“We bought the chassis,” Dan Jr. says with pride. “But we did the rest of the work on it.”

Dan Jr. isn’t alone in his interest in karting. According to www.ekartingnews.com, there are more than 100,000 karters in the United States. With hundreds of thousands more aficionados internationally, karting has become one of the most popular motor sports.

Wearing his lucky black cap, Dan Jr., a seventh-grader at Bruce M. Whittier Middle School, talks about how he got involved in this fast growing sport.

“Ever since I was 7, I wanted to go fast. I loved watching NASCAR and wanted to try it myself. Then, when I was 9, I got the chance to drive my first kart in a Wal-Mart parking lot. It just felt good. After that, my parents got me my first kart. The rest is history.”

After a season and a half, Dan Jr. has won more than a dozen trophies.

Many drivers, young and old, are fascinated by karting. After all, as the Ekartingnews.com Web site explains: “The beauty of karting is the seemingly simple nature of these vehicles: No suspension, no differential, no roll bars, no seat-belt systems. Just four wheels and an engine.”

In Lisbon Falls, 15-year-old Troy Gamrat just finished his racing year. During his rookie season last year, he took a track championship in the adult division.

“Because of my skill, they let me into the division even though I was only 13,” says Troy, a sophomore at Lisbon Falls High School. “I compete against people a lot older and with more experience than me. Last season was a great year for me.”

This season wasn’t as successful.

“Some years, you just hit a groove and take it all and some years you don’t,” says Kevin Gamrat, Troy’s father. “Last year was incredible. This year, we had a hard time. There were maintenance issues, track issues and driver issues. We just keep plugging away at it and we look ahead to next year when Troy moves up to stock car racing.” For father and son, it’s their “bonding time.”

Another young go-kart racer with his eyes on the future is 12-year-old Dave Farrington Jr. of Jay. A serious rider since age 7, he also has his sights set on bigger things.

“I hope to end up in the Indy Racing League or even Formula One. Racers like Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers and Jeff Gordon all raced in the World Karting Association and now they’re in NASCAR. I’ve run in the WKA for five years now and this is the series where the best of the best from all around the world come to race go-karts.”

Naturally, kids are excited about getting in a kart and racing around a track at high speeds. But do any of the parents worry about the driver’s safety? “Sure, there are concerns,” admits Troy’s mom, Sandra. “These drivers can go as fast as 60 miles per hour, and at first it was hard to watch. But, now, I’m impressed with how well he does. So even though it worries me, I know he’s being safe and doing his best. You can see it in his eyes that he loves driving.”

A pricey pastime

It’s a love that doesn’t come cheap. To get started as a serious go-kart driver, it takes an initial investment of $4,000 to $5,000. Regular tuneups and maintenance can run up to $250 a pop and usually need to be done once or twice a season. If an engine blows, the driver’s family can expect to pay around $800.

“The hardest part about racing is all of the money involved,” Dave Jr. notes. “My mom and dad love the sport and are very committed to it. But they work very hard every week to bring home the money so I can go racing.”

Kart upkeep is just the start for a racer, though. Travel expenses such as hotel, gas and food must be considered. Then, there’s the racing fee at each track, around $10 a race. Expenses add up quickly. Sponsors, individuals or businesses who contribute money, services or equipment are solicited to help defray the cost. Oftentimes, though, the family is the one to foot the bill. The other expense is time: Countless hours are spent maintaining the kart and traveling back and forth to races.

“It does require sacrifice, both in money and in time,” agrees Lori Pelletier, Dan Jr.’s mom. “He races Fridays and Sundays every week from May until October or November. We don’t spend time up north at our camp as much as we’d like, but we do this as a family. Even our 14-year-old daughter, Whitney, will come along to the races sometimes. But, we wouldn’t invest so much if he didn’t love it. This is serious for Dan; it’s not just a silly dream.”

For some racers, go-karting is a possible path to a career. Others simply enjoy its thrill and excitement.

Go, Grandma

Jo Carol Hayes of Gorham calls herself the “Go Karting Grandma.” Hayes, 56, has been go- karting for about a year.

“I just heard a commercial on the radio one day and thought, ‘That could be fun.’ I didn’t do it right away, but when I did … Oh, boy. I was hooked.”

Today, she goes to Scarborough’s Maine Indoor Kart racing track several times a month.

“It’s a great stress reliever,” she says. “You concentrate on yourself, the car and the track. Everything else is just left in the distance. Everything that was bothering you goes away.”

Even though Hayes doesn’t race against others, she says, “I always try to beat my best lap time. I push myself to get the best time I can.”

She was so impressed with her early go-karting experiences that she approached her supervisor at work to arrange a cooperate event at the track. “A large group of us got together and we had a blast. It’s a great way to spend time together and just blow off some steam.”

Hayes encourages people to give go-karting a spin. “You can’t really explain the rush you get. You simply have to get in a kart and try it out for yourself! I’ve never met a person who got out of the kart and didn’t like it. Believe me, you won’t regret it.”