7 year old wants to try karting

by **William Howell** » Thu Jul 14, 2011 8:49 am

My son has expressed an interest in kart racing for a couple of years now. While I have some experience with SCCA (autocross) and NASA (road racing), I have zero experience with kart racing. He'll be 7 in October and is around 43" tall and probably a little under 45 lbs. He's one of the oldest in his class, but also one of the smallest, height and weight-wise.

After doing some research, unless I'm mistaken, he could race in the kid kart class in 2012 and 2013 since he won't be 8 until October 2013. Is this correct?

Since he's smaller than most of his classmates, I'm thinking it would be wise to start him out in a kid kart rather than going straight to a cadet sized chassis.

I've looked into kid karts and it seems that the Margay Wildcat and Tony Kart Micro karts are great choices, but I'd prefer to start him in a used kart. I may be looking in the wrong places, but it seems that reasonably priced nice used kid karts aren't easy to come by.

Is there a way to rent a kid kart for a weekend to see if he'll like it?

Any words of wisdom are certainly appreciated. I'd like to get him a kart for his birthday, so I'm looking to buy within the next few months.

Thanks!

by **Bob Schabel** » Thu Jul 14, 2011 10:18 am

You're on the right track with trying to find a used kart. I can give him a demo ride in the club kid kart and see if he likes it before you buy. Call me, Bob Schabel, NTK VP, 972-221-2567