How do I start kart racing at Jurby

Before you can start racing you must do a few things:

1. Come to Jurby on one of our race days, this will give you a good idea of what goes on at a race meeting and will also help you decide in which class of kart you would like to compete. Have a chat to the officials and competitors, they're a friendly bunch so don't be afraid to ask questions.

2. Join the IOMKRA Club, download the application form from here.

3. Pass the ARKS (Association of Racing Kart Schools) test, to do this you must buy an ARKS pack, which can be purchased from the online shop for £45.00 The pack includes a helpful video, the Motorsports Association ( MSA ) year book, the Gold Book (Karter's Bible), your MSA license application form as well as other useful information.

4. After studying the information and watching the video a couple of times, you should then contact our ARKS examiner, Richard Messenger (Tel: 629971). Richard will arrange your pre test driving instruction and Test Day, he will also talk you through the ARKS pack before your written test. The cost of the test itself is £81.50, ideally you should have your own helmet (it is important when buying a helmet that it is of a type approved for kart racing), race suit, boots, and gloves, but don't worry the club can usually find some kit you can borrow for the test, but do ask prior to the test day, you can also hire the club's Senior Pro-Kart for the test, after passing the ARKS test, you will need to,

5. Apply for your MSA license, The first licence costs £30 but is currently free for under 16's. If however you are 18 or over, you will require to have a medical. You and your doctor will have to fill out certain parts of the MSA license application form, and your doctor may charge you for this service, shop around the doctors, they all charge differing amounts, and you do not have to use your own doctor.

6. Plan on your first race event, ensuring that you enter by filling out a race entry form from here where you can fill out the on-line entry form & pay on-line, you will need to register for on-line race events, once you have completed the on-line payment your entry will be viewable on the following page, shown under the race event that you placed the entry for.

Buying a Kart.

See the explanation of class's below (these are the only classes we run on the island). Make sure that the kart you are buying fits into one of these categories. If you are thinking of buying a new kart, remember that you will need to purchase spares at sometime, such as sprockets, tyres (including wets) etc. You can save a lot of money buying second hand because more often than not, they will come with a lot of spare parts you need.

So where can I get a kart from? Call G & C Motorsports in Ramsey to see what is on offer there, or ask your newsagent to order you a copy of "Karting Magazine" which is full of advertisements for new and second hand karts. If you have access to the web, look up visit www.karting.co.uk and you could also join our club, you will then receive regular newsletters which includes a For Sale section. Also check out the latest info at the ABkC's website page on "start karting"

Honda Cadet (Yellow Plates with Red Numbers)

This class is for 8 - 12 year olds. The engine is a four stroke Honda GX 160 and has a centrifugal clutch, the minimum weight for driver and kart is 100Kgs. Rear brakes only. If you want to be good at anything these days youv'e got to start young!

Junior Pro Kart (Blue Plates with white Numbers)

This class is for 11 - 16 year olds. The kart has two Honda GX 120 four stroke engines with centrifugal cluthes, the minimum weight for driver and kart is 140 Kgs. Rear brakes only. This is a very competitive class and it's well worth a trip to Jurby just to watch this race.

Junior TKM K4S (Blue Plates with yellow Numbers)

This class is for 11 - 16 year olds. This is a recent addition to the IOMKRA kart class using a TKM 200cc 4 stroke engine to a strict non-tuning regime. The junior engines have a restrictor between the carburetor and the engine to limit the power, but the same engine as the senior class, so makes a good choice to choose as a junior , then moving to the senior class later.

Senior Pro Kart (White Plates with Red Numbers)

This class is for 16 years +Each kart has two Honda GX 160 four stroke engines with centrifugal clutches, the minimum weight for driver and kart is 172 Kgs, Rear brakes only. This is an ideal starter class with low maintenance engines.

Senior Pro Kart - Heavy (White Plates with Red Underlined Numbers)

This class is for 16 years +Each kart has two Honda GX 160 four stroke engines with centrifugal clutches, the minimum weight for the driver (including helmet & gloves)is to weigh no less than 85kg, & no less than 195kg with kart at the end of each race. This is an ideal starter class with low maintenance engines for the heavier person.

Rotax 125 Max (Blue Plates with White Numbers)

For ages 16 +, Rotax 125cc engine, is water cooled with push button electric start and centrifugal clutch, the minimum weight for driver and kart is 160Kgs. rear brakes only. This class has only been around for a few years but has grown to be the most popular class in the UK. With everyone using the same type of engine the racing is very close and exciting.

Senior TKM K4S (Red Plates with Yellow Numbers)

For ages 16 +, This is a recent addition to the IOMKRA kart class using a TKM 200cc 4 stroke engine to a strict non-tuning regime. The senior engines do not have a restrictor between the carburetor and the engine to limit the power as in the junior class, apart from this, it's the same engine.

125 National (Blue Plates with White Numbers)

For ages 16 +, 125cc reed valve two stroke engines, water cooled with six speed gearboxes. Minimum weight for driver and kart is 180Kgs (with short circuit bodywork). These karts have front and rear brakes. Originally this class mostly used Motocross bike engines but of late, purpose built kart engines are the norm.

250 Manx (Yellow Plates with Black Numbers )

For ages 16 +, any 250 cc engine, one or two cylinder two stroke with five or six speed gearboxes. Minimum weight for driver and kart is 195Kgs. These have front and rear brakes. Speeds of over 130 mph can be reached on these 'missiles '

If you would like more information about starting kart racing or would like to get involved in Officating or Marshalling our events, please contact:

Pete Johnson ( IOMKRA Chairman ) 814291 or 495013

Alan Wade ( Vice Chairman ) 495159

Richard Messenger ( ARKS Examiner ) 629971