Karting Thread

[nbarnes]

Yeah I'm pretty sure in the UK they're allowed to get out and push their karts back onto the track and restart.

In Australia as soon as you touch the ground you have to stop.

Yeah in the uk thats true to a certain extent. If the kart is in a dangerous place you have to go to a marshall post but if your quick you can get yourself going before the karts get back around.

 

[lbsf1]

Hi lbsf1,
I was at Little Rissington aswell last weekend racing 125 ICC (Gearbox). It was my first time back for 2 years and was only 4 to 5 tenths off on sunday all day. Which was pretty good since there were two lap records in my class.
Anyway you said your yearly budget is £1200, how many races do you do in a year? For us we have to travel 4 hours there and back so thats easily £100 in fuel, then fuel for the kart £40, entry and practice £90, set of tyres £150. So thats £400 without food, accomodation, engine and chassis maintenance and the initial cost of the kart etc. So surely it comes out at nearly £1000 a meeting.

Nick

12 meetings a year, most at blackbushe which is only 5 miles away so fuel to get there us negligable. My dad doesn't take what we spend on food aNd stuff like that out of the budget it's pretty much 1200 a year for spares, repairs and tyres, engine rebuilds and race entry. So pretty much everything we buy is secondhand

what chassis are you running, cause I watched some of the gearbox races and I'll try to remember who you are.

 

[Blake]

That's quite crazy. I've gone over my budget for next year in recent days and to do 16 meetings will cost between AUD13,000 and AUD20,000.

That doesn't include accommodation or the initial cost of buying the kart. I'm not competing at a particularly high level either, mostly just stuff around the Sydney area.

 

[nbarnes]

12 meetings a year, most at blackbushe which is only 5 miles away so fuel to get there us negligable. My dad doesn't take what we spend on food aNd stuff like that out of the budget it's pretty much 1200 a year for spares, repairs and tyres, engine rebuilds and race entry. So pretty much everything we buy is secondhand

what chassis are you running, cause I watched some of the gearbox races and I'll try to remember who you are.

Energykart so its blue, i was number 75. i was around 4th or 5th most of the time, i kept getting stuck behind after a bad start. Most of our stuff was secondhand apart from my current frame.

 

[nbarnes]

That's quite crazy. I've gone over my budget for next year in recent days and to do 16 meetings will cost between AUD13,000 and AUD20,000.

That doesn't include accommodation or the initial cost of buying the kart. I'm not competing at a particularly high level either, mostly just stuff around the Sydney area.

welll 20k AUD is about 12.5k GBP and we spent that much about 2 years ago and prices in the uk are rising as not as many people can afford to race so im in a similar position. that said, we did do the 3 national championships and some club racing.

 

[lbsf1]

Here guys is an onboard vid from rissy.

 

[lbsf1]

Last Saturday we went down my local track and my little bro and dad had a go in my kart.

My dad used to race 125cc back in the late 80's, so we was pretty fast, however didn't push too much because he was scared of crashing and breaking something. He was supprised on how much grip the tyres had, and how the kart had a really pronounced powerband it had no power at 4-5k but then suddenly picked up lots of power. After 2 10min his arms and neck were starting to hurt quite badly.

My little bro has only done a couple of sessions of indoor karting and after making some adjustments to the pedal reach and buying some pedal extensions. (even though he is twelve,3 years younger than me, he is only 135cm, so really needed the pedal extensions). He was abit scared however in his first session he got a 31.8 sec lap (I do 24.2's) which is decent considering he has never driven anything like this. He also managed to overtake someone down the straight.


I have some pictures on my camera, and an onboard vid of my bro driving. I'll put them up soon.

 

[gogatrs]

I swear, mother nature hates me.
I'll post more about this weekend's RMAX race on Monday.

EDIT: I am GOING to win on Sunday.

 

[Blake]

Boo. Rain. Boo. Water in engine. Boo.

 

[gogatrs]

Boo. Rain. Boo. Water in engine. Boo.

No, it poured for twenty minutes, so we put a rain set up on, then it was dry by the time the warm up lap was over.
There goes $150 on rain tires for no reason.
But I'm happy with the result of this weekend.
You guys will want to read what comes tonight...

 

[Blake]

Sorry, I wasn't talking about your weekend, lol, I was talking about mine.

I had a race in the pouring rain on Sunday and the engine (Rotax) started sputtering and not running well. I pulled the airbox apart and there was a heap of water in it, so I cleaned the carby out and the engine ran fine on the stand. But for the final (in the dry) the engine was still sputtering under load (it was fine with 10% throttle though, just under any real load it wouldn't go right).

