Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motor sport with simple, small four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. Open-wheel car (Often single-seater car, in UK English describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body and in most cases one seat They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits. A kart circuit is a Race track designed for Kart racing. There are several types of kart circuit depending of the type of use desired 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). The word Superkart has traditionally been used to mean 250 cc engine karts the fastest category in Kart racing racing on full size car circuits [1] 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. The two-stroke Internal combustion engine differs from the more common Four-stroke engine by completing the same four processes (intake compression combustion exhaust 5 seconds, and has a top speed of 85 mph (140 km/h). [2] 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. [3]
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History
Art Ingels is generally accepted to be the father of karting. Art Ingels (sometimes misspelled as Ingles) is known as '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. Kurtis Kraft was a designer and builder of race cars The company was founded by Frank Kurtis. Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U [4] Karting has rapidly spread to other countries,[5] and currently has a large following in Europe.
The first kart manufacturer was an American company, Go Kart Manufacturing Co. (1958). McCulloch was the first company, in 1959, to produce engines for karts. See also McCulloch (disambiguation and Robert P McCulloch McCulloch Motors Corporation is a manufacturer of Chainsaws The company was founded Its first engine, the McCulloch MC-10, was an adapted chainsaw 2-stroke engine[6]. A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable mechanical motorized Saw. The two-stroke Internal combustion engine differs from the more common Four-stroke engine by completing the same four processes (intake compression combustion exhaust Later, in the 1960's, motorcycle engines were also adapted for kart use, before dedicated manufacturers, especially in Italy (IAME), started to build engines for the sport. MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by Rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records. IAME is an Italian company founded in 1968, its name stands for "Italian American Motor Engineering"
Components
Chassis
The chassis are made of steel tube. A chassis (plural "chassis" (ˈʃæːsiː ˈtʃæːsiː consists of a framework that supports an inanimate object analogous to an Animal 's [7][8] 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. Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, Shock absorbers and linkages that connects a Vehicle to its Wheels Suspension 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. Roll bar redirects here For the suspension component called a roll bar see Sway bar.
- 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. An oval track is a dedicated motorsport circuit primarily in the USA, which differs from a road course in that it only has turns in one direction which is almost
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. The disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a Wheel. 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, Biesse, Birel, CRG, Haase, Sodikart, Top Kart, Intrepid, Kosmic, Zanardi, FA Kart, and Swiss Hutless are a few well known examples of the many European manufacturers of race-quality chassis. Avanti is a brand of Kart chassis marketed in the US and Central America by JM Racing (of Carson California) but built in Italy by Parolin Tony Kart is an Italian company founded in 1958, producing racing quality Kart chassis Maranello is a town in the region of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, 18 km from Modena Birel SpA of Lissone ( Milan - Italy) started building Karts in the late 1950s after many years as a Bicycle manufacturer CRG is a Kart chassis manufacturer of recent years with world champions from 2001-2003 The Kosmic Free Music Foundation (aka Kosmic, or KFMF) was a worldwide group of Computer musicians artists and coders focused on the PC Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi (born October 23, 1966 in Bologna Italy) is an Italian racing driver Fernando Alonso Díaz (born July 29, 1981 in Oviedo, Spain) is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time American companies in the shifter kart market include: GT Race Karts, Trackmagic, Shockwave Karting and Margay. Margay is a kart Chassis manufacturer that designs and builds sprint and endurance karts in St Australia produce the Arrow brand.
Engines
Racing karts use small 2-stroke or 4-stroke engines. An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input
- 2-stroke kart engines are developed and built by dedicated manufacturers. The two-stroke Internal combustion engine differs from the more common Four-stroke engine by completing the same four processes (intake compression combustion exhaust Comer, IAME (Parilla, Komet), TM, Vortex, Titan, REFO, Yamaha and Rotax are manufacturers of such engines. IAME is an Italian company founded in 1968, its name stands for "Italian American Motor Engineering" ( a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company (whose HQ is at 2500 Shingai Iwata Shizuoka) is part of the Yamaha Corporation. BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, commonly known simply as Rotax, is an Austrian engine manufacturer These can develop from about 4 hp to 7 hp for a single-cylinder 60 cc unit to 90 hp for a twin 250 cc. [1] The most popular categories worldwide are those using 100 cc engines and the Touch-and-go (TAG) 125 cc units. TaG stands for Touch and Go, one of the fastest growing classes in European karting. 100 cc 2-stroke kart engines can run in excess of 19,000 rpm[2] while the new 125 cc KF1 engines are electronically limited at 16,000 rpm. [9] Most are water-cooled today; however, previously air-cooled engines dominated the sport.
