chris walrod

This is so cool!!

ajcjr

its a good time!!

ltc

Looks like the pregrid at OVRP if I'm not mistaken.

chopperzz

Very good point, never thought of it. I don't have kids myself, I only commented based on what my buddy told me. But you have added another sport that definitely fits the criteria. There's probably more that I've missed.

utkinpol

how much do those things cost? is where a good web site with details, prices, faq?
my son turns 5 this March, I had no idea kids can start with this fun so early.

ltc

www.ekartingnews.com is a good place to start.

Kids 5-8 run Bambino (Kid Kart), 50cc engines. I actually helped a 4 1/2 year old girl at the track a couple of times, her name was Mackenzie. She would get in the kart and drive with excellent focus, then jump out of the kart and ask her Mom where her Barbies were and run to the trailer for a tea party.

Kids 8-12 run Cadet, 80cc engines or Rotax Mini Max (restricted 125cc engines)


If you are in MA, the best tracks would be in NY (OVRP, www.ovrp.com ) or NJ (Englishtown, http://www.etownraceway.com/ ).
I would contact Tim Hannen at OVRP to check on current prices (new or used).

Feel free to PM if you have any quesitons on karting. I am in MA as well and have a trailer full of karts and experiences....

Potomac-Greg

I would love to find a way to get my kids into motorsports, in part to have them share my love of the sport. But you run the risk of getting sucked into the vortex where your kid's karting overwhelms everything else, and you spend your nights and weekends tweeking karts and traveling to events.

I'm already in the vortex with my daughter's swim "career." No more vortices for me.

multi21

A lot to be said for that. Ask ltc

Garylimey

This is so inpirring! I have 5 kids, two of which are going to campmotorsport in July. The 7 year old though wants and is getting a kart for his 8th birthday, looks like I may have to get one too

ltc

It took a while for my body to finally figure out that my driver was retired.

My wife said I would still wake up at 3AM and wander out to the trailer for no apparent reason, mumbling about having to swap motors...she thinks I was sleepwalking.
My taste buds began to return and I realized that everything wasn't supposed to taste like WD40, brake cleaner and cold pizza.

5 years without ever spending a weekend at home ... hundreds of thousands of dollars ... but memories that will last a lifetime.

ltc

if you are getting one for yourself, get a TaG (electric start Touch and Go....Leopard or Rotax....minimal maintenance). Do not get a shifter or let someone talk you into a shifter.

utkinpol

my last season took a lot of weekends and I got an ultimatum this year - either I will be home with kids on weekends or a divorce. never thought it will become so serious, but, well, go figure.

RSRRacer

May be true, but I drove a shifter kart at CMP for about 15 mintues and it was enough to bring tears to my eyes. First, because I was going 80 with no goggles. Second, because that thing was as fast as my cup car around most part of CMP (and faster in some too!) And the whole damn kart cost less than 2 sets of tires for the cup car.

ltc

Yup, but it's a bit of a steep learning curve for setup and maintenance for a newbie.
I always tell someone to learn on a TaG for the first year or so, then jump into a shifter...plus it gives you a year to build up enough scar tissue on your thorax so you don't break ribs (yup, seen folks jump into a shifter and bruise/break ribs without the proper rib vest and conditioning).

But, there is the allure of a kart with close to the same hp/weight (50hp/200lbs)ratio as a Formula car.

ltc

My wife never gave me that ultimatum.
She would just look at me when we came home from the weekend where we didn't win and ask why not?
(she got spoiled very quickly with 1st place trophies and blamed the mechanic when a DNF occured.... )