I want to thank everyone for your support and kind words. I have no problem with teching any and everything up to breaking the seal. If the seal has to be broken, then it should be done by a certified tech person. In this case, sending the engine to a Rotax shop is the proper way to handle it. First, they have the tools and the expertise to certify the engine is legal. If its out, the the owner pays, if its legal, the protester pays. Fair and simple.
Rod raised a question that should be answered, is the integrity of the Rotax seal in doubt? In our case, ours engines still have the orginal seal directly from SSC. Since they pulled two off the self and shipped them the same day as orderd, I have no doubt they are just what ever came done the line that day at the Rotax plant.
If a service center makes an illegal engine and it is discovered, that service center is subject to a very large fine and the loss of their Rotax certification. IMHO, that is too high price to pay for the few $$ they get for an engine. The service centers just don’t do it, pure and simple.
But lets look at it another way, we were a lot faster than most of the field. For a second, lets assume equal karts and drivers. Do you have any idea how much power we would have to have to make that much of a difference. We’re talking 10 hp here folks. To do that, the engine would have to be highly modified, not just a simple blueprint. No service center on this planet would do that and put their name (seal) on it.
I completly believe the “seal is the deal”. Do I think every Rotax engine is equal, no, but I don’t think there is an illegal sealed engine out there. Rod, you will always find individuals who don’t think the seal is effective but it is and the motors are relatively equal.