The first thing you realize when you sit down to race at Grand Prix NY, opening today in Mount Kisko, is how little vehicle there is between you and the road. Three inches off the ground in a Sodi RX7 Kart at 40 mph gives a rush of speed and acceleration that is as close to Formula 1 racing as many of us are ever likely to get.

GPNY is an indoor, all-season all-weather facility. The courses were designed by the owners, kart racers themselves, to capture the experience of open wheel driving in Europe. Unlike the oval tracks used in NASCAR, the courses at GPNY feature S curves, changes in elevation, and even replicas of famous turns, like The Carousel from Germany's Nueburgring.

Gearing up at GPNY was straightforward. I signed away life and limb at the desk, got a laminated license and entered a locker room beside the track. After a quick safety talk I was given a tracksuit and black balaclava. A foam brace went under my helmet. After the first race I realized why. As soon as we finished and I took my helmet off my neck felt like a used rubber band, a result of the G force generated in the turns.

The SODI Karts at GPNY are an embryonic version of their F1 brothers. Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1's current wunderkind, got his start racing karts at age eight, taking world champ in 2000. Driving a kart, powered by a Honda GX 200 4-stroke engine, requires quick reflexes and strong nerves. It took me the whole first race to coordinate the wheel, gas and brakes, the last piece of which I learned not to use except in emergencies.

One of the best features of the GPNY is that all the karts come with built in sensors that measure your performance during each lap. At the end of a race you get a diagnostic of all your times, where you placed against other racers and a chart comparing performance in each individual lap.

GPNY is open to the public and also offers catered corporate events. GPNY has plans to add a number of amenities: a club lounge where you can shower and relax and an elevated restaurant, where your co-workers can watch the races as the wash away the bitter taste of your victory. --BEN POPPER

(Photos: Ben Duchac)

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