Karting

[1fastredsc]

Not that i have the money or time (OK mostly money) to get into kart racing, but i've always wondered how you get into kart racing? I hear of professional drivers getting their careers started as kids in go-kart racing. I've never seen go-kart racing tracks, or events. So where does all this happen and how do you get into it?

[URY914]

Try Google.



Or WKA= worldkarting.com FAQ

[Jim Bremner]

I bought a kart and did some practice.

7 years of racing. some of the best fun I ever had

don't skimp on ANY safety items.

[Paul K]

Forums...

http://www.ekartingnews.com/forum.php

http://www.aboutkarting.com/

http://www.kartingextra.com/forum.php

Cheers,

Paul.

[911longhorn]

I had a chance to ask Timo Bernhard how he started. He said he was about 7 or 8 and his dad spent tons of money and time on carting. He re-emphasized TONs of money. Needless to say, it worked out for him!

[Tim Hancock]

After breaking a collarbone for the 3rd time (my employer was starting to get upset with all the work I missed over a couple year period), my MX racing buddy and I decided we were getting too old for the constant injuries, so we bought carts and did a season of cart racing.

It was fun at first, but nowhere near the thrill of MX. Unfortunately, the only class of cart racing that was popular in our area was 5hp briggs (About 9hp with no governor, and slight mods burning alcohol). It soon became clear that we could run with the go pedal mashed around the whole track and it just was not all that competitive compared to MX. Had shifter carts or some of the other 2 stroke classes been popular in our area, we would probably have stuck with it, but the classes that were popular in our area were just plain boring after the initial introduction.

[David]

Check with WKA and IKF for local tracks. Since I assume you mean road racing type karting, there's sprint racing and road racing. I road race which means higher speeds but less wheel to wheel banging (hopefully). I think it's a great way to improve your driving or just a great type of racing if you plan to just stay with karting.

The big thing these days is the TAG class where the engines are sealed. They're 125cc watercooled so they have pretty good power. They do have centrifugal clutches which I understand can be be a bit of a pain.

Don't expect it to be cheap though. If you want to be competative you have to figure on a new set of tires or two every weekend at about $200 a set. Then there's entry fees, travel costs, fuel, and any broken or worn out parts. I usually plan to spend at least $800 per weekend to race my 125cc shifter kart.

If there's any chance of staying with it I recommend buying a new kart. The used stuff may be OK for a little while, but after a race or two you'll start spending money to fix stuff that's worn out and eventually you'll be up to the cost of a new kart or more.

[berettafan]

at what age would a proud dad start his youngster in kart racing and what sort of initial capital outlay is necessary to do it with reasonably good condition (do NOT need to buy first place but don't want to be running crap either)?

my goal is to expose my son to something other than XBox and give him a head start on driving skills. he is 3.5 right now and LOVES anything to do with cars and racing (that's my boy!).

[David]

The best age to start them racing is as young as the local club allows. Of course some start even younger, Nicky Haden and his brothers and sister come to mind .

[1fastredsc]

Originally Posted by 125shifter

Don't expect it to be cheap though. If you want to be competative you have to figure on a new set of tires or two every weekend at about $200 a set. Then there's entry fees, travel costs, fuel, and any broken or worn out parts. I usually plan to spend at least $800 per weekend to race my 125cc shifter kart.

I was thinking this might be part of the appeal, but if it's not cheap then why do it? I figure it's cheaper than tracking a car so it is comparatively cheaper i hope. Not only that i'm tired of paying 5 bucks a round at the local go-kart/mini-golf place and having a little kid t-bone me in the corner before the end.

[Joeaksa]

I raced IKF laydown karts for several years and loved it. 120 mph or so and nothing could out corner a good kart, so a lot of fun and no where near the money of a race car.

The shifter karts are easily double the cost of a clutch type kart. Yes you can use up a set of tires ever weekend or two or you can run one set 4-5 races. It just depends on how fast you want to go and how deep your pockets are.

[Zeke]

I left karting in '92 at age 47. I was racing what Joe raced, but the last 2 years I went back to "sit up' karts on the road tracks. Slower speeds, very competitive and a little more reasonable in costs. Back in the 80's and 90's IKF (International Karting Federation) was the preferred sanctioning body west of the Mississippi. That may have changed. http://www.ikfkarting.com/

I see the Nationals for sprints are close by in Santa Maria and the road race Nationals are in Portland at PIR.

Start off with some used equipment that is 1-2 years old. It takes a year to be competitive and you don't want to waste a year of karting progress with a new kart in your first year. There are schools at most tracks. I'd do the school in a rental first, if possible.

There is a LOT of tweaking to be fast, just like any other racing. As a driver, you have to learn to be as much dead weight as possible when driving sprints. The best drivers sit in the seat like a piece of stone with only thier hands moving just a little. It doesn't take much input to go fast. But, it takes a lot of endurance and strength, especially sprints.

One other form of karting is dirt ovals. I never did that, but it looked like fun, especially in the bigger bore and dual classes.

[David]

Something I forgot to mention that Milt touched on is the physical side of karting. In the series I run the heats are 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, I'm flat worn out so it's a workout compared to cars. The worst part is your neck muscles if you haven't raced in a while.

[rammstein]

I plan to get a kart instead of a sportscar once I am financially comfortable. I am reading this thread with avid interest. I was going to contact 125shifter at some point to ask these very questions. Thanks for the info guys!

Karting seems VERY active in South Florida. I went to an outfit in Opa Locka that sells carts, and there's a small track (I assume 'road course', because there's turns in all directions) behind the shop where the locals get their practice in. They recommended I go with the TAG class, 125cc. But they were recommending the single-speed models. I've gone to a few events, and the single speed models certainly are quick, but I can't help but wonder just how much more fun the shifter class is. It looks a bit quicker. BUT- I am guessing that prices go up a lot when you get involved with gearboxes, even in a TAG class.

[rammstein]

And they told me about the physical part too- they said I should hit the gym. I've started going to the gym religiously, so hopefully maybe in 12 months I will be ripped, and have the money to do something.

BEEFCAKE!!!

[David]

TAG is a single speed class. For tracks less than a mile, I think anything faster than TAG is too much. I'd go TAG like many of my fellow shifter kart buddies have, but I'm too jaded by the speed of the shifter kart. I plan to set up a junior TAG for my 13yo son for next year.

[Zeke]

TAG sounds like an interesting class. Single speed Parilla motors? I couldn't find too much info on the Web about this class.

[1fastredsc]

Sounds very interesting, definitely more realistic than my dreams of tracking an ultima gtr one day . In this area unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any following, and in el paso they have a dirt oval kart track which is not really my thing. I guess i'll have to wait till i finish at NMSU and find out where i'm starting my career. Otherwise it sounds like a lot of fun.......

[David]

I don't know much about the TaG class either so I did a little searching:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TaG

It seems like most of the racers in our region use the Rotax engine.

[TheMentat]

I used to race Rotax for a number of years. Its great getting into a class with sealed engines, with the idea being that it should keep your costs down. The MOST important thing to do is to check out your local racing clubs, and find out what the most popular classes are. Its no fun if you race in a class with 3-4 other guys.