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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Dec 20, 2016 - 09:02am PT
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Calling Guyman...
Guyman please come in...
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BuddhaStalin
climber
Truckee, CA
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Dec 20, 2016 - 09:08am PT
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Shifter Karts are awesome. No car can handle like that except for formula cars. Most of the winningest drivers in any series, F1, GT cars, WRC, most all of them started in Karts.
Not sure about nationally, but the Reno SCCA chapter has made a class for them in solo 2.
Google the gixxer kart, that thing is insane! Hayabusa engine in a kart.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 20, 2016 - 09:10am PT
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I would be if they had a heavyweight class. :-/
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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Dec 20, 2016 - 10:11am PT
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Awesome! I drool with envy!
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Dec 20, 2016 - 10:15am PT
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Would love to get my son into karting. I have no idea how to go about doing it.
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Dec 20, 2016 - 10:30am PT
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I had a neighbor when I was a kid who raced go-karts. They used chainsaw engines and these things went fast. I was curious why they didn't run these things on the road out front of our houses for fun; then I went to a race and it became quite apparent. Cool stuff, but it requires a lifestyle adjustment to really compete.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 20, 2016 - 10:45am PT
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Would love to get my son into karting. I have no idea how to go about doing it.
Bat... Its not all that difficult.... it will cost you about 5-6 hundred per month, if you want to COMPETE for a club championship. That would be one big race per month, one, two good test days and maybe a drop in race at another club just for fun.
To play around some and have some fun is less. Tires are the big money pit.... slap a new set on and you pick up 2-5 tenths.
There are ways to keep the cost down but you get consumed when you get into the big time competition, like a club championship, if you want to race at the National Level OR international..... the sky is the limit.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkdK9rXWosg]
Don't let your wife see this.... Joe was OK... that is at a LAKC club race. I had a big hand in building that club into what it is today... 250 racers for a one day event.... that is bigger than many national events and the LAKC gets racers from Mexico, Canada and Europe.... just to win a Sunday Race, Main event is a big deal, to win one of their Championships puts you in the national news.
Wolf.... good luck, that is a good Kart.... unless it was raced mostly at Sonoma. I hate that Tic Tac DO corner .... stupidest thing ever.
I will be there in April for the Rotax, Challenge of the Americas round 5 and 6, come out and race.... rent a Rotax from Marin Karting say hi, I have the coolest job in Karting... I line up the grid and get to be a cheerleader before the race starts... I almost never get yelled at.
Reilly.... they have a class for you.... its called XL or Masters... the driver must weigh, in his suit with helmet, 200 lbs and be 30 years old.
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Dec 20, 2016 - 12:55pm PT
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For kids I'd highly recommend quarter midgets as opposed to karts. MUCH safer.
We started in on QM but the track is 45 minutes away and then we bought property and bought dirt bikes and quads that we can use at home.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 20, 2016 - 02:29pm PT
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For kids I'd highly recommend quarter midgets as opposed to karts. MUCH safer.
Not really true... The death and injury rates in Karting are very low, I don't have the stats at the tip of my fingers, sorry. But we loose about ONE person per year at the Kart Track, and that's for all karts all over the US and Canada.
Heck... the Willow Springs Motorcycle club holds at least two funerals every year and they have about 250 members.
The problem for any of those cage race cars is the fact that they are so specialized, region to region, that you do not get to race in big fields. What is a big popular class in West Florida might not even be offered by the promoters in Miami for example. So you can get stuck in a very limited- small pond, so to speak..... going in circles.
With Karting you get classes like TAG (touch n go... electric starter, on board) where you have maybe 10 approved chassis and like 30 brands of motors to pick from. A association of promoters, racers and motor builders get together and they have a way of figuring out how much the various karts should weigh and you get a few classes biased on age and weight.
So as Wolf is going to find out... you can take your TAG/Tony Kart to all sorts of events and it will tech OK and you will have somebody to race with/against.... because in a 35 kart field you stay pretty busy.
Edit... T-Hocking .... Adams Kart Track... the oldest purpose built Kart track in America. Two banked turns, Big Monza and Little Monza .... When I race direct at that place I always caution people with no experience racing there to be MOST cautious... if you tag another kart at the entrance to one of those corners you will become an airplane and go over the top.....
good luck Wolf, keep us posted on how it goes.
