Roughly a year and a few months ago I was looking online trying to figure out what I could do next. Musclecars – check, Drag racing – check, Autocrossing – check, Road racing - check. Heck, I’ve been to Bonneville, been involved in circle track stuff, and even slot cars.  But there was one thing I always wanted to do since I was a kid… go race a kart!

So I am investigating karts - Do I want a TaG? Do I want a shifter? Geez there are a lot of brands and engines, etc. Then I saw the newer Chonda. Hmm, this looks interesting. I have a months old daughter at home so cost effectiveness was what I thought was key.

My original reasons for racing a Chonda:

1. Cheap replacement engines. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy… but a new engine can be bought for under $150.00 and be racing the next day. Can’t beat that.
2. Can pick up a used, older kart on the cheap. You don’t need the latest and greatest in chassis technology to run a Chonda.
3. Don’t have to worry about short rebuild times, just beat the crap out of it and it just keeps going.
4. Close to home! For me the track is about ten minutes away and having a newborn baby at home, it makes the wife fairly happy.
5. Allows me the adrenaline rush I wanted… without spending an arm and a leg.

What is Chonda you ask?

It is a clone of the great Honda GX-200 4-stroke engine that has been around karting for a long time, but the clone is nearly $300 cheaper in some cases. You will see this class around the country called simply clone, clone Honda, Chonda, and Box Stock Project, to name a few.  Change the oil at regular intervals (varies depending on who you ask) but a couple of race weekends is a good rule to use.  Maintenance is quite low, replacing the valve springs a few times per season is not a bad idea.  Like all things in racing check for damage or cracks on a regular basis.

Restrictor Plates?!?

At HCKC the three weight groups in the spec Chonda class allow for some really close racing, the lighter guys run a small restrictor to help even things out. At some tracks this formula does not work well, but here it is almost a perfect formula for fun close racing.

My experiences

Now, the realities of things… buy the kart that is right for you. American, Australian, Italian, English, Chinese. It doesn’t matter (Make sure it is an IKF approved chassis or even CIK homologated, yard karts are not allowed – Ed.) The local shop in San Antonio always had a wide variety of used stuff and they sell new Intrepids that are absolutely excellent karts. The track also is served on race days by one of the local kart shops, just in case you are worried about not having the right parts for a repair.

Things just worked out for me differently. So the researching began. Everyone I talked to said to buy an Italian kart. I’m stubborn and weird. I wanted an American kart. Yeah I know, but hey it has worked for me. I started trolling kart forums and Craiglist and I set a LOOOW bar on cost. I ran across a 1991 Emmick and a 1994 Margay for right at $2,000 as a package deal. Both are/were American karts. Both had ready to race Chonda engines. Both were right in my ball park… well, I wanted one of them no mater what. That’s when a few people close to me said, I’ll go in on it let’s get em both!

Okay, I bought two karts… now what? Join HCKC and get some track time! After two weeks my father suggested we go race. Not really knowing what I was doing I threw myself to the wolves in the spec Chonda class. My first mistake! While a geared as a beginner friendly package, the class itself has some of the best in the club racing and I found myself a bit behind the curve. With the lower hp this class does make you need to learn to tune on some of the basics to get the most from the package. Luckily there is a solution for learning to race without having to stress while learning.

The bracket is the greatest place to learn and build initial skills. First of all, it is for all comers. You don’t have to be the fastest. You don’t have to spend the most money. It’s about doing the best you can with what you have. I piddled around in there and began tuning and learning. This is the key everyone! You have to learn how to tune the kart and the engine! I got a deal on a couple of extra engines and I tore them apart to learn more about them. I contacted Margay in St. Louis and picked the brain of the “boss” to the point of probably driving him crazy. I went out on weekends and just turned lap after lap after lap. In six short months I had well over 1,500 laps at HCKC and I was really starting to figure things out. Then I took a break.

My return was nothing but problems. I suffered two engine failures, dang cheap Chinese engines! But, all the practice and tuning paid off. I went back to fight the wolves in Chonda and succeeded with a second place in the enduro and an overall win in the last race of the season.

So what does this mean for the beginner? Patience!

I won’t deny it; stock Chonda four strokes are hardly barn burners.   First and foremost, don’t expect to break track records with one of these. Additionally, this track is 25 years old. There are club members racing that have been part of everyone one of those 25 years. Heck they can drive the track with their eyes closed, literally! But, the racing is tight, it is close, and it is addictly fun. Just realize you cannot expect to just go out and win your first night out.

For the new comer, I suggest you race in the bracket first. Learn the ropes of how HCKC operates in terms of race schedule, flags, etc. Only move into Chonda when you are ready for it, because these guys race hard. Now hold on… you want to go faster? The beauty of the Chonda is that it can be easily modded. This is why the bracket is great. Not only is it a great place to start… but if you start playing with modded engines to get some more speed on the cheap before moving up to the big boys with TaG engines for instance. The bracket allows for karts of any speed to race together for a single championship and max fun.

Additionally, you can race your stock Chonda in both classes! Double the race day track time! Practice and tuning makes perfect!

To sum it all up, racing a Chonda at HCKC allowed me to achieve the goals I set forth with and then some. It has been a rewarding experience. I am involved in a great organization. I get to race with great people. I’ve brought in several friends with me and I have established friendships that are very important to me.

Try before you buy?

The club members put on something from time-to-time called a Test-N-Tune, this is a great way to come out and even jump in a kart for a few laps. Watch the website and forums to see when a member is organizing a TNT day.  You will find a friendly bunch of people who are quite willing to help you into the great sport of karting.

So as my final words, go find a kart, buy a Chonda engine, and come out and race!

You can find used sometimes as low as $1,000, but more normal to see prices starting around $1,500 – this really makes it the cheapest form of 4-wheeled motorsport that I can think of. Watch our forums to see what is currently for sale; you will often see good deals.