Electric Karts In Latvian Championship

Latvia will become first country in the World to hold a National Karting Championship for electric Karts when Round 1 of Latvian Karting Championship kicks off on May 1, 2018 (beating the German DEKM for electric karts, on May 12-13).

Organisers say the all-new “TK Electro” class will have around 15 participants for the first race and is expecting more over the course of the six-round season. In a written condition with the promoter, not less than 10 electric go-karts must be present at every round.

Freestyle MX pilot Martins Aleksandrovics (also known as “Super Bad Alex”) has confirmed his participation in the 2018 Latvian Electric Kart Championship

Latvia’s local “Blue Shock Race” (BSR) factory has been producing electric go-karts for three years. This year BSR joined forces with Latvia’s leading young drivers assessment program “LMT Autosport Academy” to create this all-new class for Latvian Karting Championship.

The new concept will be presented to FIA President Jean Todt when he visits Latvia on April 5.

“We have the funds to distribute 10 electric go-karts to professional schools in Latvia, and we are very grateful to our sponsors – Latvia’s leading mobile operator LMT – for this support” said Dainars Dambergs, general manager of LMT Autosport Academy, promoter of the new class.

“We want to promote electric mobility and environmentally friendly solutions, as well as smart solutions that electric powertrains offer.

The Blue Shock Race kart has 15Kw/50Nm AC engine, and is capable of 130 km/h. A kit with all the parts to convert a chassis to electric costs around $7800.

“Together with our sponsors we hope to create a series that is modern, technology-driven and can show know-how of Latvia in electric engineering. We have some really strong electric engineers here, just to name Andris Dambis who produced a car that claimed overall victory in Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) in 2016. That was the first time electric car won in PPIHC, and now Latvia is the first country in the World to hold Electric Kart Championship. I am very proud to be Latvian!”

“After three years of testing, we are now ready to step up to Latvian Championship level,” says Artis Daugins, founder of Blue Shock Race.

“BSR is proud to be in front of big companies like Bosch and Rotax who are only developing their products. We have a ready solution that can be raced in National Championships already.

“As of now, we have the capacity to produce more than 100 electric kits or complete electric go-karts by the end of the year. So anyone willing to switch to electric power is welcome!”

The karts to be used in the TK Electro class have power output of 15 Kw (20.1 hp) and 50 Nm of torque via an AC engine, and are capable of 130 km/h max speed.

Founder of Blue Shock Race Artis Daugins, general manager of LMT Autosport Academy Dainars Dambergs, President of LMT Juris Binde and rally driver of LMT Autosport Academy and ADAC Opel Junior Team Martins Sesks all are very enthusiastic about the new project

BSR produce bolt-on electric kits that include a battery pack, engine, engine controller, complete wiring and all the necessary hardware. The kit can be installed to any chassis that now runs with an internal combustion powertrain.

BSR kits are able to do at least 15 minute run on one battery pack, while the pack itself can be changed in 2 minutes.

The price of the bolt-on electric kit is from 4900 EUR (around $7800AUD) excluding taxes. A complete electric go-kart (on CRG Junior or similar) is priced at 6800 EUR (approx $10,880).

Latvian Karting Championship calendar in “TK Electro” class: