Kart Racing

One of the most popular forms of motorsport, and perhaps the easiest to get into, is kart racing (also known as karting or go-kart racing). Compared to the more exclusive forms of auto racing, karting is so popular and easy to do that the lowest age you can start doing professional kart racing is 8 (yes, you read that right: eight), as determined by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), the highest international governing body for auto racing worldwide. Karting can also be a non-racing activity — it’s a popular attraction at amusement parks — but it is kart racing that is considered to be the best first step towards entering the auto racing profession. In fact, most professional Formula One racers today started out very young, in kart racing.

There are many different kinds of kart racing. There are sprint races, which are short-duration races on a short track (between a quarter of a mile and one mile). The Karting World Championship — the most high-profile international kart racing event — organized by the FIA uses this format. Other kart race formats include speedway and endurance races. Karts themselves are generally categorized as either open or caged karts (depending on whether they have a roll cage), and straight vs. offset chassis (depending on the position of the driver: in the center vs. on the left, respectively).

Karts also differ in terms of their engine. Traditional gasoline-powered karts are generally used in kart racing; they can be 2-stroke or 4-stroke engines. But there are also electric karts, some of which can run uninterrupted for about 20 minutes on a full charge before they need to be recharged. The top speed of karts depends on their purpose; the best race karts can go up to and sometimes even exceed 160 miles per hour. Karts used in amusement parks or other non-racing, recreational venues generally do not exceed 15 mph.