Man created a homemade F1 go-kart and took it for a tense drive on the road
- This content creator built an F1 go-kart from scratch
- He built it over six years from his home workshop
- Finally, the time came to take it out on the road
Published on Nov 25, 2024 at 2:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Nov 21, 2024 at 5:33 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Imagine building your own Formula 1-inspired car from scratch – that’s exactly what this YouTube car enthusiast did before taking his homemade F1 go-kart on the road.
From the comfort of his home workshop, he poured six years of passion and ingenuity into the project.
Countless hours of designing, welding, and problem-solving went into the big moment.
Its first test drive was nail-biting, to say the least.
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The homemade F1 go-kart
Kyle from Boosted Lifestyle’s journey to this moment wasn’t smooth sailing.
It is a narrative of mishaps involving mismatched pipe dimensions and awkward steering rack placements.
Kyle realized early doors that the go-kart’s front suspension geometry wasn’t optimal.
This led to issues like bump steer and misaligned wheels.
However, not one to call it quits without a fight rather than start over, Kyle adopted a ‘fix-as-you-go’ approach.
The priority? To get the car running, even if it’s not perfect.
Creative solutions played a massive role in overcoming the obstacles he faced.
For example, the air shifter system taken from a truck horn kit was modified to fit the car’s compact design.
Similarly, 3D-printed components like the steering wheel and dash brought custom – yet functional – touches.
Even the seat was built from a sacrificial mold and fiberglassed into shape.
He tackled unfamiliar tasks like wiring and CAD modeling by learning on the job – slightly lower stakes than this homemade full-size helicopter.
We are likely going to see an increasing amount of go-karts, as this flying car coming to the US is a cross between a helicopter and a go-kart.
The road test drive
Finally, the big moment arrived and the car was ready to hit the road – or back alley – for its first test drive.
He could have used this Mercedes dealership’s 5,000-ft runway that’s used specifically for high-speed test drives.
With the rear end jacked up, Kyle tested the car’s systems, from the air shifter to the steering, before firing up the engine.
Despite the clutch slipping slightly, and the throttle not being entirely tuned – there was still space for a thrill.
On its maiden voyage, the F1 go-kart exceeded expectations.
Even with the rear straight axle, the chassis felt stable, and the front wheels gripped better than anticipated.
After a solid six years of dedication, learning, and creativity, the content creator’s next steps will involve building a more polished version.
We can’t wait to see it – you can check out the full video here.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
