How to get in to go-karting?
Discussion
Morning all!
The title kind of gives away my question, but to cut a very long story short....for years now I've attended go-karting stuff. Whether it's mini-events (owner's clubs for example), generic entrance events (anyone turns up), and I have always [without fail] done very well. When I've had the opportunity to race along side (what I would call) 'proper go-karters', I have always contested well with them - and in fact yesterday I got pole position over and above some (apparently) tasty drivers.
Anyway, that's enough bigging myself up. That's not the purpose of this thread. Where I am going with this is that I always have wondered if I am actually any good, or has it always been luck. So I've wanted to 'test' myself to see if I do have the minerals and could, perhaps, confidently enter a championship and do well.
I would like to understand what the best thing to do would be. Buy a cheap kart and enter a cheap series? Perhaps run a season of hire-kart championships at my local track?
So, the question, what does the PH consensus think on where to go next?
Appreciate your thoughts, people
Tony
The title kind of gives away my question, but to cut a very long story short....for years now I've attended go-karting stuff. Whether it's mini-events (owner's clubs for example), generic entrance events (anyone turns up), and I have always [without fail] done very well. When I've had the opportunity to race along side (what I would call) 'proper go-karters', I have always contested well with them - and in fact yesterday I got pole position over and above some (apparently) tasty drivers.
Anyway, that's enough bigging myself up. That's not the purpose of this thread. Where I am going with this is that I always have wondered if I am actually any good, or has it always been luck. So I've wanted to 'test' myself to see if I do have the minerals and could, perhaps, confidently enter a championship and do well.
I would like to understand what the best thing to do would be. Buy a cheap kart and enter a cheap series? Perhaps run a season of hire-kart championships at my local track?
So, the question, what does the PH consensus think on where to go next?
Appreciate your thoughts, people
Tony
You could try www.club100.co.uk they do arrive & drive championships. Racing at tracks all over the country and as they provide all the karts the emphasis is on driving talent rather than how much money you can spend to make your kart faster.
Club 100 is a very good choice, I won a free test day and race meeting with them in a competition a few months back. All the karts are identical in terms of power but each one handles differently as there all build by hand.
Your best bet is to do a season of hire/arrive and drive and then go from there. Its one thing turning up to race in a kart prepped for you, its quite another when you prep the kart yourself!
Your best bet is to do a season of hire/arrive and drive and then go from there. Its one thing turning up to race in a kart prepped for you, its quite another when you prep the kart yourself!
club 100 is very good. Going to different circuits might not be ideal though as you have to learn each one etc. There are loads of outdoor tracks in Kent and one must run an arrive and drive championship so I would recommend trying one of those. You get to learn the circuit if nothing else.
I bought a 100cc two stroke purely for fun and loved it, most hire karts wil be four stroke prokarts which lack the same driving characteristics but are almost as much fun.
www.karting.co.uk has details on all the classes etc and a very good second hand classifieds page.
I bought a 100cc two stroke purely for fun and loved it, most hire karts wil be four stroke prokarts which lack the same driving characteristics but are almost as much fun.
www.karting.co.uk has details on all the classes etc and a very good second hand classifieds page.
First step is to buy Karting magazine from WH Smiths. There is an excellent classified section in the back.
I would look at what you can buy for your budget and decide which series to enter.
One cheap way of going about it is to buy a cheap yet fast kart and turn up to practice sessions at say Rye House or Tilbury. It's you against the clock, you learn about the kart, have a bit of fun, and you get as much track time as you can take.
When you know what you are doing, i.e. know how to change tyre pressures to suit conditions, adjust track widths and bumper settings (bumpers are like anti roll bars) and can set the seat not so you fit but where it is best for handling, then you can think about how to set up the carb and the gearing.
Then and only then should you race.
I did the above and bought a gearbox kart (125 Nat) and ran a 250 E. That was fast. I wanted to race3 regularly so I got a 100 TKM which is painfully slow but competitive. I think you need to ask yourself what is most important, and to use an analogy it's like winning a donkey race or competing in a proper race on a real racehorse where you know your racehorse hasn't got as good a bloodline and the best you can do is come in 4th. Or Formula Ford versus Formula One.
I'd go along to a practice session and see what is going on, and ask a few questions of the people there. Karting has a generally friendly bunch, might as well get their opinion on what the best options are.
I would look at what you can buy for your budget and decide which series to enter.
One cheap way of going about it is to buy a cheap yet fast kart and turn up to practice sessions at say Rye House or Tilbury. It's you against the clock, you learn about the kart, have a bit of fun, and you get as much track time as you can take.
When you know what you are doing, i.e. know how to change tyre pressures to suit conditions, adjust track widths and bumper settings (bumpers are like anti roll bars) and can set the seat not so you fit but where it is best for handling, then you can think about how to set up the carb and the gearing.
Then and only then should you race.
