You might not expect the baby boomer generation to be very much interested in the topic of Go-Karting. But, if the truth be known, many older adults are discovering that Go-Karts offer a fantastic recreational outlet. Jay Leno, who’s 59 as of this writing, is an enthusiast. What kid isn’t excited at the prospect of driving? If you’re a boomer with adolescents or a grandparent with grandchildren, you might just want to consider participating in this ideal sport for the entire family. You might want to give this some thought, if you want to spend some high quality time with your kids or grandkids.
Many people think that go karts are just for children. That’s most likely because these cars started out as children’s toys. It’s no surprise that many people aren’t aware that older adults can have a lot of fun on go karts, when you consider their small size and the unconventional spelling. With karts capable of travelling as fast as sixty miles an hour, go karting is a great deal more popular with 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 sort of speed doesn’t feel very fast if you are 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. Plus, the bottom of a kart is only a few inches from the ground, so you’ll feel every change in the pavement. Even professional racers say going top speed in a go kart feels much faster than the same speed in a Formula 1 racer.
Go karts are becoming popular with adults in all kinds of settings, even including corporate outings. With sessions focused on staff motivation, leadership development and team building, some go kart tracks do mostly corporate business. Even business professionals get to cut loose and hit the track in a go kart, with these corporate events committed to the metaphor of racing. The truth is, karting is most likely the fastest growing motor sport.
With kart ownership costing as much as a small car, serious go karting can be costly. This clearly is not only for children – high end go karts can cost more than ten thousand dollars and hit highway speeds. This kind of racing kart is used only on large outdoor tracks. Indoor karts are used on smaller tracks and usually go only about forty miles per hour.
Even so, the twists and turns 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. Indoor karts also have more safety features, like steel buffers to keep cars from knocking wheels on a tight track – something that could be hazardous at high speeds.
Adults who are interested in driving go karts can just walk into a track, and pay for a session – usually around thirty to forty dollars. However, they’ll have to wear protective clothing and go through a safety talk, since these karts are a lot more powerful than go-karts for kids. It’s also possible for kart enthusiasts to compete against one another, with adult racing leagues at most tracks. A normal race is fifteen laps, with each lap taking about twenty seconds.
If you’ve been thinking that go karting is only for children, think again. This is an excellent sport that can be experienced by anyone. Many grownups are having a lot of fun, rediscovering go karting.
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March 12, 2010
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