What age bracket are you in? Junior (<16), Senior (16+) or Masters (30+)
(Junior)
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your mechanical ability, or willingness to wrench on things?
(0 - Mechanical ability, 10 - willingness to wrench on things)
Talk a little about your racing experience so far.
(I have no IRL racing/karting experience, due to my parents not having time to bring me to a kart track nor sometimes the closest kart track doesn’t run the rental league. My parents don’t want to purchase a kart yet since I have little to no experience and I can crash the kart very easily, which will cost money to fix. The closest kart track, is really a kart track. Its just a karting association racing in a parking lot.)
What’s the main thing you need help with to get you started.
(I looking/need a team or a coach that could help me get started. Most of the time my parents don’t have time or they aren’t willing to bring me there (ex; tracks are too far away, like Oakland Valley Race Park [2 hour drive]). My parents primarily want me to focus in school, and they said they’ll let me do karting as long as I get good results in school.)
If anyone has any tips and suggestions, please feel free to let me know! Thank you in advance!
Sounds like a great opportunity to get what you want and your parents too. See if maybe they will commit to something if you’ll commit to something.
Something along the lines of:
Mom, Dad,
I know that school is super important and that I need to do well. I also really am serious about wanting to race karts. I’ve done some research and there’s a rental series that runs at X location every other Saturday. I’d really like to participate in it. You said, you’d let me do karting if I did well in school, so maybe we can come up with a plan and I can show you how serious I am.
Obviously, you going to have to do some research and figure out what you can do near you and what costs what. I suggest maybe trying to find some sort of intro to karting class at a track near you. Maybe you can rope one of your parents into doing it with you, even.
@Bimodal_Rocket Thanks for the suggestions. Yeah, I’ve told them that multiple time. They always say “I’m thinking about it”, but afters weeks, they still never tell me their thoughts. They personally know that I love karting but its very complicated for them, since they have no knowledge or background of karting/racing.
I think if I had a team or a professional coach/mechanic/or just someone who has a karting/racing background that is willing to help with karting, then thats when my parents would let me. They can cover all the expenses and stuff related with financial stuff. But I’m trying to find teams that are looking for inexperienced drivers based in NY or someone that could just help me do karting. I know it sounds weird cause you rarely see any team just wanting to pickup a person who has no experienced in karting.
Unlike other sports, 90% of the drivers on “teams” aren’t there because they were scouted for their talent or ability, they’re there because they can sign the check. I think that’s a common misconception.
In our tent program we have a few drivers who are in their first year of racing, and just want a higher level of at-track support.
I wouldnt really say im looking for a professional team. Maybe just a team that races in New York, or like OVRP. Small teams with like a few people in it. Im not 100% if you get what I mean, but I can explain it to you more deeper if you would like me to.
well i understand you if you wuld like to learn theres a relly good chanel on youtube called power republic and they can teach u a lot also whats your buget for a kart.
Teams are also known as tent programs. For the most part, the drivers are paying customers. The big teams have drivers like Ryan Norberg as pros, but that’s only at the tippy top of the sport.
A team/tent program (as I know it) allows you (the racer) to have a high level of support, including kart transportation, prep, repairs etc. Basically, I’d show up at the track, and Jerry had our karts ready for us. When we were done, he’d pack it all up and drive back to his shop.
My team had a group of juniors that competed together and also shared ideas/stories/etc. It was pretty friendly. The owner’s son is basically the best junior around or at least one of the very best, so he’d help with data and coaching, as did the boss.
Some teams are going to be very competitive, some more casual. It’s not cheap so that’s gonna require some articulation to your folks. It will be expensive to drop you off at the track and hand you over to the team. But, if its in their wheelhouse, maybe its a viable option.
But, I don’t know of any solution for getting you to and from the track.
Teams around here are:
Mike Doty Karting
Kartworkz
Full Tilt
These are three that I can think of off top of my head. Kartworkz/Full tilt serve primarily the F-series and Gearup which runs NY/PA metro area events and sorta generally NE. Full tilt same but not sure how far afield they go. Doty is a big team and I know little about them other than they seem more race-y and have some hot drivers.
You need to identify the series you want to kart in and go from there if you are looking at teams.
Im very interested into the Full Tilt Racing program (dont know what to call it). But im a bit confused, like about the racing and stuff. Can you explain a bit more to me?
In terms of racing it gets complicated. There are locations (tracks). Take ovrp for example. Ovrp is a track but it’s also a club, of sorts. They have a shop and a club series and mechanics and rental karts. They also host traveling series. I just did a TKC race there on Saturday and a club race on Sunday.
So, someone could buy a kart, store it, and have it fixed, maintained by the facility. They then have a series for you to race your kart in. And they also offer instruction and stuff. All under one roof, never have to travel or haul a kart.
NJMP on the other hand, primarily rents its track out to traveling series like F-Series and others. Outside of rental kart league they don’t offer any racing per-se.
Full tilt is run by a guy named Keith Raffa. It’s a pretty big operation in terms of clients and must be popular. He goes to the f-series races for sure. I don’t know what else. If you want to learn more, you could contact him. Basically say, hey, I’m interested in getting started in owner-karting and need to get some idea of what it would cost and what it all looks like going forwards.
Kartworkz is another one that serves same series. That is who I went with. Neither have particularly good web presence as this is all word of mouth, usually. But, both should be able to articulate what is required financially and otherwise to get going.