Running With The Big Dogs: Trophy Kart

One of the hottest tickets in off-road racing right now has to be Trophy Karts - half-size replicas of today's most technologically advanced and fastest off-road race vehicles on the planet. The difference is that these Karts are built for both kids and adults. At the helm of the Trophy Kart organization and responsible for bringing them to the masses is legendary off-road racer Nick Baldwin and creator Nestor Berardi.

Known for his no-nonsense approach on the track, Baldwin has taken the same approach to promoting Trophy Karts in the highly successful Championship Off Road Racing (CORR) Series. There are currently three race classes in the CORR Series for the Trophy Karts: one for kids 8 to 11 years old, one for ages 12 to 15 years old, and another for 16 year olds.

"On any given weekend at a CORR race, we have at least 50 to 80 Trophy Karts in attendance, ready to race. It's amazing how everyone involved takes the racing so seriously, from the custom trailers and support vehicles to the fully staffed race teams with corporate sponsorship deals," says Baldwin.

Following the same rules and requirements as their fullsize CORR Series counterparts, each of the Trophy Karts must adhere and be built to the exact specifications of the series. Each vehicle must go through a technical inspection while its driver attends mandatory driver meetings and participates in contingency programs.

Attacking the jump portions of the track are no problem for the Trophy Karts, given that they have 15 inches of front-wheel travel and 18 inches of rear-wheel travel, which is delivered via a half-size rear swing arm.

Following the same rules and regulations as any other race truck in the CORR Series, each Trophy Kart is subjected to a thorough tech inspection prior to any practice or race activities. In addition to the CORR tech inspectors, Trophy Kart staff is present at each race to provide support and information to competitors and teams.

A total of four aluminum skidplates have been installed along the underside of the Trophy Kart to provide protection to the driver, engine, and transmission. The front bumper is also fabricated from the same material as the frame for further protection for the driver.

On any given weekend, 50 to 80 Trophy Karts attack the same racetrack that their fullsize counterparts race. Competition is fierce between all of the drivers, as the bragging rights for a win are the same as the trucks that their heroes Alan Pflueger, Robby Gordon, and Carl Renezeder drive.

"The amount of requests for distributorship and dealership opportunities we receive on a daily basis is staggering. We must average at least four to five requests a day from interested parties worldwide," comments Baldwin.

In addition to being a hit on the racetrack, the Trophy Karts are equally at home on family trips to the desert or dunes, where they can be enjoyed purely for their entertainment value.

Countless adults are trying to figure out how to get behind the wheel of one of these Trophy Karts, even if for just one lap. We guess it just goes to show that no matter how old you get, you still need to have toys to play with.

Squeeze inside the cockpit of a Trophy Kart and you'll notice a Pro-Am steering wheel with a quick-disconnect coupler and a Premier Racing Products (PRP) bucket racing seat with a matching PRP four-point safety harness, just like the big trucks.

At the heart of each Trophy Kart is a 265cc Subaru powerplant that pumps out an estimated 10-14 horsepower. This race-version powerplant is slightly massaged and has an output of 12-15 hp. The transmission is a single-speed CVT/automatic transmission that, when combined with the engine, allows the Karts to reach speeds of 50 mph.

Aside from being a blast to drive and compete with, Trophy Karts help to teach young competitors about the values of teamwork, responsibility, and sportsmanship. Pictured is 9-year-old Cole Striler (left) and 10-year-old Mitch DeJong (right), the 2007 CORR Trophy Kart Series Champion.

The front suspension is made in the same fashion as a fullsize Trophy Truck, complete with custom-fabricated solid billet-aluminum upper and lower A-arms, mild-steel-plated spindles, and King coilover racing shocks that are custom-designed and valved specifically for Trophy Karts. Even the rod ends and other hardware are taken straight from the Trophy Truck manual.

The rolling stock of these half-size monsters consists of 20x10x8 Carlisle Super Turf tires mounted on 10x8 aluminum Douglas racing wheels. Each Trophy Kart is equipped with a rear-mounted spare tire that helps with balancing the weight ratio evenly.

The rear suspension is made up of a trilink system composed of a billet-aluminum swing arm and single King coilover shocks. The exhaust system is also custom-fabricated and routed through the frame so as to not be damaged when the Karts have harder-than-desired landings.