Mar
01
Posted in: Formula One
asdfjkl asked:
how can i become a go kart racer? do you know any karting school near rowland heights CA (91748)?
how can i become a go kart racer? do you know any karting school near rowland heights CA (91748)?
this is really my dream. i am 14 years old and i want to be a kart racer.
and ohh, do you know how much will it cost? thank you. =]
March 2nd 2010
You don’t need to go to a school for it. Price varies greatly depending on what kind of karting you want to do, but figure $5000-8000 for a competitive kart… thats not including spare parts, tires, travel costs, entry fees, etc. Karting is usually cheaper than other forms of motorsports, but it is still pricey.
I can help you out if you’d like to know more, especially if you want to do oval racing (not sure if there are many oval tracks in Cali though). is my email.
March 3rd 2010
First you buy a used kart, one that’s cheap but in fair condition.
The general idea is to first get a taste and see what gives, and also learn the ropes.
You don’t know what you need as a racer until you’ve been there and seen it so there’s absolutely no point in throwing money at stuff you don’t how important they are to you.
For example lets say a stock engine costs a thousand bucks and a blueprinted one costs twice as much.
Someone may get blinded by HP claims and buy the blueprinted one.
That may be 2 tenths a lap quicker which is the difference between first and 3rd or 4rth for the seasoned racer.
But a new karter may be 10 seconds off the pace and may have to drive for a whole year before he can be competitive as a driver.
So that would be money out the window.
How much money you spend racing depends on how serious you are about your racing which means it will not be a lot at first but it will grow with time.
Some of the top karters spend silly money, 20-30 thousand a year and more, there’s always something you can find to spend some more money in racing and karting is no exception.
You don’t need to spend that much though to be competitive.
Go to your local track and see which category has the biggest following, it’s different from one track to another, one track it may be Rotax, the other Leopard, the next Easykart etc.
So buy what others race so you can race too and compare yourself.
Fellow racers are very helpful more often than not and you can get the info you require at the track.
Just make sure you hang around the right people, that will make or break your racing career.