Buying My First Go Kart
I had an amazing experience racing go-karts at Days Park, Gold Coast Kart Club from 2007-2009. Unfortunately, the club closed down in February 2009, and I gave up racing go-karts. However, my family Brought me a V8 Supercar drive at Norwell Motorplex for Christmas in 2021, and I enjoyed the day so much I was looking for another way to start racing go-karts again.
Recently, I began searching for a racing go-kart, and Marketplace on Facebook seemed like a great place to start. After a month of searching, I found an Old CRG Dark Night 2010 with a Rotax Max Engine per Evo Locally and purchased it for $1500. The kart included a rear bumper, a trolley, and some spare parts, as well as an old-style Alfano lap timer with a magnetic track sensor.
Before starting the engine, I wanted to speak with Rudy from Rudy’s Tyre & Mechanical. Rudy rebuilt the old KT100’s Kart Engines I raced back in 2009. The previous owner wasn’t sure about the Rotax Max engine’s running hours so Rudy performed a compression test on the Motor. I was Lucky the motor had excellent compression, and Rudy added some fuel for me and the Rotax Engine fired up easily.
Rudy Mentioned that the Old Alfano Lap timer isn’t functional on most tracks anymore due to the Tracks not replacing the broken magnetic strips anymore. Doing some research, I found that the MyChron 5s lap timers were highly recommended. The Popularity of the MyChron 5s timers meant they were unavailable for purchase in Australia as they were all sold out.
I went looking on Marketplace for a Second-Hand MyChron 5s, I encountered a few fraudulent listings of individuals attempting to sell Mychrons 5s.
However, I eventually found a seller who was located just over an hour’s drive away. They were selling a brand-new, unused MyChron 5s 2T in its original packaging. We reached an agreement for $900.
The other thing I needed was a new battery as the one supplied with the kart wouldn’t charge. I purchased the Maxlife Lithium Battery from ProjectX Racing for $225 as it was lightweight. But, I could have gotten away with a standard battery for $80.
The next step was to get a license with Karting Australia. I had to join a Karting Club near me as part of the licensing process.
You can find all the Karting Clubs by State on the Karting Australia website. The cost of a Karting Australia 2022 License was $270, Ipswich Kart Club was the closest Kart Club near me and was $135 to become a member.
Once Registered with Karting Australia you will need to download the Komp APP so you can fill in the Activity Form for Praticing or enter a Race Meet.
Before I could head to the track, I had to have all the right Safety Gear, Such as a Race Suit, Gloves, Helmet, and Boots. Through my Research, I was able to find a Brand New Helmet on Marketplace for $250, which was being sold by an owner who found it too small for their needs.
I discovered that Raceline Motorsport Racewear offered the most affordable option for a complete package, including a race suit, racing boots, and gloves, for $595.
When I raced back in 2007, I learned the importance of protecting my ribs, which is why I made sure to invest in a new Rib protector for $129.95 from eBay as part of my safety gear.
The total cost for me to participate at the race track was $4004.95. To transport the kart and the tools, I used the back of my ute. If you’re not concerned about tracking your race times, you could save $900 by not purchasing a data logger, and you could save $155 by opting for a cheaper battery.
To do a Practice Run at a Go Kart Track Near you is around $25 Plus about $20 for 98 Octane Fuel with a bottle of 2 Stroke Oil for around $35.
To Join a Race Meet if you have all the gear is around $90.
The Other Option is what both my friends did was buy newer Model Karts for around $4500 with a few spares and they use a standard box trailer to take the go-kart to the track.