Kids & karting - would like to know more

So I took my 7 year old to the local "fun factory" today. One of the highlights (for both of us) was the karts, even though they are dog slow. Much to my surprise, he pushed me to let him drive one solo and I was amazed. He had great concentration and had an absolute blast.

As a result, I'm now keenly interested in how kids and karts go together. I realize that some kids his age are in full blown karts, but he is not ready for that yet, nor am I ready to throw him in the deep end of the pool. Knowing that, what's the logical next step? Our neighborhood is not conducive to him hooning around in a kart here but there is a kart track down in Ocala (30 mins south of me). I would also like something that allows for 2 passengers so I can both drive and ride with him to start teaching him what little technique I know. Are there racing-style karts that support 2 riders? I know this is a slippery slope, but I want to stoke his interest!

Forgot to add this:

Note the smiles!

The 2 passenger stuff can be done in a golf kart if the track is slow on a weekday. Have him do lead/follow with a kid a little older than him who knows the line... they pay more attention to older boys than when dad says "Hit that apex" and it is more fun for him.

A "full blown" kart for a 7 yr old is pretty tame. My 8yr old ran a rented Kid Kart (this pic was his first ever day at the track) and he was intimidated for about 5 minutes until some 5yr old kid went blowing by. He was doing well by the end of the day.

My older boy graduated to a used cadet kart last year. I bought one complete with spares for well under $2k. It capable of 50 mph or more with gearing but I have never seen anyone actually get hurt (beyond boo-boo status anyway).

You will find plenty of people with 20' trailers and $50k worth of hardware for a 10yr old to race but you only need fresh rubber and a good motor to give them all hell if you teach the boy to drive it well and have fun.

BTW-ask the fun factory for the "fast one" if you go again. We were lapping people.

GPS - Thanks for the info. I'm thinking the GRM approach to this as well (as in buying other folks' cast offs). I'm going to look around and see what "kid karts" are available. Any additional info on what I should be looking for?

MrJoshua wrote: BTW-ask the fun factory for the "fast one" if you go again. We were lapping people.

I took him out if the 2 person kart first and we lapped both karts in front of us. Granted I had to bump one out of the way, but she kept slamming the door on me!

dyintorace wrote: GPS - Thanks for the info. I'm thinking the GRM approach to this as well (as in buying other folks' cast offs). I'm going to look around and see what "kid karts" are available. Any additional info on what I should be looking for?

Find out what series they run and how well attended they are at your local track before you start shopping. You don't want to buy a Kid Kart to find out that there aren't any other participants to race with.

If you go visit the track on a race weekend the people there are usually pretty helpful. We race at Oakland Valley Race Park in NY as casual, fun racers but there are people who travel and run the whole circuit and live this E36 M3. You can find out what series, classes and so on are well attended and who has some old karts for sale cheap. You will learn more wandering the pits asking questions than all the google searching in the world (and watch some cool racing).

Also... we go on mon/tue when I can take off - we get the whole place to ourselves so the boys can just turn laps for as much fuel as we have. It is all-day open track for something like $45 if you have your own kart. Rentals start at $125 here for 1/2 a day so you can go play too.

Last time we went we did 8rs, buying fuel and a tune up... I got a rental for my youngest and it was around $275 total. We came back on the weekend and raced - it was around $70 for two practice, qual, and two heat races for just my oldest and a pit pass for me.

I'm one of those bat E36 M3 crazy dads that chases my kid around the country doing this.

Ocala is a cool facility and might have karts to rent. That would be good exposure to a racing kart, which are always faster than rentals.

The Kid Kart class is, basically, a beginner class from 5-7 year olds. It's supposed to be a "get the kid used to karting" class, but deep pocketbooks and dads who think Billy's the next Nascar driver make it one of the most cheating classes.

Since your son is 7, I wouldn't jump on buying a kid kart, since you'd just have to upgrade him as soon as he turns 8. That is, unless you can get one dirt cheap. The track is the place to go and hang out for a weekend. Ocala is a fun track and has pretty good competition on their club race days. Not sure what Ocala runs locally, but you should find out before buying. As above, you don't want to buy a motor that nobody else runs. Parts will be hard to get (especially on a race day when you need it most) and he won't really run with anyone of the same type. So, there's no learning on how to get better.

My only real advice is:
1) Make sure it's fun. Same thing that applies to soccer, football, baseball, etc. If it's dad who wants to do it more than the kid, there's probably an issue. (Not that you're that type, btw). I would argue it's more likely for a parent to get into that mode because it's definitly more expensive than soccer, football, baseball, etc.....
2) If he wants to do it and get better, it's the same advice as a car. Seat time, seat time, seat time. Just like is advised here, the best way to improve laptimes is to improve the squishy pink thing in the seat. It's really easy to buy the most expensive stuff, but that should only matter after years of seat time and when you're at a national level. My son's been doing it 4 years and STILL has a ton of learning to do (he's 10).

