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Post by Englishman on Mar 26, 2009 10:20:17 GMT -8
Hi Hoping you all can help. I'd like to get in to Karting but have no idea about which class would be right for me, where to go practicing etc ,etc . I raced MX semi pro for many years when I was younger but my Karting experience begins and ends with trips to K1. ALL advice is welcome - thanks guys ! ( I'm 41 and weigh 165 lbs, just threw that in there because someclasses have a weight deal going on.... I think !)
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Post by David Chong on Mar 26, 2009 12:09:53 GMT -8
Welcome to the SDKA Forums! You've come to the right place. First up, you can't choose a bad class. Every single one has great advantages to offer, and people of any skill level can find a comfortable spot in any class, regardless of the top speeds. Having said that, each class is different for a reason, and those reasons help each class attractive to different individuals depending upon your goals, experience, and type of enjoyment you are looking for. The shifter classes are the ultimate in speed and complexity. Their transmissions enable them to achieve significantly higher speeds on track, and they are wonderful expressions of technical innovation. They keep even the most seasoned race driver very busy on track. They are the most expensive to purchase and operate, and due to their complexity they will require a significant investment of time (and/or money) in maintenance. The TaG (Touch and Go) classes are attractive for their one-man operation on the track. They have an electric push-button starter, so you don't need an assistant to get you started. The motors are durable and quick. The cost is high compared to other classes, and with water cooling and the starter there are still additional complexities over the slower classes that will result in additional maintenance costs and effort. HPV classes are nice because the motor is a modern design and it is flexible; you can run an HPV motor on an adult, junior, or cadet kart. It makes more power in stock form than the other 100cc motor, the Yamaha KT100, and it is more consistent and reliable. It has a lower top speed than the above classes. and is much less torquey than the KT100, meaning it slows down considerably more in the corners. It is a low-maintenance package and good for beginners. The Yamaha classes are the old standards, and are most attractive for beginners, especially those on a budget. This is the motor package that I chose to start with, along with four other people who just started karting this year. You can run in the Formula Y class, which features a tunable exhaust pipe for high revs and high power to almost keep up with the HPV karts, or you can run in the Superbox (Senior Super Sportsman) class, which is a spec exhaust and results in lower top RPMs for a longer lasting motor and thus lower maintenance costs. Our group has chosen to run in the Super Sportsman/Superbox class because our primary goal is to have competitive, friendly races at the lowest possible overall cost both in startup and in ongoing maintenance. The KT100 engine has been around a long time, so it is very easy to pick up a bargain on a used kart for about $1000, or $1500 with all the extra equipment you need to really get out and race. In addition to those costs, event fees, fuel, and repair costs are present in any class, so by choosing the class with the least overall wear (slower=easier on equipment) we are minimizing those ongoing costs. We trek north up the 15 to Apex Raceway roughly once a month to have a "fun day" on track together. It's about an 80-90 minute trip to get up there from San Diego. Your weight is ideal for the Super Sportsman class; you would have to add about 35 pounds of weight to your kart to run in the Formula Y class, but only 15 or so to run in Super Sportsman. If your budget is bigger, consider picking up a nice HPV kart, or a TaG. Jumping straight into shifters would probably be a big challenge and more than a little discouraging, not just because of the speeds, but also because of the level of competition and the steep mechanical/maintenance learning curve. If field size interests you, note the following: - Shifter and TaG races each have about a dozen karts in them, and in both cases those karts represent two different classes on track at the same time.
- HPV-4 currently has one regular driver in it.
- Formula Y/C has one regular driver
- Super Sportsman has 4 drivers, all new this year, with 2 more beginning next race and another 2 after that who are considering it but have not yet committed.
A little more info about your goals, budget, idea of a good time, resources (storage, mechanical aptitude, transportation) etc. would help folks offer you solid advice. Others can chime in about their class choices and why they chose the class they are in. Please feel free to contact me directly for more information on what our group did and the choices we made - click on my name below for my email address. I am happy to help anyone get started in karting with the SDKA! Regards, David
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Post by Englishman on Mar 27, 2009 7:59:36 GMT -8
Thanks for all that great info David.
