Tips
for building a safe and fun backyard kart track.
See
our disclaimer before beginning to
build your backyard track. These tips are based on personal experience
and should not be considered the ONLY criteria for building a
backyard track. Use your head, it's your backyard.
- The Golden Rule: THINK ABOUT IT!!!!
- Before building a backyard track, you need to ask yourself these
questions. Am I prepared to take full responsibility
for anything that goes wrong on my property? Am I prepared to
get sued? Do I want friends showing up unannounced to kart? Do
I want strangers showing up unannounced to kart? Can I black flag
my friend for rough driving? Can I enforce the rules? Are my neighbors
going to have a problem with the noise, dust, traffic, whole idea,
etc? Is my spouse going to benefit from a backyard track? It is
critical that you consider these issues and many more before beginning
to plan your track. If you answer "no" to many of these questions,
don't give up, you probably have a friend who answers "yes."
- GO VISIT TOWN HALL
- Before you even get your hopes up, you need to make sure that riding go karts in your back yard for fun is legal where you live. This requires a trip to town hall, or at least a call. It is your responsibility to find this out before you begin, but it is also to your advantage. To be well informed about your local land use rules will only make you more effective and convincing when discussing backyard karting.
- SAFETY FIRST
- Moving karts and immovable objects, such as trees, big rocks,
houses, utility poles, etc, do not mix well. When laying out your
track, steer clear of these types of objects. Any hard object
that MIGHT get hit should be padded thoroughly. Think about runoff
areas, you don't want someone to go wide on a slippery corner
and end up in a pond or the woods. Think about the safety of your
track in both directions, because you will run both ways and it
must be safe in either direction. Be especially aware of potential
dangers such as fences and other head high obstacles. Must importantly,
use common sense and don't hesitate to change a corner or straight
that you feel might pose a danger. Remember to incorporate a safe
pit lane and paddock area away from the flow of traffic.
- KEEP SPEEDS DOWN
- Sounds like a contradiction. We are building a racetrack and
you want to keep speeds DOWN? Yes, you do. Keeping the top speeds
on your track down will make your track much safer than allowing
top end running. It will make karters rely more on driving skill
than horsepower and weight. Lower top speeds will make engines
live longer, give better low end performance and allow you to
put beginners out on your track without worrying that they are
going to go too fast for their ability. A top speed of 30 miles
per hour is more condusive to fun, wheel to wheel racing than
50 MPH.
- DEFINE YOUR TRACK
- The more your track is defined by barriers, the safer, cleaner
and more competitive the racing will be. Used racing tires make
excellent barriers and can often be had in bulk for free at the
local circle track. Tractor trailer tires are heavy and difficult
to move, but serve well as apex markers than do not move. Pad
the tractor tire with some racing tires. IMPORTANT: Avoid using
road car tires or any tire that is less than 12" wide. Karts can
run up onto a thin tire and roll over. Avoid cones for the same
reason. Bails of hay work well as barriers but rot and fall apart
all over your track. They can be shrink wrapped and work quite
well for several years, though. Several companies offer plastic
barrier systems that are effective and pretty, but pricey.
- THE TRACK SURFACE
- The process of building your track can vary dramatically, depending
on the state of the land you are beginning with. Building a kart
track on a grass lawn is as easy as defining the corners, making
it safe, and go racing. The grass will turn to dirt in no time
and your track is born. If you are reclaiming woods, meadow or
prairie, some earth work will be necessary. It is critical to
remove all of the rocks and stones from your track surface. A
roto-tiller, harley-rake or box blade can be used to clean the
soil 6" deep of rocks and roots. The track can be compacted by
any heavy vehicle and various objects work well when dragged behind
a tractor or vehicle to smooth the surface. The better the track
surface is, the more fun your racing will be, so spend some time
getting it right.
- GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS
- It would be a shame to go through the effort of building a backyard
track, only to have your neighbors get upset about it. Consider
them when you lay out your track, and if you think that a well
placed privacy fence will make everyone's life a little nicer,
spring for it. It is important to keep relations with the neighbors
positive, the best way is to involve them in the fun. Be considerate
and don't race into the evening or first thing Sunday morning.
Be aware that dust from your track can settle on everything your
neighbors own if you live in a dry area. Dust control is easy
and goes a long way to maintaining the peace.
Do you have a Track Tip? Tell us about it.
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