Discussion
Your best bet is to get onto www.karting.co.uk and check out where your local msa track is. Most of these will have regular club meetings once a month and may be host to a national championship round at some point in the season. Its best just to go down to your local and have a chat to competitors, organisers etc to see what kind of category you want to enter. There is also the forum on karting.co.uk which is always helpfull 
find your local track and talk to people, there is nothing better than getting info from people doing it, you will get honest answers in terms of the cost, the time and the pitfalls...
you really have two choices, owner driver or rental.
owner driver has its advantages as you can use the kart whenever you want and testing in the kart you race is invaluable. you can also maintain it yourself and they are fairly easy to strip, rebuild and generally play around with. i bought a rotax max because its relatively simple to run, accepted everywhere, uses sealed engines and they are pretty much bombproof. if you want your own kart, useful for testing, for a rotax, you will need £2000 to get onto the grid. i love mine, its fast enough for me to have fun and i only use it for playing around as i dont have the time or money to race. as a guide set of tyres is £100, how often you change them is up to you and what your budget will allow. engine rebuilds are £650-£800 for a complete rebuild dependant upon the reputation of the builder but they are good for about 40 hours between rebuilds and may only need a new top end rather than a full rebuild. again, its down to you and your budget....
you could also look at prokarts, twin engined honda 160cc four strokes, very reliable, popular at loads of circuits but in my opinion less than inspiring to drive compared to a two stroke. they are quite heavy and all the weight at the back ruins the handling. that said, they get big grids and there are loads of endurance races should you get some friends invovled and lower the costs. a good race ready prokart will be about £1000 plus the costs mentioned below for spares etc its nice having your own kart to use as you choose but you will spend a lot of money on spares and tools. i tow mine with a clio and its fine so you dont need a big car either.
in terms of rental, i would avoid club 100 for now, its become very serious and the front runners are frequently ex-MSA racers who have given up the national championships due to high costs but still have the talent whcih may take out some of the pleasure, a few guys here race in it so it might be worth huntuing them down to get their experiences. they do have a novice class but the karts are 100cc two stroke tkm engines and are very fast for a novice. they will rev up towards 18,000 rpm and are good for 65-70 mph. i think they are also clutchless so will take some getting used to for a novice.
the daytona dmax championship is pretty good value, £1500 all in for a season in rotax karts with the junior (22bhp) spec engines. daytona are experts at the corporate arrive and drive stuff so i would expect it to be smooth running and not quite as serious as club 100 but still a real kart with the advantage of a clutch should you spin. there are a good few prokart rental championships out there.
people assume karting is cheaper than car racing but it can get very quickly very easily... here are some costs as a guide, if you start with nothing.
£2000 - s/h race ready kart with sealed engine and to latest regulations (beware when the MSA change them forcing you to spend more just to remain legal)
£500 - You should get a good few spares with the kart such as sprockets, wheels, batteries etc but if you dont you will need to budget in another £500 to get enough to see you through. other costs you might face are a seat that fits and enough specific toolsto get you through single handed.
£500 - racewear (helmet, gloves, suit and boots). helmet doesnt need to be fireproof and there are a few quality kart helmets are around £200 on the market
£350 - tyres (two sets of new slicks and one wets, will probably do you a season whilst you're learning. easier to have them all on rims but not essential, rims are £50 - £100 per set
£100 - MSA License and club membership
£40 - Entry fees per race
a day testing is cheap, circuits charge about £30 for owner drivers for a ful lday testing but you will burn through consumables such as tyres, oil, fuel etc. unfortunately its the only way to improve your lap times....then there are hidden things you always forget like fuel to get to the event.
personally, the daytona dmax championship is a bargain and the way i would go if i wanted to race and keep the costs as low as possible whilst experiencing a real (two stroke) kart.
pablo said:
find your local track and talk to people, there is nothing better than getting info from people doing it, you will get honest answers in terms of the cost, the time and the pitfalls...
you really have two choices, owner driver or rental.
owner driver has its advantages as you can use the kart whenever you want and testing in the kart you race is invaluable. you can also maintain it yourself and they are fairly easy to strip, rebuild and generally play around with. i bought a rotax max because its relatively simple to run, accepted everywhere, uses sealed engines and they are pretty much bombproof. if you want your own kart, useful for testing, for a rotax, you will need £2000 to get onto the grid. i love mine, its fast enough for me to have fun and i only use it for playing around as i dont have the time or money to race. as a guide set of tyres is £100, how often you change them is up to you and what your budget will allow. engine rebuilds are £650-£800 for a complete rebuild dependant upon the reputation of the builder but they are good for about 40 hours between rebuilds and may only need a new top end rather than a full rebuild. again, its down to you and your budget....
