For sprint asphalt racing (the majority of what I do now, although I grew up doing asphalt oval), there is less cleaning involved. And that's about where the advantages stop over oval racing. The lay of the land as I see it:
L0206 -- a lower hp class that emphasizes racecraft, as you'll be racing in larger crowds. The longevity of the engine and perceived parity is its' bonus. Hard to go wrong starting here.
KA100 -- Will become what KT-100 used to be: a wide-range class with enough power to teach lessons at the limits of traction, but not so brutal as to be uncomfortable to drive or scary (until you adapt.) If you have any racing experience, I'd start here.
TaG / X30 / Shifter -- the "Pro" racing classes of karting. Essential to eventually get into if you're climbing the ladder, but too fast and too brutal and too expensive to jump into while you're still trying to learn 10,000 other more basic things.
Chassis: The European (by which I mean Italian) chassis are the standard par excellance. They manufacture the chassis for 80% of the other offshoot brands. Over the past decade there's been some consolidation and loss of manufacturers, though a few more have started too. Because the standard of racing is higher in Europe, the chassis tend to be more advanced in terms of performance design. The US chassis, however, have the edge on parts availability and local service in a lot of cases. You won't be an importer's mercy on pricing either. US chassis can be made to win, but you have more education to do with them since 80% of the field knows and races European chassis. Also, spares and borrowing them at the track become a concern -- European stuff is all metric. American is....American. Sometimes harder to find stuff, and very little crosses over. Margay, as an American company, has competed internationally and are great to get info from. Coyote and MGM and a few other more boutique brands have made good inroads in LO206 sprint racing, so they're worth looking at if you go that route. Since Europeans race 2 cycle (predominently), they're the more popular choice in those classes. The big 3 European brands are: Tonykart (OTK group), CRG, and Birel. Praga is a notable non-Italian brand and Sodi is French. Parolin is fast, and some others like Race Factory, Factory Kart, Mad Croc, etc. have all won also, so there's a case to be made that you should find local support vs. what's winning for a Euro chassis. The stats are skewed because OTK karts make up perhaps 70% of the field. Therefore, they win more, but only because more people are using them. I had a Tony and found I liked its' wide tuning window. They are also reputed to "age out" quicker, but I feel this is largely a rumor. As any chassis is used, it can develop a condition where it no longer feels as "sharp," (precise) and all the adjustments kinda' respond mushily instead of making a really noticeable change in feel. This is "aging out." Some chassis never do, some are reported to quickly. ChromeMoly seems to stay about the same for its' life but is reputed to be inferior to mild steel "throwaway" chassis that trade performance for long-life. All of this is worth considering when you buy your first NEW kart. For now, buy a known CURRENT brand that's less than 10 years old. Sprint karts have certification periods ("hom*ologations") that last 5 years, and anything older than 2 of those likely has older technology or geometry. Some frames can still be made to be as fast, but the odds are that it's .2 or so off pace per hom*ologation. So, keep in mind that YOU as the newb driver are SEVERAL SECONDS slower than the competitive people, to start. If you're willing to do your homework, my advice is -- buy a 10 year old chassis at a severe discount compared to new, invest LOTS of practice time and get yourself to no longer be the slow part of the kart. Over this time period of practice and first few races, make friends and learn the lay of the land. THEN, as an informed non-newb, make a chassis purchase decision.
If you buy chassis from the top teams at the end of the year, you can get a 1 yr. old chassis that has seen little wear for a good penny off. But it's been raced hard also, so YMMV. (Your mileage may vary.)
PM me if you have more questions or want my number. I'm in NC, and my race team partner who is a dealer for many things is based in Pittsburgh. Welcome to the addiciton, and make sure you put your wallet on a workout program as well as yourself. Speaking of which, start building your core and arms...you'll thank me later!
Cheers, ~Ted
