Modern race cars are magnificent things, objects of danger and beauty that glisten with temptation in our fantasies. In great temples of speed, we gather to watch them race. Daredevil elites who centuries ago would've battled on horseback pilot them. The action is dramatic, poetic, thrilling. And utterly beyond our grasp.
But how 'bout some fizz for the common man? For thrill-seekers without Red Bull patches affixed to their Nomex suits (or even a comma in the bank account balance), there is an answer, so long as you ask the right questions of racing.
I offer the humble, spectacular Cyclekart.
The Cyclekart was conceived as a one-fingered salute to the establishment, so the legend goes. From a circle of insiders gathered around Negronis and Rainier tallboys in an industrial Seattle warehouse, several versions of the Cyclekart's hazy history percolate forth.
"I think it started in France," said Daniel, a Swiss architect, and Cyclekart builder. "Or maybe it was England." He paused, then considered me there, cocktail in hand. "Yeah, definitely France or England." To skirt taxes levied on car owners, I was told, an impish proletariat took to the shed. There, stoking the rich man's ire, they produced rolling revolution, a scaled-down four-wheeler driven by motorcycle parts. Their wheeled rebellion offered a bike's mechanical honesty wrapped in chic prewar drag. The Cyclekart was born.
Definitely in France. Or maybe England.
The karts were raced, because of course they were. At their fractional scale, Cyclekarts offer fractional costs, with less power, weight, and speed to chew through consumables. But the kart's stature amplifies racing's outsize thrills, with flimsy bodywork just one terrifying moment from becoming a coffin and a cockpit so low, you can lean out and grind your elbow into hamburger on the pavement.
この記事は Road & Track の August 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は Road & Track の August 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
MR. CALIFORNIA
MEET THE MAN WHO PUT THE STATE ON THE MAP AS THE LEADER IN THE FIGHT AGAINST VEHICLE EMISSIONS.
RESIDENT ALIEN
THE CZINGER 21C LOOKS LIKE IT ARRIVED FROM A DISTANT PLANET. INSTEAD, IT COMES FROM CALIFORNIA, WHICH IS KIND OF THE SAME THING.
FUNNY FACE
THE CURIOUS CASE OF CALIFORNIA-DIAL WATCHES.
THE PROBLEM WITH ROBERT WILLIAMS
TOWARD THE END of our third interview, Robert Williams gives me some advice about overcoming creative blocks. “Phrase it as a problem,” he says. “
Quiet Riot
In the Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai makes the case that an EV can tamp down racetrack noise without sacrificing capability.
The Sound and the Fury
A legal feud over booming decibels put California's most historic roadracing circuit in jeopardy.
HOLLYWOOD'S GREATEST STUNT DRIVER
CAREY LOFTIN WAS THE KING OF THE SCIENTIFIC WILD-ASS GUESS
OFFLINE
THIS BURBANK BOOKSTORE IS A REPOSITORY FOR THE WORLD OF AUTOMOTIVE INFORMATION NOT ON YOUR PHONE.
THE COURSE OF HISTORY
The West Coast tracks where modern racing was born.
TANK WARFARE
WHAT IF THE WHOLE CAR WERE A GAS TANK?