Why saying karting is cheaper than cars doesn’t make ANY sense

Great article by Alan Dove over at karting1.co.uk, as a reaction to a bold video of Alan Taddei of Super1TVProduction that claims to separate fact from fiction (without any actual evidence) and states karting doesn’t cost as much as cars.

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karting, as with cars, isn’t one homogeneous entity. Karting, as a motorsport, ranges from indoor arrive-and-drive all the way up to KF & KZ. They couldn’t be more different.
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You can buy a KF on eBay for a few hundred pounds and go race it cheaply (and finish last, but you’re racing). You can also spend £5-10,000 a weekend racing it if you want to win on the European circuit.
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So even within the same class, costs can vary dramatically depending on commitment and desire to be competitive.
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No doubt cars can be more time consuming and expensive, but you know what, some people enjoy working on their beloved cars.
Then we get to track time. It’s all relative. Some people might value driving Brand Hatch in a car higher than a kart at a track with a muddy paddock. So more track time might not mean anything to them. Maybe the experience is more fulfilling and maybe it gives their investment a greater chance of return (via sponsors, exposure, opportunity etc…).
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In recent years I’ve always tried to avoid telling people karting is categorically cheap, mainly because you can’t define karting as one entity and also because we have no control over costs.
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Karting can be remarkably in-expensive … it can also be stupidly expensive
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And if we define the value of a motorsport in cost, then what does that mean? Is karting only worthwhile because it’s cheaper? For me, karting generally is better, regardless of cost. I would happily sell my soul to race Formula Super A in the mid-90s, even if it was more expense than some decent car series. It’s fine dining motorsport – creme de la creme. Yes, the costs can sometimes be outrageous, but it should be worth it. For me that should be the first selling point – karting is just better. If someone says car racing is cheaper for them, fine, but is it better? That’s the question we should be asking.
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If we just make this about cost, karting is second best to sim racing. … If we keep telling people it’s all about cost rather than value & experience, don’t be surprised when they latch onto sim racing – the fastest growing area of motorsport. The competition levels are generally much higher, the choice is almost infinite and you can literally spend hours every day driving and racing with people from all over the planet who are incredibly talented. All for minimum investment. It’s developing at such a pace, it’s an incredible thing to be a part of right now. Worse still some drivers are creating real world opportunities to become professional drivers via sim racing.
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If you the only reason you’re in karting is because it’s cheaper than something else, I think that is depressing. It needs to be more than just ‘cheaper than ….’.
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Karting needs to be open and frank that sometimes it is a bit expensive, sometimes you might not as much track time as you’d hope, sometimes you can feel like you’d rather be at Silverstone. Let’s not lie to ourselves otherwise how can we possibly improve and grow? My philosophy in the last few years has been to put the emphasis first and foremost to find and highlight the best karting experiences possible. It’s nice if they happen to be cost-effective, but that’s just a bonus (simplicity fortunately often correlates with less cost). Making karting about ‘cost’ is making it a battle we will end up losing, but we can win on experience and enjoyment.

Make sure to read the entire article here: http://www.karting1.co.uk/why-saying-karting-is-cheaper-than-cars-is-pointless.