When it came time to upgrade my son’s grass racing kart, I had two options: spend some money and buy him something already race proven, maybe making some minor adjustments so that it suited his driving position, or start with a fresh frame and build up a new one myself.
My choice was more or less decided due to a limited number of suitable grass karts for sale. It seems that kart racing has taken off in popularity, and our local club is no exception. With a rapidly growing membership and new faces at every meeting, getting your hands on an all-set-to-go grass kart is harder than ever. With that decision sorted, it was time to find a frame.
Good score
Retired circuit karts are an easy go-to, with some tarmac karts that are only a few seasons old being regularly replaced to remain competitive – which is great for us. I found a BRM frame listed in the deep south; it was a roller with everything except the engine – perfect!
Obviously, it would need a few adjustments to convert it to suit grass-track racing but it was all there. The 40mm axle and 28mm chassis tube size were also softer and more flexible than most of the adult frames running 30mm or 32mm tubes and 50mm axles. Chassis rigidity in a grass kart doesn’t help much with grip; in theory, a softer, loose chassis that can twist increases grip on wet tarmac tracks, so I figured keeping the frame set-up soft to reduce understeer and increase rear traction would be an obvious choice. Not having a lot of experience with karting set-ups, I’m trying to adapt ideas and theories from my previous race and rally cars; hopefully some of it will cross over.
