Karts are accessible to all budding racers

WAGGA kart racing enthusiast Laurie Doran says cost should not scare away potential racers from the sport.At a time when the number of kart-racing participants in Wagga has dwindled, Doran yesterday revealed the sport is within financial reach of most “average” families.“For $2500 you can get a kart ready to go racing,” Doran said yesterday.“This will be ideal for someone who wants to do eight or 10 club race days a year.”With Wagga and District Kart Racing Club eager to promote the sport as a family activity, Doran is adamant kart racing will not break the budget.Doran said kart racing was not just the preserve of budding Mark Webbers in the Wagga community.“It’s a sport for everyone,” he said.“We have two father and sons who race and mothers and daughters can be involved as well.“My son is 20 and he has been racing for six years. I only started racing two years ago when I got tired of sitting on the sideline and just watching.“My wife plays a part as well. She’s clerk of the course ... the boss, just like she is at home.”Nowadays, Doran races at 15 to 20 race meetings a year, including a major over four-year’s event at Coffs Harbour.“We have a ball,” he said.Doran says Wagga kart club is on a concerted recruitment drive this year.“We’re really pushing it,” he said.“At the moment we’ve only got 20 karts in the club which isn’t many when there are 60,000 people in the city.“There used to be a lot more (racers).”Doran believes the timing is ideal for new kart racers to get ready to hit the Wagga track, which is undergoing an overhaul.Under the changes, chicanes will be removed and an exit from the track widened.“We’re having a working bee on the weekend,” he said.“The track will be a bit more friendly and the risk of accidents will be reduced.“The flow (of karts) will be better.”The Wagga track was originally built as a “speed circuit”, with chicanes added to significantly cut the pace.However, the club is now planning further changes to make the track quicker.“It was slowed up too much,” Doran said.Wagga Kart Club is unable to resurface the entire track because of a $250,000 price tag.