An early form of go-karting appeared in the United States in the 1950s. Americans mounted the engine of a lawn mower on an iron frame and added four wheels to make a simple go-kart.

People began to race go-karts, and this miniature racing sport came to be known as “karting.” In 1956, American Art Ingis built and mass-produced the first go-kart, allowing more people to experience the charm of racing.

Ingis launched the first mass-produced go-kart, which quickly became popular in the United States and Europe. A variety of makes and models appeared on the market, but with simple structures and few differences. A few karts adopted unique designs, such as suspension systems or front-mounted engines, but did not change the dominant position of traditional karts.

Popular Karting Events

Toy karting is gradually becoming popular among adults, and numerous races have sprung up in Europe and the United States, but the lack of uniform standards and rules has led to confusion. In order to standardize the development, CIK-FIA was established in 1962 by FIA Chairman Ballester.

After the establishment of the FIA Karting Commission, uniform rules and technical standards were formulated to promote karting. 1978 saw the reorganization of the Commission and a new era of karting. Due to the improved safety and low driving skill requirements, coupled with the relatively low cost, karting developed rapidly.

European Karting Championship

The European Karting Championship is a globally recognized event that has been held for 48 years since 1972 and has produced many Formula 1 drivers including Schumacher, Hamilton and Button. The championship consists of 16 races throughout the year, mainly in Europe, but also in Asia, such as the 2012 races in Japan and Macau, China.

World Karting Championship

Organized by the CIK-FIA, the World Karting Championship has been held annually since 1964 and is the top event in the field. Since 2011, the competition has been expanded to five rounds, each held in a different country. 1978 saw the debut of Ayrton Senna for Brazil, who started his racing legend by finishing sixth and fourth in the French Le Mans and Japanese Grand Prix respectively. In addition to the World Championship, there are also karting championships in Germany, England and other countries, which have trained many outstanding young drivers.

Competition class karts

In the 1980s, the karting championship used 135cc Formula K karts. 2007 saw the introduction of KF1 karts with electronic starters and clutches, limited to 125cc at 16,000 rpm, replacing Formula A. In 2010, the competition switched to KF2 karts. FIA License B or A. KF2 is a World Class High category, requiring drivers to have a CIK-FIA License B and be at least 16 years old. Super Kart is equipped with a 250cc engine, with a maximum horsepower of about 90hp and a top speed of about 250km/h. It is usually equipped with a spoiler to improve stability.