Kart racing is the type of racing generally accepted as the cheapest form of motorsports in the world. It can be done by almost anyone as a leisure time activity, and as a motorsport in its own right, it is one of the CIK regulated sports anyone from the age of 8 can obtain a license to compete in motorsports .
Karting is commonly perceived as the stepping stone to the higher and more expensive ranks of motorsports. Karts are generally raced on small circuits. Karting or go-kart racing is a variant of open-wheel motor sport featuring small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox or stick-shift karts, depending on the design.
Karts vary greatly in speed and some other specifications. Superkarts can reach speeds in excess of 160 miles per hour (260 km/h), while go-karts intended for the general public at amusement parks may be limited to speeds of no more than 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). h).
Go Kart Manufacturing Co was the first manufacturer of go-karts. Similarly, McCulloch was the first company, in 1959, to produce go-kart engines. The first go-kart engine was a converted 2-stroke chainsaw engine. Motorcycle engines were also adapted for use in go-karts in the late 1960s, before dedicated manufacturers, especially in Italy (IAME), began building engines for racing motorsports.
The karts lack a differential, which means that one rear tire must slip through turns. But this feature was also achieved by designing the chassis so that the inside rear tire allows the tire to lose grip and lift off the ground completely.
Similarly, chassis stiffness allows for different handling characteristics for different scenarios. Traditionally, for dry environments a stiffer chassis is preferable, but in wet or other adverse conditions a more flexible chassis may work better. The right chassis allows reinforcement bars to be added or removed at the rear, front and sides depending on race conditions.
The most important thing in Karting, which is braking, is achieved by using a disc brake on the rear axle. Front disc brakes are becoming popular, but certain classes do not allow them. Power is transmitted from the engine to the rear axle by means of a chain. Both the motor and axle sprockets are removable; their ratio must be adapted according to the track configuration to get the most out of the engine.
Previously, karts were direct drive only in their early days, but the drawbacks of that setup soon led to the centrifugal clutch for club level classes. Centrifugal dry clutches are now used in many classes and have become the norm as the top international classes switched to 125cc clutched engines from January 2007.
Let’s talk about the KF1 kart; The KF1 karts have a 125 cc 2-stroke engine with a total weight including the driver of about 150 kilograms. It has a maximum speed of 85 m per hour. Interestingly, it takes a little over 3 seconds for the KF1 to go from 0-60mph with a 125cc (6 gear) kart, with a top speed of 115mph on long circuits.