I did the above and bought a gearbox kart (125 Nat) and ran a 250 E. That was fast. I wanted to race3 regularly so I got a 100 TKM which is painfully slow but competitive. I think you need to ask yourself what is most important, and to use an analogy it's like winning a donkey race or competing in a proper race on a real racehorse where you know your racehorse hasn't got as good a bloodline and the best you can do is come in 4th. Or Formula Ford versus Formula One.
I'd go along to a practice session and see what is going on, and ask a few questions of the people there. Karting has a generally friendly bunch, might as well get their opinion on what the best options are.
AWRacing said:
Part of being a good driver is being able to learn tracks quickly. I dont see the point of doing a whole championship on one circuit because as soon as you want to move up the ladder your stuffed. You wont have the necessary skills to learn a track within a couple of laps.
i quite agreee but fail to see the point in wasting half of ones budget for the season in petrol costs driving from Kent to say Three Sisters....
Hi everyone.
Does anybody know if there are any organisations like club 100 based in the north of england/north wales? I'm looking to take part in an arrive and drive championship as a first championship in go karting to see how I get on, but I can't find anything closer to home for me (Cheshire)!
I'd be really grateful for any advice/help/ideas anyone has!
Thankyou
Does anybody know if there are any organisations like club 100 based in the north of england/north wales? I'm looking to take part in an arrive and drive championship as a first championship in go karting to see how I get on, but I can't find anything closer to home for me (Cheshire)!
I'd be really grateful for any advice/help/ideas anyone has!
Thankyou
Stupid question no1.
Have you looked at Buckmore park? (top of bluebell hill) for Kent based kart fun.
www.buckmore.co.uk
they do sprint and enduro championships for hire karts.
I've been up there for quite abit of hire-Kart stuff but not a championship yet. The championship rounds have weight classes above and below 85kg
Apparently getting brand new karts in spring, (i'm tempted with the idea also after a recent open session)
Have you looked at Buckmore park? (top of bluebell hill) for Kent based kart fun.
www.buckmore.co.uk
they do sprint and enduro championships for hire karts.
I've been up there for quite abit of hire-Kart stuff but not a championship yet. The championship rounds have weight classes above and below 85kg
Apparently getting brand new karts in spring, (i'm tempted with the idea also after a recent open session)
Daytona have recently launched a really good arrive and drive 2 stroke champs - called Daytona Max
Looks pretty good value and the karts are all brand new and very quick
http://www.daytonamax.co.uk/
Another ex-club 100 driver here, gotta be the way to go even if you only do one test and a race to try it out. Club 100 is the closest form of racing I have driven in with levels of ability up and down the grid. If you are having a bad day there will someone to race against, if you are getting quicker there will be plenty of people to test yourself against.
Stop reading and get on the phone to Club 100!!
Nick
Stop reading and get on the phone to Club 100!!
Nick
I started karting when I was 13, did 4 seasons and moved onto tin tops when I was 17. All my karting was done at Three Sisters. Started off in a 100cc TKM, then moved onto Junior Intercontinental A (or JICA), then finished off in a championship called Piston Port (senior version of JICA), again 100cc. You cant compare the 100cc and ProKarts, to me the ProKarts were crap, no noise and far too heavy (although that was a good thing in the wet). Try a 100cc first and you will see what I mean, 18,000 rpm, and very noisey!
I'm hoping to get into Club100 for next season. I used to race TKM years ago - can anyone with experience of running TKM privately and driving club100 comment on performance differential i.e I'm assuming that club100 run much lower tuning on their engines but are they much slower than say, Super1 level?
I had a go at racing rotax max's a couple of years ago and was generally advised that a year of 4 stroke karting (pro-karts) would have been a good idea as it was not ideal to jump straight into rotax racing.
Really enjoyed the racing although wasn't very good as there's seam to be a hell of a lot for a novice to pick up with regards to jetting the engine and setting up the chassis, which in all honesty I never got to fully understand.
It's also very addictive and even now when I walked pasted the kart shop at Buckmore park on the way to a corporate event I knew i shouldn't go in as I'd end up buying another one.
One thing to take into account if your thinking of buying ans racing your own kart is budget, its far from cheap, I don't think it was much cheaper than racing my 205 gti as the consumables such as tyres, chains, sprockets etc don't very long.
Really enjoyed the racing although wasn't very good as there's seam to be a hell of a lot for a novice to pick up with regards to jetting the engine and setting up the chassis, which in all honesty I never got to fully understand.
It's also very addictive and even now when I walked pasted the kart shop at Buckmore park on the way to a corporate event I knew i shouldn't go in as I'd end up buying another one.
One thing to take into account if your thinking of buying ans racing your own kart is budget, its far from cheap, I don't think it was much cheaper than racing my 205 gti as the consumables such as tyres, chains, sprockets etc don't very long.
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