Im moving to danville va which is right near VIR for graduate school at VT. Hopefully my graduate office space will be on the grounds of VIR at the VIPER program warehouse, but that's still up in the air.

Regardless Ill be very close to the track, and Ive always wanted to get into karting and they have a 5/8 sprint track plus bigger races go there for the shorter section of the "big" track.
I want to get into racing, but I really dont know where to start.

Ill be buying a kart in a few months, and I need some advice about buying one, and buying one for a certain class. Ill be trying to buy someones used complete setup most likely.

How do the classes work, and what differentiates them. Im 22 and about 210 lbs, and Id consider myself a novice driver, but I think that my learning curve would be greatly decreased based on the amoujnt of time I plan on spending driving. I am also pretty good at small car setup (thanks to VT Baja), and I understand a lot of vehicle dynamics (grad research)

thanks

 

Go supercart or go home

 

it is different from area to area.

Send user Aahj a PM he was a pretty succesfull kart in your area.

 

Karting is a great place to start. I have been karting for a good many years...
Depends on your comfort/experience level.
There are a couple of ways to go.
TAG karts= touch and go... basically a automatic usually 2 speed karts. Nice and quick.. good starter kart to learn your skills.
Shifter= 80CC pretty darn quick & a step up from the TAG.
Shifter 125CC (IMO) You had better have some experience driving karts before going here. These are fast. Depending on the set up and type of kart you can hit speeds of 125 plus. Not recomended for the novice driver (IMO). I know people who have bought one ... after the first time to the track they decided to get something more manageable. It literally scared the living be-jesus out of them.
Karts are more responsive in excelleration, steering, and braking.
I have raced 125cc karts for about 5 years and they can be a blast to drive, but you better have more than novice experience.
Check out local kart shops and the local tracks. If they dont have someones kart in their shop selling it on consignment , they can always find you a decent used set up and not break the bank.
Seat time is key... have fun!

 

so how do the classes work then?
id be doing a lot of driving before i got into racing, so i would like to do 125 cc's which seems more competitive, and a better stepping stone.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dfoxengr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so how do the classes work then?
id be doing a lot of driving before i got into racing, so i would like to do 125 cc's which seems more competitive, and a better stepping stone.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

thats jumping into the deep end big time.


People spend A LOT of money in a class like that.


Again classing depends on your local area.

A lot of times they have age/weight/novice (everyone starts out there). I don't know what the age brackets nor weight brakes are. Most people race up a class.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by slammed_93_hatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

thats jumping into the deep end big time.


People spend A LOT of money in a class like that.


Again classing depends on your local area.

A lot of times they have age/weight/novice (everyone starts out there). I don't know what the age brackets nor weight brakes are. Most people race up a class.</TD></TR></TABLE>


QFT... That is going directly into the deep end. If you have done alot of driving what have you done before that you think will prepare you for such a jump into the deep end.
Id recommend a season in 80cc shifters first then move up if you think your ready for the 125. Your competitive season will dictate if your ready or not.
What im saying is if you are lucky enough to get a few wins or podiums..
Like i said before most people will either find the 125CC too hard to handle, or the speed will scare them. Just my opinion here, I know many drivers make that mistake in bitting off more than you can chew, only to go right back to the 80CC.
Most big tracks have a karting school like out at Infineon. They wont let you touch a 125 shifter until you have finished a beginers course (usually TAG) then the 80cc.
To jump right into 125CC you going to have a steep learning curve.
Think this through before diving in head first with out checking the depth of the water. You'll enjoy it more.

 

yeah ill definitely try things out before buying.
thanks for the info.

does anyone know how I could find the class rules and regs for my area, or however that works?

 

Are you going to VT for a Master's or PhD?

 

i am at Vt now for BS ME, and am dual enrolled as BS/MS.
my research is in vehicle dynamics, and ill have my MS after thats done in about another year.

 

I can't tell you how many times I've considered selling my track car to pick up karting.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sporkcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I can't tell you how many times I've considered selling my track car to pick up karting. </TD></TR></TABLE>


ehhh it is fun, but i like the car much better.


Karts are super fun though but a whole lot different then a car.

 

i also am going to be buying a car to do autox stock classes with as well.
probably a 91 si

 

I used to race shifterkarts...just sold the entire package a couple weeks ago to the University of Maryland's FSAE program. They were a BLAST!

I raced in the Woodbridge Kart Club and with the World Karting Association's Road Racing Series. Never raced on the local sprint tracks because there weren't any competitors.

