Hi
I’m looking at getting into competitive go karting next year and I’m looking for some advice/info on what is required.
I have had a look at the various classes and think Senior (I'm 27) Clubman is going to be the way to go using the control tyres and motors etc although I am not sure what weight class I would be in I currently weight 85-90kgs and from what I understand this also affects which kart to buy, any advice you can give me in this area would be much appreciated!
At this stage until I get some experience because I live in the western Suburbs I’ll only be doing events at the Ipswich track not sure if this makes any major difference to what I should be looking for a in kart and setup?
Karts, I have been looking at the current CRG rage, and thinking perhaps I would be in the Heavy class I think the black diamond 30/30 is the best suited although once again not certain?
On top of the Kart and engine (Say a CRG Black Diamond 30/30 and Yamaha KT1000s) what else is needed to get the kart race ready and what are the cost associated? Does the Kart come with everything ready to mount the engine and go racing? Does it come with tyres suitable for clubman class?
Also what is required to setup up the kart for each race meet and maintain it between? I am reasonably mechanically minded and I’m going to try and tackle as much as possible myself.
With regard to data logging, lap timers what do you recommend if any and why?
Can you give me any idea on the approximate running costs of a kart throughout a season of use, i.e. engine rebuilds, tyres, oils, fuels, brakes etc?
Any other advice you have would also be much appreciated!
I’m looking at getting into competitive go karting next year and I’m looking for some advice/info on what is required.
I have had a look at the various classes and think Senior (I'm 27) Clubman is going to be the way to go using the control tyres and motors etc although I am not sure what weight class I would be in I currently weight 85-90kgs and from what I understand this also affects which kart to buy, any advice you can give me in this area would be much appreciated!
At this stage until I get some experience because I live in the western Suburbs I’ll only be doing events at the Ipswich track not sure if this makes any major difference to what I should be looking for a in kart and setup?
Karts, I have been looking at the current CRG rage, and thinking perhaps I would be in the Heavy class I think the black diamond 30/30 is the best suited although once again not certain?
On top of the Kart and engine (Say a CRG Black Diamond 30/30 and Yamaha KT1000s) what else is needed to get the kart race ready and what are the cost associated? Does the Kart come with everything ready to mount the engine and go racing? Does it come with tyres suitable for clubman class?
Also what is required to setup up the kart for each race meet and maintain it between? I am reasonably mechanically minded and I’m going to try and tackle as much as possible myself.
With regard to data logging, lap timers what do you recommend if any and why?
Can you give me any idea on the approximate running costs of a kart throughout a season of use, i.e. engine rebuilds, tyres, oils, fuels, brakes etc?
Any other advice you have would also be much appreciated!
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Comments12
A good place to start is kartpedia type this in to google, my biggest recomendation would be go along to the club your looking at joining and just see what classes they are offering and any recomendations by the club
Cheers Shane
Shane Osborne said:A good place to start is kartpedia type this in to google, my biggest recomendation would be go along to the club your looking at joining and just see what classes they are offering and any recomendations by the clubCheers Shane
Thanks for that site, I didn't find that one I my many google searches so far!
Yeah i'll be joining the ipswich club at this stage and getting out there and talking to different people as well but just trying to get a jump on things and this looked ike a good place to start.
http://www.kartpedia.com/
My advise after buying my first kart and then selling it within the year is take a bit of time to get all the info you can before you put your money down. Sounds like you're doing that and this place is a good place to start.
Clubman is an awesome class with fairly simple engines and the MG Red tyre seems a pretty good balance between grip and wear to me. Also have a look at TaGR, they are electric start 125's restricted to similar performance to a KT100S as a "beginner" class. If you are lazy like me and not really into push starting it could be a good option and it gives you another option later too because if/when you upgrade your licence to B Grade you can pull the restrictor out and play in the senior performance classes. That said, make sure that your local club offers the class you want to run in reasonable numbers.
If you keep your eye's out there's heaps of good quality second hand kart/engine packages for sale all year round. Have a chat to people using the 30/30 CRG in Clubman heavy and get some feedback too. The only disadvantage is that it might end up being too light if you went to TaG later on down the track.
Budget wise it depends on how often you want to run but rebuilds on the KT100S are going to set you back something like $400 for the top end every 6 hours, $900 for the full rebuild every 12 hours. Average race day I put on about an hour. Oil is going to set you back $25 - $35 a litre and fuel is Premium Unleaded.
If you look at the Rotax its more like 25 hours and 50 hours between rebuilds but the work itself looks to be a bit more expensive. Over all its probably a cheaper class to run but the buy in cost will be higher. Won't comment on the other 125's because I've never owned one.
Maintenance on a new kart should be "fairly" minimal but there is always damage and breakage to keep in the back of your mind. Thats where having a Euro chassis might be a bit more expensive.
Keep asking questions, there are heaps of really knowledgeable people (much more than me) on this site who will help you out :)
Thanks for the great detailed response Scott, I have now also started looking at the TAG R class, very interesting!
yer mate if your looking to get into TAG-R, ipswich run it pretty much every meet. They run on MG reds aswell, and the motors do not need to be rebuilt nearly as much as the clubman, as they rev much lower. Plus the electric start etc is good way to go. Once you become more experience, you have the option of racing the open Rotax or lepard class.
Jeremy Murphy said:Thanks for the great detailed response Scott, I have now also started looking at the TAG R class, very interesting!
All good advice above - do check out TAG R and rebuild periods - the initial layout is not always your biggest cost when it comes to keeping things competative and keeping you in karting is what we all want
Good Aussie second hand karts are still very competative and parts easy to come by so dont overlook them
Clubman is a great class and you will not be dissapointed.
A CRG 30/30 is fine for clubman heavy but do not count out the aussie karts.
Were you looking at buying brand new or second hand. You can save yourself some money by buying a 2nd hand kart and engine package that normally come with some usefull spares as well. Chances are unless you are a freak you wont be able to make the most out of a new kart anyway and will only scratch it going off all the time (yes it will and should happen).
Between races if there is no damage not a lot needs to be done. Just a general clean and check it over and make sure its all ok.
I personally throw a set of tyres at it every 3 meetings ($235) and could get 1 or 2 more out of them if i really needed to. Top end engine rebuilds ($350) every 8-10 hours and a carby kit ($20) every 3 meets
So far im up to $1700 for the year in general parts from the kart shop. I have used 3 sets of tyres 1 top end rebuild plus assorted bits and bobs.
Rule of thumb.....what you spend on the initial purchase to go racing is what you spend every year to keep it going doing club days.
I started 2 yrs ago in Clubman and am now in Rotax Heavy. ( I weigh 94kgs and found that being 10kgs over the Clubman class weight was killing me!
Now in Rotax and only 2kgs over so no worries there. Much prefer the lower maintenave and rebuild schedules of the Rotax.
My advice - get yourself into TAG / Rotax Restricted - no push starts so you can test when no-one there to bump you.
i think you should also look at an arrow X1 or X1-30......As far as collecting data goes, i think the Mycron and alfano are pretty much the same as acuracy goes but the mycron is a bit easyer to use when getting started..also alot of the club sites have gearing info on them..
Jeremy,
I reside on the south/west of Brisbane and a member of Ipswich.
Give me a call on 0402 438 934, I have a kart ready to race for clubman heavy.
Also know someone who has a rotax kart for sale as well.
Also I can speak to you regarding costs, what you need etc as well.
Thanks everyone for being so helpful! Heading out to IKC this Saturday to have a look and talk to a few people.