I did about 4 or 5 laps in the final but the engine didn't clear out so I came in packed up and went home. I'm not entirely sure what's wrong but I'm hoping I just stuffed a plug. Not sure what else could be wrong..

 

[gogatrs]

You might have the wrong main jet in.
Oh no, you're in a senior so you can adjust that right on the kart, no pulling the carb apart.

Haha, we were running through four inches of standing water two weekends ago.
I also came in packed up and called it quits haha.

But I'll post about this weekend when I can post a video to go along with it.

 

[gogatrs]

Grrrr.
Looks like I won't have a video. Damn corrupted files.

So here's a recap of the weekend.
It's a regional race. All the best guys are there. The Canadian National Champion, last years regional champion, and this years US champion.
And here I come, with my three months of experience.
So we get there on Friday, get the set-up dialed in, and start knocking off tenths of my lap time.
So come race day on Saturday, I'm pretty prepared. Qualifying I go out on brand new tires. I'm stuck behind some traffic so I eventually slow down and let them go. On the next lap, I set a 1:02.78.
That's an OMFG moment as the best time I had managed all weekend was a 1:03.2 and the others had only just broken 1:03.4.
But we don't know this until right after it stops pouring.
We were just not going to go out when we learned I was on poll.
I INSISTED that we stay on a dry set up but my dad refused to listen. The track dried by the time the warm up lap was complete. There goes $150 on rain tires.
I qualify on poll and finish dead last, the only one in the field with rain tires.
So come the final, I'm back with a vengeance. Turns out the US national champion had some issues and didn't start the prefinal. So together we worked are way through the pack, nose to tail.
I must say, he's not very good at working together with people. I eventually got stuck behind a kart that did everything in it's power to keep me behind him. So eventually I got beside him and tracked out a but more than I would have normally.
I ended up finishing fifth while the guy I was working with finished third. 👍
I was pissed.

Sunday, completely new day. Yesterday's events are behind me. I qualify in third. Right where I wanted to be. Last years regional champion (fourth in the nation) was directly behind me in fifth. I say to her (yes, a female, quite attractive female at that) "I'm going to try to get Jeremy (qualified in second, US national champion) at the start. Stay on my bumper, you'll get by him too. I'll go for Gavin (pole, Canadian National champion) later in the race, if you stay on my bumper, I'll get you by too. A bit of a push at the start wouldn't hurt. " After the race she tells me that she was thinking yeah right. So I not only get Jeremy in the first turn but also Gavin. Who really gave it to me, he gave me room, I took it. Tracked out a bit more than normal, and as promised, Allie (regional champion) got by too. Eventually she ended up literally getting ran over when there was an issue with the marshals not doing their job. 👎
So I fended off Jeremy and Gavin until half way through the last lap, the throttle cable snaps. GOD DAMMMMMMMMMMIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't know that was the problem until I coasted into the pits. Had I seen that, I would have grabbed the cable and accelerated with one hand, steered with the other, and broke with my foot.

Now I was REALLY pissed. Ready to cry in fact.

But this is where I wish the camera hadn't konked out.

Started second to last in the final, Allie was behind me. At the start, Gavin I believe spun in turn one. MASS chaos. Karts locking up and spinning EVERYWHERE. Would have been quite funny to see in the video. So I weave my way through the mess. Gain about five positions when I started in 18th. Allie and I go nose to tail weaving our way through the pack all the way up to the front.
Not sure where, but somewhere along the way I lose her. Gavin must have been right with us because all of sudden he dives into a corner where I had three quarters of kart length on him. I shut the door and put him two wheels into the grass. He had no business sticking his nose in there and got a flat tire as a result of it.
So I continue fighting my way up to second and am taking chunks out of the gap between me and Jeremy who is in the lead. But I run out of laps and settle for second.
WooHoo!!!

Came in there as someone absolutely nobody knew.
I didn't race this weekend to score points, but to make a point: I mean business. Come next year, I'll be right on your tail if not in front of it.

 

[Cowboys965]

That sucks Gogatrs, I remember my dad telling me when he raced Modifieds he was winning and his accelerator broke and he got 2nd

 

[Racedude]

I don't know if this is the right thread to ask, but I have a question:
Where can I find a good basic 100 cc kart to start with, and for how much?

 

[gogatrs]

I don't know if this is the right thread to ask, but I have a question:
Where can I find a good basic 100 cc kart to start with, and for how much?

Depends on where you live, your age, size, and budget.
It's a lot more than just the kart you have to buy.

 

[Racedude]

Depends on where you live, your age, size, and budget.
It's a lot more than just the kart you have to buy.

