went karting for the first time today!

I

imported_paradigm

New member
WOW. karting was so much more intense than i ever imagined...and my aches, pains, and bruises are proof! i was told the karts we drove were the least powerful out there...9HP...and they topped out around 50MPH. the experience was incredible.



it was a 100 lap endurance race with teams of two. a pit stop was after every 25 laps, so each driver had to do a total of ~50 laps. well...my team only finished 92 or 93 laps by the time the race was completed by the winning teams. ranked 12th out of 17 total groups. not too bad for never doing it before. :grinno:



i was physically worn out after the 10 lap practice run too! hahaha
 
Yeah, most people don't realize how physical driving a kart hard truly is. I haven't run for 2 days and my ribs are still sore-and I wear a carbon fiber rib vest.

You think 9 hp is fun-I'm running 27hp.

If people got to jump in a 'real kart' vs. a concession kart, a lot more people would be hooked on it. I think a lot of people look at them as toys vs. real racing, but that's far from the truth.
 
kompressornsc said:
Yeah, most people don't realize how physical driving a kart hard truly is. I haven't run for 2 days and my ribs are still sore-and I wear a carbon fiber rib vest.

You think 9 hp is fun-I'm running 27hp.

If people got to jump in a 'real kart' vs. a concession kart, a lot more people would be hooked on it. I think a lot of people look at them as toys vs. real racing, but that's far from the truth.
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You race there at the track right next to 70 at the New Castle exit? Do you have to have your own kart for that one, or can you rent them? I send a lot of time at FastTimes in Indy, and love it.
 
docker said:
You race there at the track right next to 70 at the New Castle exit? Do you have to have your own kart for that one, or can you rent them? I send a lot of time at FastTimes in Indy, and love it.
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Yeah, I have a garage at NCMP. They do have rental karts-they're pretty fun for 6 hp. Top out at 45 on the straight (I hit about 82 in my kart). NCMP is nothing like Fast Times. Let me know when you want to go & I'll meet you out there. I got out after work about 3 times a week.
 
yup...one of the vets at the track said their next step up was ~35 hp karts. eek! i banged up my elbow pretty good...kept hitting the side of the seat and the gas tank. my right knee got it pretty good on the steering column too...but it was more than worth it.



i would like to try a manual tranny kart too...i kind of wish the track had more straights, or at least a secondary track with some. the twisties are fun, but it would be fun to just go all out around wider turns too. :)
 
kompressornsc said:
Yeah, most people don't realize how physical driving a kart hard truly is. I haven't run for 2 days and my ribs are still sore-and I wear a carbon fiber rib vest.

You think 9 hp is fun-I'm running 27hp.

If people got to jump in a 'real kart' vs. a concession kart, a lot more people would be hooked on it. I think a lot of people look at them as toys vs. real racing, but that's far from the truth.
Click to expand...



nice avatar bud!!

YES FAR FROM TOYS!! these are serius little cars they are a blast though and definite money sharks but u have to pay to play!

heres a shot of my karts:

medium.jpg
 
I always enjoy watching the shifter karts run at local autocrosses. closest thing we have to karting is chicago indoor racing still fun and defintly exhuasting.
 
ADHD said:
nice avatar bud!!

YES FAR FROM TOYS!! these are serius little cars they are a blast though and definite money sharks but u have to pay to play!

heres a shot of my karts:

medium.jpg
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Nice! Looks like a Mike Manning with a Leopard? Where do you run?



The money thing. Yeah. It's like this: "I know my wife really wants a garbage disposal, but I think if I put a new $110 clutch in, I can shave about 1/10 of a second a lap. Yeah, I need a new clutch."



Here's a photo from the first day of the season braking in the motors. That's Mark Dismore helping on my wife's kart.
 

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kompressornsc said:
Nice! Looks like a Mike Manning with a Leopard? Where do you run?



The money thing. Yeah. It's like this: "I know my wife really wants a garbage disposal, but I think if I put a new $110 clutch in, I can shave about 1/10 of a second a lap. Yeah, I need a new clutch."



Here's a photo from the first day of the season braking in the motors. That's Mark Dismore helping on my wife's kart.
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Thanks man, Yes its a MMK but reality is its just a custom made parilla chassis.

Ive been running the leopard for the past couple races testing it here at Willow srings and have found the rotax here is doing a bit better. :(

Either way ive entered a couple races last year and this is my First year of really going competitve with the local clubs and I raced Prokart, Gatorz etc and got a taste of the action so i know what im up against!

Very nice so i take u get your parts from Comet? Ive never met Mark but only hear great things about his racing carrer and his familys kart shop!
 
paradigm said:
yup...one of the vets at the track said their next step up was ~35 hp karts. eek! i banged up my elbow pretty good...kept hitting the side of the seat and the gas tank. my right knee got it pretty good on the steering column too...but it was more than worth it.



i would like to try a manual tranny kart too...i kind of wish the track had more straights, or at least a secondary track with some. the twisties are fun, but it would be fun to just go all out around wider turns too. :)
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Where did you run?

Honestly, striaghts are boring after a while. Take a look at NCMP in the photo below. It's considered one of the most fun / technical tracks around. Laps are right around a minute, and I would guess that the long straight takes less than 10 seconds.



Next time you go, ask someone with a TaG you can jump in it. I'd never recommend one to someone who has no experience, but if you have 50 laps in a 9hp, you have a feel for it.



http://www.newcastleraceway.com/photos/air11206-3.jpg
 
Had a race on Sunday and a friend of mine snapped this pic. He normally shoots IndyCar & NASCAR, so I was a bit slow for him. Do realize now that I need a tinted visor so you can't see the fear in my eyes of being so crossed up coming out of a 60 mph left hander.:)



lastturn2.jpg
 
Where can you get info. online about these karts? Back when I used to do concrete work one of the houses we did work for had one in the garage. I have always wanted to drive one since then. Do you build them or buy them built already?
 
Danase said:
Where can you get info. online about these karts? Back when I used to do concrete work one of the houses we did work for had one in the garage. I have always wanted to drive one since then. Do you build them or buy them built already?
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There's tons of info out there on line, but the best way to learn about them is to go to a local track on race day and hang out and talk to people. Or go on a practice day, and chances are someone will offer you a ride in theirs if it's a low HP kart or you have some experience in a kart of some sort (unless you just look crazy or something). People who run karts love to tell others about them. I run in the TaG (Touch and Go) class, which is a 125cc with an electric start. Karts are so technical that you're better off buying one from a dealer already assembled-you end up taking 90% of it apart to fix stuff anyway.:)
 
Where do I find out about local tracks? What would I look (search) up or for? It does look like fun.
 
pgp said:
Where do I find out about local tracks? What would I look (search) up or for? It does look like fun.
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Here's one listing:



Kart Tracks



Some states you can throw a rock and hit ten of them (California), others may have one or two parking lot courses (South Carolina). I've got three active tracks within 45 minutes of me, but I live just outside of Indy. :)



Try to find a track that will let you rent real race karts - not the concession kart thingys they have at Disney World. It's a completely different experience. Then talk someone into letting you jump in their TaG and it's a whole 'nother world... I guarantee you will develop a new respect for Race Car Drivers and their abilities. Speaking of drivers, the guy on the right was at the track on Sunday with his shifter. He practiced, but didn't run.



july1race001.jpg
 
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