While that is the case there is a certain air of arrogance that tends to surround motorsports when it comes to helping new people. I’ve seen it in other motorsports, not just in karting. It seems like the better people/series are the less willing to answer questions.
Outside of asking people at the track (where the answers vary wildly and haven’t been very accurate in my experience), there aren’t any great sources of information as far as I can tell. Everything assumes that you’ve done this your entire life and already have the information. It’s an issue I see holding a lot of new people back. Tutorials, outlets for questions, etc for even basic questions are scarce from what I can tell. It’s really holding this sport back IMO.
So there is some of that, but I think that also it’s down to each person to individually investigate what’s correct.
Some people either don’t know and spread BS, or don’t communicate well. The latter really isn’t their fault.
I think it’s a balance between being able to find information, and being able to investigate what information is correct/works for you.
So, not a silver platter, but also not hunting in the woods.
And the majority of those people have invested a lot time and money to gain that knowledge. Why should they give it away for free? The best thing any new person can do, no matter if it’s karting, super late models, or dirt modifieds, is buy parts and chassis and engines from good shops and dealers who know what they are doing. In return you get free advice and can ask as many questions as you want.
Again, it depends on your point of view. Are you into karting for the competition, or are you in it for the community?
If you’re just in it for the pure competition, I can see why you wouldn’t want to give away Speed Secrets, but at the same time, spreading bad data doesn’t help either.
For me personally, I think it’s a matter of finding people who are knowledgeable, listening and trying things out for yourself to see what’s working/is totally snake oil.
That right there is what’s wrong with this sport. There was a topic a few weeks ago asking how to get new drivers involved in karting and eliminating that type of attitude is how to do it.
If giving away the basics of setup and maintenance is enough for a new driver to beat you I suggest trading wrenching secrets for driving tips.
Personally, I agree and disagree. For club level or even regional level stuff, yeah I don’t see why sharing information is super secretive, especially if you’re not up front.
For frontrunning regional levels where there’s some serious prizes at stake and national level racing, I could see why teams/drivers try to not let information out.
I’m always willing to try and help people out if things come up on conversation. I also think if one is racing at the point where drivers wouldn’t want to share information, the topic won’t come up. Some people are super secretive about that stuff, but I think that’s actually a minority overall from most racers.
¯_(ツ)_/¯ not trying to be argumentative but I’m just trying to follow your logic. Getting hooked up with the local kart shop/team/dealer is the single best thing a new person can do. Basic setup and maintenance questions at the local track is a no brainer. I guess I don’t expect much help from my fellow competitors at anything above the local club level.
Sort of a tricky one. We’ve gotten caught up on the question “Do people involved in Karting SHARE info?”, which is a different question. And yeah, I can see how a high level competitor will keep info close to them for competitive reasons.
But is getting info, the original question, hard?
Answer is: sorta hard. If you look at karting from the viewpoint of a n00bie, it is indeed hard because you don’t know what you are looking for and as such don’t really know how to dig deeper in your google searches.
There is plenty of stuff on the web to discover. It’s just not organized. You have to search for it, but the odds are, once you have figured out the question to ask, there’s an answer somewhere.
All of this is ultimately avoidable by talking to people that are already involved in karting. So, kartpulse is a great resource in that it’s a place where a n00b can ask the eternal question “help. How do I get started?” and receive the collective wisdom of folks in various stages of their karting experience.
Is karting info hard to find, I don’t really think so. I started looking for kart info on the internet in 2011 after deciding that is what I wanted to try. I knew karting existing from the Road America Kart club. I quickly found badgers (“New to karting”. I was able to find Concept Haulers Motor Speedway and the Mid West Sprint Series.
I then started researching classes for my son and found kid karts and the started to research the comer and LO206 motors. I even was able to decided that LO206 was probably my choice very early on, I think this was even before we had visited the track.
I might have above average google skills but I don’t think the lack of info is a problem.
I think just knowing that karts exist and they are not just for kids or not “Wisconsin Dell’s Carts” is a problem.
The biggest issue I see is a complete lack of detailed information on advanced aspects of karting such as alignment and other more complicated tasks. There’s plenty of basic information but that’s where it seems to end. Maybe it’s because I want to do my setup and maintenance myself but I get the feeling that most people that say there’s enough info out there are either not optimizing their setup or they’re paying a shop to do it. It’s something we all pick up over time but if you’re just getting into karting information is scarce and incomplete. It would be nice if there was more information sharing in karting like there is in other types of motorsports.
I always tell the new guys “I’ll help you with any and everything until you beat me then you’re on your own” not exactly true. I’ve helped my biggest competitors and they’ve helped me but if you drive like an ass or refuse to listen, that’s when I stop helping you! Everything you need to know is in the CRG and Arrow manuals! I don’t think you could possibly give more information than those because setting up karts is basically black magic! Testing, good notes, and more seat time is really the only way!
I think Rick does bring up a good point though. Even as a guy who writes a bit about karting, and makes content, I find that the best way for something that I learn to stick is to put my butt in the seat, drive and take notes.
My family and I are totally new to karting. Our son is an automotive fanatic. We’ve tried all types of sports, but nothing he really liked. At 11, we took him to the local putt putt go kart place and he loved. We then tried an e-cart track and he was really good at it. Well eventually we took him out of hockey to start carting.
We looked all over and could barely find any info on karting in Michigan. We visited a couple of races and tried to talk to the promoters in advance and during the races. When we finally received a reply, it was weeks later and we they never replied to our reply.
Our last resort was when we contacted Kim from PTK here in Wixom, MI after seeing his Kidkarters website. He was the most generous person that I have ever met. He helped us from A-Z. He helped us find a chassis, motor, assembled it, and provided tons of knowledge. He even advised us on how to setup the trailer and what essential tools that will be needed. Little stuff like that matters coming from the unknown. This will be our son’s first kart and rookie season. We will definitely have Kim build us our next kart. The team over at PTK are outstanding.
Thats a bummer and an all-too-common experience.
Can you recall how you came across the kidkarters website?
Glad you got hooked up with something though. Keep us posted on your progress.
Also, please update your profile to reflect your full name
Hi there, first post and im brand new to karting. Have flirted with the idea of karts in the past but only recently have i decided to do something about it.
Im coming from a dirt bike background and im mechanically minded, so karting obviously appealed. But i’m old (37) for getting started in Motorsports and will be limited to club racing only.
When i started to get serious and looking to buy i was able to find info, But it took an inordinate amount of effort, a lot of google and reading. From past experiences with other hobbies it seemed harder to find somewhere engaging. Not just on technical info posts but in the whole vibe of karting.
Previously i would have found a local forum and dove right in, reading every article that i could until i built a mental picture and garnered the knowledge i was after.
It took quite a while until i found this place (which my local club secretary put me onto, even though i am yet to meet them), which so far has been engaging enough that i have felt inclined to contribute my 2c. But i had to go through a swathe of dead forums and facebook groups to find out about you lot. I am amazed that there isnt an active Australian based karting forum.
We have a local kart shop. It isn’t big, a one man show i believe, i have knawed their ears of for hours and he has been fantastic. But at the end of the day he is operating a business and has other customers needs to serve rather than only chatting to a newb who is just amped on a new passion. Yes, i will buy my parts from there and support his business, but he cannot be someones only source of info or sole connection to the sport.
If i wasn’t obsessive i would have given up and nearly did actually. At least now i am at a point where i know enough about what to google and watch on youtube, and with your cumulative knowledge im confident i’ll be ripping out rookie laps as soon as i can make a club day!
p.s Arrow x2 cik with x30. Loving playing with motors and doing race prep activities again
