The topic of Go-Karting may seem a little bit outside the scope of interests for say, the baby boomer generation. But, if the truth be known, many older adults are finding that Go-Karts offer a brilliant recreational outlet. One enthusiast is Jay Leno, who is 59 as of this writing. What child doesn’t yearn to drive? You might just want to consider participating in this ideal sport for the entire family, if you’re a boomer with children or a grandparent with grandkids. If you want to spend some quality time with your children or grandkids, you might want to consider this.
Because these cars started out as kids‘ toys, many people think that go karts are just for children. It’s no surprise that many people aren’t aware that older adults can have a good deal of fun on go karts, when you take into account their small size and the unconventional spelling. With karts capable of going as fast as sixty miles an hour, go karting is a great deal more popular among adults, although there are junior leagues.
That kind of speed doesn’t feel very fast if you’re driving a car on the interstate, but just try it in a go kart, and you’ll see how fast sixty miles per hour can really be. There’s no enclosed cabin to keep you from feeling the wind in a kart, no suspension, no windshield. In addition, the bottom of a kart is only a few inches from the ground, so you’ll feel every change in the pavement. Travelling at top speed in a go kart feels much faster than the same speed in a Formula 1 racer, even professional racers say.
Corporate outings are turning increasingly to go karting. Some go kart tracks do mostly corporate business, with sessions focused on leadership development, staff motivation and team building. These corporate events are dedicated to the metaphor of racing, and even business professionals get to cut loose and hit the track in a go kart. Karting is, the reality is, quite possibly the fastest growing motor sport.
With kart ownership costing as much as a small car, dedicated go karting can be pricey. High end go karts can cost over ten thousand dollars and hit highway speeds, making it clear that they’re not just for children. This variety of racing kart is used only on large outdoor tracks. Indoor karts are used on smaller tracks and generally go only about forty miles per hour.
Having said that, the turns and twists on a commercial go kart track can make even that seem a great deal faster – it’s like a roller coaster that you can control. Something that could be hazardous at top speeds is knocking wheels on a tight track, and indoor karts have more safety features, such as steel buffers to prevent this.
Adults who would like to try driving go karts can just walk into a track, and pay for a session – usually about thirty to forty dollars. Since these karts are a lot more powerful than ones driven by children, 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.
If you’ve been thinking that go karting is just for children, think again. This is a great sport that can be experienced by all. Many grownups are having a lot of fun, getting back into go karting.
