Melbourne Blokart Club
– Shaun Inguanzo
A GROUP of sports enthusiasts has found a unique way to set sail in Dandenong’s urban setting.
This month, the Victorian Blokart Championships will be held at the Dandenong Sale Yards, and its organising body, the Melbourne Blokart Club, is hoping the meet will raise the new sport’s profile.
Melbourne Blokart Club president Clinton Paech described the sport as a mixture of kart racing and sailing, with a three-wheeled kart connected to a small sail and mast.
Mr Paech said Blokarts could reach speeds of up to 90km/h in strong winds, making it a thrilling sport to be part of.
He said much like water sailing, Blokarting involved race participants navigating a course and steering the vehicle by manipulating the sail’s direction.
“Land sailing has been around since water sailing,” Mr Paech said.
“It used to take place on big salt lakes and in deserts.
“But (Blokarting) is a new form of land sailing, it is bringing it into an urban setting.”
To discover what the sport is about, Mr Paech has urged residents to visit the sale yards on 8 and 9 April for the Victorian Blokarting Championships.
The thrilling sport does have its fair share of action, including capsizes, but Mr Paech said drivers were safe at all times.
“We wear Australian standards pushbike helmets, and the mast and sail give us roll protection, so when we do capsize, we don’t touch the ground bodywise.”
A Blokart race lasts between five to 10 minutes, and each Blokart can cost between $3000 and $6000.
A former yachtsman, Mr Paech said the sport was ideal for those wishing to leave the sea for land-based sailing.
Mr Paech and a group of like-minded Blokarters formed the Melbourne Blokart Club two years ago.
For more information on Blokarting and the Victorian Championships, phone Clinton Paech on 0433 126 097.
