go-karts

[Brib]

This what you want.

I've thought about having a go myself, I'm a bit too large though, I think.

http://www.longcircuit-racingkart-club.co.uk/

[Lolat492]

I saw hillclimbing for the very first time in my life at the Jersey British meet in 1985.
Loads of karts competing then, and fearsomely fast, invariably crossing the finish line backwards...

Stopped going Drag racing then, and to hillclimbs from then on.

Hugely dangerous and totally exposed. I'm sure sanity/ H&S crept-in and that saw the reduction in participants!

I think the best place for go-karts in on an outside track just for them!
(great experience mind, and very taken by the Historic GoKart Associasion that is growing in stature)

If I could sell the lola for a lot, buy a geared 1976 Kart for £450 and spend that again to re-build it, then that is a lot of fun for £1000 (or a set of slicks for the Lola)

[redturner37]

Originally Posted by Brib

This what you want.

I've thought about having a go myself, I'm a bit too large though, I think.

http://www.longcircuit-racingkart-club.co.uk/

Nah, you would get in one of those quite easily Brian.....

[redturner37]

Originally Posted by Lolat492

I saw hillclimbing for the very first time in my life at the Jersey British meet in 1985.
Loads of karts competing then, and fearsomely fast, invariably crossing the finish line backwards...

Stopped going Drag racing then, and to hillclimbs from then on.

Hugely dangerous and totally exposed. I'm sure sanity/ H&S crept-in and that saw the reduction in participants!

I think the best place for go-karts in on an outside track just for them!
(great experience mind, and very taken by the Historic GoKart Associasion that is growing in stature)

If I could sell the lola for a lot, buy a geared 1976 Kart for £450 and spend that again to re-build it, then that is a lot of fun for £1000 (or a set of slicks for the Lola)

Just checked the link that Brian sent, and also checked the For Sale column. If I buy you the one on there, plus the spare engine, give you a grand to cover the first season, can I come and pick the Lola up..................

[dennis.doyle]

Whilst I certainly don’t want TT mortality rates, obsoleting all cars or running karts on unsuitable tracks I think the idea might work in some circumstances:

Kart racing, despite having a lot of kids taking part wheel to wheel doesn’t seem to lead to lots of deaths/serious injuries.

We have run on kart tracks, e.g. 3-Sisters, Kames, Teeside & Jurby & I guess these are properly licenced as being safe for cars, karts, & (for some) even bikes.

I can’t see an insurmountable problem in running a kart class at appropriate venues & if it defrays costs it could benefit all.

Whether it would take off or not is another matter altogether. I’m not aware of kart racers showing any great interest in hillclimbs & sprints. If they did, then why haven’t the karting authorities put on such events for themselves?

[image]

Kwik Kid
I think you'll find that in spite of how it looks motorcycles corner considerably slower than four wheelers --- if not, with their acceleration and nimble ability to "straight line" bends, they'd have all the outright track records they're allowed to run for --- and they don't.

With a Kart you've got the high cornering speed of a car and the poor driver protection of a bike ---not a good combination at a hillclimb where the scenery is so close and unforgiving.

K

[steve 19]

Kwik Kid......Just come over to Guernsey, they allow Karts even at the National Hillclimb.
They have raced over here for a good few years, on a race track around a football pitch, & also at Hillclimbs & Sprints. Just do it, you know it makes sense !!
As for the safety aspect, er, i think motorsport is dangerous, as all the signs state. Go on, Roll the dice !!

[KBS-CVT]

Hello Kwik-Kid

As an ex Class 4 karter, I also looked at using a kart when I took up Hill Climbing. However the Blue book has a regulation that race cars must have minimum 73" minimum wheel base and fitted with all wheel suspension.

Therefore I went to USA and purchased a f500 car which is fitted with a 600cc Rotax and CVT transmission. Its as close to a kart as you can get with
74" wheel base.

By chance its for sale!! see

http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/forumimages/kbs.pdf

I have just rebuilt a Marcos to use in Hillclimbing

[The Voice]

Some of the Karts referred to in this thread are not your £450 models. The 250 Superkarts you occasionally see at the Val des Terres (if it's dry) can cost you in excess of £10k to be at that level. I am also fortunate enough to travel as a mechanic and team entertainer for the European Superkart rounds and I can tell you these machines are not cheap!
Yep, they're fast and nope there is not a great deal of protection but they are awesome to watch especially when there's a grid of 60 or more on a full size GP track.
Long may they continue to be allowed to run in the Guernsey and Jersey Hillclimbs I say and it's about time they were "invited" to demo at some of the uk events such as Shelsey, Goodwood, Loton etc etc..... they are nothing less than breathtaking to watch....

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by kwik-kid

just out of curiosity, why where they banned from hillclimbing? (if they are, which i think they are...)

Karts were being run in the Single Seater classes and several competitors objected as they were not being made to comply with the wheelbase regulation and the engine regs. This led the Foden/Jefferies kart sporting a small trailer. Eventually that too was outlawed.

Originally Posted by kwik-kid

then why not have a go-kart class?

This is the obvious solution but how many karts would you get turning up for a hillclimb? You need at least 4 drivers to make it worthwhile putting on as a stand-alone class and as explained previously the karts are not allowed in the single seater classes.