I'm not really gonna race it, there are no sanctioning bodies for karting where I live, at least not in my state.
If age is too relevant, I'm 14. For size, I'm 5'9" tall and I weigh around 80-85 Kg, my pants are size 34, if it is of any relevance.
The reason I ask, is to make a budget, so cheap and fairly reliable is what I'm looking for.
But if I was to throw a number now, I would say very low, about $500 US Dollars. That said, maybe I should be looking for a kit, or just a chassis because my uncle knows a guy that owns a bike shop, so I could get an engine and a drivetrain from a small ATV for cheap.
I already have a helmet and a suit from my uncle, who races at the Baja, but I don't know if it would be appropriate.

 

[lbsf1]

I'm not really gonna race it, there are no sanctioning bodies for karting where I live, at least not in my state.
If age is too relevant, I'm 14. For size, I'm 5'9" tall and I weigh around 80-85 Kg, my pants are size 34, if it is of any relevance.
The reason I ask, is to make a budget, so cheap and fairly reliable is what I'm looking for.
But if I was to throw a number now, I would say very low, about $500 US Dollars. That said, maybe I should be looking for a kit, or just a chassis because my uncle knows a guy that owns a bike shop, so I could get an engine and a drivetrain from a small ATV for cheap.
I already have a helmet and a suit from my uncle, who races at the Baja, but I don't know if it would be appropriate.

If you were prepared to do some bodging then an aprrillia 125cc engine is a slightly detuned version of what I race. You might be able to fit that on a chassis if you can find a way to mount it.


I have had a look on mercadolibre (which is like the mexican ebay). However karts seem to be more expensive over there then here. The cheapest thing I have seen is this

http://vehiculo.mercadolibre.com.mx/MLM-68732970-go-kart-honda-55-_JM

But to be honest that is a piece of crap. From what I have seen you would need to spend about $2000 to get something decent (ouch). Another approach would be to go down to a practise at your local track to see if anyone was selling anything cheaper.

Apart from that just search in the internet for karts in mexico (sorry I can't really help with that). If you find one then tell us on here and we'll tell you what we think of it.

 

[Racedude]

I have had a look on mercadolibre (which is like the mexican ebay). However karts seem to be more expensive over there then here. The cheapest thing I have seen is this

http://vehiculo.mercadolibre.com.mx/MLM-68732970-go-kart-honda-55-_JM

But to be honest that is a piece of crap. From what I have seen you would need to spend about $2000 to get something decent (ouch). Another approach would be to go down to a practise at your local track to see if anyone was selling anything cheaper.

What's bad about it? Is it the chassis?
Because 4-stroke Honda engines are very reliable, and 5 HP are enough for my purposes (again, no way of racing them over here ).
What kind of chassis do you recommend?

I also found this for the same price range: (I doubt this is any better)

Also, there are no tracks on my city, apart from a 1/8 mile strip.

 

[lbsf1]

What's bad about it? Is it the chassis?
Because 4-stroke Honda engines are very reliable, and 5 HP are enough for my purposes (again, no way of racing them over here ).
What kind of chassis do you recommend?

I also found this for the same price range: (I doubt this is any better)

Also, there are no tracks on my city, apart from a 1/8 mile strip.

In that case that one would be ok then. The one you posted looks slightly better (less rust, better general condition). Those honda engines are used in the uk for the cadet class. They would probably get you to 35-40mph.

If you were going to drive at a proper track then I would suggest a newer chassis, however there is nothing "wrong" with the older chassis such as the ones you are looking at they are just kinda older.

If you are just going to be using it for fun then this one would be perfect.

Good luck, have fun. Keep us posted on how it goes, or if you have any more questions.

I also found this one. It looks like a shifter kart (I can't be sure cause I can't read the description), it costs abit more but if is so fast it would scare the crap out of you. Think 0-60mph in 4 secs, and 120mph. http://vehiculo.mercadolibre.com.mx/MLM-68640450-go-kart-mrp-shifter-seminuevo-moster-energy-_JM

 

[Racedude]

Thanks a lot for the advice. It may take me a friggin' year to get the money, but when I have it, I'll know what to look for. 👍

 

[lbsf1]

Thanks a lot for the advice. It may take me a friggin' year to get the money, but when I have it, I'll know what to look for. 👍

Good luck, remember this aswell, this is what I tell my mum when she complains about how much I spend. Karts don't depriciate that much, especially one that is 8 or so years old. So if you buy it for that price and sell it in 5 years it would still be worth 80% of the price if it still in decent condition.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

Good luck, remember this aswell, this is what I tell my mum when she complains about how much I spend. Karts don't depriciate that much, especially one that is 8 or so years old. So if you buy it for that price and sell it in 5 years it would still be worth 80% of the price if it still in decent condition.