- 4-stroke engines can be standard air-cooled industrial based engines, sometimes with small modifications, developing from about 5 to 20 hp. Today Internal combustion engines in cars, Trucks motorcycles aircraft construction machinery and many others most commonly use a four-stroke cycle. Briggs & Stratton, Tecumseh, Kohler, Robin, and Honda are manufacturers of such engines. Briggs & Stratton is one of the world's largest manufacturers of Air-cooled Gasoline engines for primarily outdoor power equipment () is a Multinational corporation, engine Manufacturer and engineering corporation headquartered in Japan. They are plenty adequate for racing and fun kart applications. There are also more powerful four-stroke options available from manufacturers like Yamaha, TKM, Biland or Aixro (Wankel engine) offering from 15 hp up to 48 hp. ( a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company (whose HQ is at 2500 Shingai Iwata Shizuoka) is part of the Yamaha Corporation. The Wankel engine is a type of Internal combustion engine which uses a rotary design to convert pressure into a rotating motion instead of using reciprocating They run to and around 11,000 rpm, and are manufactured specifically for karting. Those are used in some National Championship classes like the two-strokes.
Listen to 2-stroke kart engines - recorded at the 2006 World Championship in Angerville - France
Transmission
Karts do not have a differential. This article deals with the concept of a differential in mechanical engineering. [8][10] The lack of a differential means that one rear tire must slide while cornering; this is achieved by designing the chassis so that the inside rear tire lifts up slightly when the kart turns the corner. This allows the tire to lose some of its grip and slide or lift off the ground completely.
Power is transmitted from the engine to the rear axle by way of a chain. Both engine and axle sprockets are removable, their ratio has to be adapted according to track configuration in order to get the most of the engine. A sprocket is a profiled Wheel with teeth that meshes with a chain, track or other perforated or indented material
In the early days, karts were direct drive only, but the inconvenience of that setup soon led to the centrifugal clutch for the club level classes. A clutch is a mechanism for transmitting rotation which can be engaged and disengaged Dry centrifugal clutches are now used in many categories (Rotax Max is one example) and have become the norm as the top international classes have switched to 125 cc clutched engines as of January 2007. A centrifugal clutch is a Clutch that uses Centrifugal force to connect two concentric shafts with the driving shaft nested inside the driven shaft BRP- Rotax has designed an unique engine concept (MAX for race karts which is offered in different performance configurations
Tires
Wheels and tires are much smaller than those used on a normal car. This article is about tires used on road Vehicles including pneumatic tires and solid tires. Wheels are made of magnesium alloy or aluminum. Magnesium (mægˈniːziəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Mg, Atomic number 12 Atomic weight 24 WikipediaNaming Similar to other motorsports, kart tires have different types for use appropriate to track conditions:
- Slicks for dry weather. In international level racing these are some of the softest and most advanced tires in motorsport. Some car tire manufacturers, such as Bridgestone and Dunlop, make tires for karts; there are also specific Kart tire manufacturers, for example MG, MOJO, and Vega. Kart tires come in many different compounds, from very soft to very hard.
- Rain tires or wets for wet weather
- Intermediates for damp or low traction conditions. Rain tyres or Wet tyres are special tyres used in Motor sport in wet weather as opposed to a Slick tyre used in dry conditions Sometimes worn rain tires are used.
