[bozla]

Hi,

My name is Alex. I'm from the UK but due to work I moved to Japan this year. I wanted to start kart racing this year so after a few months of renting I finally bought an Intrepid cruiser, and am racing in the SL series in Kansai. (Well, not racing actually - After 30 laps in my new kart I broke my ribs! so am currently sidelined...)

I couldn't help but notice the amount of tracks in Japan but how little activity there is from people in Japan on the forum. If there is anyone you know (especially Kansai) please let them know I'm here!

Thanks.

Alex

[Guyana Racer]

I'm Alex Power. Im from Guyana, south America and am about to get into karting. Im just 16 and love the sport. I wouldve been in it alot sooner but karting has just become a big thing here. I drive a friend's kart sometimes, a KT100 on an arrow. Did quite well for my third time on a non-rental. Pulled a 36.02 when the track record is 33.58.
Just looking into a karting society to talk to and help solve problems wit my kart to be.

[ithunk]

hi karting enthusiast from singapore....

[gail47k]

Hi, my name is Gail. I'm from the UK but I'm working in Kuala Lumpur. My 10 year old son started racing in the UK last year and is very enthusiastic about resuming here. What tracks/series are there here and who are the best people to contact?

[JohnKing6]

Hi Gail, I'm involved in a team and also some of the race organisation but I'll try and be unbiased as possible. Some of the others can correct any mistake / biases I put in:

Tracks: There's 3 tracks in KL - Shah Alam, Elite Speedway Plus and Sepang. Shah Alam is used mainly for fun kart events, the other two are certified for sanctioned events.

Series. There's 4 series worth knowing about:
my-Kart. This is an "amateur" group of enthusiastic drivers that organise events about once a month, normally using rental karts in Shah Alam. This is very much the best 1st step for a complete novice and a pretty good way to learn. They do allow kids to race but I'm not sure what the minimum age is. See www.my-kart.org or their section in the forum.
Yamaha SL Cup. This series uses Yamaha KT100 SEC (electric start) engines. This year, the 5 race series was all at Sepang but there are plans to change it to more track in 2010. For this (and the other series below) you'll need to buy your own chassis (used = RM4000+, new = RM11,000 or so). New engines are RM6500, good used ones RM4000. The same engine is used in cadet, junior and senior with a very simple restrictor to change between them.
KKS Malaysian Championship. This was a 4 race series split between Elite and Sepang this year. For cadets, you can use the same chassis/engine as the SL Cup
Rotax Max Challenge. This uses Rotax Micro-Max engines for cadets. A new one will cost around RM10,000 with the special restrictor, exhaust and radiator needed for the Micro-Max class but the engine can later be used as a Junior when your son reaches 12/13. This is also a 5 race series and 4 of these races also form an "Asian" challenge. One round of the Asian challenge has been held in Indonesia but the announced plans for 2010 show only rounds in Malaysia.

In general terms, the best series for the younger and less experience kids is the SL Cup with the option of using the same equipment in KKS. For the 15/16 year old bracket, RMC offers a higher standard and challenge.

Of course, the cost of buying the karts is only the start of the expenses. For SL Cup/KKS, you need to budget between RM2500 and RM3500 per race for services, tyres etc. For RMC you need to budget more because it's a 3 day programme rather than the 2 days of the other 2 and the engines are more costly to maintain.

You probably need to get someone to store, maintain and run the kart for you. There's a number of teams/mechanics who will do this for you, all charging similar amounts although how it's packaged can be very different and some of the bigger teams are restrictive on what series they support.

I'm based at Elite SPC which is just off the Elite Highway leading to KLIA at USJ and there pretty much every day unless we're practicing/racing somewhere. If you want to meet up sometime, drop me a PM and I'll arrange a meeting with you

[James Leong]

I think John has summed up very nicely what series there are available to offer. However, I beg to differ that he said the Rotax Max engines cost more to maintain. If I am not mistaken the Yamaha engines cost even more as they are more liable to seizures, the need to change carb diaphrams more often and a need to change pistons/rings to get a better power band unlike the Max engines which BRP swears that you can use it for 52 hours before any changes in hobby mode.

If you want optimum power in any engine, you must be prepared to pay for it. Therefore, it is not right to say that maintenance cost is high for this engine or that engine. It is only costly if you want to race the engine and run it to the highest level. Otherwise, it is a cheap engine to run as can be seen in UUM where the Rotax engines they use for hobby and rental has lasted for over a year!

James Leong

[chefyong]

Hi there. I am Manuel , originally from Manila now based in Toronto. I've always been interested in motorsports but never got into it.

Use to be with BMW Canada, now with a Law Firm.

[Iceman]

Hey guys & girls too (if any here)...ngee..well i took up karting long2 time a o but have to stop b'coz of sum financial issue...well now things are picking up for me i'm into his sport again...i do my carting at Permas Karting Club at the moment (using the house kart) but hopping to get y own kart soon..well hope u guys could guide me thru the process to get a good and well equip kart for fun and entering races..... Oh yea i'm located in Jb ..is anyone hre located in jb....?

[Bolt]

Hi all, I race in the Yamaha KT100SC class at a club level, and is a lot of fun here in the US. Glad to be here .....

[pinkypink]

Hello everyone!

I'm Cheryl Tay from Singapore am a freelance motoring writer and always keen on any exciting news/stories that you may have! am happy to see the karting scene in Singapore picking up recently..

[mlange]

Hello everyone!

I'm Cheryl Tay from Singapore am a freelance motoring writer and always keen on any exciting news/stories that you may have! am happy to see the karting scene in Singapore picking up recently..

hi Cheryl,

I've met your colleague Tony recently in one of our KartingSingapore events. Welcome to the forum.

[Trident]

Hi All,

I'm Julius Milla from the Philippines. New to Karting (just 3 weekends ago) though always been a Motorsports Fan - Formula1 to be exact. Got a Tony Kart Racer EVS with a Vortex ROK 125 engine -> no broken bones yet!

When I'm not Karting, I'm into Airsoft as an Assault Pointman in an SAS inspired Tactical Squad (...1st one to get shot!) Airsoft is a more popular hobby in our country. Supressed agression ..? Hmmn...

To get the buck to spend, I'm an IT Professional doing Oracle consulting providing ERP implementation for small to large organizations. This is my alter-ego!

Thanks.

[Siperp]

Hi,

My name is Paul, I'm from Holland. I will be moving to Japan soon, and I was wondering if anyone knows about races/championships that are open to everyone. I'm interested in participating in such races (I'm thinking of smaller scale races). I have searched the internet for such events but most of them are top class, where someone just can't join whenever he wants to I guess.



Cheers,

Paul

[johanropi]

Hi There,

I'm Johan from JB..I've started karting for last two weekends. I had a good ride on my friends comer engiune..and i think am hooked to it and about to start it seriously.

Am so keen to use rotax engine, and feel free to anyone of you to pm me if you guys wanna sell your carts or giving me an advice to start in a proper manner.

[RaidenGear]

Hi everyone

Stumbled upon this forum while looking for more information on karting . I am residing in singapore right now and looking for place to go for some karting. Any recommendations?