Autoblog

Introduction to Karting: Part 1

Tim Stevens — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:55:00 EST

Introduction to Karting: Part 1 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Michael Schumacher. Ayrton Senna. Jeff Gordon. Alex Zanardi. Danica Patrick. All great drivers and all learned their trade in buzzy little racing karts with no suspension, no downforce, minimal protection, and arguably more grins per dollar than any other motorsport in existence. The underpowered machines at the local putt-putt course give karting a bad reputation; a 2.5 horsepower motor in a 300-pound chassis rolling on ten-year-old tires is a $7.50 distraction for kids. But move up to a machine that can do 0-60 MPH in under four seconds, hit 125 MPH on the straight, pull 3 g on the skidpad, and do so for well under $10,000 -- that's serious.

Karting is the safest, cheapest and, arguably, best avenue into motorsports for those with the desire to compete, yet lacking the financial means to get into a top-tier series. Sadly, it's also a dizzying sea of classes, chassis, engines, tires, tracks, rules, and affiliations, some of which are tightly controlled by global organizing bodies. So finding the right way in and getting the most for your money can be tough. That's where we come in.

Autoblog is going karting, jumping in as rookies and making some rookie mistakes so you won't have to. We'll tell you where to start, how much you'll need to budget, where you can save some bucks, and where you should just take a deep breath and hand over the credit card. This is the first in a series, an introduction to the sport that will give you the basics of where to start looking. In subsequent pieces we'll cover driving lessons, go kart shopping, talk setup, and finally go racing. So, without further ado, let's get rolling.

Gallery: Famous karters

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Introduction to Karting: Part 1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barrett-Jackson 2009: Jeff Gordon's 2006 NASCAR Chevrolet Monte Carlo

Drew Phillips — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 10:07:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Auctions, Chevrolet

Click above for a high-res gallery of Jeff Gordon's Monte Carlo

While the main focus of Barrett-Jackson is the cars, quite a few charities benefited from the sale of many of the cars. Several people donated money to charities even when they didn't buy a car, proving that many of the bidders have hearts just as big as their wallets. This Monte Carlo SS NEXTEL Cup car driven by Jeff Gordon was a prime example, raising thousands of dollars for Rick Hendrick's charity to benefit the National Marrow Donor Program. Hendrick himself is a survivor of leukemia, and has used his success to help others facing life-threatening diseases. Of course, the buyer's $550,000 (after auction fees) did get something in return: a #24 DuPont Monte Carlo SS that was raced 14 times in the 2006 and 2007 NASCAR seasons, winning two races and capturing four top-five finishes. The car also includes a race-winning engine, Certificate of Authenticity, race day photos and videos, and a personal invite from Hendrick to come hang out with the team at one of the races during the next season. More details on the car in the official description after the break.

Gallery: Barrett-Jackson 2009: Jeff Gordon's 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Racecar

Continue reading Barrett-Jackson 2009: Jeff Gordon's 2006 NASCAR Chevrolet Monte Carlo

Barrett-Jackson 2009: Jeff Gordon's 2006 NASCAR Chevrolet Monte Carlo originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: ZR1 hits GM Style stage with Jeff Gordon behind the wheel

Chris Shunk — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 12:52:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Videos, Supercars, Chevrolet, GM

GM reached a climax of the senses with its Corvette ZR1 introduction at the GM Style kickoff to the 2008 NAIAS. Kid Rock was singing about the Motor City while Jeff Gordon drove in the ZR-1 on stage. The General threw in some scantily clad women and flashing lights for good measure, and the crowd of 1,500 was on its feet. We were there too, with camera rolling. Hit the jump to view the ZR1's grand entrance. Don't get too disappointed that the GM execs are blocking the view of the company's $100,000 supercar, as the super Vette gets elevated 15 feet in the air on a giant pedestal about halfway through the video.

