Get Our Extension

Go-kart

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
A driver with a 2008 Kosmic TS28 on the grid at KartSport Mt Wellington, New Zealand
A driver with a 2008 Kosmic TS28 on the grid at KartSport Mt Wellington, New Zealand
Soap Box Derby at a community celebration in Minnesota
Soap Box Derby at a community celebration in Minnesota
Indoor kart rental
Indoor kart rental
A two-seater rental
A two-seater rental

A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance racing karts. Karting is a type of racing in which a compact four-wheel unit called a go-kart is used. In the beginning, Art Ingels invented the first go-kart in Los Angeles in 1956.[1]

Discover more about Go-kart related topics

Sports car

Sports car

A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by many manufacturers around the world.

Open-wheel car

Open-wheel car

An open-wheel single-seater is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fenders. Open-wheel cars are built both for road racing and oval track racing. Street-legal open-wheel cars, such as the Ariel Atom, are scarce as they are often impractical for everyday use.

Quadracycle

Quadracycle

A quadracycle is a four-wheeled human-powered land vehicle. It is also referred to as a quadricycle, quadcycle, pedal car or four-wheeled bicycle amongst other terms.

Kart racing

Kart racing

Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size motorsport circuits. Karting is commonly perceived as the stepping stone to the higher ranks of motorsports, with most of the Formula One—including Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Ayrton Senna, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, and Fernando Alonso—having begun their careers in karting.

Etymology

The exact origin of the term is unclear. One of the first appearances of the term is an 1885 painting by the Scottish artist Hugh Cameron RSA: "The Go-Cart".[2] It is also unclear why the "C" was later changed to a "K".

Non-motorised

Gravity racers, in North America usually referred to as Soap Box Derby carts, are the simplest type of go-karts. They are propelled by gravity. Go-karts without motors (quadracycles) may also be propelled by bicycle pedals.

Discover more about Non-motorised related topics

Motorised

Engines

Traditionally, small two-stroke and four-stroke internal combustion engines are used in motorised go-kart racing. Power is transmitted from the engine to the rear axle by way of a chain (some rentals use a belt).

Four-stroke engines can be standard air-cooled industrial based engines, sometimes with small modifications, developing from about 5 to 20 hp (4 to 15 kW). Briggs & Stratton, Tecumseh (company closed in 2008), Kohler, Robin, and Honda are manufacturers of such engines. They are adequate for racing and fun kart applications. There are also more powerful two-stroke engines available from manufacturers like Yamaha, KTM, Biland, or Aixro (Wankel engine) offering from 15 to 48 hp (11 to 36 kW). They run at up to 11,000 rpm, and are manufactured specifically for karting. PRD makes the PRD Fireball, a two-stroke engine delivering 28.5 hp (21 kW) at 15,580 rpm.

Electric go-karts are available, requiring only that the batteries of the karts be plugged into an array of chargers after each tun. Since they are pollution-free and emit no smoke, the racetracks can be indoors in controlled environments. Electric karts powered by lead-acid batteries can run a maximum of 20–30 minutes before the performance is affected, while those powered by lithium batteries may last up to 2 hours on a single charge. Some karts have been fitted with hydrogen fuel cells.[3] High-performance electric go-karts for amusement parks and indoor tracks may have external electronic controls in the event of an accident or other hazards, in which the track attendant or the race referee can remotely slow down or stop all vehicles on the track via radio control. This external control can also be used to limit young riders to a slow operating speed, while a race consisting only of adults is permitted a higher speed. These controls can be applied to both electric and combustion-engine karts.

In some countries, go-karts can be licensed for use on public roads often referred to as street tracks. Typically there are some restrictions; in the European Union, a go-kart modified for use on the road must be outfitted with headlights (high/low beam), tail lights, a horn, indicators, and an engine not exceeding 20 hp (15 kW).

Discover more about Motorised related topics

Kart racing

Kart racing

Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size motorsport circuits. Karting is commonly perceived as the stepping stone to the higher ranks of motorsports, with most of the Formula One—including Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Ayrton Senna, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, and Fernando Alonso—having begun their careers in karting.

