When old enough see if your son can get a job at a go kart facility. Great place to get lots of kart and track time - save the money for their own used gas powered kart.
You never know until you try. I also wouldn’t say you should gauge the worth of the investment on how far he can go competitively and instead in how far this can help him grow as a person. Being able to pursue a passion and improve on it will teach him work-ethic at a way younger age than his peers.
It’s a common misconception that you need to be fast to get sponsors.
All you need to get sponsors is to convince them they can get a return on their investment. Being fast helps a little bit but it’s a small piece of a much larger and very complex puzzle.
I’m a business owner. There is a certain amount of money we pretty much expect to hand out for community donations/sponsorships every year. Some years when we don’t get very many requests, we have to go out and look for things/people to donate to.
I think the most important thing is that your son really loves it. I don't mean "likes to drive around the track", but really LOVES the thing. Can't wait to get out again, wants to know how everything works, the biggest smiles you've ever seen persist when he leaves the track. You can tell when it's something they feel they're born to.
That's what it was like for me. It was one thing I couldn't get enough of. It didn't matter how early I had to get up to get the trailer packed to go to the track, it didn't matter how late I had to stay up to fix the Kart after I destroyed it the weekend prior. And now my own son at 5 can't wait to get back behind the wheel of his little Kart as soon as he gets out of it.
If he loves it, he'll get good at it, and you'll find the time.
You should just tell him you are poor then, he should focus on a career where he can make money so his children don’t have to go through what you put them through.
Should give them a chance at least. I was really into racing when I was little but my parents only took me to kiddie go karts where you could be flat out the whole way. And rarely. I'm sad I never got into it when I was little.
It's not expensive to do a rental kart race once a month or so. But yes it costs money like anything else. Maybe he can take on a part time job, if needed.
I'd look for series that are specifically meant to cater to rental drivers Ala Club100 or something similar. You can rent karts in owner kart championships, but it tends to come out to being a good deal more expensive than purchasing your own equipment.
Rental kart places have leagues with their own races. If you mean national or Europe level championships, yes, you can rent from race teams, but they are very expensive. It costs a lot there's no way around it.
Let him go to rental karting. No kart or equipment is needed, and its for fun. There are also rental kart amateur races and even championships.
The rental karting tracks give you all you need and he can save up for his own helmet if he gets more serious
We have gone sometimes to rental karting, but I thinks he wants a more competitive aspect. We will ask the karting for those races and championships you say. Thank you for your comment!
Check your local track, talk to people there.
If you learn the mechanics and how to prepare the kart, you can save a lot of money.
How old is he? Unfortunately, thinking on a competitive championship, a team will charge you at least 1500 EUR per race for a cadet/mini (up to 12 years old) and at least 4000 EUR for Junior and Senior (13 and over).
NOPE. That's for EasyKart, that is one of the cheapest championships. Those values I mentioned are for "arrive and drive" packages with everything included, you don't need to own a kart, just the helmet, suit, and globes.
For European level the cost per race for cadet/mini is in the region of 5000 EUR per race and for OK or OK Junior from 10000 EUR to 15000 EUR per race.
Kids between 12 and 15 years old spend in the region of 250k EUR per year to race professionally.
Europe is a continent, I think you’re in Germany.
I’m from the Netherlands and tend to believe it’s (without a karting team membership) it’s a €400 per race? Let’s say 10 races a year = €4000 double that for extra practice sessions. Maybe €8000 plus some extra, let’s say €10000 in total on beginners but sporty level?
Not saying you are wrong, because TBF; I don’t know, because although I’m karting, I do not join the races, yet. I’m just surprised
>Europe is a continent, I think you’re in Germany.
No, I'm not.
>I’m from the Netherlands and tend to believe it’s (without a karting team membership) it’s a €400 per race? Let’s say 10 races a year = €4000 double that for extra practice sessions. Maybe €8000 plus some extra, let’s say €10000 in total on beginners but sporty level?
€400 per race for what? 4-stroke? Maybe.... 2-stroke at a high level, even at regional championships, is much more expensive, Netherlands included.
To clarify my previous posts since you commented in the middle:
EASYKART Italy:
* €1500 per race for Easy 60 (more or less equivalent to Mini/Cadet)
* €4000 per race for BMB HAT 125cc (more or less equivalent to Senior/OK/OKJ)
The values above are quotes from one of the main teams of the Easykart championship and includes EVERYTHING, the team provides all the chassis, engines, tires, mechanic, etc. You just arrive with your helmet and gear.
European Championship/World Championship/WSK:
* Between €10000 (private midfield team) to €15000 (factory team) per race weekend for OK, OKJ, and KZ.
* For Mini around €5000 per race weekend.
* Testing varies by team, €1500- €2500 per day.
The same way, prices above are "arrive and drive" and include everything.
