how do i start go karting

hotpoker

i want to know how to get into karting. what classes i should look into and how much it'll cost.

waraf

hotpoker wrote: »

i want to know how to get into karting. what classes i should look into and how much it'll cost.

If you're a complete newbie and have never even tried it before I would say just go down to somewhere like Kart City in Santry and give it a shot. It's not the type of thing that you do a night course in I don't think.

Chopper888

The website www.irishkarting.com will provide you with all the information required to starting karting in Ireland.

SouperComputer

Start by calling it karting and not go karting

irishkarting.com is the best resource to start with. If you havent been to a race you need to do that. Really you need to forget the word kart and think racecar, top drivers dont use them to keep sharp for the craic. A lot of the kart classes hand the cars their own arses in terms of laptimes so they arent really for the timid. Back in '00/'01 at Mondello we were pulling 59s on the national circuit in the 100CC (Formula A Class) with the 250's pulling 53's. Strykers were doing 65s and Formula Vee 61's.

The most popular class running right now, Rotax Max I would say is around the 60-61s mark, but I dont think they run that track anymore. Just giving you an idea of what you might be in for speed wise in this class.

It doesnt have to be as expensive as people make out. But its certainly not cheap either, no form of motorsport is. One thing is that if you go off the track or have contact in a Kart, its typically a lot cheaper than a car. Euro for euro, karting is hard to beat in terms of speed & competition. That said Formula Vee gets great entries too. But you cant stick a Vee on your roof or in the boot and head to the track. Horses for courses as the say. The legends look savage but the initial purchase price might be a showstopper for some.

Put it this way Ive been out of racing for 8 years and I'm making a return, karts is what Ill be doing, its where its at as far as I'm concerned. The most bang for your buck as the say over here

The racing is sanctioned by FIA\Motorsport ireland. You will have to pass a racing licence assessment before you can race. Checkout www.motorsportireland.com.

av8rirl

LIGHTNING wrote: »

The majority of people that I know racing karts spend more money than I would on my single seater.

What single seater do you have?

Karting Champ

Hi Guys,
Came across something that might help you with getting into karting. A new Irish championship is starting up. They supply the kart and engine and you just pay a rental. I think the guys in xtreme karting roscrea have the information. I will try and find out more. If i Do i will post it

Sabre0001

The bare details you have provided do sound interesting Do post if you find out more.

Bobby04

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Usually for arrive and drive situations the cost of renting is usually double the entry fees. So in formula vee your entry fee is around 200e and the renting fee is around 500e. Its silly money hence why I havent been out in a while

When you say it's silly money - would it be silly money compared to buying a kart/single seater as the case may be, and probably also a trailer of some sort, wear & tear etc.? Especially if you are not doing all the maintenance and upkeep of your chosen chariot yourself?? The idea of arrive & drive appeals to me for alot of those reasons, but cost comparison would be interesting.

av8rirl

You can argue that any type of motorsport is silly money... the phrase "the only way to make a small fortune in motorsport is to start with a large one" is certainly true!

Arrive and drive serves a very useful purpose for a lot of people. I personally used it when I started racing for a variety of reasons.
1. I didn't have the knowledge to run a decent car.
2. I didn't have the time to work on a car (that I didn't know how to run).
3. I didn't have space to store a car.
4. I didn't want the hassle of getting a car to track for testing or racing.
5. I knew that by hiring, I was getting a car capable of running at the front. Therefore I knew I needed to work on ME when on track and not on the car.
6. I wanted to concentrate on the racing and not on learning how to work on a car.

It does have its pitfalls tho.
1. Overall, the costs will be slightly higher as in addition to renting/hiring the car, you are also paying for storage, wear and tear and someone elses experience and knowledge. But I will stress to you that when you work out all the figures, the costs really are only slightly higher.
2. If you have an accident or mishap, you must pay there and then to have the car rebuilt because its not your car. If it was your car and you didn't have the money, you could choose to sit out a few races.

I'm sure there are other pros and cons depending on where you are looking at it all from.

If you want full details and costs, PM me. Myself and a friend run a front running team in Formula Vee (www.kershawmotorsport.com).

Ficus on here is a good person to chat with as he hired a car for the last 3 years. This year he bought his own car and has someone running it for him. He's a former rookie champion in Vee's and is currently leading the national championship by 7 points (www.formulavee.ie). I'm pretty sure he'll tell you that, whether you hire a car or own it, having someone run you is the only way to go!

Speak to people with experience in what you are wishing to do. The problem with these forums is that you can get information from people with virtually no knowledge of the subject matter...so don't mind what lightning is saying above as his race career was very shortlived and he has never owned the car (or any other) which he refers to spending money on above!

juma

Karting Champ wrote: »

Hi Guys,
Came across something that might help you with getting into karting. A new Irish championship is starting up. They supply the kart and engine and you just pay a rental. I think the guys in xtreme karting roscrea have the information. I will try and find out more. If i Do i will post it

Any more info on this yet?

Barry_Scott

Karting Champ wrote: »

Hi Guys,
Came across something that might help you with getting into karting. A new Irish championship is starting up. They supply the kart and engine and you just pay a rental. I think the guys in xtreme karting roscrea have the information. I will try and find out more. If i Do i will post it

Any idea on the cost of renting the equipment? When did this championship begin?