ELECTRIC RACING KARTS:

THE FUTURE OF THIS SPORT OR SIMPLY MADNESS?

Let me get this off my chest right away: I drove an electric racing kart, and I liked it. I know that Ralf Schumacher's "coming out" doesn't hold much weight, but the truth is, with this statement, I'll likely lose what little credibility I might still have among some of my "purist" karting friends. For a "real" kart driver, just putting the words "kart" and "electric" together is enough to make them cringe. Karting is all about fuel, noise, two-stroke engines... Whereas "electric" is synonymous with heavy batteries, which are only associated with one type of kart: the Rental kart. And racing kart drivers reject, refute, and even consider it blasphemous, often refusing to acknowledge them as real karts. Which was also my point of view until I tried the Rotax E20 (read "First Analysis | E20, the Rotax Junior/Senior 40 CV full electric kart") on the occasion of a Rotax Max Challenge Euro Trophy 2024 race (read "Once in a lifetime | “I'm an idiot: without training, i raced the E20 electric kart in the European Rotax and died (of fatigue)”). After this experience, something changed. My once fundamental opposition to electric karts may no longer be as firm. What I tested had all the characteristics of a true racing kart, even though the regulations stipulate a kart + driver weight of 220 kg—just over 50 kg more than an already heavy and "physical" Shifter. But believe me, it’s nothing like a Rental Kart. You can check the two articles I linked above to get a better sense of what I mean, both in terms of driving feel and technical specs. Especially considering that the 40 hp engine, positioned to the driver’s right in qualifying mode, delivers power to the track effortlessly, allowing it to lap at the same pace as the most powerful Direct Drives in the Rotax MAX Senior class.