About Go-Carts
When many folks think of go-carts, they imagine rickety, little boxes filled with screaming kids racing down a cobblestone street. While that scenario may still exist, go-carts have advanced to such an extreme that many can achieve speeds of more than 150 mph. Whether simple and self-propelled or equipped with a fast-paced engine, the basic makeup for go-carts will always be the same and the overall goal should always include having fun.
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History
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Go-carts are as old as the hills, or at least have been around since kids discovered you could use them to go racing down a hill. Older cart styles gave way to the invention of the sleek, motorized go-carts which first hit the scene in the 1950s. With Art Ingels credited as the first to invent the contraption in 1956, the go-carts were popular with airmen who wanted to zoom around the base. The go-cart, also known as go-kart, just kept getting sleeker, keener, more refined and faster. Some of the most modern go-carts have been clocked at 160 mph or more.
Function
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Racing is the primary function of the go-cart, whether it be the motorized carts in today's market or the old wooden boxes on wheels whipping down a hill. Go-carter racers can pick from the smaller, community events, like the homemade go-cart competition held annually in Clovis, New Mexico, or nationwide competitions, such as the World Karting Association's George Kugler/Bridgestone Manufacturer's Cup Series or its Dunlap Tire Road Racing Series. In addition to racing, go-carts can be used for short errands, tooling around the neighborhood or trekking around off-road terrain.
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Types
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When it comes to creating homemade go-carts, there is no limit to the materials used. Old-fashioned go-carts were made from wooden milk crates, debris found in the trash and even an old funeral casket. Modern go-carts range from those that resemble tiny racecars to others that look like little jeeps or miniature ATVs. Regardless of how fancy or plain they are, they all must have four wheels suitable for the terrain on which they will be used, some type of enclosure in which the driver can sit and some type of steering device so the person manning the cart does not crash into a tree.
Considerations
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Go cart tracks have popped up across the nation, where entire families can engage in go cart fun. A small sampling includes Rockwood GoKart Track in Fort Worth, Texas; Speed Street in Phoenix; and Malibu Grand Prix with tracks in various cities in California, Georgia and Texas. GoKart Racer, a track in Burlingame, California, offers regular rentals in addition to renting out the whole track for an event or even delivering the carts to clients for racing off-site. Rates vary, but are not cheap. Rockwood GoKart Track charges $5 for four minutes; the Malibu Grand Prix locations can charge up to $4 per lap and GoKart Racer rates can run up to $1.50 per lap, depending on the options the racer chooses.
Warning
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While go-carts often look cute and fun, they can also be very hazardous to your health. Some tracks warn that carts should not be driven by pregnant women or anyone who has heart, back or neck ailments. Helmets should be a given, no matter what the age of the driver. Go carters that are not using a contained track should also watch out for other vehicles.
Hospital emergency rooms across the United States saw an estimated 125,900 injuries related to go-carts, which breaks down to about 10,500 each year, according to a report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Their report examined injuries incurred from 1985 through 1986. More than half of those injuries were to kids under 15 years old with 21 percent including head and face injuries, 38 percent upper body injuries and 35 percent lower body injuries.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Illustration by Ryn Gargulinski
