21 replies to this topic

[cgebauerPS17]

My suggestion would be to find a track. preferably one with extremely friendly folks and hang out in the Pits for a few weeks. you should easily be able to find someone to show you the ropes. I am on the verge of starting Karts with my 5 year old. i got a used 2008 Rage for about 1000 and had the powder redone and replaced the bearings and body. A very good friend went to that Harrisburg Swap meet and picked me up a set of really good rubber for about a hundred bucks. I traded the yellow clone that came with it for a flathead that needs rebuilt. so far i have between 1500 and 2000 into it and still need a helmet and safety gear... I raced stocks for about 10 years and i for one was a bit surprised on how serious some of the karting folks take their sport. I have a very good friend that has alot more into his kart operation than i did with my stock car including all my parts and trailer. Racing isnt cheap at any level so do what you can and TRY not to over extend yourself.......Most importantly..........Have fun........

[shutupandfish]

My suggestion would be to find a track. preferably one with extremely friendly folks and hang out in the Pits for a few weeks. you should easily be able to find someone to show you the ropes. I am on the verge of starting Karts with my 5 year old. i got a used 2008 Rage for about 1000 and had the powder redone and replaced the bearings and body. A very good friend went to that Harrisburg Swap meet and picked me up a set of really good rubber for about a hundred bucks. I traded the yellow clone that came with it for a flathead that needs rebuilt. so far i have between 1500 and 2000 into it and still need a helmet and safety gear... I raced stocks for about 10 years and i for one was a bit surprised on how serious some of the karting folks take their sport. I have a very good friend that has alot more into his kart operation than i did with my stock car including all my parts and trailer. Racing isnt cheap at any level so do what you can and TRY not to over extend yourself.......Most importantly..........Have fun........

Hey now! In my defence, we are running three karts and you only had one stock car. lol

Chuck is right though. Running a weekly local track you can have a lot of fun on a budget. Don't let these guys scare you off. I don't know what I have in my operation and I don't think I really want to. When my 5 and three year olds get hacked off because they don't get to work in the garage and have to watch TV instead it makes every penny worth it. I spend a massive amount of time working on the karts with my kids and they love every minute of it. My 5 year old can tell you every part of a kart and what it does. If you ask my 3 year old how old he is the response is always " I have to be 5 to race". Now even my wife is racing which is dangerous because there is no one to say no anymore and reign me in. I don't regret and penny and will continue to do it as long as I can afford it (and probably a while after). The last three years has been an awesome journey!

Nothin like a 200 pounder stuffed in one those sumbitchs running a hole 30 mph and u can't even see the kart ! Takes my breath away !

When we first started I thought that the adults were somewhat funny as well although it was somewhat less offesnsively. Then I ended up with an extra kart and decided to give it a try. Boy was I mistaken. If you have never taken out a race kart then you are really missing out on something special. The g-forces in the turns are unreal and .5" off the ground feels like a rocket ship. Your speed guesstimation is way off. I am 270 pounds and 6'2" and my average speed last Saturday was 50 MPH and I was over a second off on my lap times. With a decent track and the right tires you can easily avg 60MPH. Heck my 5 year old does more than 30.

Maybe you should come give it a shot sometime before you are so critical.