Catch Me If You Can

Life is an adventure

Car enthusiasts and motorsports fans are in the right place in Braselton, GA. Whether their interests lie in quarter-mile races that are over in the blink of the eye or endurance road races that go on for 10 hours straight, guests visiting Chateau Elan Winery & Resort and the Braselton area are within an easy drive of multiple world-class race tracks.
For those who want to experience the adrenaline of racing firsthand, Tom Cannon recommends visiting Lanier Raceplex, just six miles from Chateau Elan.
“I’ve driven past it for decades going to watch races at Road Atlanta, which is right across the highway from the Raceplex,” Cannon said. “Back in the beginning it was known as Lanier Raceway and it was a banked dirt oval exclusively for circle track races. Now the race surface and the infield are paved and it hosts road course kart racing on the weekends.”
These karts are serious racing machines, Cannon said. Most Formula 1 drivers begin their racing careers in karting, and it is a great way to develop driving and racing skills. Unlike most forms of racing, drivers are in nearly identical machines, so the main difference in their lap times will be their skill and nerve. Kart racing is also a lot of fun and a great way to spend an exciting afternoon, if only for bragging rights or bonding with family, friends, or co-workers.
At Lanier Raceplex, anyone aged 15 or older can drive, though parental approval is required for those under 18. At Lanier Raceplex, the track is meant for all drivers young and old, novice and experienced.
Cannon recently visited Lanier Raceplex for the first time to drive a race kart and shared his experience.
“I arrived as they were opening up one Sunday afternoon. After visiting the office window to get signed up for a Raceplex license, I got a head sock and selected my driver nickname—they no longer allow Ricky Bobby, can you believe it?! I took my place by the fence and watched the track attendants warming up the karts. These guys were tearing it up and I began to get excited. The course at Lanier Raceplex is not as narrow and the turns are not as tight as the indoor kart racing tracks I’ve tried before. This layout allows higher speed through the turns and no bottlenecks behind slower drivers. The track was set up on the infield, had 11 turns, and was about half a mile long. They change the track frequently; it can be as long as 1.2 miles and take advantage of the banking as well as the infield for a wide variety of courses.
“After pulling on my head sock and choosing the correct size helmet, I listened to the instructions from the course steward. The course is defined by rectangular plastic barriers that will move if you hit them, so you can try to get as close as you can to get the best line through the turns without fear of damaging anything but your ego. However if you act a fool or someone spins in the middle of the track, they have the ability to lower the speed of the karts to slow everyone down. Safety first! The race is not for finish line position but for fastest lap, and it’s timed electronically to the hundredth of a second. It is kind of the opposite of “If you ain’t first, you’re last!” from Talladega Nights, in that you can finish last but be first if you had the fastest lap.

“Lanier Raceplex has three different sizes of kart seats and seat inserts to fit a wide array of racers. One of the attendants told me they were able to accommodate a 7-foot-tall 300-pound gentleman. At 6 feet tall and 195 pounds, I fit snugly but comfortably in the medium seat. There is no shifting involved, and the driving is distilled down to the essentials: just gas, steering, and brake. The controls were all very precise and the connection to the machine was direct, with no electronics or hydraulics to dull the feedback from the road.
“After all the drivers were in their karts and everybody’s motor was started, I lowered the visor on my helmet and we were directed down the banking to the course. What I quickly realized is that since you sit almost on the ground, whizzing by the barriers with inches to spare, your sense of speed is heightened. The asphalt surface really provides a lot of grip and you can generate significant cornering forces before you start sliding. Between the g-forces, the vibration and sound of the motor’s exhaust, and the smell of the tires as you burn rubber through the turns, it is a very thrilling, visceral experience!
“I devoted the first several laps to learning the corners and trying to find the line that allowed me to carry as much speed through the turns as my nerves and tires would allow. Lap after lap, I continued to get a little faster. I applied the brakes later going into the corners. I exited closer to the barriers, sliding through some turns but trying to be smooth, which is the fastest way to drive these karts. I was so busy concentrating on my driving that I kept having to remind myself to breathe and control my racing heartbeat. All too soon, the white flag signaling one more lap was out, and then with the checkered flag my experience was over. Even though I wasn’t the fastest, I had a blast, and I noticed smiles on the other drivers’ faces as well. Next time, and there will be the next time, I’ll sign up for multiple races and get that fastest lap. I may even sign up for Lanier Raceplex’s race league!”