The Columbus Schools’s Go Kart Champion

Columbus School 3rd grader Pedro Juan Moreno practices Go Kart as a hobby. He has been driving for five years and intends to become a professional Go Kart driver. He travels twice a week to Bogota to train at the 1 mile long professional Go-Kart track.

Pedro Juan Moreno trains in Bogota in a professional Go-Kart Track 1 day before races begin. He has been a champion and in most races he has been  2nd and 3rd place.

Personal Info

10 year old Moreno emjoys when he reaches high velocities and when he is leading the competition. He also likes to watch his family cheering on the crowd.

“When I am in the competitions I am very happy, they last 20 days in total and 10 races to determine the champion. The sprints of the qualifying round last for 15 minutes in a total of 3 heats and a final race,” Moreno said.

Balancing School and Training

Moreno teachers say he is a very disciplined student and that he has the potential the attitude to be a professional World Go-Kart racer. Pedro Juan Moreno’s P.E teacher, Jorge Wilson Jaramillo is very happy with his attitude towards class and is very respectful with his classmates.

“Pedro Juan Moreno is an excellent student that always tries and gives his best effort and enthusiasm in the class,”Wilson said.

Training

His trainer Jose Arias works with him in having a good technique and skills to win the competitions where he races in. At the professional track in Bogota, which is made of concrete, where he adapts the most to be comfortable with the track. Pedro Juan needs a lot of hydration due to the harsh training he does, which generally last between 2 and 4 hours.

Legacy

Pedro Juan started his interest in Go-Kart racing when he saw his father compete in a live Go-Kart competition and discovered that kart racing was his passion.

“I want to follow my father’s legacy and to be as disciplined as him and to be very competitive,” Pedro Juan said.

His dream is to be a professional Go-Kart rider. “It’s my favorite sport and I enjoy this sport a lot. The best part of it is when I am riding faster than the other children in the competition,” Moreno said.

Coach

Jose Arias is Pedro Juan’s driving coach and helps him to improve his technique for future competitions and corrects his mistakes to have a perfect technique.

“I feel happy getting in first and second place,” Pedro said.

Arias, travels with him to the track in Bogota and suggests to him to rest a lot and to have a healthy diet and a good hydration for the competitions. The championship becomes very competitive and he always tries to win each heat to become a better Go-Kart racer. He gives his maximum effort to be the champions although is very hard and he never gives up in a competition neither on the training sessions.

Safety equipment is very important for the racer and includes a full race helmet, the racing balaclava, gloves and the protective suit, which also identifies the racer’s name and team he represents. Heavy duty boots protect his legs and feet from being broken or bruised.

Go Karts

A Go-Kart, is a type of open wheel car and come in all shapes and forms, with many different engines. Some karts are able to beat racing cars or motorcycles on long circuits. There are also more powerful motor engines engines available from manufacturers like Yamaha and KTM, Biland, or Aixro. Motor engines specifically for karting, range from 15 to 48 horse power and can run at up to 11,000 rpm.

A Race

Pedro runs a racing format of two, 10 lap heats followed by a 20 lap final. Finishing positions in the two heat races are used to calculate the starting position in the feature race. The motor engine kart chassis has developed  the handling and manage in the race taking place in one Go-Kart track. Speedway kart races go from 4 laps for a trophy dash, to 20 laps for a main event. 

The American Kart Racing Association (AKRA) uses a machine calculation to determine the qualification for starting positions in 20-lap  results. Moreno Sprints, which are the qualifying heats, are lapse-duration races with a small number of laps, that qualify for a final. The calculations are used to determine the event’s overall winner. Normal duration of the course is of 15 minutes. Speed and successful passing are the most important factors to earn points during the three qualifying heats and a final race for trophy positions.