Noel
New member
First thanks for admitting me to the DIY Karts website.
I live in Hastings, New Zealand.
I have followed karting since I was very young. I used to ride my bicycle to the local kart meetings and was at the very first meeting held here in the late 1950's. The karts were what we call 'high wheelers'. They used 400x8 wheelbarrow wheels and tyres and raced on a track marked out on a grass paddock.
My first race car was an English built Cooper 500 race car. It had many similarities to a kart-an air cooled motor and chain drive. First kart was a NZ built copy of a Dart with McCulloch 91 motor. Next was a NZ built copy of an English Zip with Mc93 motor. In those days New Zealand had VERY strict import restrictions and many parts could only be imported if they were considered essential to the national economy. Things like karts were considered as "luxury" items and were therefore prohibited imports. Nevertheless, many parts were imported as chainsaw parts or other "agricultural equipment". This strict policy did have the effect of making us New Zealanders very creative and forced us to become very much DIYers. What we could not buy we had to make or adapt.
Next 'kart' was a Birel frame elongated by 14 inches in the wheelbase and fitted with a Kawasaki H1 500cc 2 stroke 3 cylinder engine. It was fitted with a roll over bar, 4 wheel brakes, seat belts and minimal bodywork so that it complied with NZ car racing regs. It caused major controversy because it did not fit with conventional ideas of what a race car should be. There were a number of spurious arguments about why it was not a 'car' and attempts by the governing body to ban it. The fact that it was successful did not help-it covered a Standing 1/4 Mile at our local dragstrip in 12.8 seconds and held an outright course record at one of our local hillclimbs beating Formula Atlantic single seater race cars. Eventually the NZ National governing body brought in a rule that all race cars must have a reverse gear fitted in the gearbox. This rule effectively banned all race cars with motorcycle engines.
Current karts are a replica of the very first Art Ingels kart and a fun kart with 110cc "Chonda" (Chinese copy of a Honda motorcycle motor).
I live in Hastings, New Zealand.
I have followed karting since I was very young. I used to ride my bicycle to the local kart meetings and was at the very first meeting held here in the late 1950's. The karts were what we call 'high wheelers'. They used 400x8 wheelbarrow wheels and tyres and raced on a track marked out on a grass paddock.
My first race car was an English built Cooper 500 race car. It had many similarities to a kart-an air cooled motor and chain drive. First kart was a NZ built copy of a Dart with McCulloch 91 motor. Next was a NZ built copy of an English Zip with Mc93 motor. In those days New Zealand had VERY strict import restrictions and many parts could only be imported if they were considered essential to the national economy. Things like karts were considered as "luxury" items and were therefore prohibited imports. Nevertheless, many parts were imported as chainsaw parts or other "agricultural equipment". This strict policy did have the effect of making us New Zealanders very creative and forced us to become very much DIYers. What we could not buy we had to make or adapt.
Next 'kart' was a Birel frame elongated by 14 inches in the wheelbase and fitted with a Kawasaki H1 500cc 2 stroke 3 cylinder engine. It was fitted with a roll over bar, 4 wheel brakes, seat belts and minimal bodywork so that it complied with NZ car racing regs. It caused major controversy because it did not fit with conventional ideas of what a race car should be. There were a number of spurious arguments about why it was not a 'car' and attempts by the governing body to ban it. The fact that it was successful did not help-it covered a Standing 1/4 Mile at our local dragstrip in 12.8 seconds and held an outright course record at one of our local hillclimbs beating Formula Atlantic single seater race cars. Eventually the NZ National governing body brought in a rule that all race cars must have a reverse gear fitted in the gearbox. This rule effectively banned all race cars with motorcycle engines.
Current karts are a replica of the very first Art Ingels kart and a fun kart with 110cc "Chonda" (Chinese copy of a Honda motorcycle motor).