I tested the Monaco E-Kart Championship EK1
At a time when electricity – sold more and more expensive, which is almost logical… -, is served to us in all the sauces in everyday life, I could not resist the invitation to test a kart racing electric during the media test day of the 1uh Monaco E-Kart Championship on the karting track of the Paul Ricard circuit. The MEKC being the first international 100% electric kart championship (Monaco, France and Italy) created by the former Monegasque driver Clivio Piccione.
EK1, Monaco E-Kart Championship
Six months from the kick-off of the 1uh Monaco E-Kart Championship, I had the surprising privilege of driving a 100% electric competition kart, category EK1 Senior 34 horsepower (25kW) on the famous Paul Ricard kart circuit where we have was welcomed by the Director of the premises, Frédéric Julien himself a karting and motorsport driver.
The karts used from next August to December during the MEKC 2022 will be of three types, and they will be made available to the 75 competitors in each of the 12 races contested during six international events: EK1 25kw for the Senior category 15 years and over , EK2 Junior 18kW for 12-15 year olds, as well as the EK3 Mini 7kW for 7 to 11 year olds.
The provisional timetable for 1uh Monaco E-Kart Championship already has six meetings scheduled on 6 different circuits and 12 races, in France, Italy and of course in Monaco: Rounds 1 and 2, August 21 and 22, 2022, Monaco; Rounds 3 and 4, September 10 and 11, Menton; Rounds 5 and 6, October 15 and 16, Saint-Raphaël; Towers 7 and 8, 5 and 6 November, Monaco; Tours 9 and 10, 26 and 27 November, Ventimiglia (Italy); Rounds 11 and 12, 10 and 11 December, Monaco.
This championship was born on the initiative of Monegasque Clivio Piccione, ex-racing driver in single-seaters (F3, A1GP and GP2 in particular) and in GT, but also creator nearly ten years ago of Kart Indoor Monaco, and at the controls of Pitstop Monte- Carl. That said, let’s come to the main subject, the full-scale test of an electric competition kart on the track which will host the first rounds of the PACAC Kart League Championship of the FFSA in early March.
The electric kart has entered the landscape
To be honest, yours truly has ridden a lot in karts in the past, relatively less in recent years, but like cycling, you can’t forget that.
And I also have the advantage of having often raced at the Paul Ricard kart circuit and therefore of knowing its route well.
I could, but I’m not going to get into the electric debate, for…against…necessary…etc…it’s now in the karting landscape with a big K next to thermals and that’s how it is.
What matters most are the sensations behind the wheel, and they are there.
I would also gladly venture to mention a few points of comparison with thermal engine karts, but always keeping in mind the sensations felt. All those things that make driving and piloting fun.
I might as well tell you right away that all the sensations perceived were enormous and as I say in the title, I quite simply found the MEKC EK1 electric competition kart demonic!
And I weigh my words, because it grows, it grows and it grows again and again!
From the first acceleration out of the pits, I understood what an electric motorized racing kart brings in terms of sensations compared to a thermal one: it’s stunning and as a colleague said, it really pulsates!
The main thing is there!
I was also happy to have given my rib vest. Because more than anywhere else, if you are not properly secured and protected in your seat, you may simply regret it…
The power is present instantly and at all levels of acceleration, in straight lines as well as in curves. I quickly understood, after a nice spin, that I had to be very progressive on the accelerator pedal and with very effective braking thanks to the two front discs. In any case, you have to be much finer than on a thermal kart.
All this integrated, I really enjoyed discovering the advanced piloting of an electric MEKC kart. I took a very real pleasure and I would say that the main thing is there, the pleasure of giving everything to the assault of the lap times.
Certainly there is noise, or rather the absence of noise, but frankly after a lap you forget this absence, and it in no way interferes with the pleasure of driving. And by looking at it, or rather by listening to it closely, there are all the same the noises of the tires and the hiss of violent accelerations. Incidentally, the spectators around the track can chat without having to shout…
Is the electric competition kart perfect?
Like me, you must be wondering if in fact the electric competition kart is perfect? Not yet… No, because there are still some constraints related to electric motorization.
The weight is part of it, because the motor on the right side and the battery placed on the left side are present, and you can feel them when pressing into turns. A fun day of discovery, but I must admit to having been physically challenged and having regained my breath with pleasure at the end of the day. Admittedly, my lack of intense piloting practice also has something to do with it.
In terms of performance, the MEKC EK1 Senior is a very successful product, with its Charles Leclerc chassis integrated by Birel ART and its Blue Shock Race 25kW motor/battery assembly. But in the opinion of karting pros, adapt the mapping to gain at least two seconds per lap to be in time for a thermal equivalent in power. In fact, in the context of a one-design championship, this is a non-problem. All that said, I am convinced that future technical developments in electric motors will make it possible to fill this gap and, in my humble opinion, the electric kart probably has a very bright future in competition!
In addition, the advantage of “zero emissions” (even if the term is debatable…) and the disappearance of the noise associated with competition thermal karts will make it possible to reconnect with the organization of races in town. This is an asset that could open up the world of karting to people who would never go spontaneously to a dedicated circuit.
Eric DiMeo
Photos: MEKC and EDM