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Go-Karts, Recreational
Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheeler motor sport with simple, small four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits. more...
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Karting is commonly perceived as the stepping stone to the higher and more expensive ranks of motorsports.
Karts vary in speed and some (known as Superkarts) can reach speeds exceeding 160 mph (250 km/h). A Formula A kart, with a 100 cc 2 stroke engine and an overall weight including the driver of 150 kilograms, can accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 4.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 85 mph (140 km/h). It takes a little more than 3 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph with a 125 cc shifter kart (6 gears), with a top speed of 115 mph (185 km/h) on long circuits.
History
Art Ingels is generally accepted to be the father of karting. A veteran hot rodder and a race car builder at Kurtis Kraft, he built the first kart in Southern California in 1956. Karting has rapidly spread to other countries, and currently has a large following in Europe.
Components
Chassis
The chassis are made of steel tube. There is no suspension therefore chassis have to be flexible enough to work as a suspension and stiff enough not to break or give way on a turn. Kart chassis are classified in the USA as 'Open', 'Caged', 'Straight' or 'Offset'. All CIK-FIA approved chassis are 'Straight' and 'Open'.
Open karts have no roll cage.;
Caged karts have a roll cage surrounding the driver, they are mostly used on dirt tracks.;
In Straight chassis the driver sits in the center. Straight chassis are used for sprint racing.;
In Offset chassis the driver sits on the left side. Offset chassis are used for left-turn-only speedway racing.;
The stiffness of the chassis enables different handling characteristics for different circumstances. Typically, for dry conditions a stiffer chassis is preferable, while in wet or other poor traction conditions, a more flexible chassis may work better. Best chassis allow for stiffening bars at the rear, front and side to be added or removed according to race conditions.
Braking is achieved by a disc brake mounted on the rear axle. Front disc brakes are increasingly popular; however, certain classes do not allow them.
Professionally raced karts typically weigh 165 to 175 lb (75 to 80 kg), complete without driver. Avanti Kart, Parolin, Tony Kart, Maranello, Trulli, Zip Kart, Top Kart, Birel, CRG, Haase, Swiss Hutless and Mach 1 Kart are a few well known examples of the many European manufacturers of race-quality chassis. American companies in the shifter kart market include: GT Race Karts, Trackmagic, Shockwave Karting and Margay. Australia produce the Arrow brand.
Read more at Wikipedia.org
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