Go kart kits, Engine, and Clutch

Have you ever wanted to be a racecar driver? Have you ever wanted to experience the thrill of barreling around curves while fighting off pursuers trying to pass you on all sides? If the answer is yes, then welcome to the world of kart racing. Kart racing is a motor sport that is relatively inexpensive and can provide a lifetime of high-speed adventure.

If you’ve ever wanted to know more about kart racing, then Cart-racing.com is the website for you. We are dedicated to helping spread our love of this sport to anyone that is interested and our website is designed to provide information regarding everything from go kart kits, to the engine, clutch, and other kart components. While our goal is for people to use this site as an informational resource, the information we provide is intentionally as non-biased as possible. We do not endorse any one company or product.

Go karts were first introduced in the 1950’s, in southern California. Most of these early karts were built by hand and used engines that were stolen primarily from chainsaws and lawnmowers. However, by the 1960’s there were numerous manufacturers that were designing and building small engines specifically for use in racing karts. For most racing purposes, the engines were, and still are of a two-stroke design; but there are plenty of four-strokes available today as well. Both designs can be found today in air-cooled or water-cooled varieties, although most modern high-performance engines are water-cooled.

Originally, nearly ever go kart was built on a direct-drive design. This meant that there was no differential and that the engine drive shaft was connected directly to the rear axle of the vehicle. This produced many inconveniences and as such the addition of a centrifugal clutch was eventually included. The clutch offered the advantage of being able to use gears, which not only allowed for higher top speeds, but also the driver to maintain optimal torque levels throughout the race. Today it is not unusual to see karts that use six-speed transmissions, something that was unheard of in the early days.

By far the easiest and least expensive way for the novice to get started in kart racing is by buying one of the numerous go kart kits that are available today. They most often include all of the basic components, including the frame, axles, wheels and tires, steering mechanism, and pedals; however, kits are generally less expensive than attempting to purchase all of these parts separately. That being said, the vast majority of these kits do not include two vital parts, the engine and the clutch. These items are almost always purchased separately, which allows the builder to choose the size and power of the engine as well as the type of clutch to be used.

If you need any further information about any of the above topics, please feel free to browse through the various links we have provided on this page. Each link contains detailed information on some of the most basic aspects of kart racing.