Latest article on my Substack. Free trial and free article unlock available for anyone new. I wrote this having pondered the conversations had at the British HistoricKart Club’s Shenington display. Lessons could be applied across all karting as well.
I do feel for the Superkarters. Nothing quite lives in the shadow of its former self like Superkarts. Having spent time in the paddock and familiarising myself with the history, it’s clear that while its survival is a small miracle, Superkarting isn’t merely a nostalgic anachronism that requires a history lesson to appreciate. It’s a sport that once thrived, full of ingenuity and adventure, but now languishes in relative obscurity.
In the pioneering days of karting, gearbox karting was ubiquitous. It wasn’t the minor sideshow in the UK that it represents today. Flip through any karting magazine from the 60s and 70s, and you’ll find pages crammed with events across the country - each unique, daring, and full of life. Take, for example, the Snetterton 9-hour race, where the special Burgess laydown kart made its debut, or the Douglas GP and Southern 100 on the Isle of Man, or even the World Cup at Heysham. Gearbox karting, often dominated by the Villiers-powered 200 class, was everywhere. Continue reading
Do you think the bureaucratic hassle is a UK/Euro thing, and that it’s cultural (France was known for this too, if I’m not mistaken). Are superkarts originally mostly from England and not a US thing? Did it ever enjoy anywhere near the numbers in the states?
I don’t have numbers on America. Superkarts had success elsewhere. Australia, South Africa had a scene as well.
America has superkarts, hence Kart week at Daytona. The lay down twins stuff, which bridges the gap a little, was big in its day and used to race at Long Beach
Bureaucratic hurdles seep into all realms of life by people that don’t understand normal human behavior and have a fetish for paperwork. I describe the cycle in the article.
But yeah, understanding long-circuit karting in America would need its own deep investigation.
Well, I can’t help it that I was born on this side of the pond, though I grew up wishing I was British, preferably 1940’s era. I suspect it had to do with a consuming desire to have been a Spitfire pilot…and an affinity for CS Lewis. That aside,
I’ve always had a penchant for the unconventional. Especially in karting. With its’ inherent simplicity, karting distills the design process down to the bare essentials, forcing a certain economy of thought and fabrication. It is, perhaps, the essence of “form follows function.” As Colin Chapman is quoted as saying, “…simplify, and add lightness.” It doesn’t get much simpler than a kart chassis. Pity they’re getting bloated with accessories and add-ons – in the guise of “safety.”
If you do what everyone else does, you’ll get the same (or worse) results. Innovators live within the rarified air and satisfaction of exploration, sometimes with singularly won success. It may be easier to win with an OTK, but the spoils of success AGAINST them are their own joy.
I will be building a Superkart of my own design. It’s a design challenge, a form of personal expression, and a chance to prove something. It’s also a chance to prove myself a “privateer winner.”
I hope to own a Super kart one day, but describing what it is and where it should fit is difficult even in the karting community. SKUSA is already using SuperKart and those who are going from kart to cars typically are running a shifter kart. I think some of the new rules with DKC maybe it will open the door and get some out of the barn.
I am a bit sad they hijacked the name, but they’ve been around forever now and were the face of 125 shifter racing for quite a while.
It would mitigate things a bit if they’d adopt the SK category and run short-course 250 singles as a class. It could even be CIK frames w/ Kart Factory 250s and superkart noses and single element rear wings. The 125 superkart concept is interesting, but I don’t like the ‘endplate only’ rear ‘wing’ setup on those. Even just an almost flat panel would look better…
Don’t get me started on the tyranny of subscription. While I support artists and thinkers like Terence and Alan, the corporate players can fuck right off. Looking at you Adobe, Disney, etc.