- Special, such as spiked tire for icy conditions, or cuts for high grip dirt/clay speedways. Cuts are modified slicks using a lathe to optimize handling while spiked tires are slicks with screws through them. A lathe (ˈleɪð is a Machine tool which spins a block of material to perform various operations such as Cutting, Sanding, Knurling
Tires are sometimes prepared with special solvents to soften them and increase grip, however this is banned by many racing organizations. A solvent is a liquid or gas that dissolves a solid liquid or gaseous Solute, resulting in a Solution. These solvents typically affect the behavior of the tire temporarily and are most often destructive to the rubber. The tires can support cornering forces in excess of 2 G (20 m/s²), depending on chassis, engine, and motor setup. In Auto racing, the racing setup or car setup is the set of adjustments made to the vehicle in order to optimize its behaviour (performance handling, reliability
Racing
Kart racing is generally accepted as the most economic form of motorsport available. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld As a free-time activity, it can be performed by almost anybody, and as a motorsport in itself, it is one of the sports regulated by FIA (under the name of CIK), permitting licensed racing for anyone from the age of 8 onward. The Commission Internationale de Karting ( CIK or CIK-FIA) is the primary international sactioning body for Kart racing.
In the USA there is not as much FIA involvement, instead many organizations regulate racing, such as the IKF (International Kart Federation), WKA (World Karting Association), IRA (International Racing Association), KART (Karter's of America Racing Triad), and the more recent Stars of Karting presented by the Indy Racing League. The International Kart Federation was the first Kart racing organization in the United States founded and still based in California in 1957. The World Karting Association, or WKA is an American motorsports sanctioning body that organizes and promotes races and events related to Kart racing. The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the sanctioning body of a predominantly American based Open-wheel racing series.
In the UK the MSA (Motor Sports Association) regulate Karting. The Motor Sports Association (MSA formerly known as RAC MSA a sister organisation of the Royal Automobile Club (RAC is the official governing body of motorsport Some associations, such as NatSKA (National Schools Karting Association), organize race meetings throughout the country under the authority of the MSA. NatSKA (The National Schools and Youth Group Karting Association was formed almost 40 years ago by a group of like-minded people intent on making Motorsport accessible
A variety of kart circuits permit the sport to be practiced, although only homologated tracks can have official races in Europe (see Kart circuits). A kart circuit is a Race track designed for Kart racing. There are several types of kart circuit depending of the type of use desired Homologation is a technical term derived from the Greek homologeo (ὁμολογέω for "to agree" which is generally used in English to signify A kart circuit is a Race track designed for Kart racing. There are several types of kart circuit depending of the type of use desired
Racing classes start at age 7 or 8 (5 in the US with "Kid Karts") and generally run in 3-year age groupings or weight divisions until “senior” status is reached at age 15 or 16, depending on the series.
Racing formats
Typically, race formats are one of the following:
Sprint
Sprint racing takes place on dedicated kart circuits resembling small road courses, with left and right turns. Tracks go from 1/4 mile (400 m) to over 1 mile (1,600 meters) in length.
The sprint format is a series of short-duration races, normally for a small number of laps, that qualify for a final, with a variety of point scoring calculations to determine the event's overall winner. Typical duration does not normally exceed 15 minutes. Here, speed and successful passing is of the most importance. It normally occurs in the format of three qualifying heats and a final race for trophy positions.
The FIA championships, including the Karting World Championship, take place in this format. The Karting World Championship is ruled by the CIK-FIA. It takes place once a year each year in a different country and is Kart racing flagship event
Endurance
Endurance races last for an extended period, from 30 minutes up to 24 hours or more, for one or more drivers. Daytona International Speedway is a Superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. In general, consistency, reliability, and pit strategy is of greater importance than all out speed.
Called "Enduro" racing in the USA, most WKA & IKF sanctioned events typically last 30 minutes (Sprint Enduro) or 45 minutes (Laydown Enduro) and are run continuous without pit stops. The World Karting Association, or WKA is an American motorsports sanctioning body that organizes and promotes races and events related to Kart racing. The International Kart Federation was the first Kart racing organization in the United States founded and still based in California in 1957. Enduro events are held on full-size road racing circuits that are usually between 1. 5 & 4 miles in length.
