Karting too advanced for its' own good?

[joseph hollinger]

[Jeff DeMello]

Lawyers
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Jeff DeMello
Emmick F125 Pavesi

[joseph hollinger]

[Chris Hurst]

[Tim Pappas]

[Chris Livengood]

[John Matthews]

Yeah,

I used to run my Kawasaki 500 triple on Highway 9 and Skyline Blvd in the SF Bay Area at death defying speeds back in the day too

But this was after we got out of karting (can't for sure blame Bridgestone but it sure did drive up the cost going to soft tires).

I think it's great that all us old guys, and I include Billy in this category, love karting and want to go fast. Or slow, or some speed in between. However that's not the point of this thread as far as I can tell. To me the questions is has karting gotten so far beyond it's original intention as to be irrelevant for a large portion of it's potential audience?

Look at this thread. http://ekartingnews.com/viewtopic.php?t=120109
It very quickly changed from how proud a father was of his son and how much he appreciated a local tracks racing program to "can I drive my shifter there?" Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this way but I find it kinda cool that this father and son are enjoying the hobby together. Now in this case the father has the means, and desire to drive karts himself but how many others are out there who could be involved but aren't because of the complexity of our sport or the speeds even very young drivers run on the bigger tracks?

Sprint racers, if you want to find out the answer to this question just head out to your local dirt oval track some Saturday night and check out what's happening there. Sure you'll find the 40' haulers with 100 tires on a rack but you'll also see plenty of regular folks running stock class with 15 year old karts. Most of these tracks put an emphasis on the youth programs and spend much less time worrying about their "masters" classes. I'm not saying their situation is perfect but there are a whole lot more of them than there are of us so what does that tell you?

To me it's pretty basic economics. Most families only have so much expendable income and are more likely to spend their leisure dollars on something for their kids. Kart racing is an ideal sport for many of them because it's one of the only sports where the parent and kid are actually on the same team. Let me repeat that because I think lots of folks never think about it this way. If your kid plays little league you might, or might not be the coach but even if you are you're coaching a whole bunch of kids. Most parents are sitting in the bleachers and their role is primarily transportation and financial support. In kart racing you're actually ON THE SAME TEAM AS YOUR KID This gives you a much better chance of passing down your values and your kid a better chance of learning what makes you tick. It wasn't until I got back into racing in my 30's that I understood all the things my dad taught me through kart racing and now I know without that time I wouldn't know him nearly as well as I do.

Real or perceived, if karting looks like a place where you have to spend a bucketload of money just to get started people will look elsewhere for their family entertainment. But if we make sure that tracks are family friendly, kids programs are at least as important as adults, and keep the barriers to entry as low as possible for families we'll grow the sport. If we concentrate on only the high end of the sport, or on adults looking to re-live their glory days of canyon racing things will continue the way they've been going.

JMHO,
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John Matthews
Heartbeat Power, LLC.

[Brian Degulis]

You know we keep hearing about the cost of karting being such a problem. My son got interested so we bought a used Extreme Kart roller for $500 Built a clone for $350 tires clutches etc. around $400. So for under $1300 we have a competitive kart. 9 hours of practice time and we have a competitve driver who wins his first race this past Sunday. How much cheaper do you think it should be?

Nancy Boys ?? It's not about how fast you go it's about what you can do with what you've got.

Shifters may seam a little pricey but compared to what other kind of sprint racing that's readily accesable and easy to get seat time?


Brian

[John Matthews]

Hi Brian,

I'm pretty sure no matter what else happens for your family with karting that first win with your son will remain the best

As you've pointed out, we have about the best situation for growing the sport we've had in a long time. Equipment costs are way down for entry level classes and many clubs are embracing low power racing as a way to get and retain drivers. This is what I see as the point of this thread, and many others I've participated in over the years.

Racing at the higher levels will always be a "gentleman's" pursuit, but the kind of club racing you've found with your son really is accessible for lots of folks. I would heartily encourage you to get involved with leadership at Tri-City and share your passion with other parents who's kids would like to also be on the same team with their folks

Cheers,
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John Matthews
Heartbeat Power, LLC.

[Stu Hayner]

[Brian Degulis]

Plus 2 John's post is right on the money.


Brian

[Cory Ross]

[Chris Hurst]

[Tim Pappas]

[TJ Koyen]