Jenner and LighTTweight.... Go kart racing info per you requests... (LONG)
06-03-2002, 11:14 AM
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Jenner and LighTTweight.... Go kart racing info per you requests... (LONG)
<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/25185/p1010024.jpg"></center><p>I haven't been on the forum too much lately and missed your post about getting into kart racing. Sorry for the delay in answering.
Depending on how much experience you have, blah blah blah... and your budget, I'd say buy a used kart that's running in Yamaha heavy, superbox, or simlilar class. They use a Yamaha KT100 engine which has been around forever. Keep in mind that classes range in different areas of the country. A Yamaha kart with a "Can muffler" is referred to as a Superbox in my area. On a sprint track, they're good for about 60mph depending on gearing. The G forces in a kart that's set up right are awesome. You can corner at speeds that just don't seem possible, and the kart will hang in there. There are plenty of different classes, but you can get into a Yamaha can kart for about 3000 bucks used. I've got about 8000 in my kart, trailer, tools, safety gear, spares etc.... so it's real cheap as far as racing goes. Sets of tires will run you about 160 bucks. Depending on the spec tire in your series, they'll last anywhere from 1 raceday to 3. If you have an option of wet clutch instead of dry clutch, this is an area where you can save some dough as well. The dry clutches are very maintenence intensive and require fresh discs all the time. They run about 27 buck a throw, so they can add up quickly. I'd suggest the Horstman Steel Nytro clutch with a heavy spring kit in it. You'll be pretty much set up on that. Some classes have made the dry clutch illegal in order to keep costs down.
There are tons of different chassis makers out there. I drive a Trackmagic, which is an american built chassis. Because of this, the "drivers area" of the kart is a little more roomy. It's the same size as comparitive chassis in the same series, but gives the tall guys a little more room to move in. They're also VERY adjustable, and extremely well made. Some of the euro chassis are made out of thinner wall tubing and are a little bit more proned to getting "tacoed" when you wreck. I've had my kart almost all the way over, and slammed back to the pavement, as well as numerous rammings, and the chassis is still strait. Great kart.
If anyone tells you to start out in a "shifter kart", disregard the advice. They're all kinds of fun to drive, but you'll only end up with a total beater for 3 grand, if you can even find one. It's also easier to develop smooth driving skills in a clutch kart because you can spend more time worrying about line/braking/passing/etc.. instead of trying to figure out when to up/down shift. I belive it's much better to start out in a clutch kart, and if you decide you want to make a run at shifters, and you've got money to burn, give it a whirl. Also, there are alot of "Squirrels" driving shifters. LOTS of guys with more money than sense, decide they want to go out and buy a 125 shifter for their "starter" kart. Not enough skilz to pay the bills usually gets them into big trouble. Most of the guys who get ambulance rides or paralyzed, are doing it in shifters. They've developed a 125 novice class where I race just to keep theses idiots together, and away from the guys who know what they're doing. VERY dangerous IMHO. You'll find alot of guys, and an occasional chick, in classes like superbox because the karts are fast, fun, affordable to build and maintain, and the racing is so tight. A shifter kart takes an almost full time effort to maintain, and keep competitive.
SAFETY- DO NOT skimp on your safety gear. Here are the basics you need...
1) driving suit - Make sure that the suit you buy is karting specific, so that if you get spit out of the kart onto the pavement at 60, you'll have some skid proof protection. Nothing worse than road rash. MIR, Sparco, Simpson, Gearbox, all make nice suits. The Gearbox suits are nicely priced for what you get. Should be able to accomplish this within 300 bucks.