you could also look at prokarts, twin engined honda 160cc four strokes, very reliable, popular at loads of circuits but in my opinion less than inspiring to drive compared to a two stroke. they are quite heavy and all the weight at the back ruins the handling. that said, they get big grids and there are loads of endurance races should you get some friends invovled and lower the costs. a good race ready prokart will be about £1000 plus the costs mentioned below for spares etc its nice having your own kart to use as you choose but you will spend a lot of money on spares and tools. i tow mine with a clio and its fine so you dont need a big car either.
in terms of rental, i would avoid club 100 for now, its become very serious and the front runners are frequently ex-MSA racers who have given up the national championships due to high costs but still have the talent whcih may take out some of the pleasure, a few guys here race in it so it might be worth huntuing them down to get their experiences. they do have a novice class but the karts are 100cc two stroke tkm engines and are very fast for a novice. they will rev up towards 18,000 rpm and are good for 65-70 mph. i think they are also clutchless so will take some getting used to for a novice.
the daytona dmax championship is pretty good value, £1500 all in for a season in rotax karts with the junior (22bhp) spec engines. daytona are experts at the corporate arrive and drive stuff so i would expect it to be smooth running and not quite as serious as club 100 but still a real kart with the advantage of a clutch should you spin. there are a good few prokart rental championships out there.
people assume karting is cheaper than car racing but it can get very quickly very easily... here are some costs as a guide, if you start with nothing.
£2000 - s/h race ready kart with sealed engine and to latest regulations (beware when the MSA change them forcing you to spend more just to remain legal)
£500 - You should get a good few spares with the kart such as sprockets, wheels, batteries etc but if you dont you will need to budget in another £500 to get enough to see you through. other costs you might face are a seat that fits and enough specific toolsto get you through single handed.
£500 - racewear (helmet, gloves, suit and boots). helmet doesnt need to be fireproof and there are a few quality kart helmets are around £200 on the market
£350 - tyres (two sets of new slicks and one wets, will probably do you a season whilst you're learning. easier to have them all on rims but not essential, rims are £50 - £100 per set
£100 - MSA License and club membership
£40 - Entry fees per race
a day testing is cheap, circuits charge about £30 for owner drivers for a ful lday testing but you will burn through consumables such as tyres, oil, fuel etc. unfortunately its the only way to improve your lap times....then there are hidden things you always forget like fuel to get to the event.
personally, the daytona dmax championship is a bargain and the way i would go if i wanted to race and keep the costs as low as possible whilst experiencing a real (two stroke) kart.
Mate, thank you so much for taking the time to reply!you really have two choices, owner driver or rental.
owner driver has its advantages as you can use the kart whenever you want and testing in the kart you race is invaluable. you can also maintain it yourself and they are fairly easy to strip, rebuild and generally play around with. i bought a rotax max because its relatively simple to run, accepted everywhere, uses sealed engines and they are pretty much bombproof. if you want your own kart, useful for testing, for a rotax, you will need £2000 to get onto the grid. i love mine, its fast enough for me to have fun and i only use it for playing around as i dont have the time or money to race. as a guide set of tyres is £100, how often you change them is up to you and what your budget will allow. engine rebuilds are £650-£800 for a complete rebuild dependant upon the reputation of the builder but they are good for about 40 hours between rebuilds and may only need a new top end rather than a full rebuild. again, its down to you and your budget....
you could also look at prokarts, twin engined honda 160cc four strokes, very reliable, popular at loads of circuits but in my opinion less than inspiring to drive compared to a two stroke. they are quite heavy and all the weight at the back ruins the handling. that said, they get big grids and there are loads of endurance races should you get some friends invovled and lower the costs. a good race ready prokart will be about £1000 plus the costs mentioned below for spares etc its nice having your own kart to use as you choose but you will spend a lot of money on spares and tools. i tow mine with a clio and its fine so you dont need a big car either.
in terms of rental, i would avoid club 100 for now, its become very serious and the front runners are frequently ex-MSA racers who have given up the national championships due to high costs but still have the talent whcih may take out some of the pleasure, a few guys here race in it so it might be worth huntuing them down to get their experiences. they do have a novice class but the karts are 100cc two stroke tkm engines and are very fast for a novice. they will rev up towards 18,000 rpm and are good for 65-70 mph. i think they are also clutchless so will take some getting used to for a novice.
the daytona dmax championship is pretty good value, £1500 all in for a season in rotax karts with the junior (22bhp) spec engines. daytona are experts at the corporate arrive and drive stuff so i would expect it to be smooth running and not quite as serious as club 100 but still a real kart with the advantage of a clutch should you spin. there are a good few prokart rental championships out there.
people assume karting is cheaper than car racing but it can get very quickly very easily... here are some costs as a guide, if you start with nothing.
