Today I tried a DMax kart for the first time at Daytona Milton Keynes, it was a handful on a greasy green track but quite the experience and a whole lot of fun.

These are 2 stroke rental karts, designed to be an affordable way to race with a season of 10 races costing £1500 in entry fees - which compared to owner driver racing works out cheaper until the kart is 3 years old, at which point you've already been running your owner driver kart too long to still be competetive anyway and it's probably not in homologation anymore... Such is the nature of racing.

I decided to take up racing again, but that I didnt want the expense or hastle of owner driving, just getting a new trailer or van would blow my total budget anyway!

For me it was the first time I drove a 2 stroke in over a decade, and if i'm honest I was a bit crap. I did show some promising pace though. There's a full review on my racing journal for those interested.

Do any of you guys remember your first time in a 2 stroke? Or your first wet session?

Quote from Becky Rose :

Or your first wet session?

Sure, last month it was my first time to drive a kart in rain. The track was soaked with puddles.

It was a bit tricky getting rid of the fear into corners (if I let off the gas in a corner then I got understeer, and if I floored it I could make the corner easily).

It was also quite fun with those difficult conditions

I'm not a fan of Daytona MK myself, and it can be pretty dodgy in the wet at times. I've been there about 7 times now and not once have I driven that track in the dry

I'm doing DMAX at the moment, and whilst it's perhaps not the most perfect or best organised rental kart championship there is, it's been good fun. The guys running it are always polite and helpful, and the Daytona CEO, Jim Graham is always standing in the centre of the track coordinating proceedings and generally watching out for any bad behaviour on track. Last round was at Whilton Mill... realised that I was consistently faster round the track than the championship leader (who is generally pretty rapid), which was interesting .

You'll get faster with more time driving the karts. I found the first few times I ever did it I was concentrating more on improving my control of the kart rather than trying to race with anybody, so where I finished was essentially a lucky dip

Quote from JO53PHS :

You'll get faster with more time driving the karts. I found the first few times I ever did it I was concentrating more on improving my control of the kart rather than trying to race with anybody, so where I finished was essentially a lucky dip

Definitely! Usually when I turn up at a new track I at least know how to drive the kart, but today I was learning both the kart and the track and I approached it a bit wrong - I tried to rely on my experience of karting but of course I didn't have any because the DMax's are so different to 4 strokes!

It felt nice to taste 2 stroke acceleration again though, i'm going to get a bit more seat time before I do a race so I wont be at MK in September.

Hopefully if my new business enterprise doesn't swallow all my cash i'll be there for the season finale.

I think I have enough speed to be somewhere in the top half, but i'm definitely lacking the consistency which can only come through seat time.