Go Karts: Racing Vehicles for all Ages

Go karts may be seen by many as toys, especially since even children and teenagers can ride in them. But go karts in fact, are one of the trendiest types of racing vehicles today. The word go kart refers to any small motor, four-wheeled car, with a framework that has an open design. Go karts, like race cars are used for racing. "Go kart racing" or "karting" is the term used for this kind of sport.

Since they are designed for almost all ages, not all go karts are very high-equipped. Go karts come in different varieties, starting from the basic, motor less karts, up to those which are designed for high-performance, competitive racing.

A soap-box cart, or a "billy kart" is very famous among children, and is probably the oldest type of go kart available. This is the motor less type of go karts. The soap-box cart is simply a box, usually wooden, with four wheels attached to its sides. They are often seen being raced down hills, since they rely on gravity for their acceleration.

In contrast to soap-box carts, the more modern, motorized go karts have powerful, built-in complex engines. They are the ones which are popularly seen and used today for racing, and make use of fuels and power supply, such as electric motors, alcohol fuel and propane. There are motorized go karts which come with two-stroke engines, and some which have four-stroke go engines. These can race as fast as 15 horsepower up to above 90 horsepower.

The great thing about go karts is that they can be very versatile and can be raced in a lot of situations, including dirt roads, ice tracks and custom-made surfaces. Ice tracks may not be very common, but for this kind of surface, spiked tires are often used for better friction.

Go karts has evolved from just being toys. It is used in a timeless sport which is still being done and enjoyed by many today.