Go karting is a wonderful way to have loads of fun with all the thrills of racing thrown in. The excellent thing about the sport is it does not cost an arm and a leg to delight in. When we have to shell out huge sums of money to delight in something, the exorbitant price tends to take away the pleasure we would otherwise feel.

There are lots of local tracks dotted around the country and wherever you reside in USA, you are sure to find at least one local track. When go karting first made its appearance in 1956 in California, no one would have ever dreamt of it becoming so well loved. Spreading its addictiveness across the length and breadth of America was not enough; it soon spread to Europe and later to other parts of the world.

The standard go kart has a single seat, an engine, open framework, transmission, steering and four tires. Some of the karts have a cage constructed over the chassis to protect the driver and most go karts used by children will have this extra protection. Though go karts seldom flip over because of their construction, being prepared is always the best choice. In an open chassis the driver can land on his head when the kart rolls over. A go kart is constructed without suspension and the chassis is structured to stand in, meaning it has to be a fine combination of flexible and firm to take the corners and still grip the track firmly.

The engine is usually two stroke or four stroke. The 4 stroke is very much similar to the engine used in lawn mowers. Amusement parks and arcades among other recreational centers use either the 4 stroke engines or the newer more cost effective electric motors. The racing karts use the smaller 2 stroke engine.

The 2 stroke engines start from 8 hp for a single cylinder 60 cc unit. The KF1 engine at 125 cc is a more recent development. Most engines are cooled by water today where once the air cooled engines were dominant in the past.

Go kart speeds vary according to the type of race in which the kart is used. The carts in the amusement centers don’t generally go beyond 15 mph. The sprint kart has the lowest speed among the racing go kart engines; it goes up to a maximum of 60 mph. The endurance karts go up to 90 mph and the fastest of course are the shifter karts which reach 160 or more miles per hour.