ABOUT KARTING

How it all began.....

History has it that sometime in 1956 Art Ingels welded up some scrap tubing, installed a seat and steering wheel, bolted on a West Bend lawn mower engine, put the whole mess on four tiny wheels and promptly invented the go-kart. At the time Ingels was working for Frank Kurtis, builder of the Kurtis Champ Car Roadsters for the Indy 500. The little engine was lying in a corner of the shop, and Ingels figured he could put it to use by building a little motorized cart that would help him get around the pits and garage area.

What he ended up with was a small racer that could reach 30 miles per hour on only 2 1/2 horsepower while zipping around corners like a mechanical rabbit at a dog racing track. Everyone who tried the contraption came away amazed at how much fun scooting around with your butt 2 inches off the ground and your nervous system plugged directly into the steering gear could be. And since most of these people were motorsport enthusiasts and tinkerers, it wasn't long before Ingels had company racing around the empty Penzoil cans in the back parking lot.

From there things just snowballed, and karting was born. From a curiosity, it evolved into a bona fide racing machine. The karting kraze spread quickly across North America as the California based car magazines like Car Craft, Rod & Custom and Hot Rod started featuring kart coverage. Karters in BC got together and started racing at shopping center parking lots in places like Newton and formed the BC Go Kart Association. They built their first track on Fell Avenue in Burnaby just north of Hastings Street. A few years later the Westwood Karting Association was formed with a new track and eventually replaced the BCGCA when the Fell Avenue track was closed in 1963.

Soon enough karting crossed the Atlantic to Europe where devotion to the sport now borders on fanaticism. In most countries karting has become a recognized and important part of the auto racing hierarchy, often the first step in the building of a successful racing career. It has its own tracks, world championships, factory drivers and big time sponsors.

Kart Racing today is unarguably the least expensive form of motorsport, but don't let the size of the vehicle or the smaller price tag fool you, racing karts have the gut wrenching, nail biting excitement of full size open wheel racing. Adrenaline is a key component of kart racing, get into a kart and you will get your share.

Although scaled down in terms of speed and complexity, karting compares favorably with Formula 1 and other forms of car racing in terms of on-track feel. Because kart racing is similar to F1, most F1 drivers get their start in karts. Drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Scott Pruett, Kevin Harvick, Fernando Alonzo and Rubens Barrichello all got their start as karting champions and many race karts in the off season to keep their skills sharp.

Almost anyone 8 years or older can race karts, it's common to see entire families racing on a weekend. There are a variety of classes based on age, weight of kart and driver combined, type of motor and experience.

Karts indeed have a lot going for them; they are relatively inexpensive, mechanically simple, easily stored and transported and are readily adapted to drivers of different ages, driving abilities, sexes and visions of grandeur. Kart racing enjoys a very enviable reputation for safety and is widely recognized as a driver's sport, with intense battles and heated dicing throughout the pack more the norm than the exception. It offers more pure, down to earth driving fun for the dollar than any other form of racing.

What about the machines?

Just as in Formula and other types of racing, there are many different types of karts, with different racing classes to accommodate them. In Canada the national organizing body "ASN Canada FIA" sets standards for race classes that member clubs follow. Individual clubs may also offer their own "local option" classes to suit their membership.Our club is focused on the following kart Classes.

Junior one (from 8 to 12 years old) using 6.5 hp four stroke utility engines with carburetor restrictor plates to limit power. Junior one has an affordable price tag utilizing reliable low stressed motors and clutches. These karts provide 8 to 12 year olds the opportunity to learn what racing is all about.

Junior two (from 11 to 15 years old), again with the 6.5 hp engine but unrestrtcted. Junior two rules permit moderate performance engines (7 to 10 hp). This class provides an opportunity to develop racing skills in a higher performance kart with speeds comparable to those in the senior classes.

Junior TAG (from 13 to 15 years old), uses 125 cc two stroke racing engines. Racers in this class must have prior experience in Junior one or two. These engines are restricted to produce about 18 hp.

