good evening brainstrust
i am a guy in my mid thirties looking to get into go karting, but struggling to find great information in what kart to buy to be competitive, as well as have fun
i would like the kart to be self sufficient, ie electric start to not rely on others
any and all advise weather good or bad will be approciated
i am in. Western australia
Comments3
go see a kart shop ,eg FLAT OUT ,in WA ,they will guide you for your needs
All karts are now TAG (electric start and clutch). The most fun you will have is in large fields so you will need to have a look at which classes you are eligible for at the club you wish to join.
My guess is the KA class (the new clubman class) or TAG (125cc) will be the most common althou other classes may exist.
Best bang for your buck I feel is the TAG 125 class and either a new rotax evo or a new IAME X30. Becareful here as there are different ones avialible second hand that vary a little from the current models.
As to which one of these to go for, again go and have a look at your intended club and have a look to see what numbers and how they are running. (Bare in mind that the new X30 has only just been released so make sure you take that into account) Talk to the drivers and get a feel for which is your preference.
My personal preference is the X30 as there has been only 2 upgrades (suite of upgrades) since its release over 10 years ago.
1. the clutch was improved a few year ago with no performance increase, and this could be retro fitted as required.
2. the latest which has changed many of the ancillaries of the engine to give it a little more mid range and also reliability improvements.
They are a great engine, very simple to use and very reliable.
The added advantage with the TAG 125 engines are also that you can choose (depending on classes offered locally of course) to run in either the Restricted class TAG-R or the unrestricted class.
Do your own research but most importantly, see where the numbers are at your local club.
As for what chassis, as a beginner, the one that will give you best track support, either from a kart shop or from other competitors. Like the engines, have a look to see what is popular at your local club, as it makes finding spares at the track easier if you have a "common" Kart brand.
Arrow, Tony Kart (Any OTK kart) are the most common usually although CRG and Birrel and there derivatives have also been around a long time. Any of these (and others) are good chasses but will all depend on having the help to set them up at the track.
Again personally Arrow has in the past had a wider setup window than the European chassis, but not quite the refinement although this changes from model to model and really relies on being able to be set up correctly.
I have always come back to an Arrow chassis and the new Arrow X5 seems to be very fast.
Don't expect to be fast first up, as a new kart driver it will take a little bit to get on the pace but if you have the support to set up the chassis, it will make you get up so speed much faster as you can concentrate on your driving without wondering if it is your setup causing the issues.
PS. I'm not sure what NON KA options you have in WA these days but would also be worth looking at that option, especially if you are focused on fun.
Best of luck. David
Hi Todd, give Greg Dicker at Flatout Karts a call 08 9248 1818 he will be able to help you out with all you need to know.