Two-stroke engine

Two-stroke engine

A two-stroke engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of the crankshaft. A four-stroke engine requires four strokes of the piston to complete a power cycle during two crankshaft revolutions. In a two-stroke engine, the end of the combustion stroke and the beginning of the compression stroke happen simultaneously, with the intake and exhaust functions occurring at the same time.

Internal combustion engine

Internal combustion engine

An internal combustion engine is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high-pressure gases produced by combustion applies direct force to some component of the engine. The force is typically applied to pistons, turbine blades, a rotor, or a nozzle. This force moves the component over a distance, transforming chemical energy into kinetic energy which is used to propel, move or power whatever the engine is attached to. This replaced the external combustion engine for applications where the weight or size of an engine were more important.

Engine

Engine

An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.

Axle

Axle

An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle is supported. In the latter case, a bearing or bushing sits inside a central hole in the wheel to allow the wheel or gear to rotate around the axle. Sometimes, especially on bicycles, the latter type of axle is referred to as a spindle.

Chain drive

Chain drive

Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles. It is also used in a wide variety of machines besides vehicles.

Belt (mechanical)

Belt (mechanical)

A belt is a loop of flexible material used to link two or more rotating shafts mechanically, most often parallel. Belts may be used as a source of motion, to transmit power efficiently or to track relative movement. Belts are looped over pulleys and may have a twist between the pulleys, and the shafts need not be parallel.

Briggs & Stratton

Briggs & Stratton

Briggs & Stratton Corporation is an American manufacturer of gasoline engines with headquarters in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

Honda

Honda

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.

PRD Fireball

PRD Fireball

The PRD Fireball is a two-stroke go-kart racing engine manufactured by Pro Racing Design Co, Ltd. Pro Racing Design is a Taipei, Taiwan based company, manufacturing an array of racing engines for use in professional go-kart racing worldwide. Pro Racing Design was founded by Chris Dell from Australia and it is now an Australian based manufacturer. The Fireball represents an engine targeted for multiple racing classes: International Kart Federation (IKF), World Karting Association (WKA) and Touch and Go (TAG) USA. The PRD Fireball is the cheapest TAG motor available to purchase new in the USA.

Electric go-kart

Electric go-kart

An electric go-kart is a type of go-kart powered by electric motors and batteries or supercapacitors, as opposed to a traditional petrol engine.

Pollution

Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance or energy. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants.

Recreational, concession and indoor karts

Besides traditional kart racing, many commercial enterprises offer karts for rent, often called "recreational" or "concession" karts. The tracks can be indoor or outdoor. Karts are rented by sessions (usually from 10 to 30 minutes) or on a day basis.[4] They use sturdy chassis complete with dedicated bodywork, providing driver safety. Most of these enterprises use an "Arrive and Drive" format which provides customers with all the safety gear (helmets, gloves and driver outfits) necessary, and allow them to show up anytime to race at a reasonable price, without the problem of having to own their own equipment and gear.

Outdoor tracks can offer low-speed karts strictly for amusement (dedicated chassis equipped with low powered four-stroke engines or electric motors), or faster, more powerful karts, similar to a racing kart, powered by four-stroke engines up to 15 hp (11 kW) and, more rarely, by 2-stroke engines, but designed to be more robust for rental use. Typically, outdoor tracks are also used for traditional kart races.

Indoor kart tracks can be found in many large cities in different parts of the world. These tracks are often located in refurbished factories or warehouses, and are typically shorter than traditional outdoor tracks. Indoor karts are usually powered by a four-stroke gasoline engine producing anywhere from 5 to 13 hp (4 to 10 kW), or sometimes by an electric motor. Many tracks offer competitive races and leagues. At the top level, an Indoor Karting World Championship (IKWC)[5] exists.

Source: "Go-kart", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, September 21st), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go-kart.

Enjoying Wikiz?

Enjoying Wikiz?

Get our FREE extension now!

See also
References
  1. ^ "Go Kart History". gokartwiki.com/.
  2. ^ Hugh Cameron
  3. ^ Forze hydrogen karts Archived 2014-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Karty Party". www.kartyparty.co.uk.
  5. ^ "What is Go Karting". xtmmotorsports.com/blog/what-is-go-karting/.

The content of this page is based on the Wikipedia article written by contributors..
The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence & the media files are available under their respective licenses; additional terms may apply.
By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use & Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization & is not affiliated to WikiZ.com.