Thanks for the informative post Scott. Man would this be an awesome sport to get into. Those racing karts are incredible! I wish I had the time, the place, and more importantly, the money. And you're wife is into it too, which is a huge bonus. Sounds like you've got yourself a lucky set of circumstances all aligned. Very cool for you.
For those less able to do racing full out and living in the Cincinnati area, in case you haven't heard, we have a new fast kart rental place in town. It's called Full Throttle Indoor Karting and is located by the Tri-County mall off of I-275. From everyone I've talked to about comparisons, this place blows away the rental place in Richmond Indiana. From my own experience this track is really designed well for it's size (although I'm certainly no expert), and let me tell you, it's a total F-ing blast!!!! This is not the light hearted kart racing you might remember as a kid, it's balls to the wall jamming. You better be in shape and ready to rock. And I'd bring some good driving gloves if I were you.
Here is a link to their website.....
Indoor Go-Karting in Cincinnati, Ohio - Full Throttle Indoor Karting
These are by no means on the same level that Scott drives, but these are still very nice karts. They are not toys, they are true racing machines. They are Sodi RX-7 carts with Honda GX 270cc engines. They go about 40 mph and go from 0-40 in like, "right now." They are basically geared to sh*t 'n' git around this tight track. Geared higher and they would go much faster top end, but for this short track they rock. They are very adjustable so take advantage of that. I learned the hard way on my second go that not having everything adjusted properly makes a huge difference in performance.
I've attached a picture of the Sodi RX-7 below.
Here is a link to read more about the karts themselves....
RX 7 - Sodikart
If you live in Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky, or South East Indiana, I
strongly recommend trying this place out. If you live farther away, then I'd make plans to come visit Cincinnati for a weekend. I guarantee you will have a blast.
Thanks again Scott, and I think we are all looking forward to part 2 of your post.
Cheers --- Bonzo