Heavy competition and high speeds will take over the Ohio Expo Center this Saturday.
The Ohio Indoor Kart Series will run a string of go-kart races beginning at 9 a.m. on Jan. 23 in the O’Neill Building at the Ohio State Fairgrounds.
The O’Neill Building is designed for agricultural shows during the Ohio State Fair, but for the kart series event, a one-tenth mile concrete track will be laid down in the center of the building for the racers to navigate.
Kart racing held on such a short-distance track is specifically known as oval racing. Drivers are almost constantly turning as they partake in races which consist of 10 to 20 laps. Races can feature up to 12 karts running and depending on the class of the go-kart, vehicles may reach speeds approaching 50 mph.
Ten classes of karts will be featured at the upcoming kart series races. Most of the differences are based on the final weight of the kart, while a few are dependent on equipment differences. One category, titled the “Outlaw” class, allows racers to enter any kart, no holds-barred.
Race promoter Rick Martell says that oval racing is the most challenging form of go-kart racing because of the size of the track.
“The more you condense it down, the more intense it is. That’s the way indoor racing works,” he said. “There are no straights on which the driver can momentarily relax.”
The Ohio Indoor Kart Series was founded in 1979, and for many years the races were held in the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Marion, Ohio. Now the series holds most of its races in the O’Neill Building and also conducts races in Ottawa, Ohio and Fort Wayne, Ind.
Although the event is described as “professional go-kart racing,” Larry Boos, head of the kart series, clarified that no one was racing karts for a living, but that “professional” meant that there were cash prizes involved.
Boos explained that the amount awarded would be based on how many entries there were for each class of kart, with 80 percent of the entry fees for that class going to the winner. Boos estimated that there would be between 50 and 55 racers at the upcoming event.
While the prize money may not be enough to support a lifestyle, the slogan on the Ohio Indoor Kart Series’ Web site, “Tomorrow’s Stars — Today!” is not an exaggeration.
Boos listed a number of current racing stars who got their start on the kart series circuit: former Indy Racing League competitor Mark Dismore, female racing pioneer Sarah Fisher and former Indianapolis 500 champion Sam Hornish Jr. all raced in the kart series events.
Boos laughed as he remembered Hornish’s humble beginnings.
“He started in the kids’ classes when he was seven years old,” Boos said. “He would always flip his kart and the other kids would laugh and call him a little sissy. Look at him now.”
Boos thinks that his brand of kart racing is misunderstood by those who don’t actively participate.
“It’s not comparable to bumper go-karts at Kings Island,” he said. “This is a very fast-paced program and they race very hard.”
Despite the O’Neill Building’s theoretical capacity of 750 spectators, Boos doesn’t expect a large crowd during the winter.
“We call it ‘The Chiller’,” he said. “They don’t have any heat in that building.”
Boos said that the low temperatures won’t have any effect on the speeds of the vehicles however.
“They’ve got kart racing down to a science,” he said. “The cold won’t bother them at all — or at least not enough to slow down.”
Tickets will be available at the door for $16.