£2000 - s/h race ready kart with sealed engine and to latest regulations (beware when the MSA change them forcing you to spend more just to remain legal)
£500 - You should get a good few spares with the kart such as sprockets, wheels, batteries etc but if you dont you will need to budget in another £500 to get enough to see you through. other costs you might face are a seat that fits and enough specific toolsto get you through single handed.
£500 - racewear (helmet, gloves, suit and boots). helmet doesnt need to be fireproof and there are a few quality kart helmets are around £200 on the market
£350 - tyres (two sets of new slicks and one wets, will probably do you a season whilst you're learning. easier to have them all on rims but not essential, rims are £50 - £100 per set
£100 - MSA License and club membership
£40 - Entry fees per race
a day testing is cheap, circuits charge about £30 for owner drivers for a ful lday testing but you will burn through consumables such as tyres, oil, fuel etc. unfortunately its the only way to improve your lap times....then there are hidden things you always forget like fuel to get to the event.
personally, the daytona dmax championship is a bargain and the way i would go if i wanted to race and keep the costs as low as possible whilst experiencing a real (two stroke) kart.
That's a massive help! The problem is, looking from the outside in, the sport is just a big black hole you cant see through.
Defo food for thought there. I'll get counting the pennies and see what's what.
Thank you again : )
if you were any close i would say come down and try the rotax but it doesnt look like we are neighbours. they are a fair few more classes out there www.karting.co.uk is a really useful resource and highlights some of the others. i only mentioned the most popular senior (16+) classes because getting a kart and the spares is easier as are the circuits that run a championship.
there are a few ppaces that do driver training days, goole "pro-train karting" who i havent used but have heard good things.
there are a few ppaces that do driver training days, goole "pro-train karting" who i havent used but have heard good things.
chrisobrien54 said:
pablo said:
find your local track and talk to people, there is nothing better than getting info from people doing it, you will get honest answers in terms of the cost, the time and the pitfalls...
you really have two choices, owner driver or rental.
owner driver has its advantages as you can use the kart whenever you want and testing in the kart you race is invaluable. you can also maintain it yourself and they are fairly easy to strip, rebuild and generally play around with. i bought a rotax max because its relatively simple to run, accepted everywhere, uses sealed engines and they are pretty much bombproof. if you want your own kart, useful for testing, for a rotax, you will need £2000 to get onto the grid. i love mine, its fast enough for me to have fun and i only use it for playing around as i dont have the time or money to race. as a guide set of tyres is £100, how often you change them is up to you and what your budget will allow. engine rebuilds are £650-£800 for a complete rebuild dependant upon the reputation of the builder but they are good for about 40 hours between rebuilds and may only need a new top end rather than a full rebuild. again, its down to you and your budget....
you could also look at prokarts, twin engined honda 160cc four strokes, very reliable, popular at loads of circuits but in my opinion less than inspiring to drive compared to a two stroke. they are quite heavy and all the weight at the back ruins the handling. that said, they get big grids and there are loads of endurance races should you get some friends invovled and lower the costs. a good race ready prokart will be about £1000 plus the costs mentioned below for spares etc its nice having your own kart to use as you choose but you will spend a lot of money on spares and tools. i tow mine with a clio and its fine so you dont need a big car either.
in terms of rental, i would avoid club 100 for now, its become very serious and the front runners are frequently ex-MSA racers who have given up the national championships due to high costs but still have the talent whcih may take out some of the pleasure, a few guys here race in it so it might be worth huntuing them down to get their experiences. they do have a novice class but the karts are 100cc two stroke tkm engines and are very fast for a novice. they will rev up towards 18,000 rpm and are good for 65-70 mph. i think they are also clutchless so will take some getting used to for a novice.
the daytona dmax championship is pretty good value, £1500 all in for a season in rotax karts with the junior (22bhp) spec engines. daytona are experts at the corporate arrive and drive stuff so i would expect it to be smooth running and not quite as serious as club 100 but still a real kart with the advantage of a clutch should you spin. there are a good few prokart rental championships out there.
people assume karting is cheaper than car racing but it can get very quickly very easily... here are some costs as a guide, if you start with nothing.
£2000 - s/h race ready kart with sealed engine and to latest regulations (beware when the MSA change them forcing you to spend more just to remain legal)
£500 - You should get a good few spares with the kart such as sprockets, wheels, batteries etc but if you dont you will need to budget in another £500 to get enough to see you through. other costs you might face are a seat that fits and enough specific toolsto get you through single handed.
