I’m 14 and planning to start Rotax Senior karting next year. My goal is to spend most of the year just practicing and learning — hopefully around 100 hours if I can manage that — and maybe enter one or two races for experience.
I’ll be funding everything myself and taking care of all the running costs and maintenance, apart from specialist jobs like engine rebuilds. My parents don’t have any motorsport experience and aren’t really involved, so I’ll be organizing and managing everything on my own, other than actually getting to the track.
A few things I’d love advice or examples on:
Has anyone around my age fully funded their own karting? How did you manage it?
Any examples of drivers with smaller budgets or cheaper gear outperforming those with big backing?
Am I starting too late, or can solid practice and a few races get me competitive within a season or two?
Appreciate any advice or stories from others who’ve built their way up from scratch.
i like your positiveness and wanting to do a lot of this your self, you need to be realistic though. Organising and managing is not the challenge, the cost of karting will be your challenge. Talent will only get you so far, you will need money to go further!
If your aim is to get yourself to a competitive level and do couple of local races then this is possible. If your aim is to go national or championship level then you will need a lot more help and funding.
I can’t see how a 14 year old without any help/knowledge and serious funding can get far into this sport, probably local club level but that’s it.
Karting is an expensive sport/hobby and starting with Rotax sr would be like jumping into the deep end without knowing how to swim. Aside from the cost of the kart and the motor you need tires, spare parts, a driver suit and helmet, and likely a transport trolley. Even used you are likely looking at 5k to 10k. Consider a more entry level package like LO206 and you are likely around 4k-5k. While new is an option, I would double the prices above.
maybe, but having enough funding will be an advantage. So lets be realistic. Once you are into karting the major expense is out of the way, but staying competitive, especially in rotax, is expensive. As an example, t
o be competitive, you would likely need a set of tires several times a season to every race weekend ( as set of tires is around $250 - $300). So practice as much as you can and race when you can. If you have intentions of racing above the local level, it will be much more expensive to stay competitive.
Its never too late! Karting generally is a progressive sport and starting at 15 puts you in the adult class, so yes you missed the levels before it but with practice, coaching and time, you will figure it out. Racing is a kraft and like any kraft it takes effort to hone that kraft. Give it time and enjoy the journey.
i run a 225 4stroke no races strictly practice sessions. i budget about 200 $ per hour. goes down a bit if i run over 1 hour of track time since track fees are 60-100 per day not per hour. tires gas engine maintenance. gas to get to track.costs on a 2 stroke will be higher engines rebuilding and tires + race fuel with oil . my kart is new and none of these costs include the cost of the kart losing resale value
too late for what, if you mean a professional racing driver then 99% don’t so assume you won’t. If you mean to start racing then you have no issue.
as others have said, start in lo206. Get a used chassis and used engine, replace the oil regularly and you’ll be golden.
where are you? There may be a member of this forum nearby who’d be willing to let you tag along so you can learn some stuff (general maintenance, lingo, contacts) before you even spend any money.
how do you get money to go racing? Working, unfortunately. A local kart rental place might be a good option. They tend to be open outside of school hours and you may get an opportunity to drive them and work on them.
As someone said above too late for what. You should race because you have an interest in doing so. Hopefully like many of us it will grow to more of a passion. It is not be a career strategy. Getting to make a career as a driver takes a lot of skill. But there are many with that skill that never race professionall because it also takes a lot of good fortune.
That said from our local racing in St. Louis we have one person who is now the head Indy flag man, another is a pit reporter for Indy. Other locals have went to work in Indy and NASCAR. Getting in racing can open a lot of doors to non driver race industry careers
Thanks again for all the advice! I’ve done a test in a Rotax and really enjoyed it, so I’m planning to focus on Rotax karting next year.
I’m planning to buy a used kart (~$5k), with race gear around $900, and tools plus a kart stand about $500 — these will be the main expenses for the first year. I’m also aware of ongoing costs like tyres, fuel, and basic maintenance. Luckily, I can reach pretty much any track within a couple of days, so travel won’t be a major issue.
I have no intention of going pro as a driver — my focus is just enjoying karting. I’ll probably race at club level for the first year or two, and if I get the funding, I might step up to national events later.
Out of curiosity, what do top-level karting drivers spend per season? I’m trying to get a realistic idea of what it takes to compete at that level.
keep in mind this is for one of the cheapest karts possible a 4 stroke 225cc. track fee 100,gas for kart and to get to track 30,tires 30 (assume 500 miles per set v generous)lap valves after 10 hours 30 per hour .misc gaskets and parts.i do all my own work so the valve lap only costs me the gaskets. costs go down if i run more then 1 hour sessions but i am an old man and 1 hour on track is nice for me.
Never too late to start racing. I started karting when I was 20. Would definitely suggest starting in whatever the cheapest form of karting near you is.. Also, where are you located?? That’s a huge determination on classes to race. Right now, for you, its all about having fun, and learning, and you don’t need to have the top of the line equipment for that. My advice is get what you can afford, race what you can afford, and get your skills up. Once you’re more there, then i’d start really investing into the program. Another huge one is do the work yourself. Maybe not full blown engine work, unless you really know what you’re doing, but general maintenance yourself will greatly reduce costs (doing your own top end for example), and get you the knowledge you need to make changes to your kart to make it better throughout the race day.
Passion, willingness to learn, and determination are the most important. You’ll find help and friends and have a great time karting. You can get by without too much money at first, then when your skill is developed fresh motors and tires will take it further. When I was you age I put a big bore kit on an old dirt bike and got it running, it was an experience that grew into engineering, racing, and confidence for a lifetime. Go for it.