HPD To Offer Kid Kart Engines

Honda Performance Development, the racing arm of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., is expanding its range of karting products with the introduction of a new Kid Kart engine designed to improve quality, reliability and balanced performance at a low cost to the competitor.

The Honda GXH50, available to racers, retail shops and series through the Honda Racing Line, is an effort by HPD to address issues that have negatively affected the growth of Kid Karting in recent years, and help the entry-level category return to popularity.

"Kid Karting is one of the earliest forms of motorsport available to youth with an interest in racing," said Marc Sours, senior manager of HPD's Commercial Division. "One of the goals of the Honda Racing Line is to support these novice racers. Through our Kid Kart engine program, we hope to make it easier for these young racers and their families to discover the fun of our sport."

Originally intended as a way for families and their children – typically between five and seven years old – to gain an introduction to karting, the Kid Kart class in recent seasons has been negatively impacted by high engine costs and a lack of control over the current engine platform.

Following requests from the marketplace, HPD offers the Honda GXH50, and subsequent HPD installation kit, as a replacement engine for the Kid Kart class. With the new engine package, HPD seeks to assist sanctioning bodies and participants in rebuilding the category, lowering operating costs while bringing traditional Honda reliability and quality to Kid Karting.

The GXH50 Kid Kart engine will come factory-sealed from HPD to eliminate "blueprinting" of the engine. HPD's support will include a rules package designed to maintain the integrity of the program. Engines will not be re-sealable, and will come with an HPD-spec clutch, engine mount, chain guard and hardware.

Engine life is expected to be well in excess of 200 hours, and the HPD GXH50 is intended to provide both lower maintenance costs and better engine parity than other currently available engines. Retail price of a complete GXH50 will be $829, and both race shop and series inquiries are welcome. Through the Honda Racing Line, karters and other racers can arrange direct, door-to-door delivery of parts and complete engines.

To join the Honda Racing Line, a racer must simply provide proof of current membership in a nationally-recognized sanctioning body; provide official race results from at least two events in the past year; complete and submit the registration form; and be a resident of the U.S. or Canada.