We we invited down to check
out the fleet of SLR karts that McLaren Mercedes use as part of
their SLR Club days held regulary for owners of The Mercedes McLaren
SLR car at the Paul Ricard Circuit in southern France.
On arrival you can't but be in awe of the whole
set up at Paul Ricard. The road to the circuit is placed on the
side of a mountain, and the views are just simply out of the world.
When we arrived at the circuit we were greeted by
some 'friendly' security guards, and once we were in the whole
facility is like some futuristic movie. In fact, it came as a
relief to see a little disguarded litter on one of the seats in
the main spectator stand just to remind humans do exists at Paul
Ricard!
The main circuit was busy with clients taking around
some SLRs, but really we were interested in the karts, and the
Paul Ricard Kart facility. The Swiss Hutless karts were powered
by the wonderful
Aixro XR50, which was super reliable throughout our stay at
the citcuit.
The facilities are beyond good, they are simply
stunning. The track isn't entirely sutable for normal racing,
as some oddly placed trees would hinder that. For testing however,
I can not think of a better place in the world. A blend of long
straight, tight, mid, and fast corners provides a perfect blend
to test your kart.
