Taking Up Kart Racing

Do not go rushing off to buy the first Kart you see! Come to Rowrah and take a look at the classes that are racing. If you are big (greater than 6ft) and heavy (more than 13 stones) consider gearbox karts or Rotax 177 which some clubs offer as one of their classes.

Having viewed the options, and talked to drivers in the pits, decide upon which class is right for you. It is best to consider a well supported class so that no matter how fast or slow you may be, there will always be someone to race with. Racing is all about mixing it with others.

Small grids rarely give entertaining racing. Look in the magazines for local kart traders addresses, or in the small ads for used equipment or log onto UK Karting.

Consider a kart racing course with a school which is approved as part of the ARKS system. A course will teach you more about the sport and the cost of racing in each class. You will also learn about driving technique and how to set up and maintain a kart and engine. Alternatively,have a look at our Buttons scheme which will give you further information.

It is ideal to attend a course before you make your final decision on which class to enter, and before making a purchase. The information that you will pick up in these areas will be invaluable. Once you have decided to purchase or hire your kart some tools will be needed in order to maintain your kart correctly.  

Go practicing several times before racing., particularly at the circuit you have chosen for your first race meeting. Then, unless you fall into one of the exemptions, you need to buy a 'Starting Karting' pack (£41 incl postage) from an ARKS school or from the:

MotorSports Association,
Motor Sports House,
Riverside Park,
Colnbrook,
Slough
SL3 0HG
(Tel:01753 681736).  

Starting Karting packs are available from Malcolm Fell on 01229 463748, at a discounted rate - call for further details!!

Click here to find more information on your early race meetings

A licence application form is enclosed in the pack. If you are over 18 years old, you need to have the medical certificate on the licence form completed by your doctor. Then once you feel you have had enough practice, you need to book an ARKS driving test with one of the approved ARKS schools or a participating club. This costs £77 plus the hire of any equipment.

You must join a Kart Club. There are many clubs in the country. By joining an ABkC affiliated club you are then allowed to race at any ABkC club circuit, and participate in the ABkC national championships. If you are good enough to finish in the top fifteen (top nine in gearbox) you can use that seeded number for the next year.

Some clubs have test days and offer special rates to members for these and race days. Apart from your kart you must have protective clothing which includes a crash helmet approved for racing, an approved racing suit, gloves and boots giving ankle protection.

After you have your competition licence you will need to compete satisfactorily in five races and gain upgrade signatures from the MSA Steward. During this time your kart will have to use black number plates, and start from the back of the heats unless there is timed practice.

After that you may keep your  novice licence or apply for a National B licence. (If you keep your National B, you must bring the licence or licences that have your five signatures to prove you are no longer a novice. )  You will need a further 6 signatures on your licence in order to upgrade to a National A licence.

The most popular classes raced at Rowrah are -

Cadet
Boys and girls can start racing karts at the age of 8 in one of the Cadet classes, although some tracks will allow youngsters to practice from the age of 7.  They can continue until the end of the year of their 13th birthday, although they may be getting too heavy by then and so can move into certain Junior classes from the age of 11. The three Cadet classes are Comer Cadet, WTP Cadet and Honda Cadet and all are permitted to race together. All have a centrifugal clutch and a recoil starting cord.  The special minikarts used are registered with prices controlled to an agreed maximum.  Top speed is about 50mph.  BRDC Stars of Tomorrow holds the British Cadet Championship whilst the Super One Series has the ABkC series.  WTP has its own Little Green Man Championship.  Log onto the ABkC website for details of Cadet classes

Formula TKM
Junior TKM (11-16 yrs) is a popular traditional kart class using a BT-82 piston-port engine to a strict non-tuning regime.  The junior engines have a restrictor between the carburettor and the engine to limit the power.  There is a class called Junior Intermediate for the bigger or heavier drivers who must weigh a minimum of 62kg, and here the restrictor is slightly larger so the two classes are equal in performance.

TKM Extreme is for 16  yrs upwards (although as in all the classes juniors already racing may move into the senior classes in the year of their 16th birthday). The engine is a115cc variant of the BT82.  As with the juniors the chassis have to be registered, and new designs are only permitted every three years, to keep costs down.  It’s a popular and economic class

Rotax Max/ Rotax Junior UK/Mini Max
MiniMax (11-16 yrs)  is the lowest powered class of the Rotax family, and uses a very restricted 125cc 2-stroke TAG engine.  All Rotax engines are sealed and have a log books showing the service history. By taking the restrictor out of a MiniMax it is converted to a Junior Max (age 13-16 yrs).  It is one of the most powerful junior classes, with top speed about 70mph. The senior equivalent of Junior Max, with a very powerful 125cc TAG engine.   Although the maximum revs are limited electronically, they are nearly as quick as ICA, but much lower maintenance, and sealed to prevent unapproved tuning.  Care needs to be taken if starting in this class.  Like many classes there is a higher weight variant called Rotax 177 for the heavier driver.

