First, ask yourself a few questions...."Do I enjoy racing go-karts at amusement parks"? "Do I like cornering and passing slow pokes on a dime"? "Do I enjoy a competitive sport and family outings"? If you answered "YES" to any or all, you are a perfect candidate for FKA and are ready to start! A great place to begin is by reading our FKA rules. These will give you an overall look at the do's and don'ts of racing inside FKA. 

If you are five years old or older (there is no upper limit, go-karters are as old as NASCAR drivers are) and in good health you can become a go-karter. Drivers range from 50 to over 200 pounds. Drivers range from 4' to 6'6" tall. Some drivers have had other racing experience, most have no prior racing experience. Some go-karters are back for their second career. They ran as kids and have returned with their kids.

Most kids who start have a minimum of one parent on the race team. The parent may race also, may be crew chief, may be a driving instructor, head race strategist, and will drive the race car hauler (you must be accompanied by an adult if you are under 18 years old). In some cases the child finds the sport of go-karting and drags the parental unit into the sport reluctantly. This is 1 in a 100. The other 99 race teams are looking for a sport they can participate in together. Go-karting will build or strengthen bonds that last a lifetime. If you have an interest in motor sports and want to find common ground to spend that quality time, this sport is for you. We have several families participating at our track who have told us that until they found the sport of go-karting they didn't have a family activity that involved everyone. Go-karting offers good behavior incentives also. In a perfect world, parents wouldn't need any leverage to get their kids to do everything they are supposed to. Only certain special activities attract kids with such power that they make certain they don't miss a single opportunity to participate. 

A common question we hear: "If I start at the beginning of a season, how much will I need to budget to race all year?" Let's try for a range. Whether you start with new or used equipment will impact the amount you spend. The majority of new go-karters start with second hand equipment. This is often a good strategy, as a chassis as old as 7 to 8 years (and older in some instances) will be competitive. Sometimes you'll find it with a used engine ready to go. If you buy used from a current go-karter, the engine will likely be used. We usually sell most of our used karts with new engines so you don't have to worry about the condition of the engine. A good visual inspection of a used go-kart will reveal many potential problems, but you can't tell what is inside the engine. Some of our sponsors also sell new go-karts. They handle factory direct sales. Contact them for support. .

Let's talk about average costs for these different options:

1. A five to eight year old chassis will range in price from $500 to $1,000. This is without engine. The thing to remember is that any kart without engine will be made track ready for approximately $400 to $500. This would include a new 5HP Briggs & Stratton engine with the needed hardware to get it bolted to the kart and hooked to the drive wheels. If you get a steal on a go-kart without an engine, don't go to your local lawn mower shop or department store to get your engine. Although the 5HP Briggs on your roto-tiller will be similar, it won't fit our rules. All Briggs racing engines come from the Briggs & Stratton Motor Sports Division and have subtle differences. Summary; you may be able to get your start for as little as $900-$1000 on an older yet competitive chassis. Very nice complete five-year-old karts may run up to $1600.

2. A two to five year old chassis will range in price from $700 to $2,000. This may include a used engine or it may not. The $700 example is without, and the $2,000 is obviously with an engine, and likely with a new engine. Where the kart falls in this age range will have an impact on price, but let the buyer beware. It is sometimes very hard to tell a two-year-old kart from a five-year-old kart. Some brands have serial numbers on them that may have a date stamp. A couple of places to look are on the brake caliper plate (Coyote) and/or the yoke on the front axle where the spindle bolts on (Margay). If the seller is honest you'll know the kart's year of manufacture. Probably the best way to make sure you're getting your money's worth is to buy from an established kart shop, or base your value judgment on condition and not worry whether you buy a 94 or a 96.

3. New karts ready to race will cost in a $2,000 to $3,000 range. Where do you find go-karts for sale? Visit our sponsors.

Let's talk about the safety gear you'll need.

1. Current Snell Foundation rated full face helmet, non-moto cross type; $129 to $600

2. Skid resistant (not fire resistant/retarding) driving suit will run from $120 to $600. You could use a skid resistant jacket rather than the full driver's suit and pay in a range of $50 to $100.

3. You'll need what we call a neck collar, and it will cost $25 to $75.

4. Driving gloves are needed. They will cost in a range of $22 to $100

5. We strongly recommend a rib vest or guard. These cost from $80 to $150.

You'll end up owning 4 to 5 gear changes by the time your driving improves and you maximize your gear ratio. Cost: $100 to $225. This depends on whether your go-kart has chain or belt drive; the latter being more expensive. The exception to this would be if you found a not so popular brand of used kart that uses some less than standard steering components. We might not have these in stock. You'll need a two-gallon gas can and some high-octane premium gas. You should also have a small toolbox. The smallest of the small will get you by, the type with the lid that opens to reveal a tray with a bit more space below it. Your normal hand tools will get you started. Bring a socket set, box end and open end wrenches, pliers, Allen wrenches, and screwdrivers.

A race day entry fee. Check the schedule for specific costs. This includes the driver's insurance pass. Practice sessions will cost a driver about $15. On race days, anyone entering our pit area will need a pit pass. These are currently in the $15 range. Practice days are free for spectators.

