wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
5/16/23 2:45 p.m.

My 7 year old and I just did a "junior discovery" at AMP to see if she likes Karting.  She does! (she does not like crashing!!)

 

I don't want to spend 10 k on a kart just to find out she thought it was fun for a minute.

 

Anybody know where I can get a slowish roadrace kart for a 7 year old that I old take to CMP or some of the other tracks around?  (AMP, auto cross, etc)?

 

Where should I be looking for info?  Any help is appreciated!

Toyman!
Toyman! GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
5/16/23 2:56 p.m.

IIRC, CMP's rental carts aren't super expensive. Maybe rent a couple of days and see if she stays interested. 

 

ztnedman1
ztnedman1 Reader
5/16/23 2:57 p.m.

Following 

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
5/16/23 3:03 p.m.
Toyman! said:

IIRC, CMP's rental carts aren't super expensive. Maybe rent a couple of days and see if she stays interested. 

 

There is apparently a law in SC that you need to be 12 years old to rent a kart at a racetrack (according to CMPs website).  Also, they aren't doing any rentals "until further notice".

I have reached out to them to see what's up.

 

Edit...  the law might have been changed in 2022.

cyow5
cyow5 Reader
5/16/23 5:14 p.m.

She'll be in a Cadet (4-stroke) or Mini Swift (2-stroke) at her age, so you could probably find a decent starter kart on Facebook, try it out, and then sell for negligible loss if she doesn't like it. We bought a relatively expensive used kid kart (smallest class) for my daughter at $2,800, so a that should be a huge relief if you are expecting $10k! Granted, I looked at our karting expenses over the last 8 months, and it was $12k...

 

Turns out the expensive part is when you get yourself one because "well, I'm at the track all day, so why not!" And then the trailer. And the gear. And the parts...

ToManyProjects
ToManyProjects Reader
5/16/23 5:32 p.m.

This is relevant to me right now, my youngest is getting super excited about the idea of karting. I don't know if there's a class for 5 year olds, but if there is I'm gonna have to get her in a cart and see if she still likes it. I just found out there's a karting track about an hour from here, so we're gonna go check it out when the kids get out of school.

Her pivot to wanting to be a race car driver is exciting for me, and honestly it'll be easier to tell other parents "she wants to grow up to be a race-car driver". Her previous ambition got me some pretty judgey responses; "What do you mean she wants to be a super villain?!"

 

cyow5
cyow5 Reader
5/16/23 5:45 p.m.

In reply to ToManyProjects :

Yeah, 5-7 is "Kid Kart". We bought my daughter one when she was two months shy of 4 because she had already begged for one for a year, haha. We started off in a large parking lot, and the local track will let her practice but not race. She absolutely loves it, and her little sister is also already asking for one. I say go for it, it has been a ton of fun, and she and the other kids get along great. Some parents get pretty intense, but most are pretty reasonable and understand that these are just kids. 

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
5/16/23 7:06 p.m.
ToManyProjects said:

This is relevant to me right now, my youngest is getting super excited about the idea of karting. I don't know if there's a class for 5 year olds, but if there is I'm gonna have to get her in a cart and see if she still likes it. I just found out there's a karting track about an hour from here, so we're gonna go check it out when the kids get out of school.

Her pivot to wanting to be a race car driver is exciting for me, and honestly it'll be easier to tell other parents "she wants to grow up to be a race-car driver". Her previous ambition got me some pretty judgey responses; "What do you mean she wants to be a super villain?!"

 

Why not both?  Since Fernando Alonso has mellowed so much, there is an opening!

ToManyProjects
ToManyProjects Reader
5/16/23 8:17 p.m.

You make a good point... and I don't think she's given up on the scheming yet...

triumph7
triumph7 HalfDork
5/16/23 11:12 p.m.
ToManyProjects said:

"What do you mean she wants to be a super villain?!"

 

She probably really only wants her own minions!

ToManyProjects
ToManyProjects Reader
5/16/23 11:30 p.m.
triumph7 said:
ToManyProjects said:

"What do you mean she wants to be a super villain?!"

 

She probably really only wants her own minions!

It came up one day when her big sister was talking about all the cool stuff she would do if she had superpowers; like saving kittens from trees, and building houses for homeless people and things like that. While big sis was talking about all this, the (then 4 year old) came up and wanted to whisper something in my ear, so I picked her up and she said "Daddy, I don't want to be a super hero when I grow up, I want to be a super villain!" I asked her why, and she said "They get to be naughty all the time, and that's WAY more fun"

jmabarone
jmabarone Reader
5/17/23 7:18 a.m.

See if you can find a local club that has a kid kart class.  Go out with her on a weekend and see if someone has one for sale.  I would go 4 stroke, but that comes from an old Raptor guy who only ran Yamahas a few times.  4 stroke is cheaper, especially with the LO206 stuff.  

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