-Rob

Thanks guys. Great advice. I think we'll start by heading down to Ocala and checking out the "scene" for kids. Just like me and the track, I don't really have an interest in him being the fastest (or best outfitted) kid out there. All I want is for him to have fun and embrace motorsports. It would be the perfect excuse for me to go spend time at the track with him and have a fantastic father-son experience.

dyintorace wrote:

MrJoshua wrote: BTW-ask the fun factory for the "fast one" if you go again. We were lapping people.

I took him out if the 2 person kart first and we lapped both karts in front of us. Granted I had to bump one out of the way, but she kept slamming the door on me!

I've been kicked out of slowkart tracks more than once for doing that. My mom was especially pissed when I put my little brother into the wall when he was moving slower but would keep diving inside when I went to make the pass. I was in my 20's, he was maybe 12?

dyintorace wrote: It would be the perfect excuse for me to go spend time at the track with him and have a fantastic father-son experience.

My son and I have had some ups and downs, good times and bad over the years, but the sheer amount of time I've spent with him over the past four years has been priceless.

-Rob

There's a lot more benefit to this than bonding or and turning the kid into a gearhead. You are making it much, much more likely that he's gonna survive to adulthood or at least not total a car or three on the way there. Starting the learning curve in karts is a far better plan than setting him loose in a car at age 15. Trust me on this.

rob_lewis wrote: The Kid Kart class is, basically, a beginner class from 5-7 year olds. It's supposed to be a "get the kid used to karting" class, but deep pocketbooks and dads who think Billy's the next Nascar driver make it one of the most cheating classes.

That's the one thing that's really kept me from pushing my 7 year old into it. I looked into tracks near me and heard the same thing. I just don't get it. He's 7 years old for cryin' out loud. It should all just be "fun and games" for them at that age. I don't know I could stand being around these Dads who are ultra competitive with their son and take it SO seriously. It's a shame too, my son does well when I've let him drive the karts at amusement places and he enjoys it. He'd have a blast at a league, if it was all on the up and up, and just for fun. And he's got a 4 year old brother who wants to do it too...

Klayfish wrote: He's 7 years old for cryin' out loud. It should all just be "fun and games" for them at that age. I don't know I could stand being around these Dads who are ultra competitive with their son and take it SO seriously.

You will see 8yr olds crying because they came in 2nd. You will see 5yr olds getting yelled at because they are playing Pokemon instead of gridding up. You will see fat, bald, old guys who never drove anything well, including the motorhome they came in screaming at a 7yr old for not "pushing harder" and you will also see some kids giving a high-five to one another after a race and people giving advice, kart stands, tools or starters to new folks and generally having a swell time screwing around. It takes all kinds. I'm going to a little league game tonight to watch my son pitch. I am sure there will be someone yelling at someone else for making a mistake. There always is.

It is the same everywhere... some people just don't know how to put things in perspective. Don't let that stop you and your son from having a good time.

Watching this. My oldest is three now. A few days ago in the car, he piped up and said "when I get older, I will work on the race car and Christopher (next oldest) will drive it. I will make sure the bolts are tight.". Today, after watching a few hours of the Lemon's race this past weekend, he said "when I get older, I will drive the race car and Christopher will make sure the bolts are tight.".

I started in karting and did it for 3+ years. One of the best things I have done in my life. It is very hard to compete with families that show up with backup karts and spare parts galore but just for the experience it was worth it.

We ran on a set of tires at a time, other kids had trailers full of brand new tires. I ran one motor at a time, other kids had rebuilt prepped backups.

It teaches all the necessities in racing that can be carried on for a life time. I think the hardest thing I dealt with when i was younger was the fear of being all bunched up for the rolling start at the beginning, 2 wide , everyone is bumping and banging like crazy. From this though you learn how to stay calm and deal with the situation.

Money makes no difference, if they come last they come last, as long as they are having fun, making friends, learning, it's all that matters in my opinion.

I just finished fixing up an older Yerf Dog two seater dirt cart for a friend of my wifes (volen-told LOL!). Now both my 10 yr old Autistic Son and my 7 yr old ADHD Daughter have to be pried out of the drivers seat...it's gonna suck when the owner picks it up next week.....yeah, been hitting Craigslist for a used one

Anyway, both kids who normaly shy away from noisy stinky mechanical things took to driving like a duck to water. They both do well, not hitting or running over anything (unlike their bikes,,,which routinely get crashed, broken) I have a graded oval with a road course meandering around the 2-1/2 acres we live on. No Karting facilities anywhere close, so it's the Yellowbird dirt speedway that serves....and no screaming parents allowed LOL!

ekartingnews.com has a good forum for racers - and their parents if applicable.

go carts and kids are cool