Flying by the seat of your pants is one thing, but for POCSSAC Frank Graham, driving with your pants just centimetres off the tarmac is another all together.

Frank, a combat systems supervisor in Canberra, has taken to the thrill of racing sprint karts and will contest the ACT and NSW titles in Canberra and Dubbo respectively in August.

Having dabbled with motocross racing for many years, he decided his 32-year-old body would be better suited to four wheels instead of two - besides there's less distance to fall from a sprint kart.

Frank is also keen to hear from interested personnel within the Navy and ADF who would like to get into racing karts, as he says it's relatively inexpensive and easy to learn.

"It's one of the cheapest forms around, while the karts are the fastest entry level karts you can get," Frank told Navy News.

Frank also said kart racing is an excellent family sport, with children as young as seven getting in on the action, while at the same time providing them with additional driver control and priceless memories.

"There's been a lot of interest from Navy people and you can set yourself up with a kart, trailer and membership for under $3500," he said.

It is also possible to have a trial run with the Canberra Kart Racing Club, which can put you in one of its karts for half a dozen hot laps by yourself.

Frank receives some sponsorship from his brother-in-law's hotel in Wagga, but from there the road can be never-ending, with many accomplished V8 drivers beginning their careers in the humble sprint kart.

"In four to five years, I'd like to get into formula 500s, then look for drives in formula Fords and production cars.

"Eventually, I'd love to race at Bathurst as a co-driver, but that's probably 10 years away and you've got to have some serious sponsorship to compete at that level," said Frank. But for now, he's content racing his Rotax 125cc max sprint kart that still sets a cracking pace at 100km/hr and has gone up to 125km/hr at the quicker Wagga track.

"If you were to scale the karts to a real race car, their top speed is equivalent to 280-300km/hr," said Frank.

And yes, it is possible to flip them if you go too fast.

"People look at karts as toys, but there's a lot of excitement to it, - it's real nose-to-tail racing."

If you'd like to know more about kart racing, Frank can be contacted at the Combat Data Systems Centre at Fyshwick in Canberra on 02-6266 0707.

By Michael Weaver