Ain't the running cost the thing that makes Karting expensive?

 

[lbsf1]

Ain't the running cost the thing that makes Karting expensive?

Yes it is expensive, in running costs, however alot of that is buying spares, of which you end up accumulating, we have spent roughly £4500 buying the kart and in running cost in the past 2 years, and could probably sell all my stuff for about £3000. So its expensive however you can recoup some of the money.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

Yes it is expensive, in running costs, however alot of that is buying spares, of which you end up accumulating, we have spent roughly £4500 buying the kart and in running cost in the past 2 years, and could probably sell all my stuff for about £3000. So its expensive however you can recoup some of the money.

Is the £4500 include buying and running the kart for 2 years? Does that include tyres? If so that seems very cheap.

 

[TommyWizard]

Just a question guys.

I was karting several months ago now, I have no intrest yet in starting to kart or that but I had a pretty scary "incident" that shocked me and my friends on the track.

Basically we went to this place to race on twin engine outdoor karts. Now a few minutes into the first session of practice I had slowed down just a touch into the only corner you needed to brake at. The kart handled normally, but within a split second the thing bobbed badly twice and the next thing I know the right front wheel begins shaking loose before detaching. It shot up the outside of my leg and I was able to catch it with my Elbow and hold it into my torso while braking like I'd ran over a dog.

What the **** caused that? The nut was found not too far away from when it first happened. Just a real eye opener, was it a dodgy axel, a dodgy karting place or just pure bad luck on my part?

Just thankful it was more serious and it wasn't one of the lady friends we had up on one lol.

 

[gogatrs]

It probably just wasn't torqued down enough.

 

[lbsf1]

Just a question guys.

I was karting several months ago now, I have no intrest yet in starting to kart or that but I had a pretty scary "incident" that shocked me and my friends on the track.

Basically we went to this place to race on twin engine outdoor karts. Now a few minutes into the first session of practice I had slowed down just a touch into the only corner you needed to brake at. The kart handled normally, but within a split second the thing bobbed badly twice and the next thing I know the right front wheel begins shaking loose before detaching. It shot up the outside of my leg and I was able to catch it with my Elbow and hold it into my torso while braking like I'd ran over a dog.

What the **** caused that? The nut was found not too far away from when it first happened. Just a real eye opener, was it a dodgy axel, a dodgy karting place or just pure bad luck on my part?

Just thankful it was more serious and it wasn't one of the lady friends we had up on one lol.

Hmmn, that is very strange. Did you try to get your money back for the session because of the incident?

Hmmn a similar accident happened to a mate of mine at whilton mill in his kart after he hit a kerb. I don't think it could be the nut on torqued on enough because on mine atleast they don't need to be torqued up, there is a ridge on the stub axle that stops it coming off, and it never even gets loose atall. My guess could be that either the stub axle failed, or the hub holding the wheel to the stub axle sheered a bolt causing the bounce when it came slightly loose, and the added stress on the others caused them to fail thus causing the wheel to come off.

Do you remember if it was only the wheel that came off or was there the hub still attached to the rim. That would decide which of the two above it was.


Anyway hope it didn't deter you too much from karting, and at least your ok.

Is the £4500 include buying and running the kart for 2 years? Does that include tyres? If so that seems very cheap.

That is the amount of stuff that my dad put on our budget sheet, that includes everything accept fuel and occasional small spares. With them you could push it up too about £5000.


We kart on a shoestring budget so tyres are second hand, spares are ussually secondhand, and the such, we only race once a month. We have the smallest budget on the grid pretty much wherever we race, however still manage to be competitive and that was our aim from the start, we knew we wouldn't win but aslong as we are in the midfield we are happy, and try to push for podium positions and try to beat other in points of the season.

 

[TommyWizard]

Cheers for the responce!

I ended up changing the karts and winning overall so I was pleased enough lol. 20 quid voucher for next time we showed up was a good gesture

Im pretty sure the Hub was still attached to the wheel. Of course we all laughed it off and I insisted it was sheer speed that caused it lol. No motorsport is in my blood, I'd never pass up a chance to go karting!

 

[lbsf1]

Cheers for the responce!

I ended up changing the karts and winning overall so I was pleased enough lol. 20 quid voucher for next time we showed up was a good gesture

Im pretty sure the Hub was still attached to the wheel. Of course we all laughed it off and I insisted it was sheer speed that caused it lol. No motorsport is in my blood, I'd never pass up a chance to go karting!

Hub still on the wheel would suggest the stub axle failed then, or if it was an older kart with a circlip to hold the wheel nut that might have failed then.

But your story of it being cause you were to fast sounds very plausible.

Well done for winning though.