Originally Posted by p8rider
Karting? isn't that trash pick-up. I didn't know they made it a sport!
It must be an english thing, you know mad dogs and englishmen.
It started as an American sport but is a very cheap form of motor racing. There are two main classes- or were when I was doing it. Imagine a 250cc 2 stroke motorbike engine- tuned to the limit- pushing 350lbs round a full car racing circuit.Top speed of around 130mph and faster speed round the corners.
Then a single cylinder 100cc engine pushing out 24BHP at 22,000 RPM. fixed drive to the back axle and no gears or clutch. These thing handle and accelerate and brake faster than you can imagine. Circuits are smaller with plenty of corners and speed is not the object as cornering speed and acceleration are the main points of this type of racing. Saying that- I was clocked at 105mph in a speed trap at the end of the long straight at the White House Karting Circuit at Le Mans.
Karting is one of the types of racing that honed the skills of current F1 drivers in their early days and to name a couple that I raced against- Alain Prost and Senna. Then there are a few other lesser drivers such as Mansell- Rosberg- Schumacher- Raikenen--and the list goes on.