SIRA jumped on board with KC at our last race as well and we’re probably going to do the entire season this year. We’ve got the backbone for it now.
It’s less about getting brand new people in that aren’t karters and more about showcasing the product a club puts out to the existing karting market for us.
This is what Kart Chaser is really great for, exposing existing karters to new venues, clubs, and series.
Until they have a few “mega viral” video clips though, I don’t think their stuff is dropping into the “suggested videos” and fyp reels that many non-racers would see.
For example though, that KA Road Racing vid from WKA at Daytona is at 580k+ views as of right now, which is the kind of level that starts breaking out into the wider, non-motorsport audience. There’s definitely going to be people google searching kart racing off of that.
(https://youtu.be/6Ch5gFK2CY8?si=DrlZMkoShYc57GUM)
What we as club organizers need to get a better handle on is how to make non-racers aware that karting exists and get them to start learning about it.
There is a way to make a small fortune in motorsports, karts included…
start with a large one.
I ask all the time and the biggest drivers over the last three years are F1 and Drive to Survive. We have a huge number of people that say indoor or rental karting but they still had to have a reason to go there first before finding us.
In the past it was more traditionally a relative or friend of someone who raced/use to race. We are 5:1 now people that have never been involved:people with racing history. Super interesting to me that it has tilted that way so heavily.
I can’t speak for where you are but when you search ‘karting’ where I am this is what you get
15 years ago google was
So before you’d interact with the ‘sport’ via these websites and forums. Now the A&D companies absolutely dominate the search/ad landscape
In addition to sending the link on how to get started you or your club might want to send a Google form that can be created to collect the information you seek. It might take a little time to set up, but once created can be useful to collect the information you seek.
If kids and parents watch any form of motorsports, karting is always mentioned as the gateway. Lately, you see NASCAR driver’s kids (Harvick and Busch) start with karting and I would guess even the most casual F1 fan knows that they all start with karting. I think the real challenge is getting those parents to connect with the local kart track and having a reliable source of information to guide them. It is great that your club does this.
How about the Tillotson T4 Kart Series ? They are affordable and trying to bring lower cost to karting and more of a even playing field. ??? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UT_UXJEvps
The T4 package is about the same price as the Ignite 206 package, so pretty similar initial investment if you want to go spec racing.
A used 206 package on a non-spec chassis would be cheaper.
At the Runoffs or June Sprints, in Spec Miata many will put a new set every session. Most will at least put on a new set for an optimal qualifying session and for the race
I haven’t seen it mentioned but HPDE is one oops from requiring a replacement car. I’ve seen many a nice car turned into a parts car. Never race anything you can’t afford to lose.
Driving my daily driver FR-S at ViR was fun, but you’re ALWAYS extremely aware that if you throw it into the wall you can’t make it home… (or to work)
There still has to be something that drives them to do that search. That’s what interests me - was their intro what they’ve seen on TV, what they found on socials, invited to a rental event or was racing in the family (now or in the past)?
But to your point, if they search karting in our area they find the rental facilities first. Something we are trying to address as a company. However as an industry we suck at SEO.
I know this is on the controversial end of the spectrum. But pursuit of the ‘level playing field’ is one of the worse things to happen to karting, and motorsport in general. I love the guys at Tilly, but the full T4 package doesn’t aid karting in my belief.
It absolutely nukes culture. No development, no interest, no intrigue. So that means most of the media goes out of business, which has happened. Now one can say this is normal market dynamics, which I agree with, but I am observing a trend.
I tend to see slightly inflated second-hand costs with full spec packages. They tend to hold their value, but this could be more a consequence of the fact full spec categories (engine AND chassis) tend not to spread beyond limited national racing and thus supply is limited.
The weird thing is when karting was open chassis with a ton of engine manufacturers it was more accessible. This was partially because expectations were different. no one expected a ‘level playing field’ and just getting some clean laps in would be considered a good day.. But the whole culture was so different. more open, more welcoming, and somehow less disposable.
I am not saying we get a time machine, just observing that the commonly accepted belief of ‘level playing field is good’ might not be accurate.
I think we were good at SEO. The problem was karting’s demographic has changed and media entities are no longer particularly viable.
I agree about trying to figure out where that ‘first’ urge comes from. I think we often forget how karting was relatively more well known back in the day because it was novel and also forced itself into neighborhoods. Now I think we largely rely on the F1 factor. The sport gets mentioned every other week and kind of explains the demographic shift.
