These racers are waiting for...
These racers are waiting for the signal to fire their engines and hit the track. These particular karts are powered by 5hp Briggs & Stratton engines, much like the engine in your lawn mower or snow blower.
Speedway racing is addictive. The races are quick and the competition is intense. Depending on the track, it is not uncommon to see three- and four-wide racing. This is a great format to learn all about car control and racecraft. Due to the shape of the tracks, drivers will always be around other cars (no matter how good they are), so they have to learn how to deal with traffic. It also teaches the racer how to execute a good pass.
Road Racing, just as the name implies, is all about racing on big tracks. Originally, it was called Enduro racing because all the races were timed events. The karts would race for an hour, and the driver who completed the most laps would win. As the karts and engines improved, the races became flag-to-flag events. About 20 years ago, the name started to change to Road Racing. These karts are specially designed for top speed. The driver lies down in the kart, and it is not uncommon for the kart height to be less than 2 feet tall at the driver's head.
Road Racing takes place at almost every road course in the country, with Indy being the only exception. There is even a Speedweek for karts every year at Daytona. Road Racing is much more laid back than either Sprint or Speedway racing. Given the speeds that the karts can reach (well over 100 mph), race day is much less intense than expected. Very seldom will you see racers thrashing to make the next heat, mostly because there is no next heat. The races last one hour and have standing starts. You get one chance to do well. If you have to pit, it is very unlikely that you will place very well. This kind of racing is all about preparation and driver ability. Drafting plays a big part in this type of racing. It is unbelievable just how fast an hour goes by when you are racing and drafting in a pack of 5 to 10 karts.
Karts are similar to other...
Karts are similar to other vehicles in other forms of racing in that weight and weight distribution are critical to the kart and how it will react on the track.
Within the last five years, a new breed of kart-the TaG class-has made an appearance on the market. TaG is an engine package that includes the engine and all of the related hardware. These karts are unique to karting in that they have an on-board electric starter-hence, the acronym TaG, which stands for Touch and Go. The first manufacturer to offer this new product was Rotax, a division of Bombardier (the same people who invented the snowmobile). There are other players in the market, and this segment is growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, there are now groups of TaG racers in all three divisions of karting. The Speedway racers have not fully embraced the TaG racer, but the racers are pushing for acceptance. It seems that all of the major kart engine manufacturers are developing or selling a TaG package of their own. Even Briggs & Stratton has a TaG package.
Currently, there is a multiplicity of national organizations that are vying to represent the karter. The two largest and oldest are the IKF (International Karting Federation), and the WKA (World Karting Association). These two organizations control the majority of the sanctioning across the country. They also share a technical rule book with respect to engine and chassis technical requirements. There are some differences between the rules but, for the most part, the two organizations are very similar.
The IKF is very strong in the western half of the country, and the WKA is very strong in the eastern half. There is some duplication of efforts in some geographic regions, but from a simplistic perspective, the WKA and IKF share the country. There are some other organizations that have reaches into specific types of karting. One example is SKUSA (Shifter Karts USA), which mostly deals with shifter karts or karts that have engines with gearboxes. This is a Sprint type of kart, although there are some Road Racing classes that use shifter engines.
Learning to pass is a critical...
Learning to pass is a critical skill developed in karts.
Let's say at this point you have researched the area and discovered that the hot ticket in your neck of the woods is Speedway racing. What is the next step? First, you should go to the races and just watch the program. Notice how smoothly the show is run. Watch the karts on the track and see how the drivers interact with each other. If it looks like a demolition derby, you might reconsider. It is a good plan to just watch the first race. You might stroll through the pits and watch how the program is being run. Look at the karts and the method many of the racers use to get to the track. Most likely, you will see a very diverse group of trucks and trailers. There is always at least one guy who has a 30-foot trailer with one kart and a boat load of spares and enough tires and wheels to supply a small military operation. That is not the norm! You will find a large percentage of the racers with a smaller trailer or pitting out of the back of a van or pickup truck.
Talk with the racers while you are at the races. Karters, by and large, are a very friendly group. You may want to ask about the local kart shops, if there are any, and do some research on engine builders. When you ask these questions, listen carefully and try to discern if the racer is in some way sponsored by a shop or an engine builder. If that is the case, it is possible that the information you get may be biased toward a particular shop or engine builder. Get the names of several places where the racers are buying parts, and keep in mind that these may be mail-order houses. This is not a bad thing-it is just a big part of the karting marketplace.
Look at the different classes of racing and try to see where you might fit into the program. Remember, if you are a new racer, the beginning is a good place to start. It is very tempting to look at the fastest and possibly the most populated classes as a starting point. If you have little or no racing experience, you need to start in the entry-level classes. Starting in the more advanced classes is much like getting started in stock car racing and selecting the Nextel Cup level. That division races a lot, and you like the way the cars look. Every division in karting has classes that are designed for the beginner. Don't try to reinvent the wheel, and don't set yourself up for failure. Make an effort to learn and get a better understanding of how the process works.
Tires are a huge tuning tool...
Tires are a huge tuning tool in Speedway racing. You can see this tire has been mounted on a very wide wheel.
Now that you have gathered some names of the local kart shops, it's time to visit a few and see just what they are like and what they have to offer a new racer. Ask lots of questions. Does the shop travel to the races each week to support the racers? Do they have new karts in stock, and are the karts in stock the ones that were at the track? Do they have a good supply of parts and the accessories you will need to support your racing program? Is the shop willing to help you get set to race and not just sell you the parts and send you on your merry way? They may charge you for this service, but that's OK. It might just be cheaper than learning the hard way. Don't even talk seriously about price until you know what you want.
It is possible that you may not have the resources to buy new equipment, and used may be the only real option when you define your budget. Hey, that is OK. Just like any form of racing, the participants are always in a state of flux. It is entirely possible that you will find some people who are getting out of racing, and you can buy all their stuff. This happens frequently and may be a real economic opportunity for the beginning racer. You might be able to get almost everything you need for a substantial savings over having to purchase new equipment.
A word of warning about buying used equipment. First, beware of what I call the "stuff factor." This is when the seller starts to add a bunch of additional free stuff to sweeten the deal. Sometimes this can be a real advantage, but if all you are getting is a bunch of worn-out tires, old chains, rusty pipes, and bent wheels, this is no deal-it is just a bunch of stuff you get to transport home and throw away. Remember, this is not an exercise to clean out someone else's garage.