Karting - Fad or Phenomenon?

Karting - Fad or Phenomenon?

by Kart Marketing Group, Inc.

Publication Date: September 1998

Where and when did Go-Karting begin? In 1956, a string of events caused thousands of surplus 2-cycle engines to materialize on the market and it was only natural that someone would find a use for them. The use: a miniature car, and the person credited with the first recorded adaption was Art Ingels.

Ingels was familiar with racing as he was an old time "hot rodder" and an employee of a famous racing chassis manufacturer in southern California. He was involved with Indy car design and production from 1951 to 1958.

Late in 1956, Ingels acquired one of the surplus engines, a 2.5-HP light weight West Bend brand. Soon thereafter he designed and built a simple tubular steel chassis, added some semi-pneumatic tires, a bicycle chain and the first "go-kart" was invented.

He was amazed at what he had built and how quickly it moved across the "test" parking lot, but did he know what he had started? No, not yet! He just had a fun machine that he, his family and friends could enjoy.

As you might imagine, Art was besieged with questions when he drove the little vehicle through the parking lots and alleys in Glendale, CA. "Where can we get one?", "How much does it cost?" and the like. Because of the interest in the little car, Art foresaw potential sales for the unit and felt he could produce and sell them for about $150.00.

In 1957, another auto racer from the same area, Duffy Livingstone, built another version of Ingels' miniature car. After experiencing the same enthusiasm in the Rose Bowl parking lot that Ingels did during his "test" period, he and a partner investigated manufacturing the vehicle and marketing it.

Later in the summer of 1957, Rod and Custom magazine heard about the little car and wanted to do an article on it. At that time there were approximately 30 vehicles in existence. After writing the story, the Rod and Custom editors needed a title, so they elected to call the tiny motorized creations "go-karts" - after the name "go-cart" originally defined as a baby carriage as far back as 1689. The term stuck and go-karting was off and running. Soon after, Livingstone and his partner formed Go Kart Manufacturing Company and began shipping do-it-yourself kits.

Watching the sales soar at Go Kart Manufacturing Co., Ingels and a partner, Lou Borelli, formed a partnership and built their own version which they named Carettas. The sport was on its way!

Go kart racing began shortly thereafter and it soon realized that some governing body must be organized to set standards for chassis design and set racing rules. All different shapes and sizes were being built out of various materials. Some were built from water pipe, some with three wheels, some with huge wheels, some with tiny. There were karts with wheelbase and tread dimensions nearly equal or very long and narrow. Every manufacturer had what they thought was the best design, safe or not.

In December 1957, the first kart club was organized: The Go Kart Club of America. Chassis requirements were set, classes organized to pit equal against equal. Safe, organized kart racing had begun.

By 1960, a few short years later, there were over 100 kart manufacturers in the United States alone with many others in Europe, South America, Australia, etc. There were all shapes, designs and materials used to build karts or go-karts as they were still known then, but they all had one thing in common; they were there at the beginning of the fad...no, the phenomenon called GO KARTING!

The affordable motorsport has brought enjoyment and pleasure to millions the world over and continues to do so today!

In 1995, there were an estimated 80,000 kart racers and literally millions of fun karters in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Worldwide, the numbers are staggering. The latest U.S. statistics available indicate that in 1994 nearly 20,000,000 people drove concession or rental karts. Other estimates disclose that nearly 125,000 fun karts are sold annually as well as thousands of racing chassis. The world's most popular motorsport? You bet!

Karting has also produced many outstanding NASCAR, SCCA and Indy drivers as well as many European champions, with many more working their way through the ranks. Dream of driving the auto racing circuit at Indianapolis, Daytona or Road America? If so you should "Start In A Kart!"