Go kart tracks can you bring your own?

baz_ctr

Hi Guys I am looking at building my own go-kart (racing chassis with bike engine) but what karting tracks can you bring your own kart for putting in some laps with your own kart, and if you can is there certain requirements as in you must have racing license (if only test days available) or anything like that, all help appreciated

Bugatti

Hey baz, where are you based? I've been to plenty of tracks in the midlands and west with my own kart. You dont need a licence, just pay, sign a form and out you go! But I was using either a Rotax Max or Prokart. I'm not sure if it'd make any difference if it was a kart you built yourself.

baz_ctr

Bugatti wrote: »

Hey baz, where are you based? I've been to plenty of tracks in the midlands and west with my own kart. You dont need a licence, just pay, sign a form and out you go! But I was using either a Rotax Max or Prokart. I'm not sure if it'd make any difference if it was a kart you built yourself.

Hey Bugatti I am Dublin plans are for a gearbox kart chassis (extended to accommodate bike engine) if it was too much hassle try to get on track with a bike engined kart I would just stick with racing kart,
Do you need a few guys to be doing it with you or just arrive and drive, or is it just selected days and times

Timmaay

baz_ctr wrote: »

Hey Bugatti I am Dublin plans are for a gearbox kart chassis (extended to accommodate bike engine) if it was too much hassle try to get on track with a bike engined kart I would just stick with racing kart,
Do you need a few guys to be doing it with you or just arrive and drive, or is it just selected days and times

What sort of bike engine? Please don't say a gsx-r600 :P. But 2bh I personally think it would be a waste of time, it might be easy to lob in whatever engine in (I'm assuming one of the 125 2t race bike engines) into the chassis, but getting it suited to the kart is another story, theres alot of extra wiring and parts on a bike that aren't needed for the kart. And at the end of the day, a gearbox kart is not a beginner friendly kart (even if its a detuned bike engined version). At the end of the day you'll pickup likes of a complete superpro or rotax for much much less hassle, and probably cheaper than a kart chassis and the bike engine and whatever other parts you'll need to make it fit (custom sprockets etc etc).

Actually why does the kart need to be extended?? How big of a bike engine are you planning????? Designing a kart chassis to handle correctly takes years of experience, in particular the extremely positive castor angles on the front steering to allow the rear wheel to lift on cornering, if you haphazardly extend the chassis you will mess up this geometry totally. (not to mind issues with reduced chassis rigidity).

I'd say you wouldnt have a chance in hell of finding a track which would approve of you taking such a kart out around 2bh. Ok thats all fairly negative ha, I just want to be realistic and save you time and effort, go get a normal kart and try head to some of the Tullyallen events if you can, its a great place to start.

ArnieSilvia

Once I could not resist to buy a turbo hayabusa (IIRC) powered kart that sold on 'bay for £1500. The catch was, as it was clearly stated in the ad, that this cart is not allowed on any track in UK.

Looks like the only way to use it was santa pod.

On vid below, it was in development stage and needed better mapping for turbo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aq1hTOIXkQ

Not sure about Ireland though, but with patronising safety regs and owners scared of even drifting events, I'd give it no chance.

Bugatti

I think your best bet is just to ring a few tracks in your area and ask them about it!

SouperComputer

What bike engine are you talking about here? You'd be surprised how little difference having more than 45-50HP makes. I have a "race" 125 (KZ2) that makes 45-50 depending who you believe. I also have a heavily modded CR250 thats puttin down 75+. The 250 is no faster around a kart track, its just a lot more work. On a car track something like Mondello (they dont run karts anymore though) you'd see a difference but on your typical, super busy kart track there's only so much power you can put down.

Quick times on kart tracks are about throttle response and driveability. Case and point, I also have a 100cc direct drive engine that's within tenths of a second of the 125 and 250.

Think carefully about what your goal is with the kart before you pick an engine. A good KZ (125cc, 6 speed kart engine) will nail 60 in less than 4 seconds which is decent enough and you already have something that will bolt on without messing around.