The following is a list of kart racing championships.
The following is a list of kart racing championships.
Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size motorsport circuits. Karting is commonly perceived as the stepping stone to the higher ranks of motorsports, with most Formula One drivers—including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, and Max Verstappen—having begun their careers in karting.
OK-Junior is a kart racing class for top drivers aged 11 to 15.
KF2, is a kart racing class for top drivers aged 14 and up.
Superkart is a form of motorsport road racing that uses karts on long circuits. The bigger difference between a superkart and most other forms of kart is that they have full aerodynamic bodykits, as well as having a longer wheel base than sprint chassis, and are generally raced on car circuits over 1,500 metres in length. The power unit, most often but not exclusively two-stroke 250 cc engines, can be specially designed kart engines or production motorcycle engines with either five- or six-speed sequential manual gearboxes. Owing to their high top speed and superb cornering ability, a superkart's aerodynamic bodywork includes a front fairing, larger sidepods, and a rear wing. They use either 130-or-150-millimetre-diameter tires and wheels and most often race on full size auto-racing circuits.
The Karting World Championship is a kart racing competition organised by the CIK-FIA. It is held annually since 1964, and is karting's flagship event. The FIA created the CIK in 1962. The Current President of the Championship is former Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa.
The Commission Internationale de Karting is the primary international sanctioning body for kart racing. It was founded in 1962, and is headquartered in Paris, France. In 2000, it joined with the FIA. Its most important event is the Karting World Championship.
KZ1 is a kart racing class using 125 cc water-cooled two-stroke engines yielding approximately 46–50 hp (34–37 kW), equipped with a six-speed gearbox. KZ1 is the fastest of the KZ karting racing categories, and technical regulations are similar to KZ2 except that KZ1 allows for the gearbox to be either manual or electro-mechanical as well as the wise use of soft tires. Both engines and chassis must be approved by the CIK-FIA racing governing commission. It is open to top drivers aged 15 and over. Minimum weight is 170 kg (370 lb), this includes the kart and driver. They can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3 seconds. KZ1 has a top speed of 180 km/h (110 mph).
KZ2 is a kart racing class using 125 cc water-cooled two-stroke engines yielding about 52 hp (39 kW). The engines are equipped with a 6-speed gearbox. Z2 is the second fastest of the KZ karting racing categories, and technical regulations are similar to faster KZ1 except that in KZ2 the gearbox must be "hand-operated and exclusively mechanical without a servo system", as well as the use of medium tires. Both the engine and chassis must be approved by the CIK-FIA racing governing commission. The class is open to drivers aged 15 years and up with the minimum weight being 175 kg, this includes the kart and driver.
SWRD Ltd / Wright Karts is an English company founded by Simon Wright in 1978, manufacturing and racing racing kart chassis.
Armando Parente is a Portuguese racing driver. He won the 2008 ADAC Formel Masters season. Currently, he races in the Portuguese Championship of Sport Prototypes, teaming with Francisco Abreu, driving a Tattus PY 012 of Team Nova Driver.
Eftihios "Tio" Ellinas is a Cypriot race car driver. Ellinas began racing go-karts at the age of seven, and from 2003 - 2009 won 10 kart racing championships in Cyprus, in 2005 winning the ROK Cup International Final. He was the winner of Grand Prix Shootout in the UK in 2009 competing against 50 other top young drivers from all over the world.
KF1 is the top level of karting. It is open to drivers aged 15 and up.
An electric go-kart is a type of go-kart powered by electric motors and batteries or supercapacitors, as opposed to a traditional petrol engine.
Jack W. Hawksworth is a British professional racing driver from Bradford, West Yorkshire. As of 2020, he competes in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for AIM Vasser Sullivan. He also competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 1 Toyota Tundra for Tricon Garage.
Joey Hanssen is a Dutch racing driver. He currently races in the CIK Stars of Karting Series in the KZ2 class.
Beitske Visser is a Dutch racing driver. She has raced in kart, single-seater, GT and prototype series.
Madeline Stewart is a New Zealand racing driver competing in the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America series in 2023.
Aaron Cameron is an Australian racing driver, competing in the TCR Australia Series in the No. 18 Peugeot 308 TCR for Team Valvoline GRM.
The WSK Champions Cup is a European kart racing competition organised by the WSK. Its inaugural season took place in 2014. Today, the series holds championships in four: karting categories: KZ2, OK, OKJ and 60 Mini.
Rokas Baciuška is a professional rally driver from Lithuania. He has won the Lithuania Kart racing championship, the European Rallycross Championship in the Super1600 class, and the World Rally-Raid Championship in the T4 SSV class.