The subject of Go-Karting may seem a little outside the scope of interests for say, the baby boomer generation. But, if the truth be known, many older adults are discovering that Go-Karts offer an excellent recreational outlet. One fan is Jay Leno, who is 59 as of this writing. What child doesn’t yearn to drive? If you’re a boomer with children or a grandparent with grandkids, you might just want to consider participating in this ideal sport for the entire family. If you want to spend some quality time with your youngsters or grandchildren, you might want to give this some thought.
Many people think that go karts are just for children. That’s most likely because these cars started out as kids’ toys. Add their small size and the unconventional spelling, and it’s no surprise that many people don’t know that older adults can have a great deal of fun on go karts. With karts capable of going as fast as sixty miles an hour, go karting is considerably more in demand among adults, although there are junior leagues.
Only try it in a go kart, and you’ll see how fast sixty miles per hour can really be, even if that kind of speed doesn’t feel very fast if you’re driving a car on the interstate. There’s no suspension in a kart, no windshield, and no enclosed cabin to keep you from feeling the wind. Furthermore, you’ll feel every change in the pavement, since the bottom of a kart is only a few inches from the ground. Even professional racers say going top speed in a go kart feels much faster than the same speed in a Formula 1 racer.
Corporate outings are turning much more to go karting. Some go kart tracks do mostly corporate business, with sessions focused on staff motivation, leadership development and team building. These corporate events are committed to the metaphor of racing, and even business professionals get to cut loose and hit the track in a go kart. In reality, karting is most likely the fastest growing motor sport.
Serious go karting can be pricey, with kart ownership costing as much as a small car. This clearly is not only for children - high end go karts can cost over ten thousand dollars and hit highway speeds. Indoor karts are used on smaller tracks and generally go only about forty miles per hour, while high end racing karts are used only on large outdoor tracks.
Then again, the turns and twists on a commercial go kart track can make even that seem considerably faster - it’s like a roller coaster that you can control. Indoor karts also have more safety features, such as steel buffers to keep cars from knocking wheels on a tight track - something that could be dangerous at high speeds.
Adults who are curious about driving go karts can just walk into a track, and pay for a session - usually around thirty to forty dollars. Since these karts are a lot more powerful than kids go-karts, they’ll have to wear protective clothing and go through a safety talk. There are even adult racing leagues at most tracks, allowing kart enthusiasts to race against one another. Each lap takes about twenty seconds, and an average race is fifteen laps.
Think again, if you’ve been thinking that go karting is only for kids. This is an excellent sport that can be appreciated by anyone. Many grownups are having a lot of fun, rediscovering go karting.