Another new guy(s)

[Carl Hixon]

Like many other posters, I'm completely new to karting. Actually, new might be overstating things since I haven't been to a track yet.

My boys have been enjoying K1 Speed and have been asking about taking classes to get "more serious". They are 11 and 13. I don't know anybody in Karting so I'm flying blind. I'd like to find a local club that has kids their age racing--the more the better. From what I've read here, it looks like the only class is HPV-1 for my 11-year-old and HPV-2 for my 13 year old. It looks like the kart specs are identical (true?) so is it practical for them to share a kart?

I usually dive in and buy stuff before trying it. (I'm the guy you dream of when looking for used anything.) Rather than just doing more of the same, are there classes offered that my kids (and I) can go through before making a significant investment?

I'm going to try and show up at Qualcomm this weekend if the kids don't have soccer games.

I'm interested in racing too but, need to get my kids squared away before I think about myself.

[Kellen Guthrie]

Yeah you should definately come down to a race and check it out. Often hpv-1 and hpv-2 will run together since they are close in speed. Hpv-1 and hpv-2 are for those age groups but i'm not sure about the specifications. There is also TaG Junior which is for ages 12-15 but they may be a bit fast. I think that you should take some classes before you jump in as karting can get pretty pricey. Here are links to some good schools:
www.jimhallkartracing.com/
www.apexracing.com/getstarted.html

Hoped that helped a bit,
~Kellen Guthrie
Tag Senior #9
80cc Shifter #26s

[jorgecevallos]

Carl shoot me an email.
Im 15 in HPV-2 and my brother is 11 in HPV-1. I can share experiences with you and help you get on the right track.

[e-mail]

Jorge Cevallos

[kylekuntze]

Carl,

The karts are different between the two, as well as carburetor and exhaust. The engine itself is the same. The 11 year old would be in what is known as a cadet kart which is a shorter wheelbase and smalelr kart where as your 13 year old is in what is called a full-size kart, which if you raced would be the same kart you would run.

I have multiple karts and engine packages for sale right now and would be more than happy to walk you through a lot of the things karting entails away from just driving on the track. Most people here can verify my knowledge and my equipment being very quick and solid.

As far as on-track classes I would look into Apex Karting at their track in Perris...Dave DiMond is the owner and does an amazing job with kids and adults in teaching the fundamentals. PM or e-mail
[e-mail] for more info.

[Carl Hixon]

Thank you for the replies. I'm going to try and make it down to Qualcom tomorrow for the races...if I'm not in traction. I rode the Tour de Cure today (103 miles)

I'll post back here after that.

thanks,
Carl