Racing doesn’t have to happen only in a race car. If your children are minors, you might not want them racing in full-size cars. Because they’re interested in learning how to race, and you’re interested in their safety, consider getting them started in competitive Gokarting. It’s probably best to have them wait until they are teenagers so you know they understand the need for safe racing.
Getting into Competitive Gokarting
Your children might see Gokarting as something fun they can learn, or, if they are serious about racing, they might view it as the first step in a competitive racing career. No matter what they are thinking, karting can be safer than going to a racetrack and riding around the track in an old, beat-up vehicle.
Gokart groups dedicated to competitive racing should put the safety of their members first. As the instructors teach the members the basics of karting, along with racing techniques, your children have to make “safety first” a major part of their training. The instructors will start by teaching the organization members about the karts they are racing, along with the parts of a cart and how their carts handle when they are being driven. Clubs for serious racers will also help members to develop the mental discipline needed to learn how to race so they have a chance to move up in the rankings of the league they belong to.
Where to Learn About GoKarting
Gokart web sites can help you begin to learn about this new sport. You might also want to find a website that has a forum where you can interact with other racing enthusiasts as you and your children are learning about this new sport. They’ll be more than happy to introduce you to the basics of racing, from the perspective of parents or the racers themselves.
Don’t forget about visiting the gokart shops. The sales associates are often well versed in racing, the karts, helmets, uniforms and other safety equipment. Your children can ask them about the best equipment for their level of racing, so try to make it a habit to visit a shop as often as you can.
Good Starter Karts
Before you put down your credit card or cash for a gokart, find out which are the best for the new racing enthusiast in your family. These are more likely to be the sprint karts, used on sprint tracks. Your racer will have to learn how to turn and corner, because sprint tracks are curvy.
Next, your child will start racing in a purpose cart. As she moves up in her ability and in the rankings, she’ll move up to a road-racing kart, then to a shifter kart, which allows her to drive at the best RPM for the race she’s in.
Now that you have an idea of the basics of gokart racing, you and your child can start working on getting her outfitted with the equipment and a cart so she can sign up with a league and begin practicing her new skill. One racer found that racing had become a big part of his life: “Racing, competing, it’s in my blood. It’s part of me, it’s part of my life; I have been doing it all my life and it stands out above everything else.”
– Jeff Kane is an avid blogger at Gokart.org where you can read more about getting your child set up for Gokart racing.
