Kart

Continue reading eBay find of the day: Jet-engined go kart (w/ videos)

eBay find of the day: Jet-engined go kart (w/ videos) originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 Jun 2007 18:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>afterburnergo kartGoKartjet enginejet kartJetEngineJetKartjfs-100kartSat, 16 Jun 2007 18:52:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: Davidkart vs. Goliath GTR]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/16/video-davidkart-vs-goliath-gtr/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/16/video-davidkart-vs-goliath-gtr/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/16/video-davidkart-vs-goliath-gtr/#commentsFiled under: , ,

What's faster, a kart or a Viper? That's the question Nurburgring wunderfrau Sabine Schmidt asked and answered in this ten-minute segment on her German television show DMAX. (You remember Sabine... she's the girl who dragged Clarkson's sorry old ass around the 'Ring in a diesel Jag.)

To make the plum even sweeter, we're not talking about any ordinary Viper or any ordinary kart here. The Viper is the GTR race version based on the first-generation super-snake, and the kart, as far as we can gather (we've yet to launch Autoblog German) is one beast of a suped-up shifter kart with a 164-hp 1100cc motorbike engine.

No contest, you say? The Viper'll win it hands down? Not so fast (no pun intended). Power-to-weight is the name of the game, and even with a quarter the power, the kart doesn't weigh nearly as much as the big American muscle. It's a close race... you'll have to watch to see which crosses the finish line first. Blitzschnell!

[Source: 0-60mag.com via Motorpasion]

VIDEO: Davidkart vs. Goliath GTR originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>competitiondaviddemonstrationgoliathgtrkartraceshifterviperTue, 16 Jan 2007 19:03:00 EST<![CDATA[Race in a Briefcase]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/19/race-in-a-briefcase/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/19/race-in-a-briefcase/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/19/race-in-a-briefcase/#commentsFiled under: ,



As each of us gets older and has a harder time remembering when all we wanted for Christmas were toys, it's healthy to find a way to dive back in the past and relive those simpler times. That's a tough exercise to pull off with TPS reports that need copying and a 9-5 that doesn't allow for play time. Enter the "Race in a Briefcase", which is our name for this German-engineered executive toy that marries a very serious looking stainless steel briefcase with a 2-meter long toy car track on which two racers can compete. The track is slotted, and unlike the kiddy kind of yesteryear that only called for a trigger finger strong enough to last ten laps, the "Race in a Briefcase" requires deft throttle control to stay on course and not send your car flying off the boardroom table. The track uses a standard 9 volt battery that powers the fun for five hours, and a stopwatch is even included to officially time your runs. It looks like a sweet toy that can be easily slipped by your boss for hours of on-the-clock fun. Be prepared to cough up a paycheck for the privelage, however, as the "Race in a Briefcase" costs €598.00 (about $766).

[Source: Pro Idee via WindingRoad]

Race in a Briefcase originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Nov 2006 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>christmasgermankartracetoySun, 19 Nov 2006 11:14:00 EST