KA100 - Budget for Getting Started

Getting Started in Karting
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This is an old thread, but I’ll add onto it.

I still have the same general idea, buy the kart and safety equipment and do some local races before moving to bigger, regional championships. I have decided on the KA100 engine and am buying a kart in a few months, once I have the cash for everything. First, I am planning to run a series at a local track and also do some more races around Ohio. I plan on spending around 6k on a kart, safety equipment, etc. This is mostly just to get used to karting.

Then, after a year or so of experience, I plan on entering a more professional series such as Route 66 and have a budget of around 8k for my first season of that.

That is where I am right now, any help would be greatly appreciated.

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When going to different tracks, always look up their rules. There can be different minimum weights, tire manufactures and tire compounds, spec fuel and spec oil. Procedures both on and off the track can very from track to track. Be aware.

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Your budgets seem pretty good, along with your planned event schedules. :+1:

KA is a great class and engine package. It’s easy enough to learn on and quick enough to keep you learning for a while.

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I bought in cheap my first year and ended up re-buying almost everything when I got serious and I still only had aspirations to race club level not something bigger. I think as long as you budget for the first year is simply for equipment buy-in and doesn’t account for travel or race days you will be ok and you’ll even set yourself up to possibly be under the target for your second year.

Lighly used, recent year kart that’s going to be competitive next year will run you $2000-3000


KA package all seem to trade hands between around 1800-2400 depending on a couple of variables

Or find the whole package and buy as one. Considering this has a mychron and blueprinted motor (questionable what that’s worth on a KA) it seems like a decent deal.

At a minimum you’ll need a jacket, helmet, gloves, rib protector and rolling stand to get started. From there you’ll probably want extra wheels, extra axles and tuning parts too.

Where in Ohio are you, we are in Columbus and race with OVKA @ G&J kartway and KRA over at New Castle. OVKA has had 3-5 KA100 karts per race show up this year, I think many in the region would love to see that number continue to grow but the midwest seems to be the last spot in the country that’s really accepting the KA as the yamaha replacement.

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Thank you, that’s a lot of very useful information. Do a lot of people run blueprinted or stop KAs? Right now I am in Akron.

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You can run a stock KA and be very competitive. I did my whole first national season on an out-of-the-box engine and was on the podium multiple times.

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Exactly what TJ said. When you are first starting out and learning, there is no need to spend the extra money on a blueprinted engine. The performance gains are not that much, and starting out you probably wouldn’t be able to extract that minimal gain.

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Racing4Vets has purchased 2 ka’s
We will be running all races. From what I can tell, there should be at least 4 additional karts in the class at a minimum.