£500 - racewear (helmet, gloves, suit and boots). helmet doesnt need to be fireproof and there are a few quality kart helmets are around £200 on the market
£350 - tyres (two sets of new slicks and one wets, will probably do you a season whilst you're learning. easier to have them all on rims but not essential, rims are £50 - £100 per set
£100 - MSA License and club membership
£40 - Entry fees per race
a day testing is cheap, circuits charge about £30 for owner drivers for a ful lday testing but you will burn through consumables such as tyres, oil, fuel etc. unfortunately its the only way to improve your lap times....then there are hidden things you always forget like fuel to get to the event.
personally, the daytona dmax championship is a bargain and the way i would go if i wanted to race and keep the costs as low as possible whilst experiencing a real (two stroke) kart.
Mate, thank you so much for taking the time to reply!you really have two choices, owner driver or rental.
owner driver has its advantages as you can use the kart whenever you want and testing in the kart you race is invaluable. you can also maintain it yourself and they are fairly easy to strip, rebuild and generally play around with. i bought a rotax max because its relatively simple to run, accepted everywhere, uses sealed engines and they are pretty much bombproof. if you want your own kart, useful for testing, for a rotax, you will need £2000 to get onto the grid. i love mine, its fast enough for me to have fun and i only use it for playing around as i dont have the time or money to race. as a guide set of tyres is £100, how often you change them is up to you and what your budget will allow. engine rebuilds are £650-£800 for a complete rebuild dependant upon the reputation of the builder but they are good for about 40 hours between rebuilds and may only need a new top end rather than a full rebuild. again, its down to you and your budget....
you could also look at prokarts, twin engined honda 160cc four strokes, very reliable, popular at loads of circuits but in my opinion less than inspiring to drive compared to a two stroke. they are quite heavy and all the weight at the back ruins the handling. that said, they get big grids and there are loads of endurance races should you get some friends invovled and lower the costs. a good race ready prokart will be about £1000 plus the costs mentioned below for spares etc its nice having your own kart to use as you choose but you will spend a lot of money on spares and tools. i tow mine with a clio and its fine so you dont need a big car either.
in terms of rental, i would avoid club 100 for now, its become very serious and the front runners are frequently ex-MSA racers who have given up the national championships due to high costs but still have the talent whcih may take out some of the pleasure, a few guys here race in it so it might be worth huntuing them down to get their experiences. they do have a novice class but the karts are 100cc two stroke tkm engines and are very fast for a novice. they will rev up towards 18,000 rpm and are good for 65-70 mph. i think they are also clutchless so will take some getting used to for a novice.
the daytona dmax championship is pretty good value, £1500 all in for a season in rotax karts with the junior (22bhp) spec engines. daytona are experts at the corporate arrive and drive stuff so i would expect it to be smooth running and not quite as serious as club 100 but still a real kart with the advantage of a clutch should you spin. there are a good few prokart rental championships out there.
people assume karting is cheaper than car racing but it can get very quickly very easily... here are some costs as a guide, if you start with nothing.
£2000 - s/h race ready kart with sealed engine and to latest regulations (beware when the MSA change them forcing you to spend more just to remain legal)
£500 - You should get a good few spares with the kart such as sprockets, wheels, batteries etc but if you dont you will need to budget in another £500 to get enough to see you through. other costs you might face are a seat that fits and enough specific toolsto get you through single handed.
£500 - racewear (helmet, gloves, suit and boots). helmet doesnt need to be fireproof and there are a few quality kart helmets are around £200 on the market
£350 - tyres (two sets of new slicks and one wets, will probably do you a season whilst you're learning. easier to have them all on rims but not essential, rims are £50 - £100 per set
£100 - MSA License and club membership
£40 - Entry fees per race
a day testing is cheap, circuits charge about £30 for owner drivers for a ful lday testing but you will burn through consumables such as tyres, oil, fuel etc. unfortunately its the only way to improve your lap times....then there are hidden things you always forget like fuel to get to the event.
personally, the daytona dmax championship is a bargain and the way i would go if i wanted to race and keep the costs as low as possible whilst experiencing a real (two stroke) kart.
That's a massive help! The problem is, looking from the outside in, the sport is just a big black hole you cant see through.
Defo food for thought there. I'll get counting the pennies and see what's what.
Thank you again : )
Another series you could consider that has a lower running cost is Senior/Extreme TKM, the karts and engines can be picked up at a much better cost however i don't know what the grid sizes/quality of racing is like having only done Rotax myself.
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