Karting 4 dummies

Karting: according to Wikipedia “Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts.” Some common mistakes can range from people spelling it as carting to some saying it is as easy as playing a game of Mario Kart. These are dead give aways that the individual knows nothing about kart racing at all.

Karts share many of the same characteristics of a car. They have a steering wheel, tires, brakes, an engine/motor, and gas/brake pedals. The difference between karts and cars is that they are stripped to just the major parts. They don’t include all the luxuries that a car does.

KARTFIT is not referencing indoor kart racing but the sport of outdoor professional karting. These karts can go up to 120 mph depending on the class. Since there are some politics and a bunch of different things to understand I am going to break down things I wish I knew when I first joined the karting community.

Below is a class break down:

Micro (Ages 7-10)

Mini (Ages 9-11)

KA100 Jr. (Ages 11-14)

KA 100 Sr. (Ages 14 and above)

X30 Jr. (Ages 11-14 and above)

X30 Pro (Ages 14 and above)

KZ Pro Shifter (Ages 15 and above)

K100 Master (Ages 30 and up)

Equipment needed for karting:

• Kart

• Helmet

• Engine

• Tires

• Suit

• Racing shoes

• Fuel

• and a will to win!

Steps to follow to get started kart racing

One of the most asked questions from young athletes that are interested in the sport: How do I start Karting? Where do you even begin?

Well, start by looking up where the closest outdoor karting track is to you (fingers crossed it is near by). Then get connected there and see if they have any times they are doing practices and the track is open to everyone and show up, check it out and ask some people there questions. After all this will become your karting community. If you are still on fire to start racing then look into buying yourself a kart. if you still aren’t 100% sure look into seeing if there are any people renting karts so you can test it out first.

Next rent or buy a helmet. Once you fall in love with the sport you’ll get a custom painted one but for now any karting helmet will do. You’ll also want to get a suit and racing shoes.

Now, you’re ready to go on track. Don’t be intimidated! Once you get past your initial fears, you will leave them behind and have fun! If not, well, this isn’t the sport for you.

Don’t get discouraged! This is one of the hardest sports to learn, and even harder to master. The best drivers have been driving for 10-15 years.

The details matter in a sport where the competition is separated by tenths of a second.