Michael Schumacher. Ayrton Senna. Jeff Gordon. Alex Zanardi. Danica Patrick. All great drivers and all learned their trade in buzzy little racing karts with no suspension, no downforce, minimal protection, and arguably more grins per dollar than any other motorsport in existence. The underpowered machines at the local putt-putt course give karting a bad reputation; a 2.5 horsepower motor in a 300-pound chassis rolling on ten-year-old tires is a $7.50 distraction for kids. But move up to a machine that can do 0-60 MPH in under four seconds, hit 125 MPH on the straight, pull 3 g on the skidpad, and do so for well under $10,000 -- that's serious.
Karting is the safest, cheapest and, arguably, best avenue into motorsports for those with the desire to compete, yet lacking the financial means to get into a top-tier series. Sadly, it's also a dizzying sea of classes, chassis, engines, tires, tracks, rules, and affiliations, some of which are tightly controlled by global organizing bodies. So finding the right way in and getting the most for your money can be tough. That's where we come in.
Autoblog is going karting, jumping in as rookies and making some rookie mistakes so you won't have to. We'll tell you where to start, how much you'll need to budget, where you can save some bucks, and where you should just take a deep breath and hand over the credit card. This is the first in a series, an introduction to the sport that will give you the basics of where to start looking. In subsequent pieces we'll cover driving lessons, go kart shopping, talk setup, and finally go racing. So, without further ado, let's get rolling.
While the main focus of Barrett-Jackson is the cars, quite a few charities benefited from the sale of many of the cars. Several people donated money to charities even when they didn't buy a car, proving that many of the bidders have hearts just as big as their wallets. This Monte Carlo SS NEXTEL Cup car driven by Jeff Gordon was a prime example, raising thousands of dollars for Rick Hendrick's charity to benefit the National Marrow Donor Program. Hendrick himself is a survivor of leukemia, and has used his success to help others facing life-threatening diseases. Of course, the buyer's $550,000 (after auction fees) did get something in return: a #24 DuPont Monte Carlo SS that was raced 14 times in the 2006 and 2007 NASCAR seasons, winning two races and capturing four top-five finishes. The car also includes a race-winning engine, Certificate of Authenticity, race day photos and videos, and a personal invite from Hendrick to come hang out with the team at one of the races during the next season.
GM reached a climax of the senses with its Corvette ZR1 introduction at the GM Style kickoff to the 2008 NAIAS. Kid Rock was singing about the Motor City while Jeff Gordon drove in the ZR-1 on stage. The General threw in some scantily clad women and flashing lights for good measure, and the crowd of 1,500 was on its feet. We were there too, with camera rolling. Hit the jump to view the ZR1's grand entrance. Don't get too disappointed that the GM execs are blocking the view of the company's $100,000 supercar, as the super Vette gets elevated 15 feet in the air on a giant pedestal about halfway through the video.
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