iDRIVE RENTAL SERIES

Bringing “Arrive and Drive” kart racing to a new level, Gateway Kartplex’s iDrive series puts you behind the wheel of a 55mph race kart in a fun, safe and competitive environment at the finest purpose-built karting facility in the Midwest.

iDrive features THREE opportunities to win an iDrive Scholarship. With 30lb weight ranges in the Light and Medium classes, and a 200lb minimum weight in Heavy, every driver will have to push their kart to the limit to win. Do YOU have what it takes to be the next iDrive Champion?

NOTICE: In the event weather shortens our iDrive season, we will not refund series entries.

Late Entry Fee

Arriving after 6:50 pm without communicating with staff will result in a $20.00 late entry fee beginning May 18^th, 2022. You may call and pay over the phone ahead of time; this will not result in a late entry fee.

RADIOS

EFFECTIVE MAY 10TH 2023, the use of radios/phones to communicate with drivers while on track is prohibited. Use of radios/phones will result in disqualification.

CLASS STRUCTURE

Light Class: Driver weight is 140 – 169lbs

Medium Class: Driver weight is 170-199lbs (no external weights will be permitted in Medium class)

Heavy Class: Driver weight is 200lbs+ (no external weights will be permitted in Heavy class)

Drivers will weigh in prior to the event. Classes compete on track separately.

REQUIREMENTS TO COMPETE

AGE

Drivers must be 16+ years old. Driver age exceptions are available from the Race Director with prior permission. To discuss obtaining an age exception, please contact the Kartplex via phone at least two days in advance of the first date you intend to compete in the iDrive series. No age exceptions will be made for drivers who compete in our Ignite or SuperComp racing series.

WEIGHT

All drivers must meet the Light class minimum weight to compete in iDrive. Drivers who do not meet the 140lb minimum weight requirement may receive permission from the Race Director to use an external weight (belt- or vest-style ONLY). Use of such weights must be approved by a race official before you compete.

In the event a driver changes weight classes mid-series in the spring or fall, their iDrive Shootout-qualifying race results can only be applied to the class they were earned in (Light points remain Light points, etc).

LAP TIMES/SESSIONS

Drivers must have run at least one session in the rental karts prior to entering iDrive for the first time. They must also meet a lap time threshold on our regular track to be allowed to compete in iDrive. Those thresholds are:

• Light Class – 41 second or faster lap
• Medium Class – 42 second or faster lap
• Heavy Class – 43 second or faster lap

These times have been set to keep all competitors within approximately 110% of the lap time of the fastest driver in a given class. New drivers are only eligible to compete in the two special nights if they meet the adjusted time threshold for the track layout.

SPECIAL iDRIVE NIGHTS

There are two special nights for each spring and fall series of iDrive – the penultimate round features Extended Turn 3 and the finale is on our Backwards Track layout.  New drivers will be allowed to compete in both Extended Turn 3 and the Backwards Track events provided they meet the adjusted minimum lap time threshold determined for both track layouts. Those adjusted minimum lap times will be determined the day of the event. 

Drivers are permitted to run more than one class per night, provided they meet the minimum weight of any class they enter (without adding weight to enter Medium or Heavy). Drivers may qualify for multiple classes but are only eligible to run one class in the Shootout. On the day of the Shootout, competitors must meet the minimum weight (again, without adding weight for Medium or Heavy) or the qualified class they choose to run in.

RACE FORMAT (PER NIGHT)

One 5-minute qualifying session

Two 10-lap feature races with standing starts.

Drivers will stay in their karts and be gridded for Race 1 immediately after their qualifying session.

Drivers will use the same kart for each night’s qualifying session and Race 1, but will be in different karts for Race 2 and may be in different karts on other dates. Karts will be assigned randomly by draw. Karts will be gridded for Race 1 based on qualifying times. The Race 2 grid will be determined by the following: the top six finishers from Race 1 will have their starting positions decided by the roll of a die, while the rest of the field will start in Race 1 finishing order. Yellow flag laps will count toward race distance.

POINTS STRUCTURE

The fall and spring series will each consist of 14 races on 7 event dates. A driver will count their best 10 out of 14 results towards that series points championship. In the event weather shortens the series, drivers will count approximately 70% of the total number of races, rounded to the nearest full race.

SPRING/FALL SERIES AWARDS

First place — $100 Kartplex credit + 1 Ignite demo test session + trophy or plaque

Second place — $50 Kartplex credit + 1 Ignite demo test session + trophy or plaque

Third place — 1 Ignite demo test session + trophy or plaque

iDRIVE SHOOTOUT AND CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS

The top 10 eligible drivers of each series who compete in 4 or more events (8 individual races) are invited to the iDrive Championship Shootout – October 2oth, 2023. There is no entry fee for the Championship Shootout event.

The Light, Medium and Heavy class winners of the iDrive Championship Shootout will each be awarded iDrive Scholarships, and will receive the use of a new Margay Ignite K3 kart provided by Margay Racing at no charge for use in the 2023 racing season.

The rainout date for the 2023 iDrive Shootout is TBD. In the event we are unable to run the Shootout on either the original or rainout date, we will revert to season point totals to determine the iDrive Scholarship recipients.