Endurance go-kart race goes on at LRP despite incident

 LIME ROCK — The six-hour endurance go-kart competition went on as planned this weekend at Lime Rock Park, even after two of the small vehicles were  allegedly stolen on Thursday, Aug. 19, by local teens.

According to State Police, a group of youngsters broke into the race track around 8:30 p.m.; the park was closed at the time. Because all of the suspects are under 16, no information was released by the police about the identities of the teens. The group allegedly took the go-karts out on the main track  (which measures about 1.5 miles), and not on the smaller track (which measures about .57 miles) where such vehicles usually compete. 

Police said a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl were driving the go-karts on the main track when a collision occurred.  The boy had injuries to his head and arm and was taken to Sharon Hospital. The girl had “head and torso injuries,” according to the police, and was taken by LifeStar helicopter to Hartford Hospital. As of Friday, Aug. 20, she was in stable condition; none of the injuries to either were deemed to be life threatening. 

Track officials said that, in all, there were five youngsters who took part in the incident. The two go-karts that collided were damaged badly enough that they could not be used in the weekend event, which was sponsored by Endurance Karting, a company based in Alpharetta, Ga.

Endurance sponsors events all along the East Coast and in the Midwest. 

The company’s owner, Chris McCoy, was at the track on Saturday overseeing the six-hour endurance race. He said that the company brings extra vehicles to every event so he was able to accommodate everyone who had signed up for the Friday driving class and the Saturday race.

He did not specify which of the company’s several carts had been taken on Thursday, or how much they are valued at.

“They were wrecked,” he said.

The carts are small and low to the ground, with no roll bars or with much more than a seat, motor, steering wheel, tires and brakes. They travel on average at about 45 mph. Drivers are all required to wear racing fire suits, helmets, gloves and neck braces. 

There were several categories of competitors, from “pro” to “big boy” (made up of racers who weigh more than 220 pounds). Racers in the main classes are weighed before they get on the track and must add weight to their bodies so they all weigh in at 200 pounds. The cars themselves weigh 260 pounds.

McCoy said that the cars had not yet been unloaded and unwrapped on Thursday when the teens broke in. 

“They had to unstack them,” he theodozed. “It took some effort.”

The cars do not use keys; they have pull starts, like a lawn mower might have. They run on gasoline. 

By the time of Saturday’s race, which began around 11:30 a.m., there was no longer evidence of Thursday evening’s events, when helicopters, police cars, ambulances and fire trucks had converged on the race track. 

Each of the six teams on Saturday had up to five drivers, who took turns whizzing around the track. The goal of the race is to survive six hours on the track, and to complete the most laps in that time period.

Another incentive for completing a lot of laps: “The faster you go, the less you feel the bumps,” McCoy said of the low carriage of the carts.

The Endurance go-karts are specially designed to be able to last a long time on the road.

A computer system tracks the number of laps each cart makes. Teams are required to make a certain number of pit stops, to keep the competition even. 

McCoy said that many professional and amateur race car drivers enjoy the go-kart races because they are fun and less hassle than operating a race car. 

The company’s brochure offers 12 reasons why drivers should try Endurance Karting. Included in the list: “You don’t have to store a race car and tow rig; you don’t have to beg your buddies to crew your car; you don’t have to spend long hours getting your car ready for the track; there are no special license or age requirements.”

That’s not completely true: Drivers must be at least 8 years old to drive a cart. On Saturday, 9-year-old Greg Meindl and 11-year-old Otto Steinmetz, both Salisbury residents, were part of the Lime Rock Locals race team, along with their fathers, John Steinmetz and Gregory Meindl Sr.

“The boys are doing 15 minutes on the track and the adults are doing 30,” the elder Meindl said, adding that, “We’re in the Rookie Class, so there’s no handicap” — in other words, the younger racers did not have to add weight to reach the 200-pound threshold. That’s a good thing, since like most of the racers, Meindl said, “We lose weight while we’re out on the track.”

One racer in his 20s came in to be weighed during this interview; in the one-and-a-half hours since the race began, he had lost 5 pounds.

Meindl said he’s been coming to Lime Rock since he was 8 years old, and bought his house in Lime Rock so he could be near the track. He usually races a 1965 Mustang but was loving the chance to be out on the track with his friend, his son and his son’s friend.

 Endurance Karting will return to Lime Rock in May to put on a benefit for the Special Olympics and to offer a go-kart driving class and shorter (one-and-a-half hour) races. To learn more, go to www.endurancekarting.com.