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Banned
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: On a boat in the Great NW
Posts: 6,145
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![]() edit: I have a buddy that had an Evo, went to the Bonderant driving school, they put him in a cart...He came back, sold his evo, bought a truck and a brand-spankin new cart. |
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drag racing the short bus
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Location, Location...
Posts: 21,983
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The Terror of Tiny Town |
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Registered
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Cameron Park (NorCal)
Posts: 779
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My other kart (125cc Parilla Leopard, non-shifter)
![]() Need more room for toys... ![]()
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Mike '80 911SC Weissach Edition '87 325is '02 K1200RS |
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Dept store Quartermaster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: I'm right here Tati
Posts: 19,858
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Ok, just how often do these things get upside down? Are we taking "a couple times a weekend at the track" or "yea we had one or two at the track last season"????
If I'm gonna die I might as well go back to MX.
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Cornpoppin' Pony Soldier |
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Registered
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Cameron Park (NorCal)
Posts: 779
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Quote:
![]() I ran about six races total last season, at various different tracks, and watched probably 30+ races. I think I saw maybe two or three incidents where karts came together hard. Only saw one go over, and the driver was not hurt, and raced later that day. Just like any type of racing, the potential is there, but a severe injury, or even a death, is very, very rare.
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Mike '80 911SC Weissach Edition '87 325is '02 K1200RS |
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Banned
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: On a boat in the Great NW
Posts: 6,145
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Quote:
Last edited by Mulhollanddose; 11-10-2005 at 09:20 PM.. |
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drag racing the short bus
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Location, Location...
Posts: 21,983
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Quote:
What was interesting is how fast these little things go in the corners. They aren't slow at all. And it seems reflexes do much of the work. As for weight - maybe it adds some sort of momentum in the corners, etc. - I don't know.
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The Terror of Tiny Town |
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drag racing the short bus
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Location, Location...
Posts: 21,983
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Quote:
What kart did you have when you raced? Also, will these karts fit in the back of an Explorer/Mountaineer?
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The Terror of Tiny Town |
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Banned
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: On a boat in the Great NW
Posts: 6,145
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Quote:
I have been obsessing about karting for some time. Washington is not outdoor karting paradise. California, Nevada and Arizona are...I have been waiting for some stability (mental aside) before I make the move. |
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drag racing the short bus
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Location, Location...
Posts: 21,983
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Quote:
![]() Well, that's one more reason for you to move back, in addition to taming this vast Southland of its sin and avarice.
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The Terror of Tiny Town |
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all my friends back in texas got into it. i was a poor college person at the time, so i only watched them, and occasionally took the test drive. this one guy towed his with his chevy baretta. i wish i needed a new hobby.
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poof! gone |
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I did it for a few years, up until about a year ago... I raced TaG karts (Rotax, and later the Leopard), which basically means it has a starter motor, and generally lasts longer between rebuilds. These things are unbelievable fun, but the fun heavily depends on the clubs in your area. Go check out the local events, and see if they have any classes for the weekend warrior type, rather than classes full of bonzai 16 year old aspiring F1 drivers (unless you're into that ;-) Dicing in a car will never quite seem the same after a kart!
I ended up quitting because I split up with my LT girlfriend. Taking the odd weekend with the boys seems like time well spent when you're attached, but it's not the best place for pickin' up chicks ![]()
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Silver '88 RoW Carrera Grey '06 A4 Avant Last edited by TheMentat; 11-10-2005 at 12:24 PM.. |
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Dept store Quartermaster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: I'm right here Tati
Posts: 19,858
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Quote:
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Cornpoppin' Pony Soldier |
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I flipped once...
contact in a race shifted the axle over, causing the brake disk to drag slightly on the pad. The brakes eventually heated up at the end of the straight to the point where they were completely lost. Tire contact in the braking zone at about 60mph sent me up and over, but I was able to push free of the kart by the time I came down. slid safely into the tire barrier. I was pretty sore, but in one piece!
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Silver '88 RoW Carrera Grey '06 A4 Avant |
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Registered
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bay Area, CA.
Posts: 2,048
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My friend just bought a 125 shifter kart and he says gas is $7/gallon
is this true? Does it run on methanol? |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: N. Phoenix AZ USA
Posts: 28,943
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Regarding the speed through the corners, these puppies have very little power so need to keep their speed up otherwise you just lost the race. Gas may be $7 a gallon but you are not using that much so you do it. Try racing SCCA or open wheel when it costs $20 a gallon and you are doing a long endurance race! Thats why many of us went to Karts. Joe A
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2013 Jag XF, 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins (the workhorse), 1992 Jaguar XJ S-3 V-12 VDP (one of only 100 examples made), 1969 Jaguar XJ (been in the family since new), 1985 911 Targa backdated to 1973 RS specs with a 3.6 shoehorned in the back, 1959 Austin Healey Sprite (former SCCA H-Prod), 1995 BMW R1100RSL, 1971 & '72 BMW R75/5 "Toaster," Ural Tourist w/sidecar, 1949 Aeronca Sedan / QB |
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I've been road racing a 125 shifter for about 5 years now although my 930 rebuild has been eating up my racing budget for the last two seasons so I've only run a few races lately.
For a 125 shifter gas is about $7 a gallon, about $4 for fuel and $3 for oil. I've seen a couple flip in five years but it's very rare. It happens when wheels touch. So you try not to touch wheels. It's more dangerous than cars but much safer than motorcycles. I think the kart club makes the biggest difference. If you don't like the club, you won't enjoy the racing. I think the southwest road racing club ( www.swra.org ) in Texas is great. Sprint racing can be more demanding on your body and kart but expenses are lower. Roadracing is more finesse driving and you have more time to work on how you approach a corner, but you don't learn the aggresiveness and passing skills as well as in sprint karts. I can't really speak for sprint kart expenses, but roadracing the 125 averages me about $1000 a weekend. That includes a set of tires, fuel, engine parts, worn out parts, the occasional crash induced broken parts, entry fees, travel, and hotel. It's not as cheap as I thought it would be when I got started but I still thinks it's the best bang for the buck for the performance. The other nice thing about karts, at least the series I run, is that there's usually a good sized field. In local car racing, unless you're in a Miata, the fields are pretty small.
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2014 Cayman S (track rat w/GT4 suspension) 1979 930 (475 rwhp at 0.95 bar) |
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A related article in today's WSJ - about how more Parents are supporting their Kids in Karting. Not sure if this link will work as you might need a paid subscription to the Online Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113167996522494538.html?mod=pj_autos_hs_coll_lef t
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Don Plumley M235i memories: 87 911, 96 993, 13 Cayenne |
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drag racing the short bus
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Location, Location...
Posts: 21,983
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Here's a site with a little video and short explanation about karting.
http://www.moranraceway.com/pages/newtokarting.html#
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The Terror of Tiny Town |
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Large Registered Member
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Ditto to dd!
No affiliation to, but Moran Raceway is an excellent first timer experience to anyone considering karting!! Check out their web site... A couple of months back, I signed up for one of their beginner DE courses. Excellent class, and top notch instructors!! Total blast! Only downside... Made my 42 year old body feel much older than my 16 year old child like brain!! To those who have never karted, the handling is nothing short of amazing! -- The kart makes my Carrera feel more like my first car, a '69 VW Bus...
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'85 Carrera Coupe, Marble Grey #118 JP/R6 '93 Lexus SC400, '00 Ford F-150 '70 911T- 2.7 (SOLD) |
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