Senior Formula C200  (15 years old and up) Uses the 6.5 hp four stroke utility engines that are commonly known as clones of the Honda 6.5 hp design. The engines are prepared for racing and as such produce about 10 hp. Engine work is limited by the rules to basic operations that can easily be perfomed by the shade tree mechanic.The concept here is much the same as Art Ingels’ and other karting pioneers, that of providing a racing experience with the thrills, excitement, and intensity of wheel to wheel competition with a maximum of simplicity and at minimum cost. The racing is as close as any you'll find and the learning curve is flat enough that first year karters can challenge the veterans and see success.

Senior TAG (15 and up), and Masters (over 40) Uses 125 cc racing engines like Rotax, ROK, Leopard and others. These engines are in the 28 to 30 hp range.

Senior Shifter (15 and up), uses  80 cc or 125 cc two stroke engines with gearboxes. Engines may be motocross motorcycle type or exclusive kart racing type. Power is up to about 40 hp. Racers must have prior kart racing experience to race in this class.

The total weight for a kart and driver will range from 235 lb to 295 lb for the junior and 320 to 350 lb for light senior classes with the heavier class groups ranging from 350 to 400 lb. The karts themselves usually weigh in at about 135 lb for a junior chassis and about 140 to 170 lb for senior chassis. Ballast (usually lead) may be used to optimize combined weight for specific classes.

As karting progressed from its infancy, racing as is its nature, began developing in two major areas, engines and tires. While engines progressed from utility models and converted chain saw engines to models configured for karting by companies like McCulloch and West Bend in the 1960’s, to engines designed exclusively for karts by Rotax, IAME, and others in the 1970’s the costs steadily rose along with the horsepower. One attempt to create an economy class in the mid 60"s was the "Bushing" class. This class required the engine to have a plain bearing con rod and a retail price tag of $69.95US. At that time the Canadian Dollar was worth more than the US$. However it didn't last.

In the late 1970’s many clubs started racing 5 HP 4 cycle utility engines in junior and then in senior classes. The IKF and WKA then developed National classes around the 5 HP Briggs & Stratton engine. In Canada many of the kart clubs were using the 5 HP Honda (G200) engine. These engines offer low initial cost, relatively low maintenance to keep in competitive form and parts availability everywhere. The accessories required to convert these engines to race are also simpler and lower cost. Clutches are usually dry drum type as opposed to multi-disk oil bath, and exhaust headers are simple tubes with small mufflers instead of expansion chambers. In recent years by switching from Honda to Clone engines the costs have been further reduced. A 6.5 hp clone engine oftgen sells for as low as $100. The clone engines have proven to be quite reliable when well maintained and are lasting several seasons in most cases.

Racing costs are kept in check in the 4 cycle classes by limiting fuel to Regular Pump Gas and tires to long life "SL" rubber compounds. As tire manufacturers have developed higher grip tires, chassis builders have responded with more robust chassis to cope with the higher cornering forces. By limiting tire compounds for 4 cycle karts many of the older chassis that are no longer competitive in 2 cycle may still be very competitive in 4 cycle classes. Purpose built 4 cycle chassis are also available and are almost always a little cheaper than a comparable 2 cycle chassis.

Dollars and Sense. How much money are we talking about?...

Approximate costs for competitive race ready 4 cycle karts are $1000 to $2000 used and $2500 to $5000 for new equipment.

Pre-owned karts: Between $2,800 and $4000 can get you a competitive two cycle kart. A shifter kart will cost about $5,000 to $8,000.

New karts: A two stroke kart will range from $7,500 to $9,500 depending on the chassis / engine combination. A shifter kart will cost about $10,000.

Personal safety gear required (helmet, suit, rib protector, gloves and high to shoes) will run about $600 if you need it all.

Give it a try, you'll be hooked!                             Revised September, 2012
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