Continue reading VIDEO: ZR1 hits GM Style stage with Jeff Gordon behind the wheel

VIDEO: ZR1 hits GM Style stage with Jeff Gordon behind the wheel originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 12:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR: Jeff Gordon's car fails inspection

Chris Tutor — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 11:54:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

After Jeff Gordon won Thursday's second qualifying race in Daytona, his car failed a post-race inspection for riding too low. While NASCAR officials are not accusing Gordon or his team of cheating, it will cost him. Instead of starting Saturday's race in 4th position, Gordon will fight his way through 41 other cars if he wants to take the lead.

Autoweek quotes NASCAR vice-president of competition Robin Pemberton as saying, "The bolt on the shock fastener and the shock bracket itself were misaligned. It was unintentional because it would have been unsafe to intentionally build it like that. Give or take, it was about an inch too low. My experience through the years tells me this was unintentional. It would have taken different parts and pieces to do it intentionally."

Inspectors also found that the cars of Jimmie Johnson and, uh oh, Michael Waltrip measured lower than the allowed height after the race, but officials chalked up their infractions to damage suffered during the event.

At the end of Autoweek's article, they have some fun with this week's Daytona scandals, joking that the newest NASCAR official is Judge Judy and NASCAR's theme song is now "Your Cheating Part."

Sunday's race begins at 2 p.m.

[Source: Autoweek]

NASCAR: Jeff Gordon's car fails inspection originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Feb 2007 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barbie lets her hair down for NASCAR

Alex Nunez — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:54:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Marketing/Advertising

Joining the endless ranks of officially-licensed Barbie dolls (tie-ins have ranged from Harley-Davidson to the X-Files and literally everything in-between) are a pair of new plastic fantastic NASCAR fangirls-- Jeff Gordon Barbie and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Barbie.
The Jeff Gordon NASCAR Barbie sports a #24 t-shirt, a DuPont jacket, jeans and cowboy boots, while the Dale Jr. Barbie rocks a #8-logoed minidress, a read headband, red go-go boots and a Dale Jr. flag for her to wave from the imaginary grandstand. You'll be fascinated to learn that both dolls use the Model/Muse body sculpt. Too much information? Clearly, but it's the kind of thing that will likely remain in your "useless information I can't forget" memory banks until the reaper calls your name.

Adding the dolls to your permanent collection will run you a somewhat ridiculous $34.95 a pop. Hey, Mattel's got to recoup that (undoubtedly) sizeable licensing fee they paid NASCAR, right? Call us when a Richard Petty edition comes out, and maybe we'll talk.

[Source: Mattel via The Car Connection]

Barbie lets her hair down for NASCAR originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Checkered weekend: No. 48 looks good for Cup win

Chris Tutor — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 07:43:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

This Sunday the Chase for the 2006 Nextel Cup will cross the finish line. At the end of the day, as long as No. 48 Jimmie Johnson finishes 12th or better at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he will walk away with his long-awaited championship. According to the guys who crunch the numbers, that's even if No. 17 Matt Kenseth, who trails Johnson by 63 points, wins the race and leads the most laps.

But No. 29 Kevin Harvick, third in the standings going into this weekend's race, will not end the year empty-handed. Harvick's done even better in the Busch Series. He had that title wrapped up in October. He can just coast through Saturday's Busch race (Ford 300 on TNT at 7 p.m. ET). No. 11 Denny Hamlin, fourth in Nextel Cup standings, looks good to take home rookie-of-the-year trophy.
Sorry No. 8 fans, at 115 points behind Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. is a long shot. There's always next year, Dale. Rounding out Nextel Cup's top 10 are No. 24 Jeff Gordon, No. 31 Jeff Burton, No. 6 Mark Martin, No. 9 Kasey Kahne and No. 5 Kyle Busch.

Watch the Ford 400/Nextel Cup Series Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

For the Craftsman Truck Series championship, Johnny Benson trails Todd Bodine by 112 points before Friday's Ford 200 in Miami. Watch that race on Speed Channel at 7:30 p.m. ET

Check the NASCAR TV schedule for official airing times.

Checkered weekend: No. 48 looks good for Cup win originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Nov 2006 07:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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