Racers can buy a track membership and receive a discount on entry fees, practice passes, and pit passes for crewmembers. The price is reasonable. Tires and oil are the other expenses you should plan on. We run a tire rule at our track that only allows one type of tire for everyone. It is a consistent and long lasting tire that sells at approximately $150 per set. Depending on how much practice you run, two sets of tires should last most of a season. The kids in the 8 to 12 year old class will likely get a season on one set of tires. As kart and driver combined weight increases so does tire wear. If a competitor runs in a 2-cycle class, speed becomes a factor in tire wear, and more tires will be used. It should also be noted that speed costs money, and most everyone who runs in the faster classes accepts this and expects to spend more money go-karting. Most all competitors run synthetic oil in the engine. A Briggs engine needs the oil changed every time you spend a day at the track. Average cost of a quart of good synthetic racing oil is $5 to $10, and an oil change takes 16 oz.

Most of go-kart racing is done on an amateur level. This means there aren't any cash awards. During the race season, FKA we will have 4 to 5 different race dates on which we will award big trophies to the top five, (or more) drivers in each class. We don't give trophies each race day due to the high cost. The entry fee mentioned in an earlier section is where the money for awards comes from. We feel our customers would rather keep the entry fees low rather than get a trophy every week. Too many trophies take up too much space, take too much time to dust, and have a novelty that wears off in short order. On regular race days, FKA awards metals to each of our top finishers. These awards are determined based on the number of entries in each class and finishing position.

Each race day there are really two races or two award systems that are being contested. We have a season long point championship in each class that is hotly contested. This point system is closely based on the NASCAR points system. The top twenty race days count toward the championship. A nice set of awards is given at our season ending awards banquet each fall. It seems apparent that the plaques or trophies awarded come in second place when compared to the pride shown, and respect of fellow competitors earned. Accomplishment seems to be the true reward that most competitors relish in.

Every race day just before the races kick off we conduct the driver's meeting. This is the time that the race director and flagman will tell the competitors about the days events. The intent of this communication is to express what is expected of both the track officials and race drivers. The content of the drivers meeting is redundant week to week. This is done so that things are very consistent, and to make sure that new competitors get a full understanding of what to expect while competing. We will also use this time for questions from the racers and to also make any announcements regarding something new or something that we will be watching or strictly enforcing during that race day. Each driver's meeting will discuss:

1. Race order and format for each class.

2. Line up sheets, line up grids, and how line-ups for all races will be determined.

3. Hot laps, pace laps, getting lined up, and the duties of our front row competitors.

4. Flags; which ones we use, their meaning, and how we will use them to officiate the race.

5. We strongly stress safety as the key focus to all karters.

6. We strongly stress our demand for good sportsmanship

7. We finish with general housekeeping issues around tech inspection and weigh in procedures.

8. Questions and answers, and any new subjects.

1. Green-means the track is safe and the race is in progress, it also signals the start to the race.

2. Yellow-means caution. Whenever this flag is displayed it means to slow down. During pace laps it is to slow the class for lining up. If displayed during the race it means to slow down and line up in a single row. The yellow flag is used when there is an accident or spin on the track and the lead karts could race back around into unsafe racing conditions. Restarting the race from a yellow flag period will always be done from a single file line-up. Once a competitor receives the caution flag, they are told to slow immediately due to a likely unsafe condition on the track somewhere. 

3. Red-means stop. This flag is displayed when an accident has happened on the track and those involved may need help due to possible injury. We instruct our racers to first raise their hand in the air (signals a karter's intent to slow down or leave the track, to karters behind them) and then make sure that the spot they pick to stop is safe. Once stopped the karter then shuts the engine off. There will be a regrouping of the karts on the start-finish line before the race goes again so the engines are shut off and karts pushed back to this area. The only other time you'll see a red flag is when conditions are no longer safe for racing. This may be if rain occurs during a race.

4. Black means disqualified. You will see the flagman use the black flag two ways. If it is rolled up and pointed at a competitor it is a warning. The track crew has observed this competitor doing something that is breaking a rule; likely something to do with how they are driving. If the flag is presented unrolled then the competitor who received it knows to go to the pits. This black flag could be for a rule violation or it could also be an unsafe mechanical problem. When a person has been black-flagged they are no longer scored, and the points for that heat race are taken away. A track crewmember will have a conversation with the offending driver to make sure they understand what they did wrong. This is to also get confirmation from the disqualified competitor that the offense will not happen again.

5. Blue or Blue w/Orange Stripe means move over. This flag is displayed when a front runner is lapping a competitor. If a competitor is slow enough to be lapped we display this flag to tell them of the approaching faster traffic so they can allow room for the leader to easily pass. This is done so that slower lapped traffic doesn't weigh into the outcome of the race.

6. White means one more lap left in the race.

7. Checkered means the race is over. If you were the first one to the flag, the checkered also means you were victorious. You will see the race winners coming around at the end of the race to receive the checkered flag so they can do a victory lap!