As well as the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race for automobiles there is also a 24 hours event for karts which takes place at the kart circuit Alain Prost at Le Mans, France. The 24 Hours of Le Mans ( 24 Heures du Mans) is a sports car endurance race held annually since near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, Le Mans (ləmɑ̃ in French) is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. [11] This race has taken place since 1986 and its winners list include Sébastien Bourdais (in 1996), four times Champ Car champion and current Formula 1 driver with Toro Rosso. Sébastien Bourdais (born February 28, 1979 in Le Mans) is a French Formula One race car driver Champ Car, was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades primarily for use in the Indianapolis Scuderia Toro Rosso ( Italian for Team Red Bull) is a Formula One racing team owned in a 50/50 partnership between the drinks company Red Bull
Speedway
Speedway racing takes place on asphalt or clay oval tracks which are normally between 1/6 mile and 1/4 mile long. Asphalt ( is a sticky black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude Petroleums and in some natural deposits sometimes termed asphaltum In geometry an oval or ovoid (from Latin ovum, 'egg' is any Curve resembling an egg or an Ellipse. Tracks primarily consist of two straight and four left-turn corners, few tracks are symmetric and often the shape parallels that of an egg or a tri-oval. A Tri-oval is a shape which derives its name from the two other shapes it most resembles a Triangle and an oval.
'Offset' kart chassis have been developed for precise handling and adjustability in left-turn-only racing competition taking place on oval and tri-oval tracks.
Speedway kart races range in length from 4 laps for a trophy dash, to 20 laps for a main event.
The two chief racing formats used in dirt speedway karting are heat races and timed laps qualification :
- The International Kart Federation (IKF) runs a racing format of two 10 lap heats followed by a 20 lap final. The International Kart Federation was the first Kart racing organization in the United States founded and still based in California in 1957. Finishing positions in the two heat races are used to calculate the starting position in the feature race.
- The World Karting Association (WKA) uses time qualifying. The World Karting Association, or WKA is an American motorsports sanctioning body that organizes and promotes races and events related to Kart racing. Karts equipped with transponders are sent out onto the track in groups of 5 or less to try to achieve the fastest lap time. Positions for the 20 laps feature event are determined by qualifying time.
Racing categories
There are many different classes or formula in karting.
International
The CIK-FIA sanctions international championships in KF1, KF2, KF3, KZ1, KZ2 and Superkart. The Commission Internationale de Karting ( CIK or CIK-FIA) is the primary international sactioning body for Kart racing. The word Superkart has traditionally been used to mean 250 cc engine karts the fastest category in Kart racing racing on full size car circuits These are regarded as the top level classes of karting and are also raced in national championships worldwide. The World Championship (KF1) is decided here, the current 2007 World Champion is Marco Ardigo from Italy. The Karting World Championship is ruled by the CIK-FIA. It takes place once a year each year in a different country and is Kart racing flagship event [12]
CIK-FIA categories are:
- KF1 (previously named Formula A or FA) which is the top level, KF2 (previously named Intercontinental A or ICA), KF3 (previously named ICA-Junior, ICA-J or JICA), and KF4 (so-called “basic” category). The Commission Internationale de Karting ( CIK or CIK-FIA) is the primary international sactioning body for Kart racing. All are using the same water-cooled no-gearbox 125 cc “long life” two-stroke engines with starter and clutch, each with different technical specifications (mufflers, air boxes, carburetor, rev limit etc. . . ).
- KZ1 and KZ2 are the 125 cc gearbox categories (previously named Super-ICC and ICC respectively).
- Superkart is a 250 cc gearbox category.
National
In the UK, the most celebrated karting series is the National karting series, also known as Super 1. There are three types of Super 1 championships:
- MSA series : Formula A, ICA, Junior ICA, Formula 100 and Formula Cadet
- Rotax series : Minimax, Junior Max, Senior Max, Senior Max 177 and Rotax DD2
- TKM series : Formula Junior TKM, Formula Junior Intermediate, Formula TKM Extreme, TKM Junior and Senior 4-stroke and since 2006, Honda Cadet
NatSKA is a budget karting association set up for schools and youth groups in the UK, with 13 classes. NatSKA (The National Schools and Youth Group Karting Association was formed almost 40 years ago by a group of like-minded people intent on making Motorsport accessible
In the United States, the biggest proportion of racers are in the dirt oval classes which often use Briggs & Stratton industrial engines. Briggs & Stratton is one of the world's largest manufacturers of Air-cooled Gasoline engines for primarily outdoor power equipment This style of racing is prominent in the Southeast and Midwest. In the West, European style sprint racing is much more common.
In Australia, classes include Midget, Rookie, Junior and Senior.
