There’s Racing a la Kart to Whet Appetite at Saugus

John Ahern rolled out of Turn 3 at Saugus Speedway and was about to hit the accelerator when, suddenly, a car slammed into the left side of his brightly colored vehicle.

The 30-year-old Castaic driver suffered a minor leg injury and could not return to race, but the mishap didn’t ruin his day.

There was still plenty of go-kart racing remaining for everyone else.

“We were battling hard for position and the other guy hit me,” an unruffled Ahern said. “It’s all part of the game.”

For nearly 13 years, the LA Kart Club has used the Santa Clarita oval as its home base.

Since Saugus Speedway’s closure to stock car racing a year ago, go-karts are the only motor vehicles to race on the one-third-mile oval track.

The club meets one Saturday a month and holds competition for several divisions.

Some drivers begin as young as 8 and others compete into their 60s.

“We have several classes for kids and a more advanced level for adults,” Ahern said.

Ahern, who also serves as club president, estimates that 100 drivers show each month and nearly 200 spectators watch the races.

“The beauty of kart racing is that you’re not married to it,” Ahern said. “You can go out and work on your kart in the garage one evening and you’re not consumed by it.

“You still have time for your family and you’re able to do something fun.”

Drivers take their sport seriously as evidenced by the craftsmanship that goes into their karts, which are capable of speeds between 45-80 mph.

While karts can be purchased for $1,000, the fancier and more powerful ones are priced at about $4,000.

As early as 5 a.m. on race day, drivers begin pouring into Saugus Speedway to ready their karts for racing.

The modified course winds through the infield, bales of hay serve as protective walls and orange cones mark the lanes for drivers.

Still, it is quite common for an overzealous driver to stray from his lane and trample the foot-high markers. The most frequent offender is given the “Keep the Cornerman Busy” award at the club’s season-ending banquet.

Each division has a series of heat races to determine starting positions and everyone qualifies for the main event.

A main event is usually 10 laps, and the winner receives a trophy or T-shirt. Occasionally, prize money is donated by a local sponsor.

One of the most popular divisions is the children’s group for 8- to 12-year-olds.

“The kids’ level is the one we are really trying to promote,” Ahern said. “If we can keep kids off of the street and let them have fun too, it’s worth it.”

Several women also compete on regularly.

Quartz Hill resident Roxanne Hoffman has been racing karts throughout Southern California since she was 15 and she enjoys the competition. However, on this particular Saturday her afternoon was cut short because of mechanical troubles.

“My kart broke in the first turn because of a fouled plug,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman, 19, started racing after her dad, who worked with Indy car driver Scott Goodyear several years ago, introduced her to it.

“This is something I’ve always been around and I really enjoy it,” Hoffman said.

One of the fiercest female competitors around is Julie Walker of Canyon Country. Husband Bob Walker races sprint cars in Northern California and her two stepsons also are actively involved.

“We have a race-oriented family,” she said. Walker finished seventh in her main event.

Kart racing venues are prevalent throughout Southern California. Programs are held in Orange, San Bernardino and Ventura counties every weekend.

The owners of Saugus Speedway have refused to announce future plans for the track, so it is conceivable drivers in the LA Kart Club might be forced to relocate.

Rumors have persisted that the facility will be torn down, and Ahern said he is reluctantly looking into an alternative site.

“We’re looking to build our own track somewhere in the Santa Clarita Valley,” Ahern said. “If we get some private funding it is something we will have to look into.”