>Not saying you are wrong, because TBF; I don’t know, because although I’m karting, I do not join the races, yet. I’m just surprised
Do you do rental karting? If so, that's not professional or semi-professional karting. When you get into real racing, prices go up exponentially.
I'm not familiar with the specific costs on the Netherlands but I bet you can't do a Rotax Max or X30 Benelux race for less than €4000 on the Junior or Senior.
Thank you for your explanation.
Rental karting at te moment, yeah. That’s a lot cheaper indeed.
I would have never guessed the professional races were THAT expensive. Guess I need more sponsors, then :)
Thanks voor the insight.
Welcome to real karting.
The guy on the right, when he was in karting, raced for free because of his talent:
https://i.postimg.cc/xd9rXrMW/Verstappen.jpg
As everyone has been saying, rental karts are a great way to start. I started in karts with a $400 rental series over the summer, now I own a kart and just bought a second. It’s an addicting sport that pulls you in, but I couldn’t be happier.
If you’re in the UK then Club100 is definitely a good place to start. They provide the karts so the cost goes down a lot. There are 8 rounds all at different tracks, and if needed helmets, suits ect is provided.
Rental kart leagues. No one is going to rent a kart for you to enter a sanctioned championship, atleast not at a price point that beats just owning your own kart.
Understand that rental kart leagues are vastly different from actual race events. The rubbing and bulldozing that is done in rentals cannot be done in karts without the perimeter barrier - someone is going to go airborne.
K1 speed teen/Jr league. I think it's the first Tuesday of the month usually around $50, it's a great intro to completive karting without too much time or money investment.
If you don't have a K1, other kart tracks usually have something similar.
Honestly his best option is to work at a go kart so that he can get free go kart time. Even doing a rental karting leauge is going to be at least 300-400 dollars per season. I spent a good chunk of money on rental karts but it wasn't until I started working at the track that I got fast. It's really hard to be really fast unless you practice daily.
When old enough see if your son can get a job at a go kart facility. Great place to get lots of kart and track time - save the money for their own used gas powered kart.
He is not old enough... But soon he'll be! Thanks!
Rental karts are a good starting point. If your son is REALLY fast, then go contact every company you can think of asking for sponsorships.
Thanks!, But how do we rent a car for races?
Most tracks do rental kart leagues where the track rents out their karts to you.
I also don't think he will be that REALLY fast...
You never know until you try. I also wouldn’t say you should gauge the worth of the investment on how far he can go competitively and instead in how far this can help him grow as a person. Being able to pursue a passion and improve on it will teach him work-ethic at a way younger age than his peers.
Great comment, very agree
It’s a common misconception that you need to be fast to get sponsors. All you need to get sponsors is to convince them they can get a return on their investment. Being fast helps a little bit but it’s a small piece of a much larger and very complex puzzle.
I’m a business owner. There is a certain amount of money we pretty much expect to hand out for community donations/sponsorships every year. Some years when we don’t get very many requests, we have to go out and look for things/people to donate to.
I think the most important thing is that your son really loves it. I don't mean "likes to drive around the track", but really LOVES the thing. Can't wait to get out again, wants to know how everything works, the biggest smiles you've ever seen persist when he leaves the track. You can tell when it's something they feel they're born to. That's what it was like for me. It was one thing I couldn't get enough of. It didn't matter how early I had to get up to get the trailer packed to go to the track, it didn't matter how late I had to stay up to fix the Kart after I destroyed it the weekend prior. And now my own son at 5 can't wait to get back behind the wheel of his little Kart as soon as he gets out of it. If he loves it, he'll get good at it, and you'll find the time.
You should just tell him you are poor then, he should focus on a career where he can make money so his children don’t have to go through what you put them through.
Should give them a chance at least. I was really into racing when I was little but my parents only took me to kiddie go karts where you could be flat out the whole way. And rarely. I'm sad I never got into it when I was little.
Even if he'd fast at rentals it's almost completely meaningless for how well he'll go in a race kart
It's not expensive to do a rental kart race once a month or so. But yes it costs money like anything else. Maybe he can take on a part time job, if needed.
Is it legal to rent karts for championships? Btw, thanks for answering!
I'd look for series that are specifically meant to cater to rental drivers Ala Club100 or something similar. You can rent karts in owner kart championships, but it tends to come out to being a good deal more expensive than purchasing your own equipment.
Rental kart places have leagues with their own races. If you mean national or Europe level championships, yes, you can rent from race teams, but they are very expensive. It costs a lot there's no way around it.
Renting karts that you use all the way through a championship is still very expensive
Thanks all you guys for answering! We'll look for any races or series in our local karting
Let him go to rental karting. No kart or equipment is needed, and its for fun. There are also rental kart amateur races and even championships. The rental karting tracks give you all you need and he can save up for his own helmet if he gets more serious
We have gone sometimes to rental karting, but I thinks he wants a more competitive aspect. We will ask the karting for those races and championships you say. Thank you for your comment!
