Thinking of getting started in karting…
Karting is one of the most affordable forms of motorsport within Australia and the world.
It is a sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Children can start as young as 7 years old and there is no end age limit on competing.
Whilst is it a competitive sport, that can teach basic driving skills among other facets of racing, it is also a fun family orientated sport. It is by no means limited to just boys, with an ever increasing amount of girls choosing to participate. Events takes place at circuits every weekend and can be at National, State, Regional or club level.
To get into Karting is relatively simple exercise:-
- First one must join an AKA affiliated club
- Get an AKA Provisional Licence, which supplies you with an AKA Karting manual outlining the rules and regulations of the sport.
- Purchase a kart
- Purchase safety gear which is mandatory such as:-
- Race suits, Race Boots, Race Gloves, Full Faced Helmets
- Optional - Neck Braces, Rib Vests, Wet Weather Gear
Classes
Midgets ( 7-11 years old)
This class uses a restricted engine (engines are fitted with a restrictor plate) limiting engine capacity to about 6HP. This can be either a Yamaha KT100J or a Comer SW80. It is a relatively cheap class to run and teaches young children to drive karts.
Rookies (10-12 years old)
This class also uses a restricted engine, a Yamaha KT100J, with the engine capacity being limited to about 8HP. This class is also relatively cheap to run.
Junior National (12-16 years old)
This class uses the Yamaha KT100J engine unrestricted with engine capacity being about 11hp. It is run in heavy and light divisions and is an affordable reliable class to race whilst at the same time being fast enough to enable competitors to learn the basics of race craft.
Junior Clubman (12-16 years old)
This Junior class is for more experienced Junior drivers as it uses faster engines, such as the Yamaha K100S and ARC Spec 100, which have approx 16hp.
Formula JMA (13-16 years old)
This new Junior class is aimed at the more experienced Junior drivers. The engine used in this class is a faster engine, being a 125cc water cooled engine with a clutch and comes with an electric starter and clutch
Senior National (16+ years)
This class uses the Yamaha KT100J engine unrestricted with engine capacity being 11hp. It is run in heavy and light divisions and is an affordable reliable class to race. It is a very popular and competitive club level class.
Senior Clubman (16+ years)
This class uses the Yamaha KT100s (16hp) engine and a single brand and compound of controlled tyre. It is one of the most popular classes within Karting in Australia as it is affordable whilst at the same time offering fast competitive racing.
125cc TAG (Formula Rotax, Leopard, Fireball) etc (16+ years)
The TAG classes uses a variety of different brands of 125cc water cooled engines that fitted l as either a push button or key start. The capacity of these engines is approx 24-28hp.This class is the stepping stone between Clubman racing and international competition.