Many people race worldwide in Spec series such as Rotax Max (a Touch-and-Go class) or those using the Yamaha KT100 engine. Spec racing is a type of racing in which all competitors race in nearly identical vehicles BRP- Rotax has designed an unique engine concept (MAX for race karts which is offered in different performance configurations TaG stands for Touch and Go, one of the fastest growing classes in European karting. KT100 is a 100 cc Two-stroke cycle kart engine made by Yamaha.
Karting as a learning tool
Kart racing is usually used as a low-cost and relatively safe way to introduce drivers to motor racing. Many people associate it with young drivers but adults are also very active in karting. Karting is considered the first step in any serious racer's career. It can prepare the driver for high-speed wheel-to-wheel racing by helping develop quick reflexes, precision car control, and decision-making skills. In addition, it brings an awareness of the various parameters that can be altered to try to improve the competitiveness of the kart (examples being tire pressure, gearing, seat position, chassis stiffness) that also exist in other forms of motor racing.
All current as well as many former Formula One racers grew up racing karts, most prominent among them Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen and Lewis Hamilton. Michael Schumacher (German pronunciation;) (born January 3, 1969, in Hürth-Hermülheim, Germany) is a former Formula Ayrton Senna da Silva ( pronounced, March 21, 1960 &ndash May 1, 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver and triple Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE (born 24 February 1955 is a French racing driver Fernando Alonso Díaz (born July 29, 1981 in Oviedo, Spain) is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (ˈkimi ˈmɑtiɑs ˈræikkønen born October 17, 1979 in Espoo) is a Finnish Formula One race car driver currently Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born Stevenage, 7 January 1985 Many NASCAR drivers also got their start in racing from karts, such as Darrell Waltrip, Lake Speed, Ricky Rudd, Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of Stock cars in the United States. Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947 in Owensboro Kentucky) is a three-time former NASCAR Winston Cup champion the 1989 Daytona Lake Chambers Speed (born on January 17, 1948) is a former NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd (born September 12, 1956) is a retired American NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán (born September 20, 1975, in Bogotá, Colombia) is a Race car driver in NASCAR for Chip Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971 in Columbus Indiana) is an American race car driver/car owner/entrepreneur in NASCAR 's Jeffery Michael Gordon
Concession karts
As well as "serious" competitive kart racing, many commercial enterprises offer casual hire of karts known as "Concession" karts. Such karts are usually powered by small, detuned four-stroke engines and are far slower than the fully-fledged competitive versions. These karts are built and set to be drivable by anyone. Some tracks also offer racing capable rental karts, also known as "Arrive and Drive" style karts.
Notes
- ^ a b Superkart at Magny-Cours - 2007
- ^ a b Ace Karts sponsors the Australian Formula 100 Nationals
- ^ What is a Shifter Kart?
- ^ 50 years of karting 1956-2006 - CIK-FIA
- ^ How the kart was first introduced to Europe - by Burton Reinfrank - June 2004
- ^ 1959 - McCulloch's Entry into Kart Racing
- ^ CIK-FIA homologation form - Haase chassis, December 20, 2005
- ^ a b Technical picture of a racing chassis - Margay chassis
- ^ "Article 21 ; Specific Regulations for KF1 ; Engine speed limited to maximum 16,000 rpm. Margay is a kart Chassis manufacturer that designs and builds sprint and endurance karts in St " - CIK-FIA 2008 Technical Regulations
- ^ "2. 8) TRANSMISSION ; Shall always be to the rear wheels. The method is free but any type of differential, whether through the axle, the wheel mounting hub or by any other means, is prohibited. " - CIK-FIA 2008 Technical Regulations
- ^ (French) Kart circuit Alain Prost - 24 hours
- ^ 2007 CIK-FIA Karting World Championship - Timetable and Results
See also
- Kart Racing Championships
- Kart circuits
- Kart manufacturers
- Kart racing drivers
Related :
External links
Governing Bodies :
- CIK-FIA web site
- MSA - Motor Sports Association - Governing body for motor sports in Great Britain
- IKF - International Kart Federation - Governing body for the sport of kart racing in the US
- WKA - World Karting Association - Governing body for karting in the US
- AKA - Australian Karting Association - Governing body for karting in Australia
- ASN Canada - Governing body for kart racing in Canada
- NatSKA - National Association of Schools and Youth Group Karting - UK
- VKA - Vintage Karting Association - Association for support of karts from karting’s 1956 inception to 1975
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