Well, I've got some major life commitments/expenses coming my way so I'm trying to find my latest cheap fix, which is karting. I happen to live near Lehigh Valley Grand Prix, OVRP, and E-Town Raceway Park and NJMP so I've got plenty of options. I've already got decent track day experience and I'm trying to figure out how I should spend my time karting so I can keep my driver skill "alive". Any recommendations/suggestions? Looking more towards A&D programs and not really interested in keeping a kart and maintaining it (time will be at a premium). OVRP has a cheap race league (500$/6 races), LVGP always has Monday/Sunday specials (but those are not W2W, just "time trial" style sessions). There's some A&D programs for e-town and NJMP but those seem more costly.
I don't know about the clubs out your way but my local track has a class for what are essential Harbor Freight 12hp cheap-o engines. No mods are allowed people just chuck them once they wear out. I think they're like $300 or some sort. The chassis are the same ones used for other classes.
They require a lot of maintenance and it seems to be a popular class for folks to keep their hand in racing. A friend just sold his SCCA race and started racing this class.
I somewhat didKarting in the last couple years in a way your are describing. The only difference is that I didn't have a place to put and work on the kart. The driver kept it. I wouldn't do an A&D. Better off keeping the kart at your place or try what I did and have a older Suburban or Full size Van to haul and keep the kart in. Was mildly competitive doing that way.
zordak
Reader
9/7/18 9:42 a.m.
If you have a way to haul the kart, it is worth the effort to buy one. I paid $3800 for a new kart chassis and motor, used ones cheaper. Find a popular class at a track that runs races every week and has cheap practice. I raced HPV maintenance was just empty the gas each week. replace the carb gaskets every 4-5 races and tires would last about 4-5 races. Gaskets for the carb run like $5.00 and the tires were around $180, but some of the people running in regional/national only use 1 set per race and their used ones could be had for $75 to $100 for a set. Any 4 stroke burning gas will need an oil change every time it is used. and there are classes that used a hard compound tire that the tires can be used most of a season.
Any places that use indoor gas karts in your area? There's an indoor gas place a little north of me called Grand Prix New York. They're a fair hike from Lehigh Valley but they have affordable A&D league races and tracks / equipment that are much closer to wheel to wheel racing than the fast lap format that most electric karting places use.
Briggs lo206 NJMP has a good showing in that class. There are several of those karts for sale. Cheap to run and fair because they are sealed.
In reply to boxedfox :
I checked out their website. It's actually going to be about an hour away from where I am moving to. Not bad!
