15 replies to this topic

[HistoryFan]

I do not know very much about karting, but I heard that the main karting country (most professional, most important, most popular) is Italia. Why was Italia becoming such a big karting nation with the most promising young drivers are driving there? Why not Great Britain or France?

[Myrvold]

I do not know very much about karting, but I heard that the main karting country (most professional, most important, most popular) is Italia. Why was Italia becoming such a big karting nation with the most promising young drivers are driving there? Why not Great Britain or France?

 

France could've been a possibility, but lots of karting constructors are in Italy, and the weather is great all year around!

[rhukkas]

IAME is the world leading Company in Karting engine production, both for professional and hobby drivers. The history, the numbers and 28 world titles confirm it. Nowadays the Company produces 5 to 6 thousand engines per year, with a potential productive capability of 9 thousand units. 55 employees, more than 30 engine variations and almost 50 years of history. In 1958 the first go-kart was built in the USA. Bruno Grana in those years was working for Moto Parilla and when he saw the go-kart, he suddenly fell in love, immediately understanding its potential. In 1959 Grana convinced Parilla to join this new market and enter the history of Karting. Some years later, together with his colleague and friend Cesare Bossaglia, he established Komet, a Company expressly dedicated to the Karting world. 1968 was the decisive year, Parilla and Komet joined together into IAME, "Italian American Motor Engineering" which name comes from the close relation with the United States. With the acquisition of  the brands BM and Sirio, Bruno Grana put the basis of what is still today the asset of a worldwide known Company.

 

 

That's how Italy became involved in karting. They have a lot of international level tracks and most of the manufacturers are based there.

 

But it's not quite so clear now. Karting is a strange beast, it's far more complex than you can possibly imagine.

[BullHead]

I thought it was pretty big in Europe as a whole. And expensive.

[Ross Stonefeld]

It's staggering the money they can spend on something so visually straightforward.

[DavidI]

It's staggering the money they can spend on something so visually straightforward

I was always advised to take up karting as "it's so much cheaper than racing full sized cars." Then one day I met someone who had given up karts in favour of a one-make category well known for panel damage, as even with the extra cost of constant bodywork repairs, larger tow vehicle requirements etc it was still substantially cheaper to be competitive.

[loki]

Unless you are running a low end hobby stock or or something like Chump Car it's going to be less expensive for the most part to kart locally rather than race cars.  Once one starts racing nationally or even regionally the the costs are more similar.  There are other advantages to karting, space, transport and accessibility but the primary cost differences when competing regionally or nationally are entry fees and tires.

[HistoryFan]

Interesting postings, thanks.

[Richard T]

When I started Karting back in 02 they told my parents - "It'll be as expensive as having two kids playing hockey"... They were wrong.

 

However, today, it's EVEN MORE expensive

[TheRacingElf]

Karting isn't particularly bigger in Italy than the rest of Europe I think. For some reason though there are a LOT of kart manufactures from Italy. I think Europeans in general are very good in karting, the English, Germans, Belgians and Dutch for example are also very strong. The reason you see so much Italians in the top classes is because of the fact they are mostly factory drivers driving for the Italian manufactures

[F1ultimate]

I thought it was pretty big in Europe as a whole. And expensive.

 

Karting can be VERY expensive.

 

A friend of mine bought himself a gokart a two year ago which he chucked into his Mitsubishi Colt and took to tracks. He would race other amateurs for arm-chair racing fans for petty cash. To his amazement some would turn up in helicopters, others with a trailer full of sets of tyres and a few with prototype engines because they have a relationship with a manufacturer. 

 

He couldn't believe the extent to which some people would go just to win a race against other gokart owners who are even below amateur level. Now imagine what money those who compete professionally spend on their cart. 

[BullHead]

Oh yeah, even arrive and drive 'play' championships like Club100 or D-max (UK both) cost a fair packet to do the whole season. Even without Kart transportation and maintenance costs, there's still travelling and accommodation. On top of the £2000 entrance fees.

[KWSN - DSM]

Way way way back in the 1970ies when my brother and I dabbled in Kart racing it was possible to race at a budget, there were low cost classes with mandated tires, one set per meet, 1 engine per meet in general not an expensive way to race and even when up against the better funded dad / son combo's talent could win over money (if I had had the talent even I could have been there or there abouts).

 

But the higher one rose, the more professional it got, even in little Denmark the races would be won by the drivers racing for teams either the Importer of Italian engines and Karts, or the local Danish manufacturer DINO.

 

Winning big series on a shoe-string is a myth, in order to win you need to spend. As far as I can read the arms race we have seen in the more adult series have been mirrored in Karting as well, believe Hamilton and Rosberg we hired factory races when teamed up, Kubica moved to Italy racing on a contract, for all intents and purposes Karting is as expensive as auto-racing today, but will allow the racing bug to be stroked at an earlier age.

 

[rhukkas]

Karting was primarily an 'adult' activiy before the kids bolted on in persuit of F1 stardom. The average age of the elite level KZ grid is probably higher than F1. 

[Myrvold]

I remember when I was karting, from I was 10 to 17. The average budget we had for each year was 11-12000 EUR. And that was a hobby budget at that time. It was all the money we had (well, later it would turn out we didn't have that money either...), so for us it was a major effort. However, we bought an old Ford Transit minibus, who had been used as a taxi for 10 years, and built that to be our camping-van... Running mostly on used tyres that the others gave (!) away after races. Only buying new tyres for the major races (national junior champ. and the 2 races at my hometrack). There we arrived, and parked next to someone with a big trailer, a "team"-tent bigger than the apartment I live in now. Who had used more money on buying new karts each year, than we used on two full seasons.

Living in Norway the karting season is usually April-November. And the "big-guy" from my local place often said that you needed at least 3 new karts to last that season. I had 3 karts in my 8 years - spanning 3 different classes

 

Anyway. Karting is not any cheaper now, than it was, and I guess that's the reason why we in Norway have seen the number of participants fall from 70 in each class to 20-30.

[rhukkas]

Also the karts are drastically less special than they were. Heavier, more complex and more expensive. It's not worth it unless you're on some stupid quest to make it to f1.