The Tallinn Experimental Car Repair Plant began building go-karts for young athletes in 1977. The first model was the youth kart «Estonia K-7», designed and built in 1977 and modernised in 1983. The first youth model K-7 used parts of the so-called big kart «Estonia 6M», which was in production at the time. In 1983, to order from the Central Committee of DOSAAF (ДОСААФ) of the Estonian SSR, the Tallinn Experimental Car Repair Plant designed and built a new youth kart, the «Estonia K-9». Design work began after the Estonian SSR team kart K-83 was completed. Elmar Baumer, Toomas Sõmera and Olev Nilisk took part in developing and building it. The «Estonia K-9» has foot-operated accelerator and brake pedals, with the clutch lever on the steering column. The kart has cable-operated disc brakes. It has a fibreglass floor panel, a small seat suited to young drivers and a 1.7-litre petrol tank. The gear lever runs on bearings, and the shift effort is adjustable. The engine is mounted on a carrier that slides along the frame. To reduce weight and simplify manufacture, the sprockets, wheel hubs and bearing housings are made of aluminium alloys. The frame is made of thin-walled 25 mm 30ХГСА steel tube. The controls and seat are widely adjustable. The kart was intended for young athletes who had already learned the basics of driving. Technical data of the youth kart «Estonia K-9»: Length, mm: 1530 Width, mm: 915 Height, mm: 525...570 Wheelbase, mm: 1010 Ground clearance, mm: 30 Track, mm: front 800, rear 780...800 Weight, kg: 50 Engine: Ш62 Displacement, cm³: 49.8 Power, kW (hp): 1.47 (2.0) Source: Tehnika ja Tootmine, 12/1984; O. Nilisk, Youth kart K-9. Further reading: Arno Sillat's article on the history of karting in Estonia – A. Sillat, «The fifty-year-old kart», Maaleht, 5 Aug 2004.