Direct drive assembly and go-kart containing same

A drive assembly for a kart, comprising:

• an internal combustion engine adapted to be mounted to the kart, the engine comprising an output shaft, and a removable cover, the cover at least in part defining a housing;
• a drive shaft extending through and rotating within the housing of the engine;
• a driving gear disposed on the output shaft of the engine within the housing;
• a driven gear disposed on the drive shaft within the housing, the driven gear being releasably connected to the drive shaft through a connecting element such that the drive shaft may be removed from the engine without removal of the driven gear from the engine;
• and
• a reduction gearing including at least one reduction gear disposed on an intermediate shaft within the housing, the reduction gearing operatively interconnecting the driving gear with the driven gear within the housing;
• the output shaft, the drive shaft and the intermediate shaft being separated by distances within the housing that are fixed and invariable;
• and
• at least one of the driving gear and the reduction gear being releasably connected to the shaft on which it is disposed such that when the cover is removed from the engine that gear may be removed from the engine without the removal of its shaft.