After having a go in my friends 320i race car and thoroughly enjoying it, the prospect of low level motorsport became a little closer but after looking further, despite being offered a drive, the start up costs (license / kit) and potential maintenance of the car still sends a little shiver down my spine. He is competing in the PBMWC.co.uk and had a pretty slow start with the first race last weekend, which he was very disappointed with and seems his car is way off the pace, or he is

Anyway, some other friends are getting into karting and i bit the bullet on the weekend and bought a rolling chassis to get started. It's a Tony Kart Redspeed chassis with all OTK parts and bits and to say I am impressed is an understatement and I've not even got an engine or sat in it yet! It's here in my shed looking very shiny (is a new chassis and lots of new parts) and appealing.

All I need is to find an engine, get some tyres on the rims and fill the tank. Clay Pigeon circuit is 60 miles from me and it's £40 for a practise day!

With 3 of us all running similar karts, we can throttle back the fastest to make us competitive and have a great day out for under £100 in a kart worth around £500. Racing is not much more expensive if you just want to take part, of course if you want to win, you can spend an awful lot, but it seems my motorsport itch may have been scratched for the time being!

Anyone here into karting?

 

Ninjadave is involved in a series, have a search for his posts and you'll find something.

Good luck!

 

Hey Phil

It's great you are getting into Karting, it is an awesome form of motorsport and has forced me to properly learn how to drive at the same time.

Good to know you are near Clay. I've raced there once last year and is a very quick track, not massively technically but an easy track to get into a rhythm on and good for practising braking from high speeds and there are 2 heavy braking zones.

I currently race in a championship called Club 100 where we essentially hire the karts so I don't know too much about different kart types and set up. We race Birrel chasis with a TKM extreme direct drive engine (no clutch and have to be push started). I also do a few non MSA Rotax max races locally but once again just hire a kart off of a team and turn up. Being an owner driver is something that I am interested in and am only doing a half season this year so I can do a few track days in the S2000 and hopefully look at options to run and buy something next year.

You are spot on with your attitude towards it in regards it's a bit of cheap fun and you may want to compete at a later date, unfortunately even at non MSA events there are still people who turn up with multiple engines, qualifying tyres and new race chassis every year and it is hard to compete against that but it all about the fun and since in Club 100 you get what you are given and they are to a surprisingly good and consistent standard then I am fine with being beaten by people who are better than me since we are all in the same kart. I do still have a range of excuses as to why I don't win and don't put it all down to my lack of talent

What engine type are you looking at installing? TKM, Rotax? You going into gearbox classes? Are you looking at data logging or timing equipment?

Give me a shout if you have any questions and if I can't answer them then I will be able to find someone who can.

Have fun

 

Oh and Dixon used to run a Rotax kart I think and offered me a go which I have never taken him up on so maybe get in touch with him as he will know more about karts and mechanical stuff than I ever will

 

Getting a rolling chassis like you have is a great way of doing it there such good value.

Defiantly go rotax big grids all over the country easy to set up low maintenance reliable and very quick.

 

cheers guys, good to hear I am not the only one! My chassis was a bit of a bargain it seems at £300 (it's been r-eframed an never used, seat holes never seen a bolt and no engine mount even fitted), it's very shiny! The chap I bought from was clearing out space and it was a kart he used to mechanic for a chap who has since retired.

I am looking for a TKM (115cc) direct drive and hoping I get one with a few hours left for around £300, perhaps optimistic, but I'm in no rush really, although keen to get out in it!

We'll probably just stick to practice days for the time being and see how it goes. I didn't really research it that much to be honest as my friends are getting involved, I just followed their lead really and now I have a rolling chassis in my shed!

The Club100 sounds like a good option though, out of interest, what do you pay for a 'drive'?

Thanks for the heads up on Dixon, I'll perhaps drop him a note, see if he has a TKM motor knocking around or a trolley, I need one of them too!

 

Club 100 has a £40 membership fee and roughly around £155 per race fee, I think. We run TKM direct drive the same as you are looking at. We have a race at Clay on 16th June so you could go down and have a look and chat to a few people, unfortunately it is one that I am not doing. A lot of people think it is expensive, yes it is in a way but I don't have to turn up over a whole weekend and camp/book a hotel for a race wkend, dont buy and repair/maintain a kart, don't have to have a van or trailer and don't have to find somewhere to keep it. Yes I can't test locally when I want to but I don't really have the time anyway so it suits me, also since I haven't had to spend a load of money on the kart and gear it means I don't feel like I have to race every race meeting so I can still have weekends to myself.

In your previous experience have you driven a direct drive kart before? Only asking as you had better get very good at pushing the things as they are quite hard to start by yourself, at club 100 we have pusher karts to help if you spin out so you don't have to push. If out by yourself in yours try not to spin at the bottom of a hill.

If you don't get your kart running by June then you could go along to the Club 100 practise (no membership required) on the Fri (14th) before the event, it is pricey at £135 for an hour but it will give you an experience of the type of engine beforehand and either confirm that is what you want or look towards a touch and go type engine set up.

Keep us upto date and post some pictures if you get chance. Oh and I will blame you if the missus asks why I'm suddenly looking at buying one after saying I wouldn't

 

The guys are running direct drive so I kind of know what I am in for and if we are all in the same boat then should be ok. I'm away from mid May to mid June so wont be around for the above, but thanks for the kind offer, I'll certainly be along to Clay at some point this summer, whether in my own kart or one of my friends I don't know yet.

I can see your point of view on the Club100, it's not so much the cost of the kart (say £6-800 all in), or 3-5 races, it is as you say the storage, maintenance etc, but something I want to get involved in so we will see. Also, if I get bored or decide it's not for me, I can sell it all on as the second hand market seems pretty strong, even though prices of used are WAY WAY below anything new.

Here are a few pics of the toy;




stored in the 'office'

 

I may have just started looking on ebay for a kart now.



If I dont move to London this year it may be a fun hobby to take up.

 

I am up in Whilton Mill testing tomorrow in Rotax Max with the Kart provided and setup by Professional race team, I have gone back to Professional Kart team again and probably going back to full time Kart racing.

My Tony Kart with Rotax Max engine might be up for sale, that is a 2006 chassis with alot of new parts and spares inc a kart trailer. If I go back to Professional Kart racing then I won't be using my own kart anymore. So if you need anything just let me know, I have probably everything you need.