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Escopeta
Trad climber
Idaho
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Dec 20, 2016 - 02:35pm PT
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Reilly.... they have a class for you.... its called XL or Masters... the driver must weigh, in his suit with helmet, 200 lbs and be 30 years old.
If Reilly is in XL class, what have they got for me? Lol
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 20, 2016 - 02:47pm PT
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Paging Pagan Monkeyboy!
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Dec 20, 2016 - 11:14pm PT
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Take a look at a kart crash compilation and a quarter midget crash compilation on youtube and tell me one is not really safer for your kids. We're climbers and we accept reasonable risks and I do a lot riskier things than karts but for my kids while I'm making the choices for them I'll take the option with all the safety features.
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Peater
Trad climber
Salt Lake City Ut.
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Dec 20, 2016 - 11:42pm PT
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Hey Locker
I used to be a regular out at Willow Springs. Just for the motorcycles.
Do you remember Danny Coe or Mark something. They used to usually win their classes. Danny raced a 400 cc Yamaha and Mark was on a Ducati.
Anyway those were some fun weekends.
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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Dec 21, 2016 - 05:51am PT
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What kind of $$$ are we talking about for a good adult starter kart?
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 21, 2016 - 08:36am PT
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Take a look at a kart crash compilation and a quarter midget crash compilation on youtube and tell me one is not really safer for your kids. We're climbers and we accept reasonable risks and I do a lot riskier things than karts but for my kids while I'm making the choices for them I'll take the option with all the safety features.
Fet... can't argue with you, put a cage on and the perceived safety changes for sure. The beauty of Karts is this, its really hard to flip em, cause they are stuck down hard on the pavement, you only get going maybe 70mph plus at a few tracks and if you flip over its the same as crashing a motorbike... you skid. We make the racers use a whole bunch of under the suit armor and the Kids, Juniors must have a hans neck devise. Most parents do get worried,, justifiably, about safety. When I Race Direct my main job is to sign off on the track being safe for the insurance company first, there must be nothing to hit that is solid.
Parents will let there 9 year old daughters ride horses and jump fences without a second thought... that sport puts many into the grave or the hospital for life.
cool thread...
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Dec 21, 2016 - 08:39am PT
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Parents will let there 9 year old daughters ride horses and jump fences without a second thought... that sport puts many into the grave or the hospital for life.
It's how 'Superman' got vegitized.
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BuddhaStalin
climber
Truckee, CA
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Dec 21, 2016 - 09:19am PT
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You can autocross a kart much more safely than on a track, if thats youre concern. Autocross is a great way to start a young driver. Cant remember the age restrictions though, maybe 16? I autocrossed at 17 and had a blast, got to do a HPDE for free and everything.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 21, 2016 - 09:20am PT
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What kind of $$$ are we talking about for a good adult starter kart?
http://ekartingnews.com/forums/topic/maranello-sr8-kart-with-125cc-rotax-max-engine/
This is a good example... the only issue with this one is the fact that the Rotax Motor has no passport ... that is the LOG BOOK for the motor, and the only people who can cut the seal on the motor are approved Rotax service centers. You can not enter a motor with out a seal on it.... many clubs will not care and let you race in a "clubman class" this kart was originally a shifter, so it has the shift linkage, front brakes and is made for a heaver package (thats a person). Most Karts are made to have major components swapped out so the seat mounting points, body works, spindles etc will be available.
This would be a good starting point, this will never be a competitive Kart, its to old and when they get old the frame looses that edge and the times will drop off a few tenths.
The best way to get into the sport is to become acquainted with the Kart scene where you live... maybe go to a school... and find somebody who is moving up and buy them "out" that gets you all the other stuff you need. Stuff like a kart stand, some of the special tools, spare axles, rims, gear sets etc are all need tools.
If you have ever dreamed of racing, Karting is the way to go. You can have a blast just running local events and running your own team- you- make all the set up decisions, race strategy and work.
Just don't try it if you have zero ability to work with tools... you will need to hire a "wrench" ... good Wrenches can make $700/day... heck people offer ME $200 to take em out and show them how to set up their Kart and I am a nobody.
