Interested in racing go-karts?

Question

Hey, I'm 13 years old. I'm getting real interested in racing, not for a living, just for fun. but i dont know how to tell my mom.

Also, what should i do to get started? like what should i get and where should i go?

Right now i live in P.A. but im moving to Arizona in 2 years. should i just wait till im in Arizona?

the racing i wanna do is either dirt or track.

Answer 1

racing karts are fun the more seat time you get the better you will be kart racing is an expensive hobby it depends are were u want to go in the sport if you plan on racing karts as you get older you may want to look into shifter karts most smaller class cars run on regular engines like a 5 horse thses can be modified to run on methanol and increase the horse power wich inturn can run around 100 mph this would be a good way for you to start cause you can start with a 3 to 5 horse engine running on gas and as you learn you can switch the carb over to run on the methanol its a cheaper form of kart racing check local tracks to see were they race them go watch and learn from other drivers talk ask questions find out were they get there kart parts from look for karts for sale its cheaper to get a used kart to start out to see if your really interested in this type of racing and if you have the ability to run remember this is just a learning curve there are lots of stuff you need to learn and tools needed to race so watching others and seeing what there using and doing will be a great start for you this is how i started and eventually moved up to cars i had to buy everything on my own and do repairs myself learn how to set up the car or kart it all takes experience and dedication and just because you may run in the back at first but as you learn things will change and you will get better but you have to do your homework its not going to be handed to you cause there are another bunch of kids who want to do the same thing win races   good luck and race em hard ps see what arizona has to offer for kart racers search on the computer see what you find hey check out this site www.craigslist.com  then click on state of texas classifieds then go to rv's   for sale some post a dirt gokart 350.00 engine 100.00  theres your chance to get in cheap

Answer 2

Karting is the best place to start.

It's not only training ground for racing drivers, it's a sport in it's own right, very demanding and very challenging and competitive.

I suggest you go here and subscribe to the forums:

http://www.ekartingnews.com/

You're sure to find other karters from where you reside, they will tell you where the tracks are, what is best to get started with, what classes are most popular at your local track,how to get started and how much it's all going to cost.

Also any technical queries you may have will be answered by knowledgeable people.

In general you should start by buying some second hand kart in good condition, the Yamaha class is a good place to start or maybe Junior Easykart if there are enough of them around,junior Rotax etc plus many other classes.

It doesn't make sense for beginners to buy expensive brand new karts as their first kart because they don't know what their needs are and they can't push it to it's limits anyway so you buy second hand and learn the ropes.

When you feel you're ready, by then you will know exactly where to go next.