Most modern Formula One drivers, including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, and Max Verstappen, have begun their racing careers in karting.

A veteran hot rodder and a race car builder at Kurtis Kraft, he built the first kart in Southern California in 1956.

The best chassis allow for stiffening bars at the rear, front and side to be added or removed according to race conditions.

Shifter karts have dual master cylinders, one for the front and one for the rear, and are adjustable to allow for front/rear bias changes.

Emmick, Coyote, Bandit, Shadow, MGM, Titan, PRC and Margay are American companies producing kart chassis.

This is achieved by designing the chassis so that the inside rear tire lifts up slightly when the kart turns the corner.

Tires can support cornering forces in excess of 2 g (20 m/s²), depending on chassis, engine, and motor setup.

There are also specific kart tire manufacturers, which include MG, Vega, MOJO, LeCont, Cobra, Hoosier and Burris.

As a free-time activity, it can be performed by almost anybody, and as a motorsport in itself, it is one of the sports regulated by FIA (under the name of CIK), permitting licensed racing for anyone from the age of 8 onward.

The sprint format is a series of short-duration races, normally for a small number of laps, that qualify for a final which last 20 minutes or more, with a variety of point scoring calculations to determine the event's overall winner.

National level karting takes place across North America in dedicated national series like the SKUSA Pro Tour Archived 22 July 2024 at the Wayback Machine, the USPKS Championship Series, WKA Manufacturers Cup and the ROK Cup USA.

Sprint racing can be held at a dedicated purpose-built track (most of which also rent club karts for family fun), and sprint races are also held at kart tracks that exist at many major auto sports complexes like Daytona International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Pittsburgh International Race Complex, NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Road America.

Sprint races are also held at temporary kart circuits that can be built in parking areas at large stadiums and casinos throughout the United States.

[20] This race has taken place since 1986 and its winners list include four-time Champ Car champion Sébastien Bourdais (in 1996).

Speedway racing takes place on asphalt or clay oval tracks which are normally between 1/10-mile and 1/4-mile long.

"Offset" kart chassis have been developed for precise handling and adjustability in left-turn-only racing competition taking place on oval and tri-oval tracks.

NatSKA is a budget karting association set up for schools and youth groups in the UK, with 13 classes.

In the United States, Dirt oval classes[citation needed] (which often use Briggs & Stratton industrial engines) are prominent in the Southeast and Midwest.

[citation needed] In particular, 125cc shifter karts using Honda CR125 power units have gained tremendous popularity in recent years.

[27] For their safety, kart drivers are required to wear proper equipment:[28] Rib protector, racing balaclava and neck brace, although highly recommended, are optional in most countries.

[30] Many Formula One drivers grew up racing karts, most prominent among them being World Champions Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen.

Many NASCAR drivers also got their start in racing from karts, such as Darrell Waltrip, Danica Patrick, Ricky Rudd, Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon.

In August 2009, in anticipation to a possible return to F1 with Ferrari, Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher did some preparation driving a kart in Lonato, Italy.

[31] Schumacher also raced at the SKUSA SuperNationals, an event taking place each year in Las Vegas, along with F1 drivers Sébastien Buemi and Nelson Piquet Jr.[32] Felipe Massa also used karting in September 2009 to test his condition in Brazil, two months after his Hungarian Grand Prix accident during qualifying.