Thursday, December 1, 2011

Investing In Go Kart Racing

By Owen Jones


If you want to get into some kind of motor sport, yet are absolutely appalled by the costs concerned, perhaps you have overlooked Go Kart Racing. OK, nothing is cheap anymore, yet go karting is relatively cheap in comparison with its far more expensive cousins like Formula One, Formula Drifting, NASCAR and Cross Country Rallying. You can get into go kart racing as a spectator, as an investor in a team or as a member of an active team as a mechanic or driver.

Or you could use go kart racing as a spring board into the dearer types of motor sport. You can learn a lot about driving, designing and making cars by starting with go karts. After all, the principals are basically the same, but the parts in karts are a lot cheaper.

In the rest of this piece, we will take a look at some of the components and safety aspects of go karts along with approximate typical prices.

The first thing you will have to examined is the sort of kart you would like. There are different degrees as there are in other motor sports. as a beginner, you really ought to begin with the low powered karts, because you will have to learn a great deal of new driving skills and quite a few safety rules before you move on to more highly-rated karts.

If you find the cost of a new kart a little high or if you want to leap-frog past the lower stages of karting as quickly as you can, you could think about buying a second hand kart for the first couple of stages, just buying a new one once you reach the stage of karting that you want to be at. However, do not make the mistake of trying to run before you can walk.

Entry level go karts are not expensive. For example, at the time of writing, a battery operated go kart costs about $300-$400+ whilst a petrol powered kart will cost $600-$700+

Although go karts have a very low centre of gravity so do not tip over easily, it can happen and crashes do occur so wearing the correct safety clothing is vital. Again, you could purchase a second hand set of racing safety clothes, which are in essence the same as for motorbiking, if you just want to get going on the cheap.

You will need a jacket and trousers or a one-piece jump suit; a helmet, gloves, a neck-collar and boots. This little bundle could set you back anywhere between $300 and $400, but it will save broken bones or worse, particularly in the period a couple of months after you start when you think that you know it all. Accidents occur once individuals are over confident.

You will also require a few common spare parts, a spare tyre, fuel and oil, say $250 and you are ready to take your first lessons in your own go kart. Or perhaps you would rather learn in someone else's kart first? This is not a bad idea, because it will give you some experience with different types of karts, which will help you choose which one you would like (or can afford).




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