The best race I ever won was the 3rd place in the "Holiday Classic" a race put on by 4 of the local clubs at Willow Springs during Christmas ... I came home in 3rd after starting on the last row due to "fail to Qualify", cause the carb was set wrong... my fault. Willow is one of the tracks I consider HOME. So I nailed the start, some how a big gap opened up down the center, I didn't lift, and came out of the first turn 5th back from the leader... the field was about 32 with several National Experts representing local shops... anyway it was my best race ever.. I did not loose my focus and made zero errors even when two went off right in front of me and I had karts along side going into the 180 off camber turn on every lap... but I hit my marks and reeled off 18 laps all with in 2 tenths of each other. To do that I worked at it for 5 years....Karting is not a simple thing to do.
rant over, thanks for letting me remember.
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BuddhaStalin
climber
Truckee, CA
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Dec 21, 2016 - 09:23am PT
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What do tires run for a kart? I imagine kart slicks arent cheap but less than an R compound auto tire.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 21, 2016 - 11:05am PT
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Budda.... Tires are the crux of Karting, there are several brands and selling the tires is how the MONEY is made. It is the big political deal that is constantly fought over.
Wolf is doing "SuperKarts" judging by the links he posted and SuperKart, Pro-KartChallenge is run by a capable promoter.... for this season they will be using BRAND X tires... All brand X tires sold in the USA are sold by the promoter of SuperKarts and any Club that holds a SuperKart event might like to consider specifying Brand X tires for the classes that race in SuperKarts.... if they wish to still be included in next seasons plans. Rotax mandates this tire called a MoJo... you get your sets for the event and you pay for them when you enter, they all come from the same batch and are stored properly, bar coded and assigned to you. A set of Mojos cost about $180 and you get one day of racing out of them, that's warm up, qualifying, your heat race and the main, you can buy them at local Kart shops. Back in the Day when I was racing IKF..and we raced Bridgestones rich folks would slap on a new set for each of these deals. I would use these castoff used tires for my testing program and club racing.
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The Wolf
Trad climber
Martinez, CA
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Dec 22, 2016 - 03:05pm PT
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guyman,
I am leaning so much from your posts. I raced a little 25 years ago but things have changed A LOT! I bought a used Chassis and a new motor. I am having fun running laps and getting better. I will run some club races this year and see how it goes. I live with in 30 minutes of Dixon, Davis and Sonoma tracks so I get my fill of variety. I am in no way experienced but having a blast running as hard as I can and learning the tricks to run faster. I have some friends in karting so questions are quickly answered. I am finding the Karting community very friendly and welcoming. A great hobby and less money than a big wall kit.
Thanks for your posts.
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ground_up
Trad climber
mt. hood /baja
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Dec 22, 2016 - 03:13pm PT
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Big race fan here. Given' it serious thought. Can't do another gear sport.
That has got to be a blast ! A feller's shop get's full with any motorsport
even the smaller kind. Good on ya for having some fast fun.
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Dec 23, 2016 - 10:31am PT
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Danica Patrick
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 25, 2016 - 10:18am PT
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wolf... good to know your being realistic. Get out and have fun, that is the reason to go racing.
I find racing to be much like climbing: when you are sitting on the grid with just a few seconds to go intill you are released you need to get into the head space that will be required to go and drive very fast. It is just the same as when your standing at the bottom of a hard climb. You must believe that your are ready to do this... then you go where MOST PEOPLE can not comprehend -- another world.
Jstand.... Isle of Mann .... that stuff is nuts, almost criminal IMHO. But nobody is making those folks go race that way so no problem in my book.
It is sort of like if we had free solo climbing events.... put $10,000 at the top of Arch Rock... big groups of people sit at the bottom and drink beer and watch and lets see who can do the hardest climb... if a few fall off, well that just adds to the fun.
Oh yea one more thought .... Wolf. Go and dig up a copy of the book: The Art and Science of Grand Prix Driving by Niki Lauda .... memorize the chapter on practice preparation and follow it every time you hit the track.
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The Wolf
Trad climber
Martinez, CA
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I will look into it. Our first club race was rained out so first of season is March 26. I will look into finding a Rotax ride.
Seriously thinking about getting a LO206. So many more race options. Not many in my club in the TaG Masters class
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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yeah sure, but have you ever landed a full gainer with one?
Long Beach, WA has a small track I've been going on since a kid. So fun.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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LO206.... for some reason is the wave of the future. You can get a brand new one for $800 ..... we had like 36 for the Challenge. The Canadians are way into it.
To rent a Rotax... maybe contact Andy at "FTK" (eazy to find he is the promoter look on eKarting) at the last race several folks did just that.
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