I'm diving in to the Karting World.

[GG Allin]

I just committed to the purchase of a used Ionic Edge, Briggs and Stratton 206 Kart for my 10 year old daughter. She's small, but she'll grow in to it. There is a track about an hour from the house that I really like the accessibility terms, flat yearly rate, on site garaging....etc. The plan for this year is to modify the kart to an extent to get her to fit it better and get her out there as much as possible to get some time. Next would be some coaching, they offer that too. This should keep her out of trouble and off her tablet.

The have a Birel chassis there for sale too for sale, needs engine and wheels. Considering that for myself. Daddy, daughter time.

The Kart:



The other chassis:



The track:

CONCEPTHAULERSMOTORSPEEDWAY.COM

[Tervuren]

Coaching,

Watch for two aspects,
The first is conceptualizing how it works.
The second is direct advice to modify inputs.

It's important to see some of both going on.
Early on its easier to see results from modification.

I hurt inside when I observe that modification was the exclusive method.
Watching input taught drivers encounter spilled liquid on the racing surface is a crash fest.

A good foundation with conceptualizing is what allows a driver to safely operate with a track, vehicle, or conditions they've never driven.

[Adrian Thompson]

Been taking our nine year old grandson karting for a couple of years now along with his other grandad. Remarkably cheap. We got him a used Energy chassis with some spares for around $2k. The Monster 206 engine is awesome, other than oil changes, and making sure it's got the right slide in it for his age group, it requires zero maintenance. Super cheap to run, we've probably done 12-15 days and including one set of tires, and money to have the frame professionally straightened after a crash, we've probably spent less than $1,000 in parts and consumables.

One thing, he's only done one actual race day. We started doing test days the first year, after which he was enjoying it, so for the next year, we decided once he felt ready he'd race. After a couple of test days, we entered a race at his request. While it was a good day and he enjoyed it, unfortunately, he had a pretty big hit with a girl in his class. Both karts were bent to the point of the frame scraping on the ground and at least one wheel was in the air. We got the chassis repaired and ready for this year, but his confidence took a hit and he wants to go back to test days only.

Our local track (East Lancing Kart Track) in southern Michigan is great. They are open from early April to late October. Two local track races (Sundays) per month, on that Saturday there's another smaller group who race and open practice for all other sessions (still easily four sessions per day). On the off weekends, it's open practice Sat and Sun.

I'd let your daughter try a few test sessions before racing. Our motto is he has to want to go. We will never force him. He gets to go at his own pace, with no criticism, just coaching and suggestions. None of us expect the next Max or Lewis, we just want him to have fun.

A few other parents/grandparents ask about the risk. Honestly, I don't see it as much of a risk. His main sport is football, he also rides horses and skis. All three of those are far more dangerous than motorsport, but no one bats an eye at those sports.

[Adrian Thompson]

I don't seem to be able to link pictures from Google photos. How can I do that?

[unclebilly]

PERFECT - This is where my kids started at 5 years old. Enjoy.

[Jim Bremner]

Rib protector is Mandatory. I skipped it once
In a rush to get out for practice
I had a " practice crash".

Four broken ribs that overlaped.

Raced karts for 7 years. Best time of my life

[unclebilly]

My son was 7 or 8 when this photo was taken… he still has that determination. He is moving up to cars this year.

[GG Allin]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

Rib protector is Mandatory. I skipped it once
In a rush to get out for practice
I had a " practice crash".

Four broken ribs that overlaped.

Raced karts for 7 years. Best time of my life

The guy who runs the track referred to it as a chest protector. It, a helmet and a neck brace are all mandatory.

My biggest concern right now is the limit to the adjustibility to the Kart to make her fit it. She's a small 10 year old. I'll only be able to move the seat and pedals so much.

Here she is on an electric Kart at K1.

[Tervuren]

Is there availability of different pedals that would have a different offset?

That could shorten the distance if shortening is needed.

Originally Posted by GG Allin

My biggest concern right now is the limit to the adjustibility to the Kart to make her fit it. She's a small 10 year old. I'll only be able to move the seat and pedals so much.

[unclebilly]

^^ GG, youd be surprised how much adjustment there is. Is she on a cadet chassis or a full size chassis - my guess is cadet at 10.

Some chassis have mounts to move the entire pedal box forward. Also you can adjust the steering wheel height. Moving the seat and reclining the seat angle also go a long way.

Find out what chassis you have (who makes the tubes - not the brand) and google seat setup. There are some non obvious tricks.

Also get a small press if your kart club doesnt have one for straightening tie rods. A sniper is nice to have. Get a good quality race tire pressure gauge. Make sure you have a decent kart stand and never transort your karts on the stand unless it is a stacker... we learned this one the hard way arriving at a race with a kart off the stand and a bent chassis. We will be selling much of our kart gear this year (or next).

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

Rib protector is Mandatory. I skipped it once
In a rush to get out for practice
I had a " practice crash".

Four broken ribs that overlaped.

Raced karts for 7 years. Best time of my life

You came after me. Never saw one that I knew of. I assume it's under the suit.

At the end of a race at the scales drivers used to pull their suit off the shoulders and tie the arms at the waist for weighing in while trying to cool off. Supposedly no one could even take a sip of water until weighed.

I think I would have seen rib protectors then if anyone had them. Not that we couldn't have used one!

[unclebilly]

The black thing outside of my suit is the ribtec rib protector.





My son's armadillo (the best for kids) can be seen in his photo above. The armadillo also gives chest protection.

