Go Karts
Go-karts are simple and small four-wheeled vehicles. They
are used for kart racing, also known as karting. For these racing events,
a scaled down race track is usually used to match the scaled down size
of these vehicles.
There are several types of these kart circuits which may be used. Outdoor
circuits may be short or long. Technically, a short one is less than
1,500 meters in length. However, the average length of a circuit designed
for go-karts will fall around 1,100-1,200 meters. Their widths will
be 7 to nine meters. These standard tracks resemble road courses with
their left and right turns. However, they are custom built for karting.
Karts may also be used on an outdoor long circuit. These have a length
which exceeds 1,500 meters. Unlike short ones, these will also be used
for other motorsport events. It is common for only gearbox kart races
to be allowed on this type of circuit.
Go-karts may also be used on indoor circuits. These are normally used
for casual events. Any closed space surrounding the track would qualify
it as an indoor option. This holds true even when the circuit includes
short outdoor sections, which is often done to add interest to the track.
Often, these are located within old factories. Indoor arenas will generally
have their own fleet of karts or microkarts for rental. These will generally
be chosen for economy above all other reasons.
Some miscellaneous circuits upon which go-karts may be used also exist.
These include dirt-tracks, oval tracks, and ice rinks. Special vehicles
are generally used for the ice rinks. Riders will also be dressed with
the cold taken into consideration.
The use of go-karts is truly international. Circuits may be found in
the United States, Australia, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Brazil,
Canada, Estonia, Hong Kong, Latvia, South Africa, Malaysia, and more.
Karting is often perceived as a stepping stone to the higher and more
expensive ranks of motorsports. These vehicles vary widely in their
ranges of speed. Some can exceed 160 miles per hour, or 260 kilometers
per hour. These are known as Superkarts. Go-karts are intended for the
general public and are most commonly seen in amusement parks. They may
be limited to speeds of no more than fifteen miles per hour, or twenty-four
kilometers per hour.
As far as the history goes, a man named Art Ingels is generally accepted
to be the father of karting. He was both a veteran hot-rodder and a
builder of race cars at Kurtis Kraft. It was in 1956 that he built the
first cart in Southern California. The use of these vehicles rapidly
spread to other countries. In particular, it currently holds a formidable
following in Europe. This is in spite of the fact that it originated
in America.
As far as the first kart manufacturer goes, it was a an American company
which arose two years after the kart's invention in 1958. It was known
simply as the Go Kart Manufacturing Co. A year later, a company known
as McCulloch was the first to begin producing engines.