OldGuy

I still havent seen the prolouge so my three week stay at work and at the tube has not started yet. I got 20 minutes to Thank Rich Mitsuda (911) here on the board for letting me and my son take our first baby steps to racing, by letting us drive his racing 125cc 2 stroke racing kart at WIllow. Man it was fun. talk about instant feedback. dont pay attention and BOOM you've spun. I think the fundamentals are all there for you to learn racing in this Kart environment. The fast guys out there were turning 46's and 47's including Rich, and after 3 sessions my 14 year old MXer little $hithead son of mine hit a 51 flat while the best I could do was a 54.5 or somewhere in the 54's. Again solidifiing my place as NRA rep to the Sierra club for HWFMR. I am sure if Rich's 9 year daughter would have driven the Kart she would have been in the 52 range! Anyway GREAT FUN!! Thanks RICH!! I really appreciate it and now I got something else to cloud the picture!!

ca993twin

Karting could be the first step... or the only step. Its a hoot and quite inexpensive, expecially compared to almost any form of car racing. Jim Hall has a school in Oxnard... very tempting.

TrackJunke

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit... Does anyone in the South East kart? I am trying to find tracks near me but everybody seems to run dirt ovals not paved road courses.

clubrcr

I have been racing for sometime now and have been lucky enough to race some really nice factory Porsches, a couple of months ago I was asked to be a co-driver in a 6 hour endurance karting event. These karts, although not shifter karts, were 50-55 mph karts. All the karts were identical. We did very well in the event, but most of all, it was a hoot!! I would recommend it. Don't start with a shifter kart, work your way up to it. It was as much fun as any other racing I have very done, for a fraction of the price.

chris walrod

I had the fortune of doing a kart school (compliments of one of pro Atlantic teams that I do track support for) at the new kart track at Buttonwillow a little over a year ago. They used direct drive, single speed 125cc Rotax powered karts. It was very fun, and a great learning experience. Then the pain and shoulder soreness set-in on the way home over the grapevine... I was sore for a few days.

Talk about direct feedback and steering response!!

dwe8922

I got started in karting a while back also, mainly because DE and tire costs were more than I could handle while in school. I run the "momentum" cars of the karting world, the 100cc, 2 cycle, single speed. Its the least expensive, but the kart hits 70 mph at the jacksonville, FL track. The big thing about them are the cornering forces--they can approach 3g's . Things happen very fast in a kart, and they are more physically demanding than a car, (no suspension). Like anything else though, the body gets accustomed to the soreness that was described above. The experiences are different (993 vs kart), rather than one being better than the other, I think. Another plus is that you're satisfied with a half day of practice, and races are a 1 day deal. Finally, if you do get into it, make sure you get a seat that fits WELL, and buy a good rib vest. I didn't, and wish many times over I did. Bruised ribs take a long time to heal.

911

OldGuy,

You & Ryan are very welcome! It was great to meet you today, and your son did a heck of a job for his first time in a kart. He's got some natural reflexes and it wouldn't take him long to be quick in one of these, IMHO.

Also, thanks for letting me take a quick drive in your 993 TT. Now I know why people want one. I can't believe how fast that car is! I told my wife about my experience, and before I could finish she said, "Don't even think about it!"

Anyway, I'll let you know when I go out again. It'll probably be in about 2-3 weeks. Take care & have a great 4th.

Rich

PS: We literally drove the tires off! When I went home I inspected them and 2 of the tires had started to de-laminate. Anyway, good fun today.

911

Chris -

I've heard some great things about the Buttonwillow track. In fact, the IKF Grand Nationals were held there this past week.

The Rotax Max engines are quick. They compete in the same class as my Parilla Leopard (TaG Class) engine as both are 125cc and water cooled. The rest of the fast guys that OG referred to in his email all drove Rotaxes.

Rich

dr kenneth e garchow

speaking of karts, i have a kart that looks to be sponsered by this site

i would rather take it to the track than my 993 since it is easier to fix and i dont have to worry about rock chips

911

Dr Ken,

Looks like we have the same kart stand. I just bought mine two months ago after 18 months of aggravation with the one from RLV. The Kartlift stand is well worth the $600 and it makes it so easy for the solo karter to go to the track - especially if one doesn't need a starter to get going like your shifter, or my TaG.

Rich

David in LA

hmmm....tempting....do you need to have a seperate trailer for a cart? or does it fit in the back of an SUV or station wagon?

911

I'm glad that there are some karters who also have 993s. Here's my .02 worth on the validity of karting:

* It's one of the few, if only, form of racing that top drivers will use as a training tool. They do this for one reason - there is no other better training ground than karting. Michael Schumacher is an avid karter, as well as JPM & Mika Hakkinen. In fact, last weekend in Finland, Mika showed up at a local club race and participated. He got pole & won (no surprise there). A few years ago JPM did a similar thing in Miami. There was a 3-week hiatus before the Hungarian GP. So, what did he do? He went to a local race in Homestead and raced in the EasyKart class. Other drivers like Barichello, Fittipaldi (Christian), Papis, Kanaan, Castro Neves, Vasser, Paul Tracy, Alex Tagliani, Alex Barron, Memo Gidley, etc., are also known to kart on a regular basis. Last year I even tested with Richie Hearn at Lake Perris.

* Unlike most cars, the kart is very unforgiving. Because of the lack of suspension, you will get immediate feedback when you haven't driven a corner properly.

* Karters develop an acute awareness of sensitivity when it comes to the handling characteristics of a kart. This translates to cars quite easily.

* The competition is incredible. It's common to go see an entire 10-15 car fields covered by a mere second at a local club event.

Personally, I enjoy karting because it's an affordable way to get real, legitimate track time. Also, if something breaks on it, the repair bill will normally be in the hundreds versus the thousands it would be for our 993s. I'm sure others can chime in on why they value karting. It can also be a great way to spend time with your children, too.

Rich

911

David,

There are various ways to transport it. I've seen many people use an SUV, but I believe that requires removing the wheels to get it to fit. Since I don't have an SUV, I use my '94 Sentra to tow an open 5 x 8 trailer. It's not the ideal way to transport the kart, but it works. I'll probably get a hitch on my Audi and use it as a tow vehicle at some point in the future.

Just keep in mind that the rear of the kart is about 55 inches.

Rich

touf

I have also been karting for a couple years.
After being tired of spending so much money on kart rental at the local track, I have finally bought a used one.
I bought 1 Mike Wilson Chassis and a brand new Rotax Max 125 engine (H2O cooled and Electric Start).
I live in SD and would like to se if other Go Karting Rennlisters would want to meet sometimes at a track in So CAL.

David in LA

Thanks, Rich!