[A930Rocket]

I thought many times about a kart versus a track car. Obviously, expenses would be a lot less. The closest track to me that I know of is Carolina Motorsports Park north of Columbia. About a 3 hour drive from Charleston. Having something closer would be better.

The other factor is driver size. I’m 6’-4” and 260. The karts seem very small. At VIR, we used to drive the karts at the end of a track day and I always got spanked by my shorter and lighter friends. I read at one point, there was a class for larger drivers, but I think they’ve done away with that.

[David]

Best of luck! I wish I could have gotten my son interested in karting but just wasn’t meant to be. I raced seriously for 5 years and it was amazing (my avatar is still me in a kart). I loved to see father/sons out there but the occasional father/daughter was even better.

Best advice I can give is learn from the locals.

[GG Allin]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

^^ GG, youd be surprised how much adjustment there is. Is she on a cadet chassis or a full size chassis - my guess is cadet at 10.

Some chassis have mounts to move the entire pedal box forward. Also you can adjust the steering wheel height. Moving the seat and reclining the seat angle also go a long way.

Find out what chassis you have (who makes the tubes - not the brand) and google seat setup. There are some non obvious tricks.

Also get a small press if your kart club doesnt have one for straightening tie rods. A sniper is nice to have. Get a good quality race tire pressure gauge. Make sure you have a decent kart stand and never transort your karts on the stand unless it is a stacker... we learned this one the hard way arriving at a race with a kart off the stand and a bent chassis. We will be selling much of our kart gear this year (or next).

It's a full size chassis, they talked me out of a cadet size kart for a couple reasons. Along with the kart he included a new seat that fits her better with no holes drilled through yet. So it will have to be mounted a little higher and closer for her. He also included a set of mounting blocks for both pedals. These will mount to the floor board and have a good amount of adjustment in them. I'll need to fab up or source some shorter linkage rods for the brake and throttle pedals. As far as steering wheel height goes, I'm still not certain how adjustable it is. It needs to remain higher than the front body work piece. I'm running out to pick it up and take it home tonight, so I'll be learning much more in the next few days.

[unclebilly]

If you are going shorter, just use adjustable pedal extensions for her and move them as she grows.

[Zeke]

I've seen a lot of the little ones looking through the wheel. You don't spend a lot of time looking straight ahead anyway. You spend a lot to time looking ahead into the other side of the corner.

Or you should. I was never the best at that. I tended to look at the apex. I did learn very early on to not look at the kart in front of me. When I didn't for some reason I usually paid for that with an off track excursion. But you gotta admit it's kinda neat looking at the slip angle of the guy in front because you're sliding too, you just don't know how much unless you're not in total control.

That's what I like about some of the in-car cameras in NASCAR. Those guys are usually in a full on 4 wheel drift. You can't see it on TV.

[rrental]

Awesome! I hope you have a great time like I did when karting with my son. It thought him so much and it made him the great young man he is now.

He still karts a few races a year in the shifter if work and the budget allows!

[wdfifteen]

Good on you OP. Your kid is lucky you are so supportive.
I tried karting when I was a kid, but got no support from my parents. I had to buy the kart and maintain it myself and rely on a friend’s dad to haul me to the track. When I turned 16 I sold the kart to help finance a car, and that was that.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Good on you OP. Your kid is lucky you are so supportive.
I tried karting when I was a kid, but got no support from my parents. I had to buy the kart and maintain it myself and rely on a friend’s dad to haul me to the track. When I turned 16 I sold the kart to help finance a car, and that was that.

Identical story here. That was in 1960 and 61, maybe '62 before it got sold. However, I found one in '74 that was somewhat set up for road racing, or enduro. So I was off to Riverside for my first ever enduro. I managed to race Ontario and somewhere else before I realized if was junk. Not fast and out of class.

I found a dual McCullough sit up kart that a buddy and I played with in a parking lot in '80. That led me to buying a kart for my new to me stepson. Next thing I know we both have new Margays and are racing 2wice a month at Adams in Riverside and Oxnard at the Jim Hall Jr. track. Plus some street races.

Then I bought an enduro, another Margay and shared it with the stepson as we were in different classes with the same motor. He did the same thing I did at 16, sold his sprint and got into cars and girls.

but I was hooked. I kept my Margay sprint and the enduro and raced all over. Riverside was still open and I might have frace the last kart race there. Finally the enduro was doing my neck in so I switched back to the sprint which they called 'sit up' at the long tracks. Half the time for races too, 30 mi instead of an hour. I liked that since controlled practice lasted all morning. I got plenty of fun laps.

Finally I had a construction accident having a beam dropped on my head and shoulder. I had a terrible whip lash injury and couldn't hold my head up in the corners.

The Margay hangs in the garage today. It's ready to go with some new tires. Somehow with a replacement shoulder I know to not be tempted to even do a parking lot. Karts are as rough as it gets. Very comparable to motocross sitting down and w/o jumps. But super strenuous. You don't see anything clearly at speed, but you know where you are and should know where you are going, half by feel and the other half by the images you are able to process.

That's what I mentioned earlier. One thing that sticks out is if there is a kart in front of you. That makes a pretty big image and is easy to follow. But don't be tempted. He makes a mistake and you're caught up in it. If you're driving your line, he will disappear in a flash. If you're following him into trouble, you're going airborne. I've driven completely over another driver leaving tire marks on his helmet and landed upright. In that case I wasn't following him. He dive bombed the corner and parked it right in front of me a 80 MPH. Half a second later I was playing leap frog.

They all have these big bumpers now along with side pods. Now that they can, they beat on each other something awful. I think that's where all the beating and banging comes from in car racing now. We didn't race like that for fear of flipping. Saw the ambulance once every race.