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Go-Karting Winner
Go-Kart Racing
Speed Racing
Course Stewards
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Go-karting competitions are classified into sprint and endurance races, and so aspects of both high speed and distance are competed on. There are also age categories for junior racing, with Karting becoming a breeding ground for racing car drivers.
Equipment
The lengths of Go-karts range from 1.5 to 1.8m (5 to 8ft), with maximum constraints of 63cms (25ins) in height and around 1m (40ins) in width. Protective bumpers surround the perimeter of the kart body.
History
It is believed that the first Go-karts were built by air force personnel and were fitted with a pump or compressor engine towards the end of World War II. In the early 1950s, the first races were organised using Go-karts which resembled miniature models of racing cars. The first vehicle resembling the modern racing Go-karts was built in California in 1956, by a serviceman at car races called A. Ingels. It had a simple pipe frame structure and a lawn mower engine. Ingels went on to start up volume production of Go-karts under the name of Caretta.
Go-karts quickly became popular for leisure use in the USA, and consequently around 150 companies started producing Go-kart equipment from the late 1950s onwards. Although the popularity of Karting as a professional discipline started within the USA, it has spread to many other countries - notably Australia, Denmark, Holland, Canada, Germany and Italy. The Go-kart Club of America, founded in 1957, was the first organisation providing the opportunity for fans and racers to come together. |
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