2) Helmet "AKA, Bucket or Lid" - This is the most important as it contains your melon. As they say, you put a 50 dollar head in a 50 dollar helmet. I prefer Bell helmets myself, they fit me like a glove and are very well made. Simpson also makes a nice helmet, but to me it feels like a bunch of 2x4's strapped to my head. Uncomfortable as he!!. Bieffe, Shoei, and Arai have some very nice helmets as well. If I were you, I'd buy a helmet that's "Snell 2000" endorsed, in either "SA" or "KA" rating. The KA designation is for karting. These are helmets which are designed with crashing a kart in mind. They are not fire retardant. An SA helmet will also allow you to run SCCA closed car events as well. They are fire retardant. As long as you stay with a reputable maker, you'll be OK. Plan on spending 300-800 here. I have the Bell M3, which is about $440. The Kart Pro is $420. My next helmet will be the Bell Dominator, which runs $745. Extremely schweeeeet. Here's a link to the Bell helmets >> http://www.helmetcity.com/helmets/bell.html#dom
Neck brace - Buy a Rector. They're about 65-70 bucks. You can buy plenty of crappy ones which are just basic donuts for 15-25 bucks, but the Rector has a "ducktail" which goes down your back and prevents your head from snapping back when you get rear ended, or if you flip the kart and land on your lid.
Gloves - MIR, Gearbox, Simpson etc... Just make sure they're for kart racing as they'll offer some additional skid protection for pavement surfing.
Shoes - You can go the budget route and use wrestling shoes if you want. You can pick up a pair for 35-45 bucks. Excellent feel, but not as much protection as a purpose built racing shoe. I use wrestling shoes when I take my car for an agressive drive, the pedal feedback is great. A good pair of driving shoes will cost you anywhere from 100 to 250 bucks. No Fear, of all people, makes an excellent shoe which runs about 140 bucks. Nicely built. Get high top style shoes as they'll protect your ankle meat better on pavement and also provide some protection if a kart hops your kart and ends up bouncing into your legs.
It's not the safest hobby you can take up, but it is a helluva lot of fun. Make sure to practice plenty before you go out and race. Then have a blast! Here's a pic of mine with a fresh Woltjer KT100 on it. Killer engine... a regular bullet!
If you've got any more questions, feel free to e-mail me direct. Good luck!
I've gotta run for now, hope the info helps!
Brad
AKA - GoKart3
bfisk@hotmail.com
Depending on how much experience you have, blah blah blah... and your budget, I'd say buy a used kart that's running in Yamaha heavy, superbox, or simlilar class. They use a Yamaha KT100 engine which has been around forever. Keep in mind that classes range in different areas of the country. A Yamaha kart with a "Can muffler" is referred to as a Superbox in my area. On a sprint track, they're good for about 60mph depending on gearing. The G forces in a kart that's set up right are awesome. You can corner at speeds that just don't seem possible, and the kart will hang in there. There are plenty of different classes, but you can get into a Yamaha can kart for about 3000 bucks used. I've got about 8000 in my kart, trailer, tools, safety gear, spares etc.... so it's real cheap as far as racing goes. Sets of tires will run you about 160 bucks. Depending on the spec tire in your series, they'll last anywhere from 1 raceday to 3. If you have an option of wet clutch instead of dry clutch, this is an area where you can save some dough as well. The dry clutches are very maintenence intensive and require fresh discs all the time. They run about 27 buck a throw, so they can add up quickly. I'd suggest the Horstman Steel Nytro clutch with a heavy spring kit in it. You'll be pretty much set up on that. Some classes have made the dry clutch illegal in order to keep costs down.
There are tons of different chassis makers out there. I drive a Trackmagic, which is an american built chassis. Because of this, the "drivers area" of the kart is a little more roomy. It's the same size as comparitive chassis in the same series, but gives the tall guys a little more room to move in. They're also VERY adjustable, and extremely well made. Some of the euro chassis are made out of thinner wall tubing and are a little bit more proned to getting "tacoed" when you wreck. I've had my kart almost all the way over, and slammed back to the pavement, as well as numerous rammings, and the chassis is still strait. Great kart.
