Karts destined for Rwanda manufactured by Dutch automobile firm
A Dutch automobile firm has finished manufacturing the first batch of ten Kart vehicles to ship to Rwanda for the Kart Racing – the first of its kind in the country.
The Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC) told KT Press that the Kart cars will be in the country in the coming weeks ahead of the launch in July this year. That will be followed up by scheduled racing competition days later.
Kart Racing or Karting is a type of open-wheel motor sport. It is commonly seen as the stepping stone to the higher and more expensive ranks of motorsports.
The world’s renowned high speed drivers including seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher and current champ Lewis Hamilton are also famous for Karting.
The race uses small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down kart circuits. And you don’t even need a driver’s license.
Karting history is traced back in 1950s in Calfronia, United States.
Karts vary widely in speed. Some known as “Superkarts” can reach speeds exceeding 160 miles per hour (260 km/h).
“Go-karts” for the general public used for fun may be limited to speeds of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h).
Apparently, organisers in Rwanda are starting this race with the second option – using “Go-karts”.
According to Ange Francois Cyatangabo, the Secretary General of Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC), “the rally has two sections; one for children and another one for the adults and every person who knows to drive is eligible.”
As per the preparation for this new sport in the country Cyatangabo said, “After acquisition of required equipment, a team of Karting experts will come to Rwanda to prepare and train Rwandans for the race.”
He also said that at the beginning, the rally was scheduled to take place on May 27, 2017, but the acquisition of equipment delayed and thus, the new date August 19, 2017 and October 28, 2017.
The race will take place in the Kigali Special Economic Zone. The location has well-polished roads which have “no obstacle – an important requirement in this sport,” said Cyatangabo.
In this region, Kart Racing is available only in Uganda and Kenya.
