If you would like to get into some form of motor sport, but are absolutely appalled by the costs involved, maybe you have overlooked Go Kart Racing. All right, nothing is cheap anymore, but go karting is comparatively cheap in comparison with its far dearer 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 more expensive forms of motor sport. You can learn a great deal about driving, designing and constructing cars by starting with go karts. After all, the principals are in essence the same, but the components in karts are a great deal 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 need to investigate is the sort of kart you want. There are different levels as there are in other motor sports. as a beginner, you actually should start with the low powered karts, because you will have to learn a great deal of new driving skills and quite a few safety regulations before you move on to more highly-rated karts.
If you find the price of a new kart a bit high or if you would like to leap-frog over the lower levels of karting as quickly as you can, you could think about buying a second hand kart for the first few levels, only buying a new one once you get to the level of karting that you would like to be at. However, do not make the error of attempting to run before you can walk.
Entry level go karts are not costly. For instance, at the time of writing, a battery operated go kart costs about $300-$400+ while 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 require a jacket and trousers or a one-piece jump suit; a helmet, gloves, a neck-collar and boots. This little lot could set you back anywhere between $300 and $400, but it will save broken bones or worse, especially in the period a couple of months after you begin when you think that you know it all. Accidents occur once individuals become over confident.
You will also need 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 maybe you would rather learn in someone else’s kart first? This is not a bad thought, because it will give you some experience with different forms of karts, which will help you choose which one you want (or can afford).
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with how to compare tyre prices. If you want to know more, please go to our web site at Car Tyres For Sale.