http://info.detnews.com/redesign/blogs/racingblog/index.cfm?blogid=319

K2K's new karts will be very fast

I got to take a few laps this weekend in the amazing new electric go kart
being developed now at Kart2Kart for the long delayed opening of the new
Apex Conference and Karting Center in Madison Heights.

The machine is very quick, but there's a lot of work to be done before the
kart and the new karting facility are ready for public consumption.

The massive replacement for K2K's indoor karting facility in Sterling
Heights originally was slated to open late last year, but it remains a work
in progress and the opening now isn't expected until late April.

That means Kart2Kart's facility on Van Dyke will remain in operation with
its dependable gas-powered karts while staff continues to develop the new
electric replacement and construction crews turn the old Sam's Club on 14
Mile Road into a restaurant and twin quarter-mile indoor road courses.
Although the British go kart manufacturer sells turn-key operations, K2K is
making major modifications to their prototype to be certain the machine
provides the higher level of performance that local customers have come to
expect.

This certainly is no kiddie arcade go kart. Although the prototype I drove
was limited to about the same top speed as the current gas karts, the
electric motor delivers immediate power so acceleration was far more
impressive. The clocks weren't on, but I'm certain those were among the
fastest laps I've ever turned on K2K's track.

The real racing forces and feel were there. And I didn't miss the loud gas
engine because the electric motor makes a satisfying whine that increases in
pitch with speed. The whole idea of switching to electric karts is about
eliminating the need to ventilate the new building -- thus making the new
track warm in the winter, cool in the summer and not so stinky that your
girlfriend refuses to let you get close until you get rid of those
exhaust-soaked clothes. Hey, wait a minute. That was a good thing.

After my laps in the prototype, a quick battery recharge allowed an old
friend, Grand Rapids Press photographer Lance Wynn, to also try the new
machine. My teammate in this weekend's endurance race at K2K gave a thumbs
up on his return to the pits. When he noted that you can tell it's a heavier
machine (almost 400 pounds more than the current karts), we were told
steering geometry is something the staff also is modifying.

"The steering is heavy, but feels good and it's very fast out of the
corners," Wynn said.

And then he smiled. "There's a lot of response to the accelerator pedal. A
whole lot! They might have some trouble keeping the tires from burning off
of these things."

Kart2Kart plans to continue its current competitive leagues and occassional
2 hour endurance races with it's gasoline karts in Sterling Heights until
the new place opens. Then, plans call for a whole new series of competitive
events that won't include endurance races because battery discharge and
recharge will happen in about 20 minute cycles. But regular customers will
earn licenses based on their own past performances that will automatically
program karts for greater speed. There also is a proposal for a sprint race
series that could offer cash prizes and an opportunity to drive real race
cars.