Snr National Go Kart

[mattl2005]

Hey all, ive read a few post dated early last year about this, but would like a fresh topic started.

Im interested in starting up racing in melbourne, thinking bout starting in Snr National Light. Im 23, weigh 66kgs, and only really ridden go karts when ive hired them. is this a good place to start?

I wanna do some competetive racing, mainly for enjoyment and to have something to look forward to and keep me busy.

what chassis, motor etc would i need, and how much would i wanna spend, probably looking at buying a 2nd hand kart that is a complete package.

Any advice etc. thanks

 

[CHRI'S16]

Hey all, ive read a few post dated early last year about this, but would like a fresh topic started.

Im interested in starting up racing in melbourne, thinking bout starting in Snr National Light. Im 23, weigh 66kgs, and only really ridden go karts when ive hired them. is this a good place to start?

I wanna do some competetive racing, mainly for enjoyment and to have something to look forward to and keep me busy.

what chassis, motor etc would i need, and how much would i wanna spend, probably looking at buying a 2nd hand kart that is a complete package.

Any advice etc. thanks

Hi Matt
Snr Nat Light (or SNL) is a perfect budget friendly start. In karts there is an unwritten rule. That is if your fast in J's, you can be fast in anything. The engine in your class is a 2stroke 100cc Yamaha single piston KT100J motor.
Hence the 'j' part.
Its a good, competetive class that is raced country wide. So the class isn't going to die in the next few years....
Since you live in Melbourne i suggest an Arrow chassis. Go to Todd Rd track and look at what they have for sale in the pits. There are some good packages available for 2500 to 5000, depending on how much gear you get with it. JUST NEVER USE A SECOND HAND HELMET, buy that new and don't skimp.
I think Moosey (tony) had a J for sale here in AF. Perhaps PM him too.
If you have any other Q's please just ask.... i lorv karts. - Chris

 

[moosey]

J's is a really good place to start. Just try to buy a kart from a shop that will give you setup and ongoing support, rather than buy privately. There are more than a few bent chassis out there waiting for unsuspecting buyers. Topkart (Kart One) in Sydney were great. I don't know how strong they are in Melbourne. Go to the track and see what brands are best represented. There's a lot to learn, particularly about kart setup. The best driver in a poorly setup kart won't be at the pointy end of the field. I'd spend as much as you can afford to get into the newest kart possible (mine was an ex team kart - 12mths old). It's no fun being half a lap behind the rest of the field. As for my kart, well it's now gone - suppose I should change my signature!!!

 

[mattl2005]

Cool, thanks guys, im going to the oakliegh track next weeknd, theres a meet there so I will go suss it out.

what size chassis do i need for this class SNL?

This might be a silly question, but what does it mean when someone is advertising a chassis as a "rolling chassis only"?

How often would you need to do a top and bottom engine rebuild? I heard its like every 5-10 hours of race time? Is this correct.

keep the advice coming, i really appreciate it.

Cheers guys

 

[jgp]

Cool, thanks guys, im going to the oakliegh track next weeknd, theres a meet there so I will go suss it out.

what size chassis do i need for this class SNL?

This might be a silly question, but what does it mean when someone is advertising a chassis as a "rolling chassis only"?

How often would you need to do a top and bottom engine rebuild? I heard its like every 5-10 hours of race time? Is this correct.

keep the advice coming, i really appreciate it.

Cheers guys

hi matt, its been a while but i raced j's for 4 seasons back in the late 80s. i take it engines are still the same and different compound tyres, chassis now a days. the maintenance schedule you been told sounds a bit excessive. i use to do about 40 plus race meetings a year as well as practice the day before, replace piston once and new ring 4 times a season. never had mechanical failure once in 4 years due engine seizure. i ran a little bit more oil than what was recommended and fresh fuel as well as runnung the tune 3 to 31/2 turns out on the low jet and the high jet just of the four stroke. as for chassis, arrow karts are proven and economical, i use to set the kart up stiff, 30mm axel at least. if you can get to grips with this setup the kart comes of the turns faster hence better midrange and top end speed, being smooth in steering and braking is the secret in any class of kart. best luck.

 

[CHRI'S16]

Cool, thanks guys, im going to the oakliegh track next weeknd, theres a meet there so I will go suss it out.

what size chassis do i need for this class SNL?

This might be a silly question, but what does it mean when someone is advertising a chassis as a "rolling chassis only"?

