What Kart for Newbie?

[wacomme]

I’m a 44 year old male newbie interested in entering the sport of kart racing. Which category of kart would best suit my needs? Which category of racing has the most participants in Colorado?

[Mike Jansen]

TaG Masters
a lot less maintenance; you can compete with equally engined karts ie no open checkbook racing; cheaper than a competitive shifter; you learn how to drive smooooooth with momentum and you can’t grab a gear to bail you out of a mistake; the class the spectators love the most since there’s more passing and close racing than many other classes. (Although the Briggs class last weekend was a great one to watch)

Did I mention that I have a used TaG kart for sale? Perfect for the newbie! 8)

[wacomme]

Is the TaG Masters the same as Rotex?

[Anonymous]

Michael,

Never believe what Mike Jansen has to say, but he is correct. The Tag masters is the biggest group in CO. Great bunch of guys who go out of their way to help.

I think first you have to decide:

*what is your budget per yr.
* do you want to be a recreational racer or competitive racer or just go out and practice and never race.
*How much time do you want to devote to this sport
*you should attend a race at IMI or The Track and talk to the racers
*how are you going to transport the kart/tools/gear to the track
*start looking at karts for sale on this website, e-karting news website, and at kart shops/track stores; if you want new go to SAC Motor sports and Tim George-$4,000 and you have a new kart ready to race and great service after the sale-he will go to track and help you for free!

If you would like to talk call me-8 yrs racing started when I was 51!
303-772-0678 :cheers:

[fastg]

hi Michael,

My name is Gary, I’m also 44, and although I’m not new to karting, this is my first year back into it after taking about 10 years off. I run stock moto / spec125 shifter and it’s my first go at a shifter. TAG is a great way to go, and the guys are right – if you want to build solid driving skills, go TAG – and there really not that much slower than a shifter.

Best thing to do is go to some races – don’t be afraid to ask a ton of questions – everyone would be more than happy to give you there opinion. Also visit the shops, were lucky around here – we have a few – IMI is my personal favorite and Brad know’s everything about karts, but visit them all including Shockwave which is more of a manufacturer than a kart shop, but Doug the owner gives great one on one advice. We have two more CSC races left until next year – go to them! Now is a great time to start thinking about the next season.

As the season windes down, there’s going to be some real good deals on used karts – don’t get hastey, have a good idea of what you want to do – don’t get talked into anything, and don’t give into the urge to buy something quick.

Hope to see you at the races!

Gary

[wacomme]

Thanks Mike and Gary,

I’ll follow your suggestions.

What’s the difference between TAG and Rotax?

[Doug Welch]

Tag is a race class in which several different engines are legal including the Rotax engine. Tag stands for Touch And Go for they all have electric starters on board.

Rotax is an engine that also has its own race classes and events called RMax Challenge. None of the other engines are legal in RMax. RMax is a world formula that has regional, national and world level events. If you have a Rotax, you can run in either RMax or Tag. If you have one of the other engines, you can only run Tag.

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