19 years old and needing guidence

[formulagtw]

Hey guys whats up?

My name is John and I am looking to get into Karting. I am looking to work my way up and be more competitive and want to view this as more than just a hobby. My major questions are...

1. Should i start straight out with a 125cc Shifter? or would it be better to start on an 80cc shifter and be in a less competitive class?

2. I plan on attending the 3-day bob bondurant shifter kart school, is this the best school or is there better?

3. Where is the closest Kart dealer in SD? so i can go into a shop take a look at things and talk to some one in person.

Any Help would be great, thank you!

[gmarlow]

Hey john- Karting is just awesome! Need some info though.
How old are you?
How much racing experience do you have?

As for karting schools, you cant go wrong w/ bob bondurant, also jim hall i hear is good also. If after doing a school you really want to get into kart racing i would start off w/ a used kart and learn the ropes w/ that. Starting out in a 125 shifter wouldnt be the best thought. I started out in 80cc shifters and then went to 125's.

As for shops there is go-karting up in oceanside, temecula has daves performance, here in san diego you can contact Tom Levenberg who can help alot also 858-259-8324.

hope this helps- let me know if i can help w/ anything else.

Greg

[gmarlow]

forget the age question-- apparently my age is showing..hehe

[Guest]

It may be better not starting out with shifter karting. Maybe TaG or another class. I have a couple of karts for sale that would be good for starting out.

[Eric Frankenberger]

John,

What ever kart you choose I would strongly suggest getting a used one with as many extras as possible for your starter. Ebay, Craigslist, Club Members and ekartingnews.com are some good places to look for used karts. The more extras that come with the kart you purchase the better. If your going to be racing with the SDKA club take a look at all of the classes and select one with a good amount of regular racers. The more racers in the class you enter the better chance you have of finding someone with a similar ability level that will help you to improve. I race in the TAG class and we have had 10 to 15 racers the past couple outings. Our Rotax Class generally also has very good turn out and both of these 125 centrifugal clutch classes would only improve your racing skills and they are fun and fast.

Eric Frankenberger
SDKA TAG #15

[Rich Pearlman]

There is a great deal of valuable advice in this thread. To me, the key points are:

1) Don't start in a shifter - Learn to drive smoothly and skillfully first.

2) Start with decent used equipment if possible- You will save a bunch.

3) Rotax is a great way to start. Used equipment is readily available and several SoCal clubs have significant Rotax classes. You can also run in the TAG classes. Also, the major service interval is reasonable

4) Go to some club races (SDKA, Tri-C, LAKC, etc.) and check out the racing.

5) Pick a shop that has both a decent selection of equipment AND provides track support.

We work with Dave's Performance Karting (www.davesperf.com) in Temecula and are very pleased with the support, both on and off the track.

Good Luck!

-Rich Pearlman
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Jacob Pearlman
DPK/Birel #25 HPV-2
and Junior Superbox

[formulagtw]

Wow, thank you for all the advance! Thank you for a warm welcome on this board.

I think I may have left a few important pieces of information out in my intial post. All though I am new to karting I am not a complete novice when it comes to racing. I have been racing my Honda Del Sol at the SCCA auto X events at the Q this last season. Before that i had a fair amount of practice delivering pizzas and driving MT and canyon runs :-). I also race frequently at Speed Circuit and i may have just been hired at K1 speed in Palomar, which will give me a decent amount of seat time.

I want to use shifter karts as a stepping stone to become a sponsered driver in either Grand am, Champ Car, etc. I realize this is going to require a lot of work, time and money. Is it possible to race Karts at least 3 times a month in Southern California? I was noticing the Schedule of the SDKA at the Q seems to be about once every other month or so. I am thinking the amount of racing needed to gain the skills and recigntion in the karting world would need to be at least 3 time a month. Bigger events will also be needed to acieve this goal and all of this is slightly further down the line i know. How much cost is exactly involved with maintaining a shifter kart if raced almost every weekend? How much do entry fees for racing cost? All of this information will be a huge help to me in decideing if i can attemp an intro into this sport.

[Rich Pearlman]

Formulagtw - Thanks for the additional info, but it does not really change my suggestions. If you are going to be working at K1, we will see you there. Jacob loves the place and K1 is a key sponsor for him.

Good Luck!
-Rich Pearlman
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Jacob Pearlman
DPK/Birel #25 HPV-2
and Junior Superbox

[Eric Frankenberger]

When I first looked into karting I also felt that a Shifter class would be the best fit for me. I had done some 250cc Motorcross racing and the engine setups, gearboxes and power are very similar. After doing my homework I felt with my budget and what I was looking to achieve, 1 year in a TAG class would give me the experience I needed to move into a shifter class. After four races (and a lot of fun) I don’t think that I will ever get a shifter kart. In the TAG class there are several extremely talented drivers that I hope someday to learn a ton from, but my first lesson is how to keep up with them.

A saying I once heard about racing went something like this.

In order to have a small fortune from racing you must start with a large one.

To race three times a month at the level it sounds like that you want you better not worry about buying 1 kart it may be better to get 2, regardless if its shifter or not. With a good size trailer to store all of the extra parts, motors, tires, tools, compressors, ect.... If you are a mechanic it will be a part time job to keep everything at a competitive racing level. Other wise you will need to pay for track support.

I don’t mean to be negative because I believe this is the cheapest form of auto racing you can get into. With four races in I couldn't even have purchased the stock Motorcross bike I once raced. It’s just if you want to be a Grand Am driver in 2 years and you don’t have a sponsor yet, its going to be expensive!!! Get out their and prove to yourself and everyone else that you have what it takes to move up and good things will happen.

Best of luck and hope to see you at the track.

Eric Frankenberger
SDKA TAG #15

[Brian Felix]

Though I am no longer a member of SDKA I still read this forum on a regular basis. I try to keep my posts limited now that I’m retired from karting but this is one topic I wanted to chime in on. It seems to me that John’s main goal is to obtain Sponsors for racing and I have discovered the perfect tool for doing so. Since my son Tyler started racing motocross in January we were trying to find some sort of support to help with the high cost of racing. Last month we discovered “Sponsor House”. In just one week we had three companies giving us 50% off parts and merchandise. I recommend that all SDKA members take advantage of this great web site and start to get the support you deserve. If you can fill out a My Space profile, you can get a sponsor through this site. September is when most company’s start accepting résumé’s for next year so get your results listed, upload some pictures and let the fun began. Good luck!

To check it out go to www.sponsorhouse.com/ or you can view my kids profile at www.sponsorhouse.com/members/TylerFelix