A Brief History of Go Karts

Go karting originated in the United States in the 1950s. The first go kart came out of the Kurtis Kraft Shop in Los Angeles, and was created by Art Ingels with the help of Lou Borelli in 1956. Duffy Livingstone and some of his friends saw the kart and made their own. This led to the first  race, which took place in 1957 in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. This led to Duffy Livingstone and Roy Desbrow starting Go Kart Manufacturing, Co., Inc in 1958. They created their own versions of the go kart and created the first go kart track in Azusa, California. The concept of go kart racing caught on quickly, and tracks sprung up all over the United States. In the 1970s the modern race kart was designed. In the 1980s regulatory bodies were created and go kart racing became a recognized sport. Many race drivers who became well known from the 1970s to present got their start in go kart racing. Jeff Gordon, Al Unser Jr., Kimi Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher, Max Verstappen, and Michael Andretti to just name a few. It is estimated that over 1.6 billion people have raced go karts. Karting continues to grow, especially the newer form known as indoor karting.