Welcome! I’m also located in the Atlanta area and would be happy to help out. As TJ said, AMP’s facilities and track are top-notch, albeit expensive. Their $3500 membership essentially gets you members-only track time in the mornings (alternating with rentals in the afternoons) on most days that they don’t have something else going on (check out their calendar Calendar of Events | Atlanta Motorsports Park anything marked “Karting Open” is a day you’d be able to run as a member). There is a track day fee that I think is around $10 every day you want to go, and the $3500 membership tier also requires a $75 monthly membership fee. Their top membership tier doesn’t have any monthly fee.
The monthly club racing series there has been bringing in some good numbers. In my opinion there are some things that could probably help streamline their race days, and the parking situation around the kart track gets pretty brutal on race days, but it seems like they’ve been listening to driver feedback and making some tweaks to improve the flow of the day. Overall I’d recommend it.
I’d also recommend going with something used for your first kart, there are some buy/sell karting groups on Facebook and you also see karts pop up around Facebook marketplace pretty frequently. As for what brands to look out for, local support is the main thing you want when starting out - there is a shop right at the track that sells parts for Praga, Formula K, BirelART, and Charles Leclerc Kart brands. Most parts and spares from the latter 2 brands would also likely work on CompKart chassis as well, and there are also plenty of people running OTK brands too that would be able to offer some support (mainly Tony Kart, Kosmic, and Exprit).
I’d be happy to chat for a bit right at the track and answer whatever other questions you might have. One date I’d circle on the calendar is May 21st as that is the next club race day. Just a heads up that it is $10 for a paddock pass, but I’d highly recommend coming out to see what a race day is like, and I’ll definitely be there for that one. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you’re interested in meeting up at the track on a race day or practice day, or if you have any other questions.
Thank you TJ for the detailed advice. Regarding safety gear I have race suits, gloves, helmets etc from track days. Not sure if they are suitable for karting as karting seems closer to motorcycle, with scraping on the ground and multiple mid-speed impacts being the main concern, whereas auto-racing helmets are for hitting roll cage one time very hard.
I didn’t know rib injury was common, a simple search seems to suggest a lot of people have them. Hopefully, nothing permanent and I’ll definitely get a good rib protector.
I’m going to check out the tracks around my area on practice/race days to get an idea of what brand, setup and class people are doing.
Anything that is Nomex or rated for car use isn’t going to be legal for karting. Nomex gloves and suits will simply shred like a t-shirt if you go skidding across the pavement. Karting gear is specific and needs to be abrasion resistant. Although, 9/10 organizations don’t pay attention to this and probably would let you on-track with Nomex gloves and suit, and it’s fairly common even at big events for people to sneak by without having a properly certified suit.
A car helmet is totally fine and works just the same as a karting helmet, as long as it’s up to the correct safety rating. Most karting orgs will require Snell SA or K2015+. 2015 stuff is still good until 2025.
Also Jake’s advice is good and sound and he knows what he’s doing (mostly), so he is a good insight into the local scene.
Thank Jake. I’ll definitely check out AMP on May 21st if I’m available. It seems like no real reason to do the membership since I’m not going to be at the track too often then. I’ll keep an eye out for FB listings. Most likely I’ll need a trailer, I know they have storage at AMP but not sure how it works…
My understanding is that storage at AMP is only available to members. Last I checked garages were $325 per month for a 3 year lease, and I think there’s a decent wait list to get one of them. There’s also slip storage available for $75 per month. Personally, I just haul my own stuff around. There’s a few threads on here where people have shared their setups for moving their equipment, both with and without trailers. You’d be surprised at how many ways there is to do it.
Also worth noting, AMP members are able to bring guests for practice days a couple times a year. Once you get the chance to check things out, get some gear, etc. let me know - I should be able to still get you some practice time without a membership. You also do not need to be a member to race at AMP, non-members can still sign up and participate in the monthly racing series.
There are cheaper but this is generally considered the best one. The newer version that is “homologated” and costs 500+ clams and includes front protection is really only for euro tour folks, I think.
I saw OMP has one that has the FIA homologation. Seems that theres another version that’s identical except for the certification. I’ve never heard of Benigio but am familiar with OMP. What’s your opinion here? Are they probably identically effective? THanks
That’s a very generous offer Jake and I’ll definitely take you up on that one. I plan to install a hitch to my M3 for a small tire trailer for track days. I think I can find a trailer that will fit a kart. I’ll let you know when I get an update! Thank you.
The OMP probably works just fine for most people. The Bengio is a favorite here and it’s what kept me karting after I injured my ribs in 2012/2013. I tried several vests and none worked like the Bengio did for my specific issues.