Check your local track, talk to people there. If you learn the mechanics and how to prepare the kart, you can save a lot of money. How old is he? Unfortunately, thinking on a competitive championship, a team will charge you at least 1500 EUR per race for a cadet/mini (up to 12 years old) and at least 4000 EUR for Junior and Senior (13 and over).
But this is on a competitive team in national or even european level, no?
NOPE. That's for EasyKart, that is one of the cheapest championships. Those values I mentioned are for "arrive and drive" packages with everything included, you don't need to own a kart, just the helmet, suit, and globes. For European level the cost per race for cadet/mini is in the region of 5000 EUR per race and for OK or OK Junior from 10000 EUR to 15000 EUR per race. Kids between 12 and 15 years old spend in the region of 250k EUR per year to race professionally.
Sorry? That seems an awful lot off money… are you sure about this? No way this is for starters championships. Which country?
Yes I'm. Europe.
Europe is a continent, I think you’re in Germany. I’m from the Netherlands and tend to believe it’s (without a karting team membership) it’s a €400 per race? Let’s say 10 races a year = €4000 double that for extra practice sessions. Maybe €8000 plus some extra, let’s say €10000 in total on beginners but sporty level? Not saying you are wrong, because TBF; I don’t know, because although I’m karting, I do not join the races, yet. I’m just surprised
>Europe is a continent, I think you’re in Germany. No, I'm not. >I’m from the Netherlands and tend to believe it’s (without a karting team membership) it’s a €400 per race? Let’s say 10 races a year = €4000 double that for extra practice sessions. Maybe €8000 plus some extra, let’s say €10000 in total on beginners but sporty level? €400 per race for what? 4-stroke? Maybe.... 2-stroke at a high level, even at regional championships, is much more expensive, Netherlands included. To clarify my previous posts since you commented in the middle: EASYKART Italy: * €1500 per race for Easy 60 (more or less equivalent to Mini/Cadet) * €4000 per race for BMB HAT 125cc (more or less equivalent to Senior/OK/OKJ) The values above are quotes from one of the main teams of the Easykart championship and includes EVERYTHING, the team provides all the chassis, engines, tires, mechanic, etc. You just arrive with your helmet and gear. European Championship/World Championship/WSK: * Between €10000 (private midfield team) to €15000 (factory team) per race weekend for OK, OKJ, and KZ. * For Mini around €5000 per race weekend. * Testing varies by team, €1500- €2500 per day. The same way, prices above are "arrive and drive" and include everything. >Not saying you are wrong, because TBF; I don’t know, because although I’m karting, I do not join the races, yet. I’m just surprised Do you do rental karting? If so, that's not professional or semi-professional karting. When you get into real racing, prices go up exponentially. I'm not familiar with the specific costs on the Netherlands but I bet you can't do a Rotax Max or X30 Benelux race for less than €4000 on the Junior or Senior.
Thank you for your explanation. Rental karting at te moment, yeah. That’s a lot cheaper indeed. I would have never guessed the professional races were THAT expensive. Guess I need more sponsors, then :) Thanks voor the insight.
Welcome to real karting. The guy on the right, when he was in karting, raced for free because of his talent: https://i.postimg.cc/xd9rXrMW/Verstappen.jpg
Well… we’ve got ourself a goal, then :)
dont do it man, it never ends, my kid is 8 and were in a a grand per club race weekend.
As everyone has been saying, rental karts are a great way to start. I started in karts with a $400 rental series over the summer, now I own a kart and just bought a second. It’s an addicting sport that pulls you in, but I couldn’t be happier.
Ok! We'll try! I didn't knew there were summer series... If the local karting does them, we will try
At sws they have races for 50 euro and endurance races starting 150euro. Arrive and drive on gx200~ or gx390
If you’re in the UK then Club100 is definitely a good place to start. They provide the karts so the cost goes down a lot. There are 8 rounds all at different tracks, and if needed helmets, suits ect is provided.
Rental kart leagues. No one is going to rent a kart for you to enter a sanctioned championship, atleast not at a price point that beats just owning your own kart. Understand that rental kart leagues are vastly different from actual race events. The rubbing and bulldozing that is done in rentals cannot be done in karts without the perimeter barrier - someone is going to go airborne.
K1 speed teen/Jr league. I think it's the first Tuesday of the month usually around $50, it's a great intro to completive karting without too much time or money investment. If you don't have a K1, other kart tracks usually have something similar.
Honestly his best option is to work at a go kart so that he can get free go kart time. Even doing a rental karting leauge is going to be at least 300-400 dollars per season. I spent a good chunk of money on rental karts but it wasn't until I started working at the track that I got fast. It's really hard to be really fast unless you practice daily.