Actually, the SKUSA rules and classes for the SuperNats are a step backwards and will only further hasten their demise. It is unfortunate, but that’s the way it is.
We quite running open moto engines for a reason, they are too expensive. We quite running ICC for a simple reason, they are too expensive. It is for these reasons that both engines have sufferend greatly these past few years. SKUSA in the current class structure has done nothing to halt this trend.
While tires and all the other stuff are significant costs, the addition of the motors and silly prices charged for poorly made karts is driving people out of the sport. Worse, we have driven the costs up so much that you can run cars for the same money.
Case in point, at current prices, a top of the line ICC shifter package retails for at least $8,000 and usually runs $10,000 or more depending on equipment and the amount of blessing you have done to the engine. Yes you can run a “stock” ICC for a long time and they can be dependable. But you will not run at the front of the pack. (However, if the fields keep shrinking you can by default). To make them last, you need to run them fat, short shift them, in general, have fun but don’t race them hard.)
For roughly the same money, I can buy or build a Spec Miata. Without question, I can race them for LESS money. I have talked with too many people who have done both and to a man they tell me the same thing, they spent less money this year racing a Spec Miata than they did last year running either unrestricted moto or ICC. One dad said he was spending less that he did in 80 jr! At the end of the year guess what, I can sell the Spec Miata for what I paid for it (If we don’t wad it up). Try that with a kart! What this tells me is that karting is competiting with traditional forms of motorsports and that my friends is a battle we will lose every time.
Karting has to know its place in the grand scheme of motorsports. We are the bottom rung and we need to be cheap. If SKUSA thinks that by giving the motos a 10# weight break that somehow all these old engines are going to find their way out of the garages and back on to the track, they are sadly mistaken. The orginal owners have either sold them to some unspecting newbi and he for sure won’t be at the SuperNats.
If we want karting to grow, it has to get back to its roots, we have to be the cheapest form of motorsports.
A final note, there is no way to tech a stock ICC from a “built” ICC. They have exactly the same rules and they come from the factory with the ports ground.
SKUSA’s rules on stock motos is equaly bad. I’ve had this talk with both Joe and Todd and they know where I stand. The stock Honda class should be 1999 cylinder and head only. It should be 6 speed tranny only. It should be 1999 ignition only. Opening it up to multiple years only increases the option for testing and only increases costs. Remember my point about cheapest form of motorsports, every time we open the rules, it increases the costs and puts us closer to competiting with traditional motorsports and it hurts our sport.