I think theres a spot for Tilly T4s. I think sometimes karting is who has most money has the best kart and doesnt leave a spot for the guy who comes off of rentals and doesnt have a chance. Thats why Dirt backyard series are growing kind of like years ago run what you brung. And Tilly T4s have a spot in the sport too. ( I see your point . ) But the Tilly T4s gives a chance to the people who dont have alot of money to buy tires etc…every race and other parts. To have a chance to win. Thats what I mean on a level playing field. Kind of like I.R.O.C. Car racing years ago. I raced in the 70s karts and miss that openest too. But I think Dirt series are bringing that back. I think Tilly T4s and other Series can live together. Seems to be working in other countries and growing in the States. ( Plus you can use a Tilly T4 chassis with a L206 or KA100 if you want to move up to other series kind of a do it all kart. ) I also believe arrive and drive rental races . Bring people into the sport. Rental Endurance and GP races. So more tracks are looking at that. Seems to work at K1 Speeds…And alot of people move on to gas or soon Electric Race Karts . From K1 Speed after they see how fun it is. And Tilly T4s are made for that. Tracks got to think different angles to get people interested in karting. I know its going to stir some conversation but isnt that what forums are all about ??
That can be solved pretty quickly if you didn’t have a ton of spec series. It’d be like motocross. You have A grid, B grid and C grid. You get put where your level is. Karting, at least in the Uk, kind of had this system but it was based on homologotary things. 100 Britain engines. for example. had different porting regs iirc rather than being A-B-C tho we did flirt with these kind of things as well.
The ‘level playing field’ stuff is a term that gets used to justify whatever someone happens to be selling. You can have class divisions even within spec-categories, but general spec racing breeds more spec racing and the problem there is each class brings its own version of ‘big spenders’, so the average person isn’t often in a grid of like-for-like racers.
This thread has been very interesting with lots of opinions. I just read the title again, and realized that “karting” isn’t pricing anyone out, as “karting” isn’t a person or organization. It’s a sport, with many levels. Only the people who profit off karting can price out the average person. But, I don’t know anyone who’s making a killing off karting. Hard costs are probably very low margin (IE chassis and tires). So you can’t really expect those to decrease, and you can’t ask kart shops to give things away or pretty soon we’ll be ordering everything from Amazon or china, and you’ll lose the local kart shops.
IMO, the costs that can be controlled are entry fees, practice fees, parking, etc. Also, creating a ruleset to limit spending is another way to control costs (running hard tires or limiting the number of tires per event/season).
There is a section of the karting community with the goal of growing the sport, and there is a section of the karting community trying to profit from the sport. To grow the sport, you need more non-profit clubs and less for-profit tracks. Or, you need for-profit tracks that understand greater numbers create more opportunity for profit. The goal should be to make a little profit off a large group, vs trying to squeeze as much money out of a small group as possible.
There are plenty of regional and national series for people who want to spend a ton of money. Let’s work to keep entry-level karting affordable!
There are plenty off teams who make a living of karting, and fair enough. But the thing is that the times when Dad and junior which had their own small awning, mom doing the cooking and being the coach is far apart.
Today the majority is paying big time to be with some team In a huge tent, there is a data tech, driver coach, food are being prepared by the team. Engines are being rented for each race, tyres for friday is new (times 2or3) the same on saturday moorning not uncommon for a new set In the last free practice.
Karts are changed several times a year, engines are being prepared but the “right” shoops with dyno running,
Then there is all the things where some In the paddock creates a need.
Exhausts and Caburators “needs” to the correct year off manufactor, tyres “needs” to be special number or from the “right” shop. And i could go on.
All the above is whats makes karting silly expensive, and its all created because some simply do not care about the costs.
Then it does not help that FIA insist of making karting a stepping Stone for F1, and insisting that a “senior” driver Can 13 year old and is to old to drive single seater feeder classes if he is 17, and this is In my opinion the root cause. At least where i am located
Bjorn. What a great answer. I think Tilly T4s cover a area of the sport. That makes it easier and better for the small mom and pop operation to get into a series and racing that’s more affordable and fair on a low cost per season !!! Thats all Im saying about the Tilly T4 Series… I know I will get flak for it and thats OK. But that’s my opinion on that… I think people need to look into what Tilly is doing for the series and how its run and see how its doing to bring cost down…
Something to consider. The most fun I’ve had racing was at the club level. the amateur nationals and pro nationals I did back in the day were insanely expensive and less fun than battling with friends and regulars around florida.
I think that drives back to the OP. While club racing is expensive, so is everything else. But to race competitively in a vehicle you sit in and drive, karting is the cheapest way. I believe it is also within the means of middle-class Americans. If the OP was referring to running regional and national events and wanting to be a front-runner, Yes, I would agree it’s costs have priced out the regular family income.