The kart track at VIR have arrive and drive type events in karting. Might be a cheaper alternative to get your feet wet first. If you decide to purchase a kart and race it...you need to check out your local tracks to find out which class would be best with the most amount of competition.

Here are a couple of links to get your research started:

http://www.ekartingnews.com
http://www.worldkarting.com
http://www.woodbridgekartclub.com
http://www.uskartgrandprix.com

Just to put things into perspective...competitively road racing a 125cc shifterkart was about the same as competitively racing my ITA CRX.

If you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Take care,
AJ

 

is the woodbridge kart club woodbridge, Va? or is it based somewhere else.

and why did UMD fsae buy your karts?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dfoxengr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">is the woodbridge kart club woodbridge, Va? or is it based somewhere else.

and why did UMD fsae buy your karts?</TD></TR></TABLE>

They actually don't have a home office...but their home track is at Summit Point Raceway with an event at VIR as well.

The UMFSAE team is using it for driver training.

AJ

 

Plenty of fun and bang for your buck just racing 125 TAG KArts. Much, much cheaper than 125 Shifters of any type. If you do go the shifter route, stock honda class is the cheapest route, and very competitive nationally.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Aahj &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I used to race shifterkarts...just sold the entire package a couple weeks ago to the University of Maryland's FSAE program. They were a BLAST!

I raced in the Woodbridge Kart Club and with the World Karting Association's Road Racing Series. Never raced on the local sprint tracks because there weren't any competitors.

The kart track at VIR have arrive and drive type events in karting. Might be a cheaper alternative to get your feet wet first. If you decide to purchase a kart and race it...you need to check out your local tracks to find out which class would be best with the most amount of competition.

Here are a couple of links to get your research started:

http://www.ekartingnews.com
http://www.worldkarting.com
http://www.woodbridgekartclub.com
http://www.uskartgrandprix.com

Just to put things into perspective...competitively road racing a 125cc shifterkart was about the same as competitively racing my ITA CRX.

If you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Take care,
AJ</TD></TR></TABLE>

Alas, a topic near and dear to my heart.

The Stock Honda Moto (125cc) is gaining a lot of popularity because of its minimum maintenance schedule. But ultimately, you should go to the local tracks in your area and see what type of kart is supported.

For example...

I run a Kosmic shifter kart. This kart is a Tonykart under the Kosmic name. Not many folks run it at my local track besides my karting mentor and myself. Finding chassis adjustments is a bit tricky, but that is the whole fun part of it.

Unless you have someone mentoring you, try to stay with a non-shifter. But if you have a desire to beat your head in and reap the rewards of a shifter, then by all means go for it. PM if you have questions about my trials and tribulations.

I'll second the http://www.ekartingnews.com site. I am there as well.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by slammed_93_hatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
ehhh it is fun, but i like the car much better.
Karts are super fun though but a whole lot different then a car.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Slammed-

What karts did you run? Just want to see what transistion you made from karts to cars.

Mario-

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MSchu &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Go supercart or go home </TD></TR></TABLE>

Super duper way cool...and $$$







m-

 

omg those look insane

It sucks Im in college and move every 4months between rockford IL and west lafayette IN between college and my internship.

I cant wait till I could get a chance to get into karting

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mario_D &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


Slammed-

What karts did you run? Just want to see what transistion you made from karts to cars.

Mario-</TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually i made the transition from Cars to karts. But never stopped the cars.


I have a stock motor 125cc honda shifter kart! It is a blast and NOTHING comes close to it in speed, and cornering Gs. I just like cars more.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by slammed_93_hatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Actually i made the transition from Cars to karts. But never stopped the cars.


I have a stock motor 125cc honda shifter kart! It is a blast and NOTHING comes close to it in speed, and cornering Gs. I just like cars more.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I hope everyone pays attention to your replies. This is perfect. You have both experiences. Not too mention you run a Stock Honda Moto setup. I will get this setup soon. But I am still learning my 80, and it has been almost 1.5 years with it to boot!

m-

 

Ahhhhh the closet karters have come out huh Mario??

It is fun!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dirty19 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ahhhhh the closet karters have come out huh Mario??

It is fun! </TD></TR></TABLE>

The more the merrier. I would like to see the karting scene in NorCal go back to the glory days. Over 50 racers per class.

Whatever I can do the move it ever so close to that. I am all in.

Mario-

 

so can anyone point me towards class rules and specifications? like what is allowed, and what is classified into which class?

thanks