Razor Crazy Cart: Drifting For The Masses
The vast majority of automotive sports are just as fun as they are expensive: for example, karting may be amusing, but it's not as exhilarating as roaring down the Nürburgring in a Porsche 911 GT3. But since we don't all have the means to own and maintain a race car, we sometimes have to find other means of quenching our need for speed.
If you like drift, but don't have the money to buy a used Nissan 240SX and burn through a set of rubber every 20 minutes, Razor just invented a low-cost alternative: say hi to the Crazy Cart!
Child's play
It was built to simulate drift car driving, albeit at much slower pace. Controls are simple: first of all is a small steering wheel made of steel. It controls one of the three wheels under the cart, and it can turn at almost 360 degrees (pretty much like a forklift). Said wheel is also powered by an electric motor. Under your right foot is an accelerator pedal. Under your left foot, absolutely nothing: the Crazy Cart does not have brakes. To stop, you have to skid, turn quickly or aim for something soft. Next to your seat, on the right, is a lever that looks like a handbrake. By yanking it, you change the angle of the rear caster wheels, so they become completely independent. Since this is how you initiate a drift, this lever is called DriftBar. To make sure the contraption won't flip due to driver error, two plastic casters have been placed at the front, on both sides of the driven wheel.
The easiest way to summarize how the Cart drives is to compare it to winter-drifting in an empty parking lot in a short-wheelbase FWD car: it handles pretty much the same way, and if you have ever slid around using a handbrake, it is pretty easy to grasp how to use this thing.
You should know that the Crazy Cart is built for children 9 years or older (and less than 63 kilos!). While I am a 23-year old child who is much heavier than that, the Cart was able to work as intended. Acceleration was a bit slower, but once I got up to speed, I was able to drift easily. Tests done with someone under the weight limit showed not only improved acceleration, but also longer battery life.
Within the limits
During the many occasions I had to try out the Crazy Cart, I only saw a few flaws: First of all, the rear caster wheels wear out quickly. After only a week of (extensive) use, I noticed that their rubber exterior had significantly reduced in size. During one drift, one of them actually broke away after hitting a pothole, so it is important to find an empty stretch of asphalt without too many imperfections. Also, the front tire has to be kept properly inflated to make sure it will wear evenly.
But the main problem of the Crazy Cart is its range: with a full 12-hour charge, it can only work for 40 minutes. However, Razor will sell you another battery that you can swap in (for $54 US). Speaking of price, the Crazy Cart is on sale at Toys R Us for $499. The manufacturer is also currently developing an adult version, which will be larger, faster and will pack bigger batteries.
Yes, the Crazy Cart is an expensive toy, especially considering how impractical it is and that you can hardly use it anywhere. It is, however, unbelievably fun to slide around in. If your kids (or the kid in you) love to watch Driftmania and Formula D, they will surely enjoy the Cart for a long time. And who knows, maybe they will become the next Vaughn Gittin Jr.