Toyota's New $2,500 Go-Kart Is Built For The Next Generation Of F1 Racers

Toyota's Gazoo Racing (GR) has brought out its GR Kart, which it's pitching as an entry-level go-kart that will get more families involved in motorsports — but without the usual hassles that tend to come with it. Toyota has attempted to deal with the issues relating to buying, maintaining, storing, and transporting a go-kart, making it easier and less costly to do so. With a price of 385,000 yen (about $2,500), the GR Kart appears to be an economical, turnkey way to enter the sport. The GR Kart is currently available only in Japan, but if you are in the U.S. and want to build or upgrade your own kart, here are some places online to find go-kart engines & parts.

The GR Kart seats one and comes with a 215cc internal combustion engine, which is similar in size to Harbor Freight's Predator 212 engine. Its seat, pedals, and steering are all adjustable, so it fits both adults and children. This makes it possible for multiple family members to use a single GR Kart. Toyota also built in several safety features. A rear bumper keeps other karts from riding up over the GR Kart's rear tire in a collision, and the throttle cable is mounted so that throttle can't stick open. There's also a cool surface near the seat where you can place your hands, so you don't have to touch any hot parts when getting in and out. The GR Kart is produced by Toyota's Gamagori GR Kart Workshop, where Toyota Production System principles are followed.

The GR Kart has been designed for easy transport in vehicles as small as Toyota's seven-or-eight-seat Noah and Voxy minivans. This eliminates any need to disassemble the GR Kart for transport, and you don't need a large vehicle to move it from place to place. Toyota has also made the GR Kart easy to store, since it can stand upright on a wheeled dolly, taking up much less space. To aid vertical storage, the GR Kart features a carburetor without a float chamber, an oil catch tank, and a fuel filler that all minimize leakage while it is stored upright.

Toyota has also done its best to reduce the need for maintenance of the GR Kart, by adding a self-charging battery to eliminate dead batteries. Then there is also a belt-drive system with an automatic tensioner, which avoids the messy oil spray of a chain drive. Another benefit of the float-chamberless carburetor is its resistance to fuel feed issues caused by g-forces. The rear axle is stainless steel to resist rust, while the fuel lines inside the tank are metal for added durability.  

All in all, the Toyota GR Kart seems like a great way to get more families into motorsports at the entry level. It is a typically well-made Toyota product, and while it doesn't come with a warranty, it should be durable enough to get the next generation of F1 racers started on their journey. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem destined to make it to the U.S., just like these small cars that look super fun to drive that never made it here.