A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of

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 ...

, close wheeled car,

open-wheel car An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) 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 the ...

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. Quadracycles have been in use since 1853 and have grown into several fami ...

. 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.

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". It is also unclear why the "C" was later changed to a "K".

Non-motorised

Gravity racer A gravity racer or soapbox is a motorless vehicle which is raced on a downhill road either against the clock or against another competitor. Although most are built for the purpose of recreation, some gravity racing teams take the sport more s ...

s, in North America usually referred to as

Soap Box Derby The Soap Box Derby is a youth soapbox car racing program which has been run in the United States since 1933. World Championship finals are held each July at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio. Cars competing in this and related events are unpowered, ...

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 The pedal is the part of a bicycle that the rider pushes with their foot to propel the vehicle. It provides the connection between the cyclist's foot or shoe and the crank allowing the leg to turn the bottom bracket spindle and propel the bicycl ...

Motorised

Engines

Traditionally, small

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of ...

and four-stroke

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal c ...

s are used in motorised go-kart racing. Power is transmitted from the

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

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 .

Briggs & Stratton Briggs & Stratton Corporation is an American manufacturer of gasoline engines with headquarters in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Engine production averages 10 million units per year as of April 2015. The company reports that it has 13 large facili ...

, Tecumseh (company closed in 2008), Kohler, Robin, and

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

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 Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

, KTM, Biland, or Aixro (

Wankel engine The Wankel engine (, ) is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into rotating motion. It was invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, and designed by German engineer Hanns-Dieter Paschke. ...

) offering from . They run at up to 11,000 rpm, and are manufactured specifically for karting. PRD makes the

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 ...

, a

two-stroke engine A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of ...

delivering at 15,580 rpm.

Electric go-kart An electric go-kart is a type of go-kart powered by electric motors and batteries, as opposed to a traditional petrol engine. As of 2022, electric go-karts are mostly used for rental go-karts for recreational usage. For serious kart racing, trad ...

s are available, requiring only that the batteries of the karts be plugged into an array of chargers after each tun. Since they are

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...

-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 cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen fuel, hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most bat ...

s. 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 .

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. 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 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 , or sometimes by an electric motor. Many tracks offer competitive races and leagues. At the top level, an Indoor Karting World Championship (IKWC) exists.

References