Editing Kart racing (section)

=== Racing formats ===
Typically, race formats are one of the following:

==== Sprint ====
[[File:KartingNSKC.jpg|thumb|Sprint race at Eastern Creek, Australia]]
Sprint racing takes place on dedicated kart circuits resembling small road courses, with left and right turns, hairpins, chicanes, and short and long straightaways.  Tracks range from 1/4-mile (400 metres) to over 1 mile (1,600 metres) in length.

The sprint format is a series of short-duration races, normally for a small number of laps, that qualify for a final which last 20 minutes or more, with a variety of point scoring calculations to determine the event's overall winner. Typical duration does not normally exceed 25 minutes. Here, speed and successful passing is of the most importance. It normally occurs in the format of qualifying, one to three heats and a final race for trophy positions.

Sprint Racing in the United States and Canada are held at three primary levels, club racing (local races at purpose-built tracks), regional racing - like the [https://www.superkartsusa.com/regional/california-pkc/3590-california-prokart-challenge-wraps-up-2024-season-at-k1-circuit.html California ProKart Challenge], the [https://www.texassprintseries.com/ Texas Sprint Racing Series], the Florida-based [https://www.amrmotorplex.com/race-events/kart-owner-events/sskc1/ Sunshine Karting Championship Series], [https://www.route66kartracing.com/ Route 66 Sprint Series] in the Midwest, and the [https://thefseries.com/gearup-challenge-new-jersey-pa-new-york-1-karting/ F-Series Gearup Challenge] in the Northeast. National level karting takes place across North America in dedicated national series like the [https://www.superkartsusa.com/national/skusa-pro-tour.html/ SKUSA Pro Tour] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722110937/https://superkartsusa.com/national/skusa-pro-tour.html |date=22 July 2024 }}, the [https://www.uspks.com/ USPKS Championship Series], [https://www.worldkarting.com/series/manufacturers-cup/ WKA Manufacturers Cup] and the [https://rokcupusa.com/ ROK Cup USA]. The SKUSA Pro Tour championship is one of the most coveted, and the [https://www.superkartsusa.com/national/skusa-supernationals/about.html SKUSA SuperNats] event held in Las Vegas annually is one of the largest kart races in the world, attracting drivers from every continent. The SKUSA SuperNats event has been run continuously for 25 years, and a SuperNats win is considered a legendary win in karting circles.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

The [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] championships, including the [[Karting World Championship]], SKUSA SuperNats and all SKUSA Pro Tour, USPKS and ROK Cup USA Nationals take place in this format.

Sprint racing can be held at a dedicated purpose-built track (most of which also rent club karts for family fun), and sprint races are also held at kart tracks that exist at many major auto sports complexes like [[Daytona International Speedway]], [[Charlotte Motor Speedway]], [[Pittsburgh International Race Complex]], [[NOLA Motorsports Park]] in New Orleans, [[Homestead–Miami Speedway|Homestead-Miami Speedway]], and [[Road America]]. Sprint races are also held at temporary kart circuits that can be built in parking areas at large stadiums and casinos throughout the United States. Additionally, there are street races where races take place on city streets on temporary circuits like some of the [[IndyCar]] races.

==== Endurance ====
[[File:enduros.jpg|thumb|Pack of laydown enduros at [[Daytona International Speedway]]]]
Endurance races last for an extended period, ranging from 30 minutes up to 24 hours or more, for one or more drivers. In general, consistency, reliability, and pit strategy is of greater importance than all out speed.

Called "enduro" racing in the United States, most [[World Karting Association|WKA]] and [[International Kart Federation|IKF]] sanctioned events typically last 30 minutes (sprint enduro) or 45 minutes (laydown enduro) and are run continuously without pit stops. Enduro events are held on full-size road racing circuits that are usually between 1.5 and 4 miles in length.

As well as the famous [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] race for automobiles there is also a 24-hours event for karts which takes place at the kart circuit Alain Prost at [[Le Mans]], France.<ref>[http://www.circuitalainprost.com Kart circuit Alain Prost – 24 hours] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106063535/http://www.circuitalainprost.com/ |date=6 January 2008 }}</ref> This race has taken place since 1986 and its winners list include four-time [[Champ Car]] champion [[Sébastien Bourdais]] (in 1996).

Endurance racing is also considered a more affordable way of getting into karting. In South Africa, the 24 Hours of Karting Festival race is held annually and lasts 24 hours with multiple classes participating. This event is hosted by the Prokart SSS Club<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://prokartsss.co.za/|title=Prokart SSS Endurance Karting|website=Prokart SSS Endurance Karting}}</ref> near Johannesburg. The most popular class runs the Honda GX390 four-stroke engine, which is both affordable and durable, keeping running costs to a minimum. The Prokart Super Single Series, also known as Prokart SSS, has been running for more than 20 years and has proven to be a very popular entry platform for drivers of all ages who want to get into karting. Many clubs worldwide have taken on four-stroke endurance karting for this reason, since two-stroke karting can be very expensive.

==== Speedway ====
Speedway racing takes place on [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]] or clay [[oval (geometry)|oval]] tracks which are normally between 1/10-mile and 1/4-mile long. Tracks primarily consist of two straights and four left-turn corners, few tracks are symmetric and often the shape parallels that of an egg or a [[tri-oval]].

"Offset" kart chassis have been developed for precise handling and adjustability in left-turn-only racing competition taking place on oval and tri-oval tracks. Depending on the track material, different tires are used on the kart.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kartpartsdepot.com/product_p/81.htm|title=Introduction to Go Kart Tires|website=www.KartPartsDepot.com}}</ref>

Speedway kart races range in length from 4 laps for a trophy dash, to 20 laps for a main event.

The two chief racing formats used in dirt speedway karting are heat races and timed laps qualification:

*The [[International Kart Federation]] (IKF) runs a racing format of two 10 lap heats followed by a 20 lap final. Finishing positions in the two heat races are used to calculate the starting position in the feature race.
*The [[World Karting Association]] (WKA) uses time qualifying. Karts equipped with transponders are sent out onto the track in groups of 5 or less to try to achieve the fastest lap time. Positions for the 20 laps feature event are determined by qualifying time.
*The American Kart Racing Association (AKRA)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.akrainc.com |title=American Kart Racing Association (AKRA) |publisher=Akrainc.com |access-date=2011-08-08}}</ref> uses group transponder qualifying to calculate starting positions for 20-lap features.