If anyone tells you to start out in a "shifter kart", disregard the advice. They're all kinds of fun to drive, but you'll only end up with a total beater for 3 grand, if you can even find one. It's also easier to develop smooth driving skills in a clutch kart because you can spend more time worrying about line/braking/passing/etc.. instead of trying to figure out when to up/down shift. I belive it's much better to start out in a clutch kart, and if you decide you want to make a run at shifters, and you've got money to burn, give it a whirl. Also, there are alot of "Squirrels" driving shifters. LOTS of guys with more money than sense, decide they want to go out and buy a 125 shifter for their "starter" kart. Not enough skilz to pay the bills usually gets them into big trouble. Most of the guys who get ambulance rides or paralyzed, are doing it in shifters. They've developed a 125 novice class where I race just to keep theses idiots together, and away from the guys who know what they're doing. VERY dangerous IMHO. You'll find alot of guys, and an occasional chick, in classes like superbox because the karts are fast, fun, affordable to build and maintain, and the racing is so tight. A shifter kart takes an almost full time effort to maintain, and keep competitive.
SAFETY- DO NOT skimp on your safety gear. Here are the basics you need...
1) driving suit - Make sure that the suit you buy is karting specific, so that if you get spit out of the kart onto the pavement at 60, you'll have some skid proof protection. Nothing worse than road rash. MIR, Sparco, Simpson, Gearbox, all make nice suits. The Gearbox suits are nicely priced for what you get. Should be able to accomplish this within 300 bucks.
2) Helmet "AKA, Bucket or Lid" - This is the most important as it contains your melon. As they say, you put a 50 dollar head in a 50 dollar helmet. I prefer Bell helmets myself, they fit me like a glove and are very well made. Simpson also makes a nice helmet, but to me it feels like a bunch of 2x4's strapped to my head. Uncomfortable as he!!. Bieffe, Shoei, and Arai have some very nice helmets as well. If I were you, I'd buy a helmet that's "Snell 2000" endorsed, in either "SA" or "KA" rating. The KA designation is for karting. These are helmets which are designed with crashing a kart in mind. They are not fire retardant. An SA helmet will also allow you to run SCCA closed car events as well. They are fire retardant. As long as you stay with a reputable maker, you'll be OK. Plan on spending 300-800 here. I have the Bell M3, which is about $440. The Kart Pro is $420. My next helmet will be the Bell Dominator, which runs $745. Extremely schweeeeet. Here's a link to the Bell helmets >> http://www.helmetcity.com/helmets/bell.html#dom
Neck brace - Buy a Rector. They're about 65-70 bucks. You can buy plenty of crappy ones which are just basic donuts for 15-25 bucks, but the Rector has a "ducktail" which goes down your back and prevents your head from snapping back when you get rear ended, or if you flip the kart and land on your lid.
Gloves - MIR, Gearbox, Simpson etc... Just make sure they're for kart racing as they'll offer some additional skid protection for pavement surfing.
Shoes - You can go the budget route and use wrestling shoes if you want. You can pick up a pair for 35-45 bucks. Excellent feel, but not as much protection as a purpose built racing shoe. I use wrestling shoes when I take my car for an agressive drive, the pedal feedback is great. A good pair of driving shoes will cost you anywhere from 100 to 250 bucks. No Fear, of all people, makes an excellent shoe which runs about 140 bucks. Nicely built. Get high top style shoes as they'll protect your ankle meat better on pavement and also provide some protection if a kart hops your kart and ends up bouncing into your legs.
It's not the safest hobby you can take up, but it is a helluva lot of fun. Make sure to practice plenty before you go out and race. Then have a blast! Here's a pic of mine with a fresh Woltjer KT100 on it. Killer engine... a regular bullet!
If you've got any more questions, feel free to e-mail me direct. Good luck!
I've gotta run for now, hope the info helps!
Brad
AKA - GoKart3
bfisk@hotmail.com
06-03-2002, 06:23 PM
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Cool thanks.. :) No way I could get into something like that (too much money)
but I think its pretty cool and would like to go to the local indoor track for a few runs to try it out.. Thanks for answering all the questions.. Jenner still getting one???
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