is Go Kart Racing Expensive?

If you’re approaching the world of go kart racing for the first time, you will have noticed that prices can vary widely depending on the level of professionalism involved.

Why Is go kart racing so expensive?

It actually is really expensive. Professional kart racing is one of the most expensive sports together with horse racing.

That’s because you’ll have to pay for all the expensive equipment as well as mechanics, driver coaches and engine tuners.

All those expenses will add up to the tens of thousands of dollars for just a handful of races.

One of the main reasons for these inflated prices is the need for a proper place to race these karts at their fullest potential.

If you’re going to put yourself through months of training and sheer excitement every time you go out to race that kart, then the premium prices are definitely worth it.

Professional go kart racing expense list:

You can either go to rental karts and race for fun or instead spend a large sum in funding your professional go karting career.

If you’re serious about it you’ll have to include plenty of things into your budget including:

  • Purchasing the go kart ($4k-7k)

  • Buying new tires every race ($220)

  • Renting a professional engine ($1000)

  • Paying for a mechanic (minimum $200 a day)

  • Paying the track entry fee (around $80 a day)

  • Paying for the race registration fee (about $500)

All these things obviously add up and at the end of the day, it does get pretty expensive.

Especially considering that if you’re planning to race multiple times a year your budget could skyrocket considerably.

How much does go kart racing cost annually?

If you’re planning to race once a month, your costs may range from $16000 – $35000 a year, though if you’re planning to race almost every week, then the price might shoot up to $200k a year.

I know those numbers look insane though you’ll have to realized that that’s the price you pay for giving a shot for yourself, or for your kid, to F1 or Indycar.

Are there Affordable racing solutions?

Okay so what if you want to try racing, but can’t afford one of these premium racing programs?

The good news is that there are some ways to get into the racing world without spending that much, though you’ll have to make some sacrifices.

If you want to race with less expenses, there are rental karting facilities around where you can pay the lower entry fee and race with similarly skilled drivers.

You can do that or you can take part in amateur races where you’d only need a few hundred dollars to take part at the whole competition instead of 5-7k for professional races.

It really depends on how each person finances, but you don’t have to give up on the whole experience because of the price.

To sum up:

So here are the most important points from the article:

Racing karts is expensive due to the expensive equipment and mechanics involved.

If you’re planning to race as an amatuer, you only need to budget for the go kart and entry fee.

If you’re planning on racing more frequently on a professional level, then I’m afraid you’ll have to look for some sponsors since it will be extremely expensive.

If you want to race on a lower budget, But still have the same amount of fun, there are rental karting facilities or some amateur races you can take part in.

With this, I hope that I managed to give you a good insight of the whole go kart racing situation.

I hope you enjoyed the read and will see you next time!