Congrats on getting the first event in the books. I haven’t been following the electric kart scene very well for the past couple years, but things seem better than I assumed they were if organized events are happening. i don’t know anything about sanctioning orgs in the karting world - my buy-in has always been the tech, the trends, and what’s doable/fun/affordable.
This thread is definitely been interesting to read, and while I’m probably in the group of ‘waiting for the price point to come down’, I’m still rooting for electric karting’s progression. The whole thing about electric karts negating weight factors to a large degree is particularly intriguing and welcome. (and I’m a smaller guy - the weight thing is annoying for every, imho)
We don’t measure RPM during races, as it’s generally unnecessary. If everything is set up correctly, there’s no need to monitor it. We use Mycrone for driver data, lap times, and other personal driver skill details.
In the case of electric karting, the driver cannot adjust or monitor the kart’s performance, so all kart performance data is irrelevant since the driver cannot influence it. The kart should simply provide 100% performance throughout the entire race without any changes, making technical data unnecessary. On the other hand, in the service section, we can see all the required data from applications and PC to prepare the equipment for the next session
I realize it makes sense for a spec series like yours, but to say in generalities that motor speed does not matter in electric karting is not accurate. Realistically, if you are not getting to or at least near the max/target speed of the motor, you could change the rear sprocket and accelerate faster (assuming some kind of chain drive system).
Have to disagree. GPS speed information is not as consistent or accurate as RPM data. The RPM trace can be extremely helpful when looking at braking and acceleration and coaching the driver on braking and throttle timing. The Mychron GPS speed data can have a margin of error up to 2 meters, but is typically less. However, when calculating speed changes even a few feet can skew speed calculations, especially speed changes over short distances.
Yeah. Speed is one thing but that’s not really what I wondered how it looked different. I was thinking more about how the power comes in and how that plays out relative to the typical x30 curve.
The way the electric delivers peak power down low seems to me that a curve would look very different, for two vehicles corner to corner.
You’re right; you can experiment with it, but in our case, the power band is very narrow. There’s very little room to try different setups because, fundamentally, the torque output often exceeds what the system can manage efficiently. As a result, gains are difficult to achieve, especially in higher classes with greater power.
At top speed, if the ratio is set too low, you quickly slip into an inefficient zone, leading to excessive energy consumption that overheats the system without any real benefit. Conversely, if the ratio is set too high, you encounter the same issues.
Based on our experience with BSR, we can very accurately determine the optimal gear ratio for each track, ensuring the best possible performance across all metrics. That’s why, practically for each track, we recommend a specific sprocket size. The driver can adjust by one tooth up or down based on their driving style to see if they can improve lap times, but as I mentioned, the variations are minimal. The effective RPM and power band are so narrow that there’s little room for adjustment or expansion.
Here, you can see the power curves for the BSR-X4 and BSR-X5 on the dyno, showing both horsepower and torque. From zero up to X RPM, there’s a significant amount of power and torque, which allows for quite a bit of flexibility on the track to improvise as desired. However, once the power starts to drop, there’s an exponential increase in air resistance, meaning that top speed and RPM quickly hit a limit due to wind resistance, resulting in little to no further acceleration.
As a result, fine-tuning RPM for better results has minimal impact. Of course, this doesn’t mean any sprocket size will work; it has to be precise. Moving just one tooth up or down quickly shifts out of the ideal range, which is immediately reflected in lap times or an overtaxed engine, leading to unnecessary overheating.
It’s the first time I’ve heard of someone measuring their braking points based on RPM—it might be possible, but it’s new to me. In the case of electric karts, I don’t really see how that would work effectively. With so many racing situations and maneuvers within a single lap, RPM would be the last thing I’d rely on. I would instead look for key points on the track based on speed, using GPS data from systems like MyChron to assess speed and location. Of course, in rare cases, GPS might glitch, so having additional data sources would be ideal.
In the future, I hope data displays will integrate CAN communication, which would allow us to connect with electric kart systems and provide extra data directly from the kart for those who want it. BSR doesn’t have any issues with transmitting this data; rather, the devices sometimes struggle to receive it.
We explored this with Blue Shock Race a while back thinking it would make an interesting exhibition race at the Xtream Rock Island Grand Prix Presented by The Hemp Doctor . But the cost to bring karts over was way beyond our ability… especially not knowing if anyone would drop the money needed to race something they had never seen before. Apparently WKA has deeper pockets than we do and of course ours is a one-off race. I will say that everything I heard and was told about the karts and the company was impressive. Will they ever have a place in our gas-guzzling country remains to be seen.
WKA does not finance or sponsor the electric kart project. The entire initiative is driven by BSR in partnership with the drivers and teams, making it a pure business model. Drivers either purchase their karts outright or use “arrive and drive” options, where they can compete without owning the equipment. This ensures accessibility while maintaining financial sustainability.
Our success so far stems from the combined efforts of drivers willing to invest in the future of karting and our team working hard to support them with high-quality technology and racing opportunities. It’s a grassroots effort, not backed by deep pockets, but by a shared vision for what electric karting can bring to the sport.
