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NEW TO KARTING? |
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An Introduction to Our Sport Motor racing is a superb sport and
fortunately kart racing is a relatively inexpensive way to become involved
in motor sport. Second hand karts worth buying will be in excess of £1,000
(Cadet £600) with the drivers equipment taking the starting figure up
to around £1,300 (Cadet £900). Young people may start karting at
the age of 8 in the Cadet class, this takes them through to 11 or 12 when
they move into the Junior category. (11 years is the earliest time that a
driver may move on but they must move into junior at 12.) Once a driver
reaches his/her 16th birthday they are then considered to be a Senior.
There are two types of organised racing in this country, with two-stroke or four-stroke engine power. Originally karting was based on two-stroke engines and all the international competitions use two-stroke engines. In the UK there are national championships for two-stroke and four-stroke racing, but without offering any offence to the four stroke racers, at the very top of the sport is two-stroke racing. The racing is also sub divided into direct drive and gearbox racing. Both direct drive (two-stroke and four-stroke) and gearbox (two-stroke) kart racing are divided into a number of classes, each governed by a set of rules for racing in the UK, these are laid down by the club's Association. The major difference between the classes is cost, the more sophisticated the equipment the higher the price for a chassis, an engine, for engine and chassis maintenance and for tyres. Which Class? If you are starting karting the first problem will be which class to join? This decision should not be made by selecting the best second-hand bargain you can find. Come on a course and learn all about the sport or consider our CD "Everything About Racing Karts", here we cover from safety through driving through routine maintenance through kart classes and the we give you all the facts on the cost of going racing. All you need to know in a one day package. After spending a day with us go to your local circuit and find out which classes are well supported. This is probably the circuit where you will race, and it is best to join a class which will provide interesting competition over a range of skill levels. If you are under 11 years old then there is only two classes available (two-stroke Comer Cadet and four-stroke Honda Cadet), 11 to 16 years then there is little choice, usually your circuit will have Junior TKM races. For senior drivers the selection of a suitable class must take into account three variables. Firstly your budget, how much are you able to afford to purchase an outfit and how much you are able to afford to keep the outfit running? Secondly how heavy are you? Although each class has a minimum weight limit, which the complete outfit plus driver must exceed when weighted at the end of each race, heavy drivers are often penalised. Many of the very top direct drive 100cc drivers are built like jockeys, few are more than 5 foot 6 inches (167.75cm) tall and most are under 10 stone (63.64kgs) in weight. Thirdly if you have ambitions to become a 100cc kart champion this is the specification you need to meet. If you just want to race for enjoyment, taller and heavier drivers find that 100cc/125cc karting is still great fun and there are classes for the "bigger" drivers. However if you still have 'being a champion' as your target gearbox and four-stroke karting are more forgiving in terms of height and weight. These classes use larger capacity engines and adding a gearbox also narrows the differential between the small and large driver. One other advantage of the gearbox classes is if you have ambitions to race on motor race circuits, is what is know as "long circuit" karting. Not for the novice driver, long circuit racing offers high speed car circuit racing at minimal cost. Having sorted out the classes worth entering, the next decision is how much are you prepared to spend? Kart racing is not simply having a chassis and an engine. The rules insist that a driver has a certain standard of crash helmet, racing suit, gloves and boots. You will need a good tool kit; metric spanners and Allen keys are essential. In order to be competitive a number of kart parts will be needed. For instance, you will require a number of rear axle sprockets, which determine your gear ratio and are varied for different circuits, wet tyres for those occasional days when it rains(!) and so on. The faster and more complex the outfit the more you are likely to need to spend to keep it running The next most important point is to determine the restrictions for the class you have chosen. The clubs produce a regulation booklet know as the Gold Book (MSA Kart Class Regulations). Within this booklet are listed the classes that the majority of clubs and the major championships follow. Take care when buying second hand as not all of the older karts conform with today's racing regulations! OR why not have a look at "Easi Race" the Protrain path to simplify getting involved with this great sport and join our "Racing Team" . More on the Classes We Use The entry area for karting is usually by way of the direct drive karts. These karts give you less to worry about whilst learning the techniques of racing. Even at this level two-stroke karting is broken down into four basic units, partly by age partly by class of kart. Listed below are the classes that you could consider as a novice karter and the classes that we use on our courses. Cadet - 8-12 years Honda Cadet - uses a four stroke Honda engine on a Cadet racing chassis with a left hand engine mount. Very economical the engine should require rebuilding only once each year, a new outfit will cost about £1600 plus VAT. Comer Cadet - uses the 60cc Comer two stroke engine on a right hand engine mount chassis. Unfortunately this class is of a high profile and a tuned engine will be required in order to be really competitive. Complete outfits from £1800 but a second hand tuned engine will cost £1000 plus ! There is a Protrain Introductory course in this class of racing. Junior - 11 - 15 years - Junior TKM is the most popular junior 100cc class, with a new regulated engine and chassis costing around £2400 plus VAT. There is a Protrain Introductory course in this class of racing. Junior Rotax is the fastest developing area of kart racing. It has two classes, Mini Max for 11 to 12 year olds and Junior Max UK for 13 to 16 year olds. They both use the same Junior Rotax Max engine but the mini max is fitted with restrictors to decrease the speed for younger drivers. There is a Protrain Intermediate course in this class of racing. Senior - 16 years upwards - direct drive 100cc - Senior TKM is the most popular class in British karting, new outfits from £2400 plus VAT, but there is a good secondhand market. Rotax Max are higher powered classes that are also considered to be in the economy end of the sport, outfits from £2700 plus VAT. There is a Protrain Introductory course driving Formula TKM karts and Intermediate and Competition courses using Rotax Max karts. Gearbox there is are 6 speed 125 cc classes using bike engines and 250cc classes based upon motocross engines. Licence Qualification All new drivers have to pass an ARKS test (Association of Racing Karts Schools) in order to obtain their first licence. The test covers a session on the circuit to check the drivers skill level and his/her understanding of the on-circuit safety procedures. This is followed by a written test which contains tick boxes for a choice of answers. Drivers with reading or writing difficulties may be asked the questions if they wish. This test is available from Protrain as part of a course or our school karts or your own equipment. Once a driver has passed the ARKS test, and if over 18 obtained a medical certificate from a doctor, they may apply for a National B licence. With a National B licence a novice driver starts from the back of the grid and is observed by the MSA Steward. After competing in five events, each to the satisfaction of the Steward who signs the licence, the licence may be upgraded to National A status, the licence for competing in all kart competitions. |
