History of Go Karts
Go karting all started from California Art Ingels. In the 1950's it seemed like everyone had a go kart. There were usually a go kart track in every little town. Some of the tracks were no more than a path in a field. By the 1960's tracks went away because there were very few interested. There were no sanctioning bodies that cared to control the cost of the racing programs. Manufacturers of go-karts and engines were as numerous as the early days of the automobile industry. By the 1970's kart design evolved to something similar to current day karts with engines mounted on the side rather than the rear. This allowed for better air cooling of engines and positioning of drivers so their knees weren’t in their chins. Briggs & Stratton engines began the long climb to becoming the dominant source of horsepower for American go-karting. We also saw the introduction of the Yamaha karting engine in the late 1970s. When the 1980's came around, sanctioning bodies started to stabilize with World Karting Association (WKA) east of the Mississippi River and International Kart Federation (IKF) governing west of the Mississippi.
Many different forms of go-karting were becoming recognized and formalized. Some different types are, but are not limited to, Oval racing done on dirt, asphalt and indoors in the winter months. Finally, when the 1990's came go kart racing goes pro and becomes one of the most popular racing sport.
Go karting all started from California Art Ingels. In the 1950's it seemed like everyone had a go kart. There were usually a go kart track in every little town. Some of the tracks were no more than a path in a field. By the 1960's tracks went away because there were very few interested. There were no sanctioning bodies that cared to control the cost of the racing programs. Manufacturers of go-karts and engines were as numerous as the early days of the automobile industry. By the 1970's kart design evolved to something similar to current day karts with engines mounted on the side rather than the rear. This allowed for better air cooling of engines and positioning of drivers so their knees weren’t in their chins. Briggs & Stratton engines began the long climb to becoming the dominant source of horsepower for American go-karting. We also saw the introduction of the Yamaha karting engine in the late 1970s. When the 1980's came around, sanctioning bodies started to stabilize with World Karting Association (WKA) east of the Mississippi River and International Kart Federation (IKF) governing west of the Mississippi.
Many different forms of go-karting were becoming recognized and formalized. Some different types are, but are not limited to, Oval racing done on dirt, asphalt and indoors in the winter months. Finally, when the 1990's came go kart racing goes pro and becomes one of the most popular racing sport.