Kart racing

The modern kart was invented by Art Ingels, a fabricator at the legendary Indianapolis car manufacturer Kurtis Kraft, in Southern California in 1956. Ingels took a small chainsaw engine and mounted it to a simple tube frame chassis weighing less than 100 lb. Ingels, and everyone else who drove the kart, were startled at its performance capabilities. The sport soon blossomed in Southern California, and quickly spread around the world. Although often seen as the entry point for serious racers into the sport, kart racing, or karting, can be an economical way for amateurs to try racing and is also a fully fledged international sport in its own right. A large proportion of professional racing drivers began in karts, often from a very young age, such as Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. Several former motorcycle champions have also taken up the sport, notably Wayne Rainey, who was paralysed in a racing accident and now races a hand controlled kart. As one of the cheapest ways to race, karting is seeing its popularity grow worldwide.