Birel Max 125 Kart

Karting, for those of you who don’t know, doesn’t just mean a trip to Strydom Park and a fifteen minute bumper bashing session with your lawnmower powered trolley. Although this is fun, the truth is that the difference between recreational karting and professional karting is the same as being the ref for a rugby game or the loose head prop getting your head caved in. In fact, professional Karting is one of the most intense forms of motorsport, with extremely close racing, high power to weight ratios and high levels of skill a prerequisite. Teams arrive in large trucks with thousands of engineers and pretty pit ladies pouring out the back. So if you want to be competitive I hope your pockets are deep and your waist line is small. However if you are a large chap there are many classes to look at that might suit you, but everyone who races in nationals feeds on celery sticks and Ephedrine.

The karts themselves are laden with technology and equipment. The DD2 class is a twin speed paddle shift gearbox class which is powered by the 125 cc Rotax. However this small single cylinder 125cc packs 25KW and will rev until 15000Rpm. All the Kart motors are 2 stroke which requires you to premix fuel and racing oil in a specific ratio. There are also many variants of this 125cc motor for various classes. These motors are also water cooled and have electric starts but they last for a maximum of 50 hours before a total rebuild. However the professional karters will rebuild their motors after every race. They will also buy new tires for every race because after 10 laps you loose 1 second per lap thereafter. Also they have new sprockets, chains, plastics and if the chassis was bent in the last race, a new one of those also, thanks very much.

So seeing as Karts are small and one of the most affordable motorsports, what kind of costs are we talking about? Well a new DD2 kart will set you back R60000 rand. You need a helmet (R1500) shoes (R1000) Gloves (R400) a neck brace and rib protector (R500) then you need a doctor’s letter saying you are fit for racing, you need a membership and then you also need a racing license. The total cost for all this paperwork is about R1000 bucks. Ok so now we have a total of R64400. But how do you get to the track? You can’t drive it there, so now you need a trailer, but Karts don’t fit onto the average trailer because they are wider than the actual trailer so you need either a flat bed or commercial trailer which can cost a further R30000. So now your total cost is R94400. So once you have finally summed up the courage, sold your house and visited the bank, you are all clear for a few sessions around the track, followed by the also expensive engine rebuild and consumables. Expensive??… Extremely!!   

The actual driving experience though is a mixture of adrenalin, excitement and white knuckle fear. When the max motor climbs up and hits its main power band, the words to describe it are brutal, ferocious, violent… Joburgish. The braking is much of the same but the cornering makes your ribs feel like they are being served up at Spur. Through some high speed corners, you have to suck in a deep breath and hold it untill the exit because it is just plain impossible to breathe otherwise. Your eyes rotate in their sockets at 15000rpm and your backside is literally a couple mm off the deck. You actually hang on in the corners because your body cannot produce enough power to even move your head. After I had completed 10 laps and tried to get out the max 125, I had to literally bend my fingers straight because they had cramped permanently onto the steering wheel. The reason you need a rib protector is because of the high G cornering, a cracked rib is a very common injury in Karting. Indeed it is an intense sport. Perhaps a more reasonable option is to look for an older second hand Kart and use it at the track for the odd practice session. Obviously you will not be anywhere near as fast but this will certainly provide you with the same thrills at a quarter of the price.

 

Karting is also a complicated sport and it helps to be an engineer when it comes to race preparing your Kart. You have to gear your Kart depending on the circuit, this either means a sprocket with more or less teeth at the back or a different sprocket at the front of the motor. You obviously want your motor to peak at the end of the longest part of the track. However you also need to keep the Rpm up around the hairpins. Setting up your kart for cornering is also a science. Every single nut and bolt is either tightened, loosened or removed to provide more under or oversteer. Even the bolts holding the rear bumper in place are loosened or tightened depending on the driver. Literally every nut and bolt on the chassis contributes to the overall stiffness and thus setup. You can also adjust camber and the size of your rear axel also makes a difference. (40/50mm) 

There are many different makers of Chassis for Karting such as Birel, PCR, and Monza etc. You should just clarify what chassis is allowed for the class that best suits you. Many Formula 1 drivers learnt to race through Karting and it really teaches you quick reactions and superior driving skills on and off the track, it is a fantastic sport but not one for the fainthearted.