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Just wanted to say the money, fame, glory thing wasn’t a knock on the series just a joke.
In all seriousness the series was 10 times better than we ever imagined it could be. For all of those looking to run in the series I highly recommend it. Everyone offered their assistance to us even on our practice days. I was simply amazed at the way people helped one another. There was no bigger couple of rookies than us. In most modern day sports competitors wouldn’t go out of their way to help a rookie. Karters did and it made us come back! Heck most of the time rookies are a source of comic relief, but no one made us feel that way. Thanks for hiding your laughter. 🙂
Thank you track owners, volunteers and participants!!!
We were lucky enough to get acquainted with and OUTSTANDING team in RBI. For all the newbie?s looking to get into karting make sure you have support. It made all the difference in our performance and increased the enjoyment 1000%. There are other good shops besides RBI. The Billet performance guys are great also. RBI is another and oh yeah RBI is pretty good. 🙂
Mike Baures
To get connected with really good support look up AJ Noud, Rocco McDermit or Richard Buxmann they should be able to point you in the right direction. 😀
My take on the shifter classes.
Novice 60/80-Have them sealed ahead of time or are required to remove cylinder after race (10 Minute job with no expense)
80jr- remain the same
Stock moto- have them sealed ahead of time or are required to remove cylinder after race (5 minute job with no expense)
Sr/Hvy – ICC and moto similar to last year.
Pro – ICC and moto similar to last year, I don’t care for the open tire, but will go with the majority.
Novice 125 – eliminate it. Most of the guys that are talking of running this class are comparing times from last years results. Put the novice class on softer tires and there times will be up where the pros/Sr Hvy times were. Most of you guys already know how to race, learning to shift happens in about 2 sessions on the track. I”ve seen it with a guy in our kart that had never shifted before. The cost of motors aren’t an excuse because as the rules were last year, the ICC’s were the same in pro and novice. The other costs are the same also. Bigger fields make for better races and more time for tech at the end of the day.
Just my thoughts.
Bill
My wish class structure.
Kid Kart
Junior 1
Tag Baby
Tag Junior
Tag Senior
Tag Masters
4 Cycle SeniorK3 Novice Shifter
K2 junior Shifter
Novice Shifter
Stock Moto
Senior/Heavy Shifter
Pro125Kid Kart, 50 Comer per WKA rules, no exceptions of any kind. Gearing and exhaust would be per WKA rule book. The reports of $1500 kid kart motors are urban myth. The top builders will blueprint them for $350 or less. And there is no need to blueprint them for the first year until the kid gets some driving experience. When you go to sell it, you can sell it anywhere in the country. I don?t see a down side here.
Junior 1. Briggs animal only per WKA rules including weight and restrictor. Its time to slow them down, lap times under 1 minute at IMI are TOO fast. For all practical purposes, this class last year was all animal so since the market has spoken, why not formalize it? By adopting the WKA rules across the board, the racer can buy a package from dozens of different builders and race any where in the country they wish. The engine package is relatively easy to tech as you have clearly defined rules and procedures for tech.
Tag Baby. This is where we dump the younger tag karts. I fully understand the attraction of karts like the Mini-max. One of the larger expenses in karting is all the other stuff you need to run a particular package like jets, clutch sprockets and the like. A package like the Mini-max greatly reduces these costs over the life span of the karter as the spares and stuff carry forward. Tag USA/SKUSA rules, no exceptions.
Tag Junior. Tag USA rules including restrictors, no exceptions. No more adult motors in Tag Junior.
Tag Senior and Tag Masters. Tag USA/SKUSA rules, no exceptions. Tech should honor the seal for those engine packages that are sealed. However, you can develop tech procedures that can check most of the performance enhancing parameters without breaking the seal. For example, you can check head volume, squish, reed cage and reed material, stroke and porting without breaking the seal. With a bore scope, dial indicator, solder, dial calipers and a burette, you can check all these items in less than 15 minutes. The only items that need to be removed are the spark plug, pipe and carburetor. Anything outside the seal is of course subject to full tech under Tag USA rules.
Senior 4 cycle. These guys did a great job of bringing a class back from the dead and deserve a place to play. Last years rules seemed to work, why change.
K3, Novice Shifter. This class is growing and deserves a place. As dad?s find that the costs are actually quite low, they are jumping into it. It has many of the same advantages as mini-Max. Your spares and tuning will carry forward as you move up. SKUSA rules
K2, Junior 80. A good strong class, minimal changