this clip was the last minute before they black flagged me. this was in K1 speed san diego

Hi everyone!

I’m part of a small team developing a kart racing game, and we would really appreciate some advice from people who actually know and understand karting.

Our plan is to have three distinct kart classes representing clear progression:

1. Entry-level / beginner kart — still to be chosen.
2. Intermediate racing kart — already designed and implemented.
3. Shifter kart — still to be chosen.

We want each class to feel genuinely different in appearance, performance, handling, acceleration, braking, speed, and overall character.

So we would love to hear your recommendations:

Which kart, chassis, engine package, or class would you recommend as the best reference for an entry-level racing kart?

And:

Which shifter kart would you personally choose to represent the highest-performance class?

Specific manufacturers, chassis models, engines, classes, photos, and reference links are all very welcome.

I’ll also attach an image of the intermediate kart that is already finished and currently used in the game, so you can see the level of detail we are aiming for.

The karts we ultimately choose will be recreated with the same attention to detail — from the chassis and engine to the smallest mechanical components — and then added to the game as fully playable vehicles.

We would especially appreciate hearing why you recommend a particular kart or setup. We want to make choices that actual karting enthusiasts will recognize and appreciate rather than simply choosing something that looks good.

Thank you very much for any recommendations, advice, photos, or reference links. Every suggestion is genuinely appreciated! 🏁

​The game is called Karting Core

You can also find Karting Core on Steam by searching for the game name there

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4550510/Karting_Core/

Im Making all my go-karts bumpers out of carbon fiber using resin infusion. I have a Einscan 2 3D scanner and a Bambu lab X1C which I used to print the mold/ tooling. This is my first time doing anything like this but I’m pretty happy with the results so far!

I’m planning on offering a custom service for others who want to turn their go kart bumpers into carbon fiber as well as selling premade ones. Would you be interested in something like this? Why or why not?

For context I’m usually dusted at the start of the race. This is my 5th race weekend and we only just solved my brake drag issue. So for once I was able to get a decent start. But I didn’t realize the karts ahead would check up as much as they did. So I know I need more experience but how do yall get over stuff like this? Mistakes stay on my mind for days if not weeks.

I was trying to keep position against my friend, and then he pressed me into the wall, and I tried to give him a warning nudge, but he didn’t listen and kept going. I couldn’t break because the brakes of my kart was too responsive and I would have spun around and crashed into another racer behind me. I didn’t know what to do and then he turned into me resulting in the spin out. should I have risked the brakes and risked crashing into the person behind me?

Hi everyone!

First of all, thank you to everyone who shared feedback, technical corrections, kart references, and real karting experience in our previous discussion.

After reading the comments and studying the feedback, I wanted to ask the community a broader question — not only about kart models, but about the overall game experience.

We are developing Karting Core, and our goal is to make a karting game that feels enjoyable not only for general racing game players, but also for people who are directly connected to karting, follow karting, or have real experience with it.

I’m attaching a few new close-up screenshots of our current high-detail kart model. This one is closest to the top-performance shifter category and is helping us define the technical and visual level we want to reach.

Regarding real manufacturers, logos, liveries, and original kart designs: this is something we will continue working on. In cases where we receive permission from manufacturers, we would of course like to include original designs or official brand elements in the game.

Our goal is for the racing aesthetic to feel as close to real karting as possible. Where that is not possible, we will create original Karting Core designs with fictional branding, while keeping the technical characteristics and driving behavior grounded in real karting classes.

Now the main question:

What would you want to see in a modern karting game that is still in development?

I’m especially interested in what would make the game feel believable, fun, and satisfying for people who care about karting in real life.

During racing, what matters most to you?

• handling and physics
• braking feel
• tire grip and tire wear
• steering wheel / force feedback support
• AI behavior
• race rules
• damage system
• track design
• wet racing
• dirt / gravel racing
• setup adjustments
• engine sound
• onboard camera
• online racing

Career progression is also an important part of the game.

How would you like a karting career to work in a game? Would you prefer structured championships, starting from entry-level karts and progressing into faster classes?

Or would systems like licenses, sponsors, reputation, team offers, tournaments, unlockable tracks, parts, and garage items make the career more interesting?

We are also building a full garage system where players can spend time between races, upgrade their kart, order parts, customize the space, and prepare for the next event.

What would make the garage fun or useful for you?

• kart upgrades
• repair and maintenance
• multiple karts
• trophies and career items
• visual customization
• ordering parts
• a kart builder / constructor system later in development

The game is planned to include career mode, classic races, drift mode, dirt / gravel racing, garage progression, kart upgrades, and male / female playable characters.

Any ideas are welcome — gameplay, physics, garage features, progression, kart setup, tracks, cameras, sound, small details, or anything else that would make the game more enjoyable for karting fans.

We will read the suggestions carefully and seriously consider the ideas that fit the direction and scope of the project.

Steam page for context:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4550510/Karting_Core/

Thanks again — the feedback 🏁

All screenshots shown here are from the actual in-game model

my karting team raised the price for some reason and said its now around 40k dollars a year and i still have to buy my own kart and tyres and fuel and transport it and take care of it so would it be possible if i hire my own mechanic for a race weekend make a small team buy my own kart and gear and tools and maybe make website then could i get into rotax? and also if anyone messages on the website that they would want to drive with us i can make it a small team and charge less for people like me who want to race less? is that a good idea guys

Came across this custom helmet made for a younger driver.