Regarding your concerns about costs, we completely understand that initial exposure and adoption can be challenging, especially for one-off events. That’s why we’re focused on building a robust community of drivers and organizers who see the value in trying something new—people who, once they experience it, realize it’s not just different; it’s an exciting step forward.
We believe that as more people experience electric karting firsthand, even in our “gas-guzzling” culture, the unique benefits and sheer fun will find their place in the motorsport landscape. Hopefully, we’ll have an opportunity to collaborate in the future—maybe with creative ways to bring the BSR experience to your race!
I went to check out K1 circuit and they are offering something similar to BSR. Looks to be shifter chassis, brand is OTL.
Their idea is to use them as their rentals but also their league kart. They are also offering the option to buy kart and charger (around 20kish?).
Are you seeing any buyers that are individuals as opposed to fleet sales? For me, if they offer the kart as part of the league arrive and drive, I don’t see a compelling reason to buy an e kart of my own.
Has BSR considered using a simple gearbox setup with a smaller motor to explore reducing energy consumption while maintaining range / capacity?
For racing, you only need to ensure 100% of capacity for 100% of the race length, but this is somewhat deceiving. If you’re at 100% motor capacity, you’ll eventually degrade performance due to thermal issues, and being outside the peak efficiency band, I presume?
Therefore, electrics should be ‘rated’ at 80% equivalency (or wherever that efficiency sweet spot is) and limited by the ESC to operate as if that point is ‘100%’ THAT point should be available all race long…
I predict that electric race karting will be viable to the general public in about the same time as electric dirtbikes are. They will remain novelties and for the rich until we fall into $9K for a 2 hr. runtime. I’m guessing a 15K watt (~20hp) solution would be entirely sufficient.
Each lap is somewhere around 2 minutes for most facilities, so a 20 lap feature = 40 minutes.
Add in another 5 lap practice, 3 lap quali, and 10 lap heat and we’re around 40 laps = 80 minutes. Somewhere around an hour and half with a half hour reserve seems about right to me…
I have to admit that when I first saw the economics of BSR I was a pretty firm skeptic, but I’ve also raced slot cars and r/c and have no inherent bias against electrics – only that I can’t afford them at the moment. One of the barriers to widespread electric race karting will be the policing and mandating against ESC manipulation. I foresee the need for a spec ESC, handed out and plugged in on the grid. Otherwise we’ll have a technological arms race with traction control backdoors, funny energy (mis)management for performance gains, and thermal limit pushing, all for the uneccesary last .001s of laptime.
I’m curious to see where this goes, and will eventually try an electric. I’m already contemplating a 2 wheeled 50cc electric racing project… eBikes are pushing the barriers high enough to allow for eMotorcycle racing on kart tracks with acceptable ranges. The weight of karts is what’s limiting things on the 4 wheel side…
To be honest, we don’t follow K1’s plans too closely. We see it more as a hobby-focused, low-performance platform, whereas BSR is more about high-performance experiences. Many K1 drivers eventually transition to BSR because it’s simply a different class—moving from hobby karting to something much closer to professional motorsport.
For context, K1 is a great introduction to what electric karting is, while BSR is the equivalent of electric F1—offering a completely different level of performance and competition.
We are also seeing a growing number of private drivers and dedicated race teams that operate exclusively with BSR racing systems. The key motivations for them are:
Building a team allows drivers to generate revenue and secure their own sponsored racing program.
Individual kart owners can focus on improving their skills at a much higher intensity while fine-tuning their equipment to a greater degree.
Attracting and promoting sponsors is easier due to the competitive and professional nature of BSR racing.
As a result, the number of BSR kart owners is growing rapidly, and we see this trend accelerating.
Sorry, but there’s too much overthinking here—I believe in action over theory. Nothing personal.
Simple answers:
Championships: BSR locks all access—no external management via software, no modifications. No access, no problems. We have tools to detect tampering, and if someone tries, they don’t race. Simple. This is about driver skills, not a developer’s playground.
DIY & Tech Development: If you want to modify and experiment, there are other races, like university events and technology competitions, where full access is allowed. But those are about technology development, not driver performance.
Choose what you want—you can’t have both.
Other topics like gearboxes, etc.—I could list 1,000 things BSR has already tested and developed. We’ve been through it all. That’s why my answer is simple:
Less talk, more action. Less parts = better, cheaper, lighter, faster, more efficient.
BSR’s success comes from removing every unnecessary component and keeping only the absolute minimum. That’s why BSR power units are the most widely used in electric karting worldwide—anyone can install them in 10 minutes without a manual and operate them effortlessly, all while achieving world-class performance.
Pricing: The only way to reduce costs is through mass adoption or significantly lower performance. That’s exactly what BSR does—driving mass adoption. And for those who don’t need top-tier performance, we already offer lower-performance solutions for more budget-conscious racing enthusiasts.
That’s my quick response, without diving into unnecessary details.
