I’m going to head down to GFRT in an hour or so when my daughter wakes up. Hope to see some of you there!
Well, I went out to LTNS on Saturday morning, did two track sessions then took my boy out to GFRT as it’s only fair for him if he has to sit there and watch me race around, I should give him some fun, too. So from LongTan, it is pretty easy to get to, straight along Road 113, about 12km. Yeah, the guy running the place was super friendly, too.
Well, have to say, I have now banned my boy from going to go-karts because the little bugger beat me. There were only the two of us on the track. They let him out first and by the time they got my kart started, he was about half a lap in front. I couldn’t catch him so I slowed down and let him catch me and then let him past so I could chase him and “hopefully” get past him again. But what the heck, I couldn’t get near him. The only time I could get within a couple of kart lengths from him was when he tried to drift it through a corner and lost some speed from sliding sideways. Just couldn’t catch him. Well, no he isn’t banned, but now it is going to be some fun racing for us instead of how we usually do it when we are just both circulating around the track by ourselves…
There were also a couple of my bike racing buddies out there with their bikes and scooters, so I also had a go on my NSR. Couldn’t get out of 2nd gear, but that didn’t matter, it was fun and a real workout with all the twists and turns, just the kind of cornering practice I need. Only NT$300 for all day for the bikes. They let us out when there isn’t anyone waiting to play the go-karts but even if there are a lot waiting, we still get a turn thrown in there. I only did two sessions.
Gonna try for the same thing next Saturday, LTNS in the morning/early afternoon, then GFRT later in the afternoon.
Sounds like you guys had fun! I left at about 3pm to go hiking. Hopefully we can all coordinate something next time and maybe meet & greet there. They said they rotate the configurations every 3 weeks and it should be the full configuration for another few weeks. Maybe next weekend?
I got into bigger engine kart and it’s fun. They set the governor at the same place so you can stil be fully flat through the long left hand sweeper after the start finish. The only difference is that it accelerates a little bit faster so you approach a number of the corners with higher entry speed. It’s easy to overcook it on the entry and scrub a lot of speed. I ended up about 9 tenths off the record with that setup - really have some work to do there on managing the corner entries.
Didn’t get a chance to run the normal 270cc karts again today, but looking forward to time attacking that thing perhaps next Saturday. Anyone interested in joining in?
BTW, anyone have an address or lat long for Long Tan? It seems at the karting tracks in the northern part of Taiwan are all concentrated in the area around Taoyuan.
@ Jaame
Can I also suggest this go-kart track?
wikimapia.org/1737257/cn/%E6%A5% … A%E5%A0%B4
wikimapia.org/
World / Taiwan / Hsinchu_Hsien / Kuanhsi , 5km from center Coordinates: 24°50’33"N 121°12’1"E
There has been a K4A go-kart race today.
@ all interested in go-karting
Please specify a little early when you are going out, so I can arrange to join you.
I live in Taichung. My wife is often abroad, so I have to deal not with one, but two kids, lol.
And last minute trips are not possible.
Thanks!
Hi guys, I’m completely new to this forum but I’m quite keen on karting. I’m an exchange student currently based in Hsinchu with NCTU and I’m looking for tracks nearby. Any recommendations? I don’t mind traveling a little to get to the place (using public transport though).
Wow, it’s quite awesome that you guys organise track days! Would you guys mind if me and my friend join for one of your track days? We’re novices, karted a couple of times but really hooked on it.
[quote=“edlaz”]Hi guys, I’m completely new to this forum but I’m quite keen on karting. I’m an exchange student currently based in Xinzhu (Hsinchu) with NCTU and I’m looking for tracks nearby. Any recommendations? I don’t mind traveling a little to get to the place (using public transport though).
Wow, it’s quite awesome that you guys organise track days! Would you guys mind if me and my friend join for one of your track days? We’re novices, karted a couple of times but really hooked on it.[/quote]
Welcome to the board. There are a number of tracks posted in the last few pages of this thread. None are accessible easily or quickly by public transport. Best is some form of wheels. It’s also feasible and cheap (done this before) to get together with three other friends and taxi there.
Then again, it’s only around 1000NT each way to get there by taxi, which in the grand scheme of what racers pay to race… not that bad to even do alone. Back stateside, I used to burn something like 50 bucks of gas one way just to tow my race car to the track for a day out, so it’s still pretty cheap here in comparison.
Perhaps we should start arranging regular organized karting outings? If we get enough people in, I would be up for reserving the track exclusively for us to run laps. If you guys are really serious, perhaps we could all get Rotax MAX setups, keep them at the track, and do it that way?
Hi mabagal, my friend and I are thinking of karting once a week or so considering that all the tracks are a distance from our place in HC and we’re students. I’m not so keen on keeping a kart since I’ll only be here till July but until then I intend to kart whenever I can.
hi Edlaz, are you Edwin Loh?
Anyway, here is the answer to someone called Edwin Loh asking for the same question:
Longtan
a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos- … 7962_n.jpg
YuenLin XiHu
a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos- … 6733_n.jpg
TaoYuan Taroko
a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos- … 6315_n.jpg
Taichung
a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos- … 0936_n.jpg
As you see, there is plenty of choices.
Enjoy !
Who wants to hit up GFRT or Taroko Karting Land next Saturday, the 30th? Maybe around noon. Weather permitting, but let’s get a headcount.
