Karting: the smallest race cars, and where many racing drivers begin.

What a kart is

Britannica defines karting as racing miniature, skeleton-frame vehicles with the engine at the rear, usually without bodywork, with the driver sitting only inches off the ground. It adds that some karts can exceed 160 km/h (100 mph).

Wikipedia's article on karts (secondary) explains a few things that make them unlike cars:

• No suspension. The chassis flexes to do that job, with stiffer setups suiting the dry and more flexible ones the wet.
• No differential. The chassis is designed to let the inside rear tyre lift slightly and slide through corners.
• Brakes. The main brake is a disc on the rear axle; front brakes are common in shifter (gearbox) classes.

Where karting came from

Britannica says karting began in the United States in the 1950s with surplus lawn-mower engines, then grew into an international sport centred in Europe. Wikipedia (secondary), citing FIA Karting, records the first kart as the Caretta-West Bend, built in August 1956 in Glendale, California, by Art Ingels and Lou Borelli, and says early karts ran in car parks including the Rose Bowl's in Pasadena.

The same source says international karting is governed by the CIK, now FIA Karting, and lists Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris among the drivers who started in karts. Wikipedia adds that karting teaches racecraft, car control, overtaking and close-quarters racing at lower speeds.

Classes and championships

Wikipedia (secondary) says the CIK-FIA was created by the FIA in 1962 and is based in Geneva. Its international categories are:

• OK, the senior direct-drive class (no gearbox), and OK-Junior.
• KZ, the top gearbox class, and KZ2.
• The FIA Karting Academy Trophy for young drivers, held since 2010.

Wikipedia says the FIA Karting World Championship was first held in 1964 and calls it the second-oldest FIA world championship after Formula 1. Recent results from FIA Karting's own reports:

• Ethan Jeff-Hall won the 2024 OK world title at PF International in Britain.
• Thibaut Ramaekers won the 2025 OK world title at Kristianstad, Sweden.
• Viktor Gustafsson won the 2026 KZ world title at Le Mans on 20 September 2026, according to the FIA.

The 2026 OK and OK-Junior World Championships were still to be run as of October 2026; FIA Karting's calendar lists them for Bahrain on 4 to 7 November 2026.

In the US, Wikipedia describes the SKUSA SuperNationals, run by Superkarts! USA, as first held in Las Vegas in November 1997 and now staged at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Its classes include Pro Shifter, Pro X30, KA100 Senior, X30 Junior, KA100 Junior, Mini Swift and Micro Swift, among others. See karting championships.

How beginners start

Rotax sets out a step-by-step start in its beginner guide:

1. Research the kart tracks near you.
2. Take lessons.
3. Start in rental karts.
4. Join a local club and enter club races.
5. Buy a kart only once you are committed.

In the UK, Motorsport UK says beginners take the ARKS novice test, a multiple-choice theory paper plus an on-track assessment, to get a race licence. New racers then carry novice plates and start from the back for their first six events (five if they took the ARKS test). Motorsport UK also lists arrive-and-drive kart racing, such as Club 100, as a way to race without owning a kart.

From karts to cars

Karting experience can count when moving up. SCCA says drivers aged 14 or older without a road driving licence may qualify for a competition licence if they have prior racing experience such as karting, through an interview with a Divisional Licensing Administrator. A sponsored Motor Sport article for Skip Barber says karting experience suits the school's Formula 4 cars better than its GT cars. See open-wheel racing and licences and schools.

Karting gear and its standards

Rotax lists a helmet, a racing suit, gloves and suitable footwear as the safety priorities for karting. Karting has its own standards, separate from those for cars:

• Helmets. Snell lists K2025 as its current kart racing standard. The FIA publishes FIA 8878-2024 as its karting helmet standard.
• Suits, gloves and shoes. FIA 8877-2022 covers karting overalls, gloves and shoes and is aimed at abrasion, contact heat and tearing rather than fire. It grades overalls as Grade 1 for short circuits and Grade 2, with much higher abrasion resistance, for long circuits. The standard says garments are valid for five years after the year of manufacture, and overalls carry an embroidered label on the back of the collar showing the grade and end-of-validity year.
• Rib protection. The FIA says its 8870-2018 chest and rib protector, worn under the overall, became mandatory in 2021 for FIA Karting championships, cups and trophies, and from January 2022 for all karting competitions on the FIA International Sporting Calendar. The FIA also says rib injuries are the most common karting injury.

Rules differ between organizations and change over time. Check the current rules of the event or club you enter and the labels on your gear. Our karting gear page covers the standards in more detail.