How often would you need to do a top and bottom engine rebuild? I heard its like every 5-10 hours of race time? Is this correct.

keep the advice coming, i really appreciate it.

Cheers guys

Hi Matt
For senior Nat lit, a 28mm chassis is enough. If your not sure ask the nearest kart shop to the track you plan to race at most. Reason being they are most likely to have a fast setup in your particular class. This will help get a good start. The most important part is choosing the kart that is the newest. If it means sacrifising money on a used race suit or a cheap trailer to get you started. The better and newer the chassis the more likely you are going to sooner be competetive.
Save $200 for a NEW seat, and a quality one like a TILLET. WHY? well in a Kart the only thing holding you in is your seat. It has got to be so tight that its almost squashing you in. The tighter the better!!! I can't stress that enough. You will also find that unless you find someone with the exact same build their seat wont fit you. You pack a bigger seat with padding etc, but thats not the best solution. The other reason for the VERY tight fit is this>>> A tight seat stops you from moving round, corner to corner, which means you don't have to strangle the steering wheel to go round corners trying to hold yourself down. This lets you relax, and feeeell what the kart is doing better. If your as stiff as board you can't relax and feel, because the two most important things you feel through are the steering wheel and the seat. Look at the fast drivers, even in F1.... they are so relaxed and drive by feel and are so smooth they almost make it look like they are going slow!!!! Smooth and relaxed and look ahead!!!!!
"rolling chassis" means everything, except the engine. Its ussually including tyres, but no engine or exhaust. It should include the petrol tank though.
I would buy a complete kart that is currently runing reasonably competetive. That way you know that the kart can go with the field. This "field" is were you can learn lots of lines, passing skills and how to read the guy infront.
Top end rebuild on a J is about every 10 hours to be competetive, bottom end every 20 hours. You race about 20 hours in a regular season with one sunday a month of practice. Blue printing and dyno tuning is what costs the most. Its not too expensive, but no motorsport is cheap, it just happens to be that karting is a cheap entry into an expensive hobby, in racing terms.
At first you will be well off the pace, but don't loose hart. You will need about 6-12 races to be on pace, then you will know so much its not funny. The other way to learn and make great contacts is to volunteer, do anything, flags, starts, weight marshall etc. It will all teach you something! You will learn at twice the pace, whilst your having fun.
If you thought hire karts were reasonably fast, well prepare to be blown away... - Chris

 

[mlb]

Can we stop this chat pleeeeease? I'm beginning to get an itchy right foot. It's been over ten years since I've driven a kart and thought I was coping well until I started following this thread . Might have to start saving. Mind you, I'm not sure how much you pay for club membership and license Chris, but when I left karting it was all up around the $225 a year mark. For something that i was doing only six months a year it didn't seem worth it. I can get membership to a car club and a CAMS 2S License for half that.

That said, karting is great fun and J's are a good place to start. I did around 1 1/2 seasons in them and then moved up to Clubman. Still one design with a purposely designed kart engine - instead of a pump engine as the J's once were. You can take it as seriously or as realxed as you want- along with the associated financial commitment. But I would say go for it. Nationals are pretyy much bullet proof and forgiving so they are a good starting point. I know people that jumped straight into Class Australia or Piston Port and found the costs just scary. With J's everyone has exactly the same engine - almost - and runs on the same tyres. The differences come down to the driver and the chassis. And just wait until you do your first race in the rain - on slicks :headbang: .

It is a good idea to look at a chassis that is competitive in both National and Clubman, then it's just a case of bolt on a new engine and you're in business. When I made the swap I was running an Arrow A9S and that suited me well for both classes. As Chris said, make sure the seat is TIGHT, as in you need to use your body weight to slide into it. It may sound uncomfortable, but when you're in there it's good. I would avoid the padded ones also.

Oh and invest in an Exhaust Gas Temeprature Gauge and a Tachometer. Exhaust temperature maybe not that important for J's - Clubman yes - but a tacho is essential for setting the appropiate gearing.

Hope this helps. As I've said it's been a while and things might have changed a bit, but the basics remain.

Matt

 

[mattl2005]

This is becoming much more addictive, the info provided so far is just great. thanks guys.

This weekend im heading down to oakleigh (Melb), theres a race meet and i spoke with someone via email and he said to come along and see how things go, so really looking forward to that.

Keep the chat going, i see it is getting many people interested