Bengio is a karting specific Italian brand. But OMP generally makes good stuff too and I’ve seen plenty of people with their vest too.
Like TJ said, many are good. It’s just that Bengio weeded itself out as the best so that’s where we point folks. Things have changed with the mandated ones that has seemed to spur some competition.
Hi all. Just want to give a quick update. I bought a used Praga chassis last weekend from a local racer. He seems to be a top runner and sold his personal kart because he just got a sponsorship. The kart does not have an engine so I need to buy one (LO206). From what the seller told me, at the regional level, one need a blueprinted engine to be the top runner, and a stock engine is only good enough for mid pack. The laptime difference would be ~1s on a 60s track. A stock engine here runs $850 all in, and a blueprinted runs $1100-1400. TBH that’s not that big a difference in price. I thought this is a spec engine and I’m not sure what exactly can be done to blueprint it. What exactly is blueprinting on a spec kart engine? and folks, should I get the stock engine or the built one? I understand I’m a newbie in kart but I can lay laps down within .5sec in my touring car all day long. If there indeed is a improvement I’d be open to getting a “built engine”.
So the engines I’ve bought have been from teams after a big race like Supernats. Used a tiny bit and blueprinted.
That being said, I wouldn’t sweat it too much. Unless you are at the front, you wouldn’t notice the difference and if I am not mistaken, you are new to this.
I’d buy an engine from a builder, I’m not sure who to point you to down there but someone here can.
Being on it with your engine rebuild schedule will ensure that your engine feels fresh and pulls hard.
Blueprinting is making sure the tolerances are ideal. This used to be a bigger deal back in the day but stuff like the ka100 and x30 are good out of box, typically.
Sounds to me those prices are for a Briggs 206. Assuming you can find yourself one since the production is tough right now, I would go box stock and then after a few races bring it to a builder. It’s the one engine IMO that is way more smoke and mirrors than actual blueprinting. Anything faster and sure, go for it.
If you’d be down to buy a used motor, I’ve actually got a 206 with my dad in Atlanta that I could arrange to sell to you for a good deal. Pretty good motor that last time it ran at AMP it was in the 1:01s consistently.
Oops yeah ignore what I said. That’s for 2-stroke. Lo206 is a really different story. The folks here like @fatboy1dh (Ghost engines) can give you the skinny on those but basically, change your oil regularly and drive it. When it’s too old, you get a new one. They are sealed engines with terrific parity and ease of ownership.
There definitely some tweaking to get them to run at its best for a given track, but that’s where our pals like Derek come in. Having a good engine builder setup your new engine would probably ensure that you are running as good as possible within the limitations of what can be done with a sealed engine.
An engine that’s a full second off would be an outlier IME. I’ve seen people literally bolt one on out of the box and finish top 3 in top levels of competition.
That price is for a new engine? If it is, that price probably doesn’t include exhaust, engine mount, chain guard and clutch which is probably going to run you $300 - $500 depending on how fancy you want to get with the mount.
If that’s a price that includes the accessories listed above then that seems like a good way to go. Blueprinting (With the 206 it’s more of an additional QC really) is good for piece of mind and developing a relationship with a builder. But it’s by no means required.
You can be sure lots of people will tell you otherwise though
Plenty of good advice here. Find you an affordable used package and start pounding out practice laps. This winter get it refreshed by any reputable shop and you will be ready to go!
I know we all like the idea of being self sufficient but having a good builder can make your racing journey much more pleasant.
When I ran with Kartworkz and had Jerry on speed dial, our relationship allowed me to focus on racing and having fun.
When I went solo and tried to race on the cheap, I regretted it big time. I was sold a kart but then it was my problem to figure out and there was zero post sale support. It, sucked so bad I gave the kart to a young driver and walked away.
I see the relationship with someone like Derek and Ghost kinda analogous to my relationship with Jerry. It was personal and I came to trust him and his recommendations implicitly. He helped me maximize not only my results but most importantly my time on track and my enjoyment of the whole process.
Take a look at some of Derek’s responses to questions here as a for example. He knows what’s up and appears to be uncompromised and honest, generous with his wisdom and time, humble but accomplished.
Personally I’d pay 2x the cost of the stock engine to have his help getting it ready, knowing he’d be there for me when I’d need his help, which I would, sooner rather than later.
There are probably some sketchy guys out there and as James points out, some dudes will make dubious claims in order to close the sale. Ignore all that nonsense.
You are looking for a partner of sorts, when you choose a builder or tent program. That’s a relationship, not a transaction.
It’s not a requirement and you can run a box stock engine. But, I am confident that a good engine builder would add more value than is immediately apparent.
