Karting

[airedale]

I'm hopeless at these things, but damn it's fun.

Looks 'relatively' inexpensive to get into - I know it can't be because it's motorsport.

SellKarts.com > Classifieds

Any of you guys here race these?

[Christian Fox]

My son is an ace kart racer. What you are looking at is a super kart with a water cooled 125 cc engine. That thing will go way faster than you expect: 0-60 in 3 seconds and will reach 85mph, 3 g's in a corner. Not meant for a novice. A 250cc will go 150mph. A 6.5 bhp adult sized kart will reach about 40mph, which if you've never done it, is pretty damn fast and what most people start out on.

[airedale]

Woah. That's exactly the kind of information I'd like to know. I'm not likely breaking into it any time soon, but over the years I've often thought about how much fun it looks. I've only ever driven hired carts (13Hp) and every time I do, I think about getting one.

At what age did you get your son into it?

[Christian Fox]

He started at 8, and he's 9 now! He hasn't been at it that long, but he immediately took to it and routinely beats other kids and who've been doing it much longer. His lap times are often better than many adults driving more powerful karts. I don't know what the next stage is for us, but he's really passionate about it. We've had a lot of fun with it so far. I shudder to think of him driving one of those super karts as a teenager! Go on youtube and search for super karts; the things are nuts. No roll bar means no harness, so you crash you fly!

[maunahaole]

Next stage is to scour craigslist and look for a hayabusa for donor engine purposes.

[David Tollefson]

Next stage is to scour craigslist and look for a hayabusa for donor engine purposes.

Have you seen the videos where they put a Hayabusa engine in a Smartcar? Hilarity ensues...

[maunahaole]

I will have to look for that. Sounds like a good visual description of torque steer.

[Crashburn]

He started at 8, and he's 9 now! He hasn't been at it that long, but he immediately took to it and routinely beats other kids and who've been doing it much longer. His lap times are often better than many adults driving more powerful karts. I don't know what the next stage is for us, but he's really passionate about it. We've had a lot of fun with it so far. I shudder to think of him driving one of those super karts as a teenager! Go on youtube and search for super karts; the things are nuts. No roll bar means no harness, so you crash you fly!

The next stage if your son really wants a career behind the wheel and you don't want to get a second and third mortgage is to find someone else who wants to spend barrels full of money to further his career. I'm sure you know this but the budgets for top kart teams are well into six figures. I know an IMSA Tech of the Year who was the crew chief of a 12 Hours of Sebring class winner and I was talking to him in the pits at Mid Ohio when his second driver came walking up with an older gentleman in his wake. When I asked my friend who the geezer was he replied "The sugar daddy."

[sae]

Acquaintance in high school was way into karting, and unfortunately he died doing it (and he was racing in a 100cc class). Being extremely tall probably didn't help him in that situation.

They are FAST, don't ever take them lightly.

[Christian Fox]

The next stage if your son really wants a career behind the wheel and you don't want to get a second and third mortgage is to find someone else who wants to spend barrels full of money to further his career. I'm sure you know this but the budgets for top kart teams are well into six figures. I know an IMSA Tech of the Year who was the crew chief of a 12 Hours of Sebring class winner and I was talking to him in the pits at Mid Ohio when his second driver came walking up with an older gentleman in his wake. When I asked my friend who the geezer was he replied "The sugar daddy."

Yup, it can get nuts. Danica Patrick had some rich dude bankroll her karting in the UK when her parents had blown through their last dollar. A friend was a talented sprint car driver (his dad built his cars, very cool, very loud!) but he had to give it up. I'm convinced he could have gone far, but his backers just couldn't swing it any longer. We'll see where it goes a little at a time. Sae's post isn't making me feel too great.