Go carting for kids.
 

My little guy (8yo) is really showing interest in racing go carts. I know almost nothing about the racing part but more than enough how to fix them. Thinking of picking up a used cart that needs a bit of work so that part will be taken care of but where to go or look for what it takes to get him into racing it? Obviously he needs to start at the beginers level. What is that and how it works? Anyone has some experience with this please feel free to post.

go to Cameron Motorsport in Hamilton and do the arrive and drive program...pretty cheap to do and quality is high.
http://www.cameronmotorsports.com/series_rookie.asp

I've been thinking of getting back into basic karting, WAYYYY cheaper then playing with cars, safer, and more competitive/fun

+1 on Cameron motorsports if you're in the West.

If you're in the East, do the Goodwood arrive and drive series.
http://www.goodwoodkartways.com/crkc.htm
Both my son and daughter attended this series for several years.

Goodwood is a fun track as well, good karts last time I was there.

Thanks for the posts guys. What about if you already have a cart? What tracks are available for that, is there a licensing system to race? Just like all my spontaneous purchases, I buy something and then look into what to do with it. It's a bit assbackwards. :) Bought the cart and a bunch of spare parts and safety equipment for the seller yesterday. He wanted out of the sport so we made a deal to buy everything he had.

Would be best to call one of the above tracks with information of what kart/equipment you have...they can steer you(no pun intended) in the right direction. I've been out too long to remember what level is what, and I'm sure its changed a bunch as well...
You can always rent track time as well, which of course is great for 'learning' car control, but won't get you the 'experience'. It may be a case where you park or sell your kart and do the arrive-n-drive to get started

Jumped into the deep end eh, it can still work out well tho.

I would suggest that you sign your 8 year old with one of the arrive and drive series, so he can get some proper instructions on track ethicate and conventions in a safe way from professionals. Once he has that, you can rent some track time and bring him out in your own kart which will no doubt be a lot faster than the arrive karts but by then he will be up to the task.

Great idea, I think I'll go with this. Thanks! :)

One of the teaching assistants at my kid's school is into it with his 14 year old. He told me the other day he could get me set up very easily if I was interested. Not sure my 7 year old is quite ready for it but, I think my 4 year old is...

I know they race at Flambourough on Saturday mornings.

I could get his contact info for you. He's a good guy and has been into it for 6 or 7 years.

Sure, I would like to talk to someone that locally does this. Just read through the Waterloo Region Kart Club's website and went through their rulebooks. They race at Flamborough.

On a side note, now I remember why I hate old carburetors and pull starts so much. This one sat for a few years so I took it completely apart and soaking it in brake cleaner.

MOsport has a great go cart track as well. may want to search and contact the people who run it. I wish my girls showed an interest in racing, my 7 year old likes speed.

I keep an old stash of MEK for carbs. Was the best stuff.

Looks like the Waterloo Region Kart Club is the closest club to join. Mark sent me a contact that I will follow up with also, ran into a guy, while working on the kart as he was walking by, that is a member and regularly races with the Wareloo club.

Got the carb figured out too, stupid spark plug decided to fail between Sunday night and Monday morning. So I've been chasing the wrong problem but at least now the carburetor is totally clean. Engine ran beautifully last night. Then decided to fire it up one more time and the pull cord snapped. :) That'll be an easy fix for tonight and then time for a shakedown test in the parking lot.

Just a clarification on terminology... quote from the site kartdirectory.com:

'' Step 02: Karting 101 – Basic Terminology (Karts Vs. Carts)
A “kart” conjures up many images, depending who you ask. For the unaware, many associate the name with concession carts or amusement park “go-carts” at a local miniature golf center. But a racing kart is anything but a toy. It is a highly intricate piece of machinery with power to weight performance superior to sports cars with high dollar price tags. ''

If you search Kijiji you will see how important the ''k'' is vs the ''c''!
Here in Quebec it seems gokarts (go karts, go-carts, go carts etc) are either rental k(c)arts or yard k(c)arts and karts are racing karts.

These days I spend more time on my karts and kart engines than my Porsches (mostly because in the winter I can bring kart engines into the house from my unheated garage...). I have been going a bit crazy for karts and engines from the '90s, simple air-cooled thoroughbreds that can be had for peanuts and are great fun for lapping. This is my Tony Kart with a Vortex 100cc JICA engine.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...6251ebfdb1.jpg

I also have a Kali Kart and 9 other engines from a Yamaha KT100 to an Ital Sis 100cc 20,000 rpm rotary valve ICA, all either running or on the kitchen table :)
As I said, a bit crazy...

I think you can't lose (much) buying a used kart with spares etc., especially for someone who is mechanically inclined (to say the least). If it doesn't work out you can get most of your ''investment'' back. There are frequent ads for brand new karts for sale when after a month or two the kid decides he or she would rather do something else.

How about some information on the kart and engine. And if there aren't any pictures... it doesn't exist!