Go Kart Racing
Kart racing is done in small, four-wheeled vehicles that are open. Go Karts are similar to F1 racing cars, only that go karts are noticeably smaller and slower than F1 racing cars. Many famous and professional NASCAR or F1 drivers have started learning about their future careers through Go Karts because they give a useful insight about what racing is like.
There are many different and varying types of go karts, professional go karts, called Superkarts, can reach a mind blasting speed of a hundred and sixty miles per hour! What is peculiar about this is that Superkarts are very small and can travel at a very fast speed. On the other hand, go karts used by kids, called KF1, do not exceed a speed of fifteen miles per hour.
Kart racing has been considered as the most economic and efficient form of racing. It is very easy to master and go karts can be driven by any person above the age of eight years.
There are three typical race formats when it comes to go karts. The first of the formats is called the sprint format. Here, racing tracks range from about a quarter of a mile to a full mile. This racing format consists of several short races, and all of them take less than fifteen minutes to complete. Each driver participates in a certain number of races and gets points in every race based on his performance. The winner is later determined by the average of the points of players that they have gathered during the races.
The second racing format is the endurance format. Here, the time period taken to finish the races ranges from thirty minutes to approximately twenty four hours on special occasions. In this racing format, strategy has a lot more importance than speed. Endurance tracks are usually between one and a half miles, and four miles long. The most famous racer in this division is called Sebastian Bourdais.
The third and final racing format is the speedway format. Speed matters here since all racing is done on asphalt tracks that vary in length, and can range from 1/6s mile and ΒΌ miles. Tracks normally have four left turns and are usually oval. For short races, drivers have to complete four laps and the race ends, but in main events, drivers have to complete up to twenty laps sometimes.
International championships are held in six different categories: KF1, KF2, KF3, KZ1, KZ2, and Superkart. The current KF1 world champion is from France and is called Arnaud Kozlinski.
Drivers have to wear a full-face helmet, a driving suit, gloves, and driving boots for their safety. Superkart drivers have to wear leather overalls, which resemble those used in motorcycling. Many people assume that only children drive, but they are wrong. In fact, professional adult NASCAR and Formula 1 drivers still play with go karts every once in a while because it was the way they learned the first steps of driving. Plus, they do not cost a fortune!
