It’s understandable that David has a perspective on karting, and I don’t think we should overplay the characterization of bias. Karting is so small and expensive that it is fact of life that many, perhaps most, of the participants have some sort of dog in the fight. It might be better in some ways to look at a few data points and ask what is different in that scenario. That analysis might lead to a better understanding of what factors impede the growth of karting in the US. I wonder, though, if we can even all agree that growth in karting would be a positive thing. I think it would. More participation would result in lower costs of equipment, better facilities and more competition. How could any of that be a bad thing?
My son races here in the midwest. Our club is relatively healthy. We had 125+ entries in our last club race. Our biggest growth area has been LO206 Senior, followed by LO206 Sportsman, and Sportsman Mini Swift. We routinely see 20+, sometimes 25+ LO Senior karts on the grid this season, which is a large increase over last season. It is clear that there was/is latent demand that this package is addressing. The question is whether the LO package is drawing new entrants in a way that will eventually lead to growth in more technically demanding classes, or whether those existing participants are simply buying used equipment and LO packages because it’s fun to race more on a race day and the incremental effort is small for the LO206 class (beyond the initial cost of equipment…in most cases an older used chassis and a fairly economical motor).
There is something in the growth that speaks to the participation challenges that karting faces. While our club is relatively strong, due in no small part to the many folks that have been around for decades and their dedication as volunteers and participants, another nearby local club has all but dwindled and dissolved. My son and I have been involved for almost four years. It was very easy to get started, with availability locally of used equipment and many helpful people. From there on, nothing in karting is easy unless you can spend 50K a year (and are employed part-time…or not at all). Nor am I saying that it should be. I raced MX when I was young, and can hold my own with a hand tool. I’m comfortable with the prospect of having to learn to test and tune, but there may be others that want to participate and for whatever reason understand that they won’t be able to navigate those waters as easily. We lose those folks and others for various other reasons faster than we gain the folks that can either take on that challenge or live with the consequences of not taking it on.
In karting, you are at the mercy, so to speak, of many different things that you cannot easily control. Back when I raced MX as a kid in the 70s, I routinely lined up to the gate with more kids than we see in Yamaha Jr today. I’ve spent more on clutches, tires and KT100s than the inflation-adjusted cost of both my stock and modified YZ-80s. We may have put a new set of tires on the bikes once in 4 years. My dad didn’t have to keep a new set of handlebars, wheels, foot pegs, forks, swingarm, etc in our van to go racing. Maybe we had an extra set of brake and clutch levers. I cannot recall a single race in four years where either my stock or modified bike didn’t start at the gate for a race. And I’m pretty sure that the engine in the 1979 YZ-80 was a bit more technically advanced, a bit, than the one we use today.
When my wife and I were young, we lived in Chicago. We frequented a risotto restaurant on the north side that we thought had great food. But eventually it closed. Karting is like that restaurant. You love the place and the product, but you can’t help but wonder why so many others don’t.
but we rub elbows (and sidepods and bumpers sometimes) with lots of them!
