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International Karting Industry Buyer's Guide |
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| CONCESSION CORNER | |||||||||||||
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YOUR ENGINES!
Racing Concession Go-Karts? By Peter F. Olesen Note: The comments in this article are directed to the concession go-kart industry, and not to racing carried out on specialized tracks by racing club members using race karts. There is an issue currently lurking in the background of the concession kart industry. The industry presents go-kart bodies in the rough image of race cars, driven on closed course emulating race tracks or speedways, and often named accordingly. It is part of the mystique to give riders a feeling of driving a “race kart” while limiting them to respectable speeds, enforcing the “no bumping” rules, utilizing automatic shutoffs and removing unruly patrons. Unfortunately, as some of us may have observed or heard of, there are a few operators that at least appear to exceed reasonable limits in terms of speed, lack of patron and staff safety and general lack of good judgment. If a major accident or other type of incident should occur under such circumstances, it could hurt the entire industry. It could well create a negative reaction toward family entertainment centers (FECs) which contain concession go-kart tracks operating within concession industry guidelines. This could result in lowered attendance at tracks that meet or exceed guidelines, increase agency scrutiny of all tracks, affect the insurance premiums for tracks and create poor publicity for the industry. For these reasons, we should all be concerned and vocal when we observe operations lacking common sense and safety. Concession karts are not designed with serious racing in mind. They have been designed to enable inexperienced drivers to operate them with a degree of ease, to provide the maximum benefits in term of rider safety and comfort, ease of operation, simplified maintenance and maximum return of investment. Manufacturers that do not comply with these basic requirements are as bad as the individual concession operators trying to operate racing facilities. Arguments in support of racing concession go-karts may consist of controlling speed, limiting the ages of drivers and requiring waivers for patrons. This sounds reasonable and may work in some instances, but it takes a strong management commitment to maintain a safe operation. Once a facility opens
its operations to competitive racing, people will seek to extend the limits.
If an owner elects to “extend the envelope”, so to speak, he/she should
at least be committed to abide by the following, in order to maintain control:
The potential for injury to patrons as well as extensive damage to karts and facility components increases very rapidly as speeds exceed the capability of the facility. In today’s market, most concession go-kart tracks are designed around the concept that karts will be operating at speeds of 20 MPH or less. This reflects the fact that a sizable percentage of patrons at concession tracks are not yet licensed drivers, let alone experienced racers. For those of you who elect to become involved with higher speeds and competitive racing on your concession track, we offer words of caution. There are parents in the kart racing fraternity that feel their children are not only fully capable of racing at much younger ages (even 8 years old or younger), but actively permit them to do so with racing karts. Should such a person ask you to allow their child to race in competitive activities at your facility, we would advise you to check very closely with your insurance carriers. Personally, we would not touch this one, if we were operating a facility. Not all “racing” of concession karts is a major risk, providing speeds are not excessive. This may work very well under certain conditions and under normal circumstances, and may not even involve a major increase in driver risk. The potential for serious injury increases as speed increases. This may be due to exceeding limitations of the track design, kart structure, track safety elements, driver skills or any of a number of other circumstances that can occur. Is the staff at such a facility capable of addressing the increased responsibility that is generated? Is the insurance coverage valid? Has the management provided suitable waiver documentation? Of real concern is the reality that the industry is judged in the eyes of perceivers that cannot, or choose not to, distinguish between concession karting and racing. It is frustrating that many operators and possibly some manufacturers do not view the situation as a potential threat to the concession industry. Even worse is the fact that there are those who do not care. It concerns this writer that there are operators who do not exercise reasonable control of their facilities and patrons. Go-karts can be dangerous! The danger increases at alarming proportions as speeds and competitiveness increases. Each time there is an injury, regardless of the type of kart involved—concession, fun or competition—the entire industry takes a hit. Concession go-karts are
reasonably stable at speeds under 20 MPH, but they can still go out of
control under a variety of conditions. Increasing speeds, releasing karts
at the same time and a track full of competitive drivers all contribute
to an increase in the potential for accidents. Here are reasons that compound
potentially dangerous situations:
The above are conditions that cannot be eliminated even in the best policed situations. Many may feel that it should not be the concern of others, but unfortunate reality is that any accidents, injuries, deaths, or litigation that involve concession go-karting or assumed concession go-karting, impacts on everyone in the industry. Public perception and political reaction do not always recognize the difference, lumping everyone together. You do not find the legal profession treating go-karting as small potatoes anymore. In effect, racing mavericks are fastening a bullseye on the industry’s chest and shouting, “ Here I am!” Don’t make yourself a target! It appears to me that the issue is real and that the industry as a whole, and the IRGA in particular, should at least take a serious look at the potential for problems in the future and to consider developing solutions. It is easy to say that it is not our problem, but it is everyone’s problem. Any accident, unsavory experience or confrontation reflects on the industry as a whole and can seriously affect the public’s image of go-karting. Another element that must be considered is the impact on existing insurance coverage when competition racing is introduced or practiced. Current coverage may exclude protection when competitive racing is permitted. We don’t know if this is the case or not, but it is an issue that must be addressed. Product liability is an
issue manufacturers should be concerned with. This is especially true in
the event operators modify or adjust karts in a manner that results in
injuries or worse.
Our concerns also extend to people electing to race in fun karts. Many fun karts are far less safe than concession karts. I have the same concerns about fun kart racing as I do about concession kart racing. Let those who wish to
race go-karts do so in racing karts, which are designed for the purpose
and to race them on tracks designed for racing. Concession karting is intended
as a form of entertainment rather than a competitive form of racing and
it should stay that way.
About the author: Peter
F. Olesen is president of Peter F. Olesen and Associates, Inc. at 500 West
Central Road, Mt. Prospect, Illinois 60056 USA. Phone: 847-253-1515. Olesen
has written articles on concession go-kart and family entertainment center
planning and design, and has participated in numerous industry seminars.
END
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Kart Marketing Group, Inc. Post Office Box 101 Wheaton, IL 60189 USA Telephone: 630-653-7368 Fax: 630-653-2637 Email: karting@msn.com |
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