KIC Report On Professional Kart Jr. Dragster

Las Vegas, Jan. 1, 2011: While considered an extended member of the performance karting community, Jr. Dragsters actually have far more in common with today’s karts than one might think. They both use steel tube chassis with scaled down performance tires and 4 stroke motors. With an age bracket of 8 to 17, Jr. Dragster racing draws from the same youth market.

The best way to describe a Jr. Dragster is to say this is a half scale version of the Top Fuel dragsters that thrill thousands of spectators throughout the season. These single-cylinder, five-horsepower engines can propel these vehicles down an 1/8 mile track at speeds in excess of 85 miles an hour.

Organized competition at the more than 140 member tracks of the NHRA gives more than 5000 junior racers a chance to taste competition on hallowed ground. With as much as 35% of the driver mix being girls, Jr. Dragster racing is a gender neutral sport.

The relevance for KIC members is that a number of top karting vendors also service this competitive program with everything from chassis to tires. With the single-cylinder, 4-stroke engine, a number of our top engine builders deliver winning motors.