When: January/Febuary 2007
Where: Formula Kartways
Duration: 2 hours
Costs: TBA
Group Size: 6 - 8 Ladies

Hey Everyone,

I would like to see if there is an expressed interest in putting something together for the beginning of 2007 from the people at Formula Kartways and Sweetie Girl Racing.

After my first season competiting in the Solo Sprint series in 2006, the most important thing I've learned is that driving a fast car does not necessarily mean being a fast driver. I've also realized that there are many girls out there who are interested in getting involved in the driving/competition aspect of the sport, but don't know where to start. I also learned just how time and money consuming this addiction can be!! A go kart clinic would give girls a chance to learn real world driving techniques in a safe and FUN setting at a very affordable cost.

The "Ladies Only" clinic caters to our needs in a fun and pressure free atmosphere. No guys...just driving. Improve your driving confidence and your speed along the way. Topics of the clinic include crash avoidance, cornering techniques, kart control, passing techniques and the importance of proper vision. Each clinic will include classroom instruction, track walks and on-track evaluation with personal observance of each driver. Our goal is to make you faster by increasing your skills and your confidence.

This invitation is open to all the ladies, not just SGR only. The specific topics and techniques learned will depend on the skill level of the participants, hence, please don't feel that this is a beginner or advanced clinic ONLY. With a small group of only 6-8 girls, we have free reign of what we want to learn in this clinic.

We are still in the planning stages of this idea and would appreciate any support. I'm open to any ideas and suggestions to make this a successful event. Let me know what you think!

Anna

Update: It's a go!

We have confirmed our driving clinic to be on Monday January 22 @ 7-9pm (aprox). We will also be having food and snacks served at this event. Spots are filling up fast! If anybody is interested or have any questions, feel free to post here or PM me ASAP!!

Confirmed List for Jan 22
1. Anna H
2. Ana Marie S
3. Christine L (Hada)
4. Opal G (Hada)
5. Helen W (TAC)
6. Kim D
7.
8.

Last night's clinic was a TOTAL BLAST! As one girl noted, "If you missed this one, you really need to save your pennies and book the night of the next one - we learned lots, got in a ton of lapping, and reeked of fuel and tires by the time we were done (what, there's a better way to spend a Monday night?!)"

It was a pleasant surprise to learn how similar driving at Formula Kartways can be to a real track. Sure, anybody could whip around the place and get a decent time. But to really shave down your lap times, the classroom session, track walk and driving with pylons marked around the course made a real difference. The concrete track was especially slippery from the cold and made it more difficult to corner and control at high speeds. But by the end of the night, everybody's skill level and times improved, varying from tenths of a second to 3 seconds faster!

And of course, with more speed comes more competition!! Our instructor and I got into a little head on head action trying to beat each others time's around the track, resulting into a dead-on match down to A HUNDREDTH of a second driving in THE EXACT same kart. Of course, we both had our excuses for not beating the other; I was sore from a snowboarding trip over the weekend as he was healing from a fractured wrist. So I guess that means there will be highly anticipated round 2 sometime in the future... :wink:

Thanks to Ana Marie, Christine, Opal, Marta, Helen and Amanda for joining us and sharing their stories and experiences on and off track. Thanks again to Shaun de Jager, our instructor who spent the extra overtime with us. And last but not least, thanks for Damian for taking action shots and video of the night. Our first SGR driving clinic of the 2007 season was a success and we are sure to have another one planned very soon!