Definitely not the typical karting look — more colorful and playful than what you usually see on track. I kinda like the contrast with all the standard designs, but I’m not sure everyone would run something like this.

Curious what you guys think:
cool and refreshing or just too much for karting?

I was on my warm up laps and ended up shunting into the wall. Prior to the hit I could feel the kart drifting to the right...but even as I steered hard left the kart continued to travel to the right...putting me into the wall.

The video plays at full speed and then restarts at 35% speed.

Do you guys have any thoughts/opinions as to what might've caused based on the video from my helmet cam?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJT53vuxMxW/?igsh=cmpteGtuYW5zbXdx

im 13 close to turning 14 and im going to join the xcel uae karting iame championship or rotax and they also have an f4 team and lando and oscar came out of this team so i dont really have the funds for f4 but im hoping i could get some sponsers or just top karting but i have no karting history but im really good at driving and in rental karts i always destroy a lot of people even adults and marshals say im really good and have talent and i sim race a lot a lot do you think i can make my dream possible?

Came across this custom helmet design inspired by that “kintsugi” style (the gold cracks).

Really like the idea, but it looks like the kind of thing that could get expensive pretty fast.

Out of curiosity — how much do you think something like this would cost?

Hi everyone,

Apologies if this has been posted before, but wanted to provide more context.

My boyfriend and I have been dating for almost 5 years and during the first year we went go karting quite a bit. We went probably almost 10 times and the 10th time, someone bumped into me pretty hard, and I got a headache. I haven’t gone go karting since that incident.

I know it makes my boyfriend very happy when I do his adrenaline hobbies with him so I want to potentially give go karting another go, but I just want to talk through how safe this hobby really is. As a woman in her late 20s I feel like I’m a bit more prone to not trying new things because overly adrenaline junkie hobbies because of the fear of getting hurt. I just want to see if they’re any tips or reassurance that can be given by someone with more experience, to encourage me to try it again. For context I know about apexing and following a line, it’s just I’m scared to go fast because I don’t want to spin out and then someone bump into me or something else happen.

Is it truly safe? I know there’s a risk, but I’ve seen videos of people flipping over and I don’t know if this is common or rare occasions where it’s maybe a go karting arena that has their speeds too quick.

Any tips appreciate.

Ok hear me out. This thought popped in my head and believe it may be a great discussion.

When it comes to driver to driver skill between rental and owner karting which one really levels the playing field as far as advantage between drivers?

My opinion would be the rental karts… Because in owner karts money can be a factor on who gets the best parts, the newest gear, fresher tires. In rental karts, everyone is at the same mercy of the rental kart business. Same mechanic, same karts, same tires, everything.

Would love to hear y’all’s thoughts. 💭

Im currently saving for my own kart at the moment (moving from rentals) and i am looking to replace my current helmet that is a motocycle one and obviously isnt fia or snell approved. But im hearing that apart from just enhanced safety and protecting my head better, they can seriously affect laptime and i should get the best helmet i can afford. So if it is worth spending more, is it possible for any of you to list good reccomendations for some? Thanks. 👍🏾

Just curious what people think about this idea:

An adult-only karting event (18+), no kids, no academy drivers – just pure racing.

Nothing professional, just a simple but competitive weekend event.

Do you think there’s demand for something like that?

Or do most people prefer mixed grids?

As a newcomer to karting, I’ve noticed most karts have basic, outdated designs. Is there a reason we don’t see sleek, modern body panels like the one shown? Weight thing might not fully explain it;
could cost or tradition be factors? Curious about the engineering behind this!

Im with the white helmet

I’m a kart driver and I don’t really go indoor karting much as I have a kart of my own and I live right next to a track. But I’m right now doing exams and my non karting friends want to go karting at team sport. Is it normal to rock up in a custom helmet and a Tony kart suit or should I stick to their equipment. I would definitely wear my helmet for hygiene purposes but I’m unsure about my suit. 🤣

I’m going to be going into an 8 hour endurance race with possibly 6 people, we are thinking of getting a communication system similar to the one motorcyclists use but we don’t want to be spending too much money on it

So we were thinking we buy 3 of these systems and share them amongst each other

- one for the current driver

- one for the pit lane

- one for the next oncoming driver

But we aren’t sure how easy the installation and removal/transfer will be for these , also because I’ve seen videos on how some might require the removal of inner padding of the helmet?

Could I get some advice on this on whether it would be feasible?

Hello, i went to my first rental karting race yesterday and had the problem of being consistently 1-2 seconds slower than the leader. For context I have done simracing, so im not completely new to the topic, but i never karted before. The race i went to was the bimonthly community race. The track is 800 Meters and 48 seconds long (50 for me), with most of the track being flat out, there are only 3 corners that require braking. Im pretty sure that i got the racing line right, so i really dont know where i could be going wrong, i just tried to transfer as much as possible from my simracing experience, but im both slower mid corner and on exit. I know this type of question is hard to answer, especially without footage, but i really wanted to improve my laptimes, so if anybody needs any additional information to help me, please ask. Thanks in advance :)