Reddit reviews The Technique of Motor Racing (Driving)

http://www.amazon.com/Technique-Motor-Racing-Driving/dp/0837602289

You could start with the original 'bible' - The Technique of Motor Racing

https://www.amazon.com/Technique-Motor-Racing-Driving/dp/0837602289

Not specific to karting, but this is a great book on driving technique.

Get and read this book. It goes over all of the necessary information.

Lol, liking all 3 is the best, but sometimes you don't have the tools on hand to do all. I'm not too good with actually fixing my car's thing, on account that I have no tools, nor a decent shop to get to work on it, tough I like to think I'm not that bad at diagnosing what's wrong.

And yes, good karts aren't cheap as amusement park ones, but the rush(and beating) you get is at another level, and being able to react quick enough to keep a kart going means anything else will be a piece of cake.

I really enjoy Top Gear too, and frankly, don't really watch other car shows besides it (well, fifth gear sometimes) unless they're featuring a car that really interests me. And rather than focus on high-power, it's probably best to focus on good power to weight (which is why go-karts, Ariel Atoms, KTM X-Bows and Catheram 7s are so much fun) and a good progressive powerband from the engine. Theres no point in making a million horsepower if it's all lumped from 8,900 to 9,000 RPM. A nice, torquey, smooth powerband like that in the Corvette's engine is ideal.

Personally I found Sir Jackie's book really helpful. I've read others but that one has the right amount of tips, and stories that make it entertaining (even if it's out of print right now). Another very respected book is Piero Taruffi's Technique of Motor Racing. It's old (the first real "how to drive a racecar" book ever made), but a lot of people still swear by it. It's a good, if slightly technical, book about the subject, and it's also a good book to have in your collection.