Racing go karts unlike other motor racing sports can be taken up by just about anyone, whether you are a teenager or an adult. The main reason behind this is the fact that compared to other racing sports like NASCOM and Formula One, Go kart racing is a much cheaper sport. At such a low cost the thrills and excitement of racing go carts is truly unmatched for the racing junkies. You start out as a child wanting to be on something motorized and a go cart is the perfect and safest of all the options out there. Motorcycles are far too dangerous for some parents including my own to deal with. The go kart was a great substitute for my parents because it has 4 wheels and is low to the ground. One thing go carts also have to offer is the fact that the motor runs with a governor so your parents can control the speed. Now let us look at some of the history and technical stuff associated with racing go karts.

Many people do not think of go kart racing as a sport but to be honest its probably the fastest growing sport in the world. Kids and teenagers are flocking to this style of racing mainly because it has become a gateway to the sport of NASCAR. If your dream is to become a stock car race driver then racing go karts should be your first start.

It was Art Ingels who first constructed a kart way back in 1956 and McCulloch was the first one to manufacture engine for the go karts. Since that time there are many of companies producing go cart parts for the racing industry. Also Go Kart Manufacturing Co manufactured the first ever go kart on a commercial scale.And there has been no look back since then with companies like Italian American Motor Engineering (IAME) dedicating themselves towards the manufacture of engines for the go karts and the top guns like Coyote, Emmick, Gillard, Rotax etc. manufacturing the Karts.

Now if we look at the go kart, the general structure of the kart comprises of chassis (the main skeleton of the go kart), engines (2- stroke or 4-stroke), tires (smaller in size), transmission and external controls (used mainly for safety). Now there are a variety of engines to choose from, for your go kart, depending upon a number of factors like power requirements, the way to start an engine, vertical or horizontal mount etc. Some of the popular categories include Snowmobile engines (lightweight, two-stroked, a lot of power for their size), Off the shelf engines (for occasional use), Motorcycle or ATV engines (equipped with a reverse gear) etc.

Also, apart from being a free time activity, Racing go carts can also be taken up as a full fledged career. It teaches the novice racing drivers the various skills required to compete in the more professional racing sports like Formula One. Some of the top guns of various Professional racing sports like Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher started their careers in this manner.

The speed of these Go karts depends on the structure and type of engine used. Mostly two-stroked and four- stroked engines are used with speed variation between 50mph to 160 mph! Apart from the speed factor, these go karts also are very speed in terms of acceleration due to their light body weight. With the growing popularity of Racing go karts, many organizations have come up which hold many events of go kart racing. Some of the most noted ones being IRA (International Racing Association), World Karting Association (WKA) etc.

Thus we can see that a lot changes have being introduced into the world of racing go karts, many new technologies have been adapted, karts design has been changed for the better but one thing that remains the same is amount of fun, excitement and enthusiasm among the racing junkies! So it does not matter whether you are a teenager or an adult, Kart racing has a lot to offer everyone of all ages. go karts are a poplular sport but dangerous as well. Just because children are starting early does not necessarily mean they should be cut loose on these machines.