GFRT has a deal where you can run the standard karts three times for 600NT or run all day as many times as you want for 1500NT. They have a WiFi there so it might be a good way to spend a Saturday while also getting some work done. We could time attack it all day and get each other’s splits to help each other go faster.
I also can probably get an iPhone-based accelerometer+GPS data logger for us to use to figure out how to get the last few tenths out of the track. If we can figure out a way to secure it to the kart that’s reversible I’m sure they’d be OK with us running something like this.
Me ! I want to be there. keroliver
I went to Taroko in Taoyuan on Monday evening after dinner with my wife. The pricing is as follows:
Standard “50kph” kart, $300 / 8 mins
Fast “70kph” kart, $800 / 8 mins
Weekend track rental - $25,000 / hour plus $250 per person
Weekday track rental - $12,000 / hour plus $250 per person
Book of 20 tickets - $5000 for standard kart
Weekday offers:
Monday, three for two (three people, one session each $600)
Wednesday $100 a session for the shielas
Thursday 10 mins for the price of 8
Re: track rental, my wife asked the prices based on ten karts but in their brocure they show a lot more than that, possibly about 30 of the standard ones which would bring the cost well down. A group of about eight of us are planning to go out on a Thursday night after work maybe in 2-3 weeks. The more the merrier, I’ll post here when I know the date for sure.
Having been to both in the past ten days, I’d say Taroko is far nicer than GFRT but obviously more expensive too so perhaps you get what you pay for. The karts are newer so probably more evenly matched.
TPS, don’t feel too bad about getting hammered by your young lad whop can barely reach the pedals, his kart could simply have been better than yours! They are notoriously uneven after all…
I’m up for GFRT on 30th! More inclined for NT600 for 3 runs than an unlimited run all day. I’m saying that cuz I just went there today and got pretty drained from 3 sessions. Set a decent timing for myself though so I’m pretty happy with the place. Going back there with my friend tomorrow, friday, for more hoonage.
Yup, I’m Edwin. I asked you on FB before my account for Forumosa got approved because my friend was in desperate need to get a karting fix. LOL. Thanks for your help!
I want to head out to LTNS Saturday morning and do 2 or 3 sessions on my bike and then ride over to GFRT in the afternoon to give my young fella some karting fun.
But if this is going to be a serious thing, me and my boy would be in for it at either venue, but it would have to be a weekend. The 3 sessions for NT$600 would also be my preference as though I like karting, I don’t want to spend all day there and would have to do at least 8 sessions to get the same value for 3 for 600.
Has anyone ever though about getting a kart? what would the the price for one in average good shape?
Yes. The most popular in Asia are 125cc Rotax MAX. This is a single-spec, sealed-engine, Touch-and-Go clutch kart. On budget, you could do a basic setup for maybe 150,000NT. I’d personally budget something like minimum 300,000NT per year to cover storage, rebuilds, tires, fuel, entry fees, breaking stuff if you are racing at a single track. Obviously more if you need to transport the setup to multiple tracks, but it’s still ridiculously low for racing.
I haven’t worked out what it would cost in $ and hassle to ship a setup around Asia (eg: Macau, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan) but figured another way to do this would be to simply buy a kart at each country’s major track, store the kart there, and then fly in to arrive and drive. This could get expensive quickly, but in perspective, it actually works out to less than club racing sedans back in the States which is about $5,000 US per weekend dependent on how far you are towing that weekend and how often you are doing engine rebuilds.
[quote=“jaame”]A group of about eight of us are planning to go out on a Thursday night after work maybe in 2-3 weeks. The more the merrier, I’ll post here when I know the date for sure.
Having been to both in the past ten days, I’d say Taroko is far nicer than GFRT but obviously more expensive too so perhaps you get what you pay for. The karts are newer so probably more evenly matched.[/quote]
What time is “after work”? Would love to join you guys.
Taroko is a “nicer” experience but the there’s nowhere on the track where you actually fear crashing. It’s just flat flat flat and maybe breathing off the throttle once a lap. Not even in the blue karts. The layout is just doesn’t have those “oh sh&t” kind of turns you find at more wide open tracks. It’s challenging, just not very adrenaline inducing. The thing I like about GFRT is the left hand sweeper after the start finish where taking it flat is actually remotely scary.
I will follow your advice. Let’s go for 3 runs.
I will follow your advice. Let’s go for 3 runs.[/quote]
What time guys? Let’s hope for sun on the 30th! That’s three of us so far for a few lapping sessions.
4 PM would be a perfect time for me and my family. In that case, Camille, my wife, will join our session. She can do 40s in Rosso. I found out that we are invited to a wedding party in Taichung City at noon. After our ride, we plan to camp and play in a farm near the track, something called ‘fly cow’ something like that farm. Never been there.
If we choose morning or beginning of afternoon session, then I will go to GRFT by myself. And my wife will meet me much later. It’s fine too.
What about you?
4 PM would be a perfect time for me and my family. In that case, Camille, my wife, will join our session. She can do 40s in Rosso. I found out that we are invited to a wedding party in Taichung City at noon. After our ride, we plan to camp and play in a farm near the track, something called ‘fly cow’ something like that farm. Never been there.
If we choose morning or beginning of afternoon session, then I will go to GRFT by myself. And my wife will meet me much later. It’s fine too.
What about you?[/quote]
Hi guys, I prefer late morning to early afternoon because I wanna leave GFRT before it gets dark as I’ve got a bit of traveling to do to get back to where I stay. Other than that, yeah, let’s do some laps on the 30th!
Anyone else up for this?