North Texas Karters

Hello everyone, I have a 16 year old son who was really getting invloved with Motocross, but recently experienced an injury, and after doing thorough research, we have come to the realization that Motocross is far too dangerous of a sport and prone to many injuries.

I am interested in getting him involved in Kartking but I have soooo many questions. First off, Karting doesn't seem to be an injury prone sport, or is it? I realize Karts go fast, but I don't see the potential for the type of injuries that happen in Motocross. Am I missing something, or is Karting a "Safer" sport than Motocross?

As I mentioned my son is 16. He's 6'4" and 185 lbs. We have been to Caddo Mills a few times and rented Karts. He really seems to enjoy himself, but the rental Karts seem to be limited, and of course, who knows how they are maintained and they get expensive to rent frequently. I would really love to get him a Kart, but I have no idea where to start.

He loves to go full head over heels into new things he tries. I don't want to get him into something he will out grow very quickly, but I also don't want him to get in over his head and not enjoy himself and get discouraged. Of course he immediately did some internet searches and fell in love with the "shifter karts"... Are those the pinnacle of the Karting world and too mush for a teen to start off with?

We have looked on Craigslist and Ebay for used KArts, but I don't know what I am looking for. I also see that there are a lot of classes of Karts with plenty of rules and regulations for each class. I don't want to buy him a used "custom" kart that won't fit into any class and therefore exclude him from racing.

Ok, I have rambled enough. I hope you all get the idea. Please feel free to provide me with any information you may have. We live less than an hour drive from your club and facility, and I am very interested in getting invloved in the sport. I'd love to have him make some friends and enjoy his time with a good group of people as opposed to just renting a Kart for a few hours once every few weeks.

How often does everyone actually go Karting, practice, race, etc... If we get a Kart and join NTK, are there usually a few (or bunch) of people out at the track, or will we find that we'll be lonely and have an empty track except on days when there are sponsored events?


OK again, enough from me. Feel free to ask me any questions that might help you help me.

Matt,

It sounds like he has a good headstart from bikes. In my opinion karting is much safer than motocross, I'm not saying it isn't dangerous but is less dangerous than motocross.

My easiest and best suggestion would be to come out to the track during a race and check out the different classes up close and personal. Most of us are willing to give advise on what a good staring point would be, based on that, find you a good chassis and motor. There will be plenty of deals out there at the end of the year as teams are changing out for next years chassis. Our classified section is good and ekartingnews.com is another good place for getting karts/motors/etc. Hope to see you out there soon.

to further expound on what kevin has told you, your son sounds as if at his size shifter karts would be the direction he should go. his knowledge of handling the clutch/throttle will be an advantage for him, also at his height and current weight it would be better to select a shifter.
normally we would not recommend a shifter for a new kart driver because of lack of driving a shifter experience, it can be brutal and has been well known as an in and out class.
a 125cc shifter is a good choice, however finding a good one might be a challenge, but they are around.
good luck

I am currently putting a Birel Shifter together that was originally bought for my son to race. He has lost interest in the shifter class. the Kart is in very good shape, it has a fresh stock 125 cc. I have not completed the Kart yet but will consider selling when complete.

If you are interested i can be contacted at 817-271-0000.

Thanks for all the information guys. I have found a Chonda class Kart for my son to run for a bit until I know he knows all about smooth driving, and learns the Apex and breaking points like the back of his hand.

I also just got a membership to the track. Hope to see everyone out there. I know it's much more fun with some friendly competition than practicing alone.