Thank you for this great forum! I’ve been reading around quite a bit now.
My son turns 11 at the end of April this year. He’s done a fair amount of indoor karting at K1 in the Chicago area. We’re looking to get into outdoor karts this year. It looks like our local tracks support LO206 which is where our interest lies.
My main question is about what looks to be a really nice, fresh Margay Ignite 2. Has 2 races, a ‘modified’ LO206 by CKT (it has the current seals with the black woven cable). Budget fits our needs. I’m curious if this is a competitive chassis? I’m not expecting amazing levels of speed, but don’t want to handicap him by starting out with the wrong chassis… Is there something else I should look for in a chassis? Stretch the budget a bit and get a Tony Kart or Birel?
The Margay Ignite is a plenty capable chassis, and CKT are good people. If it’s a good deal and in good shape, it should serve you well. No need to stretch the budget really on your first purchase, there will be a great deal of learning that takes place before you get to the limits of the chassis anyway.
Really good info from Dom and TJ. We picked up a Margay for my first kart a couple years back and suited us really well for learning and getting into the sport.
Thank you for the input guys. This kart was a spare for his kid to use locally when not racing other series… I found it in a classified listing online and have chatted with the owner about it… So, not from a team. The Margay karts are sold locally at a couple places, so I don’t think support will be too big of an issue.
Really appreciate your info. I’m likely going to pick it up soon. I think it fits my budget and needs.
Well, just found out the Margay sold yesterday… poop… I’m not worried about it though. Will carry on the process. And all in, a brand new Tony Kart, CKT motor and all the fixin’s is $2k more. It won’t hurt me to go that route if needed…
Usually we will say get used at first. If money is no object, new is always preferable in that theres no question the chassis is straight, the engine built, etc. But it’s a big spend if it ends up being something you aren’t that into.
Yes, budget is always a factor! I’m going to look more for a used kart. But, I figure that if I do spend on (allegedly) the latest/ greatest, it’d be easier to sell should he lose interest. He’s been going to my club races for several years and is deeply in love with motorsports (watched the entire Bathurst 12hr last weekend), so I feel pretty good about cultivating this sport!!
A local shop connected us with a client of his that was selling a Birel LO206 kart, a couple years old and always maintained by the shop. It’s ours now! having a MyChron 5 installed, will get a new seat and adjusted to fit my son! couldn’t be happier! Thank you for the advice!