This past weekend, I went to a kart track called Pat's Acres (near Portland, Oregon) with a group from the Pacific Northwest owners forum. We had an absolute blast. So much so that I'm now thinking of getting into the scene. Karting seems to represent an almost ideal way of getting into wheel-to-wheel racing -- and much easier/cheaper than getting an SCCA license and modifying my car (any more than it's already been modified!). It's less risky to man and machine; more immediate; physically more demanding; equally thrilling; more convenient; and a whole lot cheaper. Before heading out to buy a new Rotax kart (which I am inclined to do), however, I wanted to solicit some advice. Everyone seems to like the Rotax class (and the fact that the engines are sealed seems to keep the costs down). But is this the right class for me? If so, where should I go to buy a kart? Should I buy new or used? What about other equipment, kart features or mods (if applicable), and accessories? Any and all feedback is welcome, as I know nothing about the scene. It just seems promising.

All the best,
CB
_________________
C. Bender
2001 Silver/Black
AEM EMS, Fuel Pressure Regulator, and Wideband O2 Sensor; RC Engineering 550 Injectors; Turbonetics TO4B 60:1 Ball Bearing Turbo; Tial 46mm Wastegate and 50mm Blowoff Valve; Holly 250 Forced Induction Fuel Pump; GReddy EGT and Boost Warning Gauges; Auto Meter Oil Temperature Sensor; CM 6" Remote Canister Oil Filter with Stainless Steel Lines; Cusco Oil Catch Can; Upgraded Oil Bolts; Clutchmaster Stage 3 Clutch; Toda Lightweight Flywheel; C&R Custom Radiator with Integrated Oil Cooler; Mugen Thermostat and Fan Switch; Speedcraft Front Mounted Intercooler, Mandrel Bent Tubing, 3" Down Pipe, and 3" Stainless Exhaust; A'PEXi N1 Mufflers; Elda Engineering Rollbar; Recaro SPG Competition Seat; Sparco 3" Six Point Harness; Spoon X-Brace; HeCash Brake Ducting; Competch Stainless Steel Brake Lines; WorkMeister S2R 18" Wheels; Lucid's Front and Rear Speakers; 2002 Stereo Head Unit; Rick's Front Badge; JDM Clear Side Markers and Shaved Badges; Muz Shift Knob; Uber Cool Nurburgring Decal

 

Try posting the same question to sccaforums.com if you don't get many responses here; it's still not a karting forum, but there are probably more karting-savvy people there than here...

Steve

 

I have to disagree on this point. You may have less to risk if your kart is damaged, but hitting a tire wall at 80 mph in a kart when you have no protection other than your helmet and a tube frame sounds very risky. Not trying to discourage you by any means, but there are definately higher risks of bodily injury associated with karting that your should seriously consider.

 

Chris- PM sent

for others that may be interested, check out ekartingnews for a great source of info. I think of that site as the S2Ki of karting (but of course not as great)

I jumped ship into a 125 shifterkart this year. Anyone looking for an '00 S2k with 17k miles, Gendron, Konis, hitch and spare wheels?

 

Steve: great suggestion. I'll do that. Thank you.

Asura: I hear you. I was really simply contrasting "typical off-track excursions" -- where it's easy to do a few thousand dollars of damage to the car without blinking an eye. Obviously, the "catostrophic" events in a kart are pretty serious, and you're right that they merit consideration.

VMB: Cool site. Thanks for your PM. I'll respond shortly.

CB

Best,
CB

 

I have a Rotax and it is great fun. You can compete in Rotax Max challenge or Touch and Go class which groups all of the 125 cc with push button starters together. There is also Rotax RM1 which is a 2 speed kart that is slight more $$ to run, but much faster. Karting is a great way to learn to drive and setup. It is still expensive to run. about $140 for a set of tires, and to be competitive you'd probably need a fresh set each race. you go thru gears, chains, plugs, and of course axles and chassis when you go off. Nothing is very expensive, but lots of stuff. Most racers will have 2 karts or more and chassis ages, so sponsored racers only run a few races on a chassis before going to a new one. (This is where you can buy the used on from the racer with some discount.) Lots of people break bones racing karts...typically ribs, collar bones...

I've improved my car lap times since I've started karting.

Terry

 

I've said my Opinion on Karting and Improving driving skills and I realize that the world thinks I'm wrong. But I'll just say, I'm selling my 125cc shifter Because I noticed my lap times in the S2K go slower after a weekend of driving the kart. Yet weekends driving Celica's, Altima's, 240sx's miata's etc i keep getting faster. I noticed the same problem when I started doing track days. My Autox's started to SUCK. Sooo if Autox were any easier they'd call it road racing.
On that note Screw the fact that I get slower, I'm building a Track S2K soon as mine sells.

 

Ian- it's kinda ironic what you said. Last weekend I drove my kart for the first time, not holding back anything. I was hanging on for dear life, countersteering and rotating with the throttle- kinda like how you drive the S! It actually made me think of you. While I'm not anywhere near the same league as you are, I found the S much more tame

-Vic

 

My advice, DO IT.

It is a total blast, I drive a 125 shifter and it is like no experience I have ever had. The feeling of speed is unbelievable as your hind end is a quarter inch off the ground while you are ripping through corners well over 2 G's. I started last year so I am still pretty slow (2 seconds off the pace) but the enjoyment is immense.
I think you got most of the points correctly except it being safer. While it is not as dangerous as motorcycle racing, it is probably more dangerous than auto racing. Because they are open wheel, karts can flip and your head is the roll bar. I am not trying to scare you but just let you know of some of the dangers. Hitting a wall is not a lot of fun either as there are not a lot of crumple zones.
You are going to go through a lot of tires (depending on the spec that the track runs), fuel, and oil. Beyond that it is just normal wear and tear items, find yourself a good kart shop who can help with questions and you will be fine. The nice part of running the Rotax is that it is direct drive which can really help your learn to be smooth. As I am sure you experienced, karts are very sensitive and being smooth is quite important. A Rotax will allow you to concentrate on the driving while still giving you quite a sensation of speed.
What chassis do you plan on getting? Are you going to buy a turn key or build it yourself?

Good luck with the decision, I know I enjoy mine.

Kevin

 

Sorry, I missed some of your post.

I would go new because used karts are usually pretty beat up. Just my experience. As for mods, get a good timing system to keep track of your progress. I like AIM http://www.aim-sportsystems.com/ If you are running lots of different tracks you will need different gears and you might need jets to make the engine run better (I do not know about Rotax, but my engine requires them). As for where to buy one, I would go to the closest track and ask around. As with cars, there are some shady dealers and others who are great, talk to people who are running the Rotax and ask around. While there, check out the Rotax class which is running and make sure that there are actually people who run it a lot. At the track I go to most often there are very few people who run Rotax, most are shifter or HPV which means the heats for Rotax do not run or have three karts for a race.
Your best bet is to travel to the tracks you are going to be running at and simply ask around, those people will have the best local knowledge about the class and dealers.

Hope my ramblings where some help


Kevin