Discussion
Evening
Does anyone here do it... or have any opinions?
I went up to Kaitoke on Sunday to have a look at their club day racing program.. It looked fast and fun. The competitors were friendly and eager to talk about their sport. One even offered me a drive of a Rotax 125cc kart if I was still there at the end of the day, but sadly I had to go meet someone. Maybe next time.
Anyway it ocurred to me that I could buy all the stuff to be moderatly competative for less than the cost of knocking a corner off my Caterham.. plus there is racing almost every weekend somewhere within reach of Welly.
I have enjoyed driving put-put carts on indoor circuits with a storming 6hp.. the Rotax churns out 28hp so must feel pretty full on! Handling looks more than entertaining.
Anyone got any advice before I dive in and buy a used kart??
Does anyone here do it... or have any opinions?
I went up to Kaitoke on Sunday to have a look at their club day racing program.. It looked fast and fun. The competitors were friendly and eager to talk about their sport. One even offered me a drive of a Rotax 125cc kart if I was still there at the end of the day, but sadly I had to go meet someone. Maybe next time.
Anyway it ocurred to me that I could buy all the stuff to be moderatly competative for less than the cost of knocking a corner off my Caterham.. plus there is racing almost every weekend somewhere within reach of Welly.
I have enjoyed driving put-put carts on indoor circuits with a storming 6hp.. the Rotax churns out 28hp so must feel pretty full on! Handling looks more than entertaining.
Anyone got any advice before I dive in and buy a used kart??
I used to Kart for a couple of years in my teens, about 12 years ago in the KT100 class. These are still going but the 125cc Rotax class is now the national championship class so if I got back into it I'd be inclined to go that way.
I'm not 100% sure about costs of Rotax karts but a full new setup will cost you about $9k +spares +attire, then you'll need a trailer etc so you could sink $15-$20k easily to buy a brand new competetive kit out of the box.
Best thing to do is buy a secondhand kart that's 3-4 years old. Every year the top-level karters change their chassis to stay competetive and through sponsorship so there'll be plenty of 3-4 year old ones for around the $3k mark (usually including some spares). While you'll not have the newest gear, you'll still be current enough to be comepetetive and learn your way.
Running costs vary from about $1200 to $4000 per season, depending on how many meets you do and how much stuff you break.
It's a great sport and well worth doing, I intend to get back into it someday as it teaches you racecraft that you'll NEVER get to learn in a car unless you're mega-rich.
I'm not 100% sure about costs of Rotax karts but a full new setup will cost you about $9k +spares +attire, then you'll need a trailer etc so you could sink $15-$20k easily to buy a brand new competetive kit out of the box.
Best thing to do is buy a secondhand kart that's 3-4 years old. Every year the top-level karters change their chassis to stay competetive and through sponsorship so there'll be plenty of 3-4 year old ones for around the $3k mark (usually including some spares). While you'll not have the newest gear, you'll still be current enough to be comepetetive and learn your way.
Running costs vary from about $1200 to $4000 per season, depending on how many meets you do and how much stuff you break.
It's a great sport and well worth doing, I intend to get back into it someday as it teaches you racecraft that you'll NEVER get to learn in a car unless you're mega-rich.
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