Kart versus kart: one KZ uphill and one with no engine downhill - TKART -

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TKART Staff

30 June 2016

1,160 meters of bends with gradients up to 15%. A kart with no engine hurtling downhill
versus a KZ kart racing uphill on the same road.
Which one wins the madcap challenge?

How do you remain indifferent when you learn that there is a downhill kart race in a small town not far from Lake Garda? Easy: you don’t! In fact, the race is not an impromptu game played by a few lunatics who meet up on Sundays, but an official championship race regulated by the Italian Cart’s Federation... consisting of a few lunatics who meet up on Sunday. It has its own regulations, timekeepers and various “classes” that compete: from karts that are more or less similar to the ones we are familiar with, only without engines, to two-seater vehicles, sleds with wheels, etc.
This is enough for us to understand that it’s an opportunity not to be missed and, above all, to arouse our curiosity about which is faster: a kart without an engine hurtling downhill or a 125 shifter racing uphill on the same road. The answer is not that obvious, because there are several doubts in our minds: “How quick are these karts downhill?”. “How will a traditional kart behave in an environment so markedly different from a race track?”.

The downhill kart is made by Olikart, an Italian brand of a small manufacturer near Brescia, with chassis and “artigianal” components producted by MRK Kart

“DOWNHILL KARTS DON’T HAVE AN ENGINE TO GET YOU OUT OF TROUBLE: IF YOU MESS UP THE BRAKING, YOU CRASH” Spartaco Targhetti (downhill kart driver)

Two features of the downhill kart: a small weight placed at the front (downhill karts need a lot of weights to achieve the maximum allowed limit of 175 Kg) and the carabiner with which to hook the kart to the tractors so that it can be brought back up to the top of the climb

The kart with the engine is a BRM GPM66 KZ with a TM engine. BRM is a manufacturer near Brescia, with a full range of products and dealers in many countries around the world.

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We do have one certainty, though. In fact, we have two: our “contact”, named Spartaco, a former Rotax kart driver who now dedicates himself to downhill races, and our “real” driver, Alberto, who has been involved in karting for years as a mechanic and all-rounder, as well as being someone who has already driven karts on the long Ring circuit [the article is available on the same TKART channel and is called “Once in a lifetime”].
The karts involved in the challenge are “made in Brescia” and its surroundings. For the downhill: an Olikart, featuring a “handmade” chassis and parts produced by MRX Kart. For the uphill: a BRM model GPM66 KZ with TM Racing engine.
Having arrived at the location, Spartaco makes the introductions: “Everyone likes the race in Gavardo. It’s a little like Spa is in F.1... The slope is steeper at the beginning, with few corners which require braking, while the tight hairpins are only at the end of the 1,200 metre route, where downhill speeds become very fast”. For our man Alberto, who is listening, reconnaissance of the route is the opposite, since he’s starting at the end and is racing uphill. His comment? “I can’t wait!”
While the enthusiasm of the two drivers is similar, the same cannot be said for the two karts that, placed next to each other, highlight their differences.

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