Gearbox Classes
Other than the Junior 85cc category for 13-16 year olds, gearbox karts offer the highest powers and speeds.  They can have either 2 pedals - brake and accelerator - like the direct drive classes, or 3 pedals, one of which is a foot clutch, like a car.  Most 125’s use karts very similar to the direct drive karts except for the four wheel brakes.  They have a hand clutch mounted next to the steering wheel, which is only used to move off from a standstill.  

Junior Gearbox 80
This class uses an 85cc Honda or TM engine with 6 gears and is for 13-16 yrs.  With its four wheel braking it offers the youngsters an experience close to a single seater race-car. It’s not raced at many clubs, but  usually is at Rowrah.

Formula 125 ICC UK
ICC is the most popular gearbox class.  Although a little more expensive than a direct drive class, they can be surprisingly economical to run. The 125cc water cooled engines have six gears, sequentially operated like a motorcycle using a gear-lever mounted next to the steering wheel.  0-60mph times are less than 4 seconds, top speed is 90mph on short circuit, 110 - 120mph on long circuit.  The ABkC championship is promoted by the  NKF.

Formula 125 ICC SUPER
The specification for Super ICC is identical to ICC except that the class weight is lower for this premier class.  The ABkC championship is held in the BRDC Stars of Tomorrow series.  Like ICC, the tuning of the reed valve engines is fairly restrictive, to prolong the life between rebuilds, and the tyres are  very durable.  The ICC and Super ICC are very popular in international racing   

Formula 250 National
This is the most powerful short-circuit class using 250cc single cylinder motocross 5-speed engines.  The karts are often equipped with large full width nose cones and wings, especially when used on the long circuits.  Top speeds are 100mph on short circuit, 140mph on long circuit.  Twin cylinder Superkarts can reach 170mph though.  The NKF holds the ABkC National Championships

Full information on all classes available can be found on the ABkC website.

Useful Books:

How to Start Kart Racing   
Kart Champion on a Shoestring
Maintaining 100cc Kart Engines
Cadet Kart Racing
Karting Circuit Guide

All available from:
Karting Magazine
Moorfield House
Moorfield Road
Orpington
Kent
BR6 0XD
Phone: 01689 897123

Costs

Please note any costs given are only a rough approximation
Used equipment - see adverts in Karting magazines, through your local club, or on-line at UK Karting's Market Place.

Purchase of 2nd hand equipment - between £1200 - £2,000.

This cost would cover everything to get you started and on the track - that is: 2nd hand Kart chassis and engine Boots, helmet (try to buy the best you can afford) Race suit, gloves etc. It is possible to get a 2nd-hand kart and engine for £700-£800, but this would not be a competitive Kart.

Alternately you can hire a kart if you do not want to go to the expense of purchasing until you know if Karting is for you.  A rough guide to prices - One day hire (that is 6 x 10 minute sessions) for a practice day would be in the region of £200 to £250 including Racewear, use of mechanic and expert advice. To hire a Kart for a race day - from approx £250 including Racewear, use of mechanic and advice on track lines etc.

To go club racing with your own equipment is a very economic form of motor sport, yet offers higher grip and faster acceleration than most affordable car racing.

Entry fees are usually between £30 and £45 and you will get a short practice, two or three heats and a final. In the more economic classes your tyres will last several meetings, although at championship level most drivers will use a new set per meeting. In addition you need to buy fuel and racing 2-stroke oil for your kart, and have the engine rebuilt every so often.

At a club meeting you can expect to put about 30 to 40 minutes of use on the engine, and you might rebuild it every 3 to 8 hours depending on the class. A sealed Rotax Max engine only needs rebuilding about once per season, and 4-stroke engines only need periodic changes of valve springs. Rebuild costs will be between £150 to £300.

Other costs include the occasional new chain and spark plug, different sprockets for different tracks, cleaning fluids and chain lubrication spray and some basic tools including a tyre pressure gauge and pump.

So what are you waiting for, come race with us!