Come and try ... go-karting with the Go Kart Club of SA

South Australia’s go-karting championships are on this weekend and Go Kart Club of SA president Warren Neatz says it’s an event like no other.

People from all over Australia will be competing in the three day event, just a stone’s throw away in Monarto.

At face value, go-karting seems like just an adrenaline junkie’s dream, but Mr Neatz said there were plenty of life lessons to learn on the track, especially for youngsters.

You also might not know the Monarto track is the only track in SA that meets international standards.

It has a length of 1.1 kilometres and four different configurations; so, counting clockwise and anti-clockwise, that’s eight different tracks in one.

Read on to find out more about the sport and how it’s got so many people hooked.

When did you first get involved with the club?

I’ve always been interested in motorsport, but not go-karting necessarily. We joined the club around 2009, when my son was about 10 years old, when I entered him into the competition at the cadets level. I joined the committee as a general club member. Then in 2018 I became treasurer and then in 2020 I became president.

What do you get out of it?

It’s a real family sport. As a parent you’re always interacting with your kids who are racing. In normal sport that’s not really the case. With netball or football, you’re not directly involved in the sport with the kids unless you’re the coach. With go-karting, it’s completely different: you’re the coach, the mechanic, it’s very hands-on. So that social interaction with the family is great.

Why should people try go-karting?

The advantages are absolutely massive when it comes to kids. Not only do kids learn driving better when they are 16 and on their learner’s, but they develop a better sense of spatial awareness and they have better hand-eye-foot coordination. Go-karting is also good for teaching kids road safety, and they learn to respect others. When you’re on the track, you need to assess what’s going on around you and make smart decisions, otherwise you could endanger someone else. So developing respect for others around you and also self-respect is huge in go-karting. You don’t have to be extremely fit, but you also shouldn’t be unfit. We have camping grounds at the circuit, so there’s a lot of social interaction through the sport. We are very welcoming and supportive; you could start go-karting with no background knowledge. It’s a good sport from a social perspective, so it’s great for mental health.

How would someone get into go-karting?

The best thing to do is speak to someone at the club. The worst thing to do would be to just buy a kart and show up at the track. You might get the wrong advice, and buy a kart that isn’t suited to your level. So talking to someone at the club is an important first step. If you didn’t want to be on the track but still wanted to be actively involved you could join the club as a volunteer. We are always looking for people to help, whether it’s maintaining the grounds and infrastructure, keeping times or working in the canteen.

• More information: Visit www.gokartclubofsa.com.au or search for “Go Kart Club of SA” on Facebook.

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