We alluded to some of the flags that would be used to indicate that a restart of a race would be done. Here is some information:

1. If at the end of the first lap a yellow flag is waved, karters we will slow down and line up on the starting oval, single file, for a restart. We race back to the yellow, and these laps count. As the competitors involved in the traffic snarl get back to the start/finish line they are scored and this order determines the restart order. We use this option when we have first lap trouble over a complete restart when one of two things happens. If we feel that a complete restart will get us the same result due to emotions being high among our competitors, we'll think of everyone's safety first, and use the single file restart option. The other instance in which we will use this option involves competitors creating their own problems. Our track crew may feel certain that they saw the people that caused the problem become involved in the spin or accident, and they are the ones who should be penalized with a restart from the rear. This may seem unfair, but at least the people involved in whatever happened are caught up to the rear of the field, as they could have been a half a lap behind had the track remained under green.

2. If the flagman is displaying the yellow flag we will have a complete restart. This may be the option chosen by the track crew because the melee that ensued involved most of the karts. Or the track crew might not know who was responsible for the problem. It is typical that several small accidents are occurring that turn into one real big one. If you are reading this paper never having seen a race, please don't get the idea that all we do is crash and injure people. These first lap skirmishes are pretty mild and usually only result in spin outs, or people driving through the grass, or maybe two karts are stopped on the track because they became tangled in a slow corner. We may also know who is responsible for the sudden change in counter clockwise traffic flow, and they have come out with a several position gain, while several fellow competitors have become collateral damage. We may then do a complete restart with the offending driver put to the back of the line-up. We don't always choose the complete restart solution when there is a first lap problem, especially if we know that the perpetrator got bogged down in the mess. We do this because we don't want to be so consistent that someone can build a race strategy based on our restart policy. For example, if we threw a red and yellow restart flag every time that all the karts didn't get through the first lap without any problems, we'd tell some karters that a kamikaze start is okay. If you try to pass the whole class on the first turn and manage to create an incident, no problem, because the flagman will just line us up for another kamikaze attempt. The potential kamikazes in the crowd need to know that they may be left off the track watching the race rather than given another chance to roll the dice. This also leads to safer starts, and a race program that doesn't take all day to run.

3. If a mid-race incident occurs we will use either the yellow or the red flag in isolation to either slow or stop the karts for a single file restart. If the race is more than half over when a red flag condition occurs, the race may be called complete.

We try to teach all new racers what the 'rules of the road' are, because they apply in practice as well as during a race. 'Rules of the road' are an outgrowth of both common courtesy and sportsmanship. Strict adherence to the, 'rules of the road', are demanded of all drivers so that a safe place to practice and race exists. Here are a few of them.

1. Always drive a straight line, don't zig zag. When you aren't driving a straight line you are blocking, and that is against the rules. If you aren't fast enough to keep the person behind you maybe you should let them go by and learn something from following them. Sometimes some unintentional blocking goes on when we have beginners involved. Often our pintsize drivers steer in the direction they look. If another kart pulls up along side, and the pint size racer looks over at them, inadvertently the pint size racer steers in the direction that they are looking. This usually results in a collision. Not typically life threatening, but a good way to bend wheel rims and make mom real nervous!

2. No bumping or pushing. In open wheel racing there is casual contact, but intentional contact is not allowed. It is sometimes hard to tell the two apart. This is one of the challenges that the race director, flagman, and corner workers face. If it is determined that someone is bumping or running into someone else on purpose, they will be disqualified, or black-flagged. This is done for two reasons. Most bumping or pushing is an accident waiting to happen, and certainly not a sportsman like way to compete. It is harder and takes more skill to pass a fellow competitor without first hitting him. The good racers aspire to pass in this matter. FKA also has an excellent safety record that we work hard to preserve by keeping the rough driving out of our races. The funny thing is that the two drivers bumping on the track usually aren't nearly as excited as the pit crews get while watching. When a discussion by rival race teams ensues in the pit, diplomacy is usually lost and then neither team has any fun. Another reason your race crew is thumbs down on rough driving.

3. When is it okay to overtake in a corner? Experience and good judgment will help the seasoned karter avoid trouble with another competitor in a corner. For the beginner, we try to convince them that unless they are clearly alongside or ahead of the person they are trying to overtake, they should concede the corner to the other person. Now you'll see karters race through corners side-by-side. The rules regarding who has the right to the corner exist to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. If a competitor manages to get his front wheels just past the rear wheels of the racer in front, and then they enter the corner in this fashion, the person in front may never know that he has company close behind. Our two karters turn the corner, if the front wheel and the back wheel of the opposite karts make contact the person in front can be flipped upside down.

4. No "paybacks". Human nature says that if you've been wronged you get even, right? Not. Getting even right there and then seems like a fair enough policy, but the problem is that usually the guy that just rammed you from behind may have had help doing it, or did it completely by accident, or wasn't even the person who did it! After all, the driver fixing to retaliate didn't see what happened in most cases, he just felt it. So the violated driver sets about getting even and the next thing you know someone is run off the track, or the two now engaged in a rolling battle end up on top of each other. This isn't good for obvious safety reasons, but also because we now have good opportunity for someone to get mad, and emotional, and ugly. That's why the race crew makes decisions on who should be disciplined, if anybody.