I guess my goals are just to go out and have good time. I'm a qualified Vehicle tech and worked on my own MX bikes most of my career as well as in a suspension/engine tuning shop later on so I can do all that side of things. I have a 300 sq ft garage for storage and a Tacoma Long bed truck to get to the meetings.
The choice of classes seems mind boggling !!
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Post by David Chong on Mar 27, 2009 10:51:36 GMT -8
Don't worry, it's not mind-boggling. It's just a matter of matching up what you want with what's out there. You didn't really give us enough info on your budget or goals to give you any more specific input. For example, one guy's idea of going out and having a good time might be to get in a low-cost, low-tuning class where you can basically just maintain the kart and race. Another guy might think a good time means having 400 different tuning options on their kart to pull the max potential out of their chassis and drivetrain, and they enjoy competing in their garage during race prep just as much as competing out on the track.
Send me an email or give me a call (I sent you a private message - look next to the big "SDKA.COM" title at the top of this page) and I'd be happy to help you. We could have you karting in the right class by our next race!
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Post by benchracer on Mar 27, 2009 17:41:33 GMT -8
Here's my 2 cents. True there are alot of choices out there. If you want to run in a race near you your only choice is to find out what series runs and thats it. Keep it spec follow the rules and have fun. You can get into KT100's for a good price but if you get hooked into the blakmagic mojo of blue printing and you need to do this and that you will spend just as much as any other class and have one of the slowest karts on the track. If you keep it simple as in stock out of the box it can be lots of fun. Tag karts are the big guy on the block for the piston port classes either the rotax or parrilla and now some chinese stuff is popping up. If you like me and just want to hit the track and have fun and put some laps down go straight into a 80 or 125 shifter. Everytime i look i see 80's for 1000 to 1500 ready to go. And you can also go solo it's not hard to bump start yourself if for some reason there isnt someone to give you a three foot push. The only thing i take to a track now is a 80 shifter and sometimes i go with three people and we all take 10 to 15 laps turns. The last three times out the only reason the kart was sitting in the pitts was because will all had forarm pump and needed a break lol. To sum that all up nothing beats a 428 chain and 6 speed gearbox for a weekend warrior not to mention there the fastest karts on the track. Mx bike on 4 wheels. I'm selling an almost brand new parrilla 70 hour motor with less than an hour on it 1800.00. Or the chassis is perfect for KT100 make me an offer make i will bite lol. Whatever you do good luck and have fun.
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Post by scmo777 on Mar 28, 2009 17:55:54 GMT -8
;DENGLISHMAN WELCOME, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A KART I HAVE 2 AVAILABLE, AN 80 AND 125, IF YOU HAVE WORKED ON MX MOTORSTHEN THIS CALSS WOULD PROBABLY BE YOUR BEST BET, IT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY ON REBUILDS. YOU CAN REACH ME AT 760 427-5555, MY NAME IS SCHANNON, I HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GO RACING.
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Post by mikecampbell on Mar 28, 2009 21:07:02 GMT -8
Hello englishman. If you have not jumped into this before the next race you should come down and check it out in person. Obviously we're willing to give our opinions. To be at the track and see what's going on will help your decisions. The next race would be a good one to attend because of the Pro Kart Series. The weight issue isn't really a weight issue, it is an option for people of different weight to have an equal chance to compete. In the Yamaha class there has been few drivers, to split the class didn't make sense, except to those that had to add 30 lbs. or more to make weight. Also there are different opinions of wear and tear, and cost, I have mine, others have theirs. Having a choice again will make for an easier choice of classes for the driver. Don't get too caught up in all the talk. This is fun stuff, hope you give it a try.
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Post by kbates20 on Apr 2, 2009 2:31:23 GMT -8
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