Everyday Blog

The topic of Go Kart racing may seem a little bit outside the scope of interests for say, the baby boomer generation. But, if the truth be known, many older adults are discovering that Go-Karts offer a terrific recreational outlet. One fan is Jay Leno, who is 59 as of this writing. What child doesn’t yearn to drive? If you’re a boomer with children or a grandparent with grandkids, you might just want to consider participating in this ideal sport for the entire family. You might want to consider this, if you want to spend some top quality time with your grandkids or youngsters.

Many people think that go karts are just for children. That’s probably because these cars started out as kids’ toys. Add their small size and the unusual spelling, and it’s no surprise that many people don’t know that older adults can have a good deal of fun on go karts. With karts capable of going as fast as sixty miles an hour, go karting is a lot more in demand with adults, although there are junior leagues.

Only try it in a go kart, and you’ll see how fast sixty miles per hour can really be, even if that sort of speed doesn’t feel very fast if you are driving a car on the interstate. There’s no enclosed cabin to keep you from feeling the wind in a kart, no suspension, no windshield. Furthermore, you’ll feel every change in the pavement, since the bottom of a kart is only just off the ground. Travelling at top speed in a go kart feels much faster than the same speed in a Formula 1 racer, even professional racers say.

Go karts are becoming popular with adults in all kinds of settings, even including corporate outings. With sessions focused on team building, leadership development and staff motivation, some go kart tracks do mostly corporate business. Even business professionals get to cut loose and hit the track in a go kart, with these corporate events committed to the metaphor of racing. Karting is, in point of fact, probably the fastest growing motor sport.

With kart ownership costing as much as a small car, serious go karting can be costly. High end go karts can cost more than ten thousand dollars and hit highway speeds, making it clear that they’re not basically for children. This kind of racing kart is used only on large outdoor tracks. Indoor karts are used on smaller tracks and generally go only about forty miles per hour.

It’s like a roller coaster that you can control - the twists and turns on a commercial go kart track can make it seem a lot faster. Something that could be risky at top speeds is knocking wheels on a tight track, and indoor karts have more safety features, including steel buffers to prevent this.

Adults who are curious about driving go karts can just walk into a track, and pay for a session - usually about thirty to forty dollars. Since these karts are a lot more powerful than go-karts for kids, they’ll have to wear protective clothing and go through a safety talk. It’s also possible for kart enthusiasts to race against one another, with adult racing leagues at most tracks. A normal race is fifteen laps, with each lap taking about twenty seconds.

If you’ve been thinking that go karting is basically for children, think again. This is an excellent sport that can be appreciated by all. Many grownups are getting back into go karting, and having a lot of fun.