• CrossKarts101 is a premier information hub and community for all things crosskarts related. We bring together everyone interested in crosskarts or offroading, from enthusiasts, to fabricators, drivers or beginners. Our goal is to make getting into crosskarts accessible to everyone, with easy to access resources on everything from building your own crosskart, to connecting with teams and drivers. Feel free to browse our site to find what's more interesting for you!

A Beginner's Guide to Crosskarts - Part 1

Mike

Active member
Staff member
Crosskart racing is a sport that originated in Sweden during the 1980s. It is similar to rally racing, but the vehicles are much smaller. Crosskarts come in several different classes, based on their engine displacement. Some models have 600,750, and now 1000cc+ engines. Most models use motorcycle engines.

For example, the Crosskart from Fast & Speed has a 2.5 second sprint time and a top speed of 130 mph!
Crosskarts have become very popular in Europe, with the Nordic countries and southern Europe having the largest crosskart populations along with Austrailia and Brazil showing growing interest now along with the North America. The sport is really catching on, and more manufacturers are getting in.

It's a great spectator sport, and the fans usually stand trackside, like on a rally stage to get up and close to the action. There is no need to be nervous if you have never driven a Crosskart before, with safety in mind, these karts are designed to be extremely fast and safe, and can reach speeds of 130 mph on dirt and asphalt tracks.

Crosskarts are unique off-road vehicles that are built similar to sprint cars, with an engine mounted midship and suspension travel for elevation changes that can create some air time.

Although they look like a small, awkward vehicle, they're actually much more spacious inside. Crosskarts are also fast and
agile, and their rear-wheel-drive system gives them a great sense of control. They compete in rallycross, autocross, dirt oval tracks, and these vehicles can also be used on ice racing tracks.

Crosskarts are built with a lightweight Chromoly chassis, and a high-revving bike engine mounted in the midship of the chassis. They also have a short wheel base and a wide track with plenty of suspension travel. Although the exterior looks cramped, the cabin is much roomier than it appears. Most of the time, the driver is sideways in the vehicle, so control of weight transfer is vital.
 

Attachments

  • 1668040722686.jpeg
    1668040722686.jpeg
    80.1 KB · Views: 1,472
Back
Top