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Part 6 – Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1:

I have a 14 years old son who is interested in Karting. I just don’t know where to start or even where to get the right equipment. Any help would be great.

Answer:

Depending on the time frame you are looking at to get your son into Karting, a couple of possible scenarios lie ahead. 
  1. We have been teaming up with Premier Karting and Top Karting for the past few years to run a karting academy in the fall/winter @ Top Karting. There is more than meets the eye to become a good kart racer, the academy is geared to help beginners of all ages get ahead of the learning curve. You can find information/links to the karting academy elsewhere on our web site.
  2. If you are interested to start during the race season, then it would be a matter of getting the right kart equipment and he could start once he’s equipped. Get in touch with us using one of the email addresses from our web site and we can give you some pointers on where to look for equipment and what to look for. Or even better, come out at one of our race events and chat with someone from our board or members; seeing things first hand is quite informative and helpful. Your son would have to pass a short written exam in order to get a racing licence from NCKC and buy a club membership. Then he could come out to practice and/or our race events. Regulations would see him start at the back of the pack for a few races with an “X” on his helmet and rear number, to indicate to others that he is a beginner, but after a few races, the X would be removed. 

Question 2: My son would like to start racing. Grateful if you could answer a few questions:
– does he train all year long?
– how often are the practices?
– does he need his own cart?
– costs?

Answer:

Our racing season is typically spring/summer, so starting in late April/early May and finishing late September/early October.

Our club’s season is usually comprised of 6 or 7 race week-ends over that period. By race week-end, I mean practice on Saturday and racing on Sunday.

Note that if one wants more action, there is karting happening in Ontario and Quebec just about every week-end of the spring/summer. The club license that is part of a membership with NCKC is valid at most of these events, so one can go practice and/or race as often as they want during the summer. Of course, expenses would go up accordingly.

One can get their own kart or rent it. To buy a new kart (chassis and Briggs engine), cost would be between $5000 and $6000 + tax. One could buy a previously owned kart also and would expect to pay about $3000 for a used kart (chassis and Briggs engine) in reasonable condition. Such a kart would likely be usable for a few seasons if bought in good condition. The other scenario possible is what is referred to as an “arrive and drive” where you rent the kart from a dealer. I recently checked with a dealer and the going rate for this is around $600 + tax per week-end. For a season long arrangement (7 race week-ends) with this dealer, one would be looking at $550 + tax per week-end. For this one gets a kart in racing condition. Consumables (gas, oil and broken parts due to incidents) would be additional charges.

The following provides a sketch of costs comparisons between buying a second hand kart and renting over two seasons. These are approximate costs.

 

Own kart Rent
Season 1
Club membership $275 $275
kart $3,000 4350
consumables $800 $500
Practice and race fees (7 week-ends) $1,200 $1,200
safety equipment (suit, helmet, rib vest) $500 $500
camping or hotels tbd tbd
Subtotal $5,775 $6,825
Season 2
Club membership $275 $275
kart $0 4350
consumables $800 $500
Practice and race fees (7 week-ends) $1,200 $1,200
safety equipment (suit, helmet, rib vest) $0 $0
camping or hotels tbd tbd
Subtotal $2,275 $6,325
Cost over 2 seasons $8,050 $13,150