James,
my son started on karts with hand controls when he was 5, top speed of 15mph, then moved to a tonykart 'Rocky' (i think) when he was 6, We now run a LRG honda cadet which we have been racing for 6 months now, with some success. we didnt restrict his engine, i wanted him to be the judge of speed, not me...last thing i wanted was him getting used to putting his foot flat down and the kart only going as fast as i would allow it by limiting the throttle. came back to bite me a couple of times at the start, but i think he has a good appreciation of speed and when its safe to pass and when its not. my thing with neck braces is, ive seen young kids hitting tyre walls at a fair speed, including my own, i know that Mathew would have been hurt more in that last crash had he not been wearing his, his head was thown back with the impact, and with the additional weight of the helmet...dread to think how bad it could have been. Some people dont like neck braces, some say they are no use, but in my opinion that firm bit of foam reduced the movement on my sons neck resulting in him walking away from a big impact. another point, at WSKC practice sessions, if there is a total new commer, we try to encourage them to get 5min sessions either on their own or with other new commers, lets them build their confidence before being chucked in with the experienced guys. its a long road, no point in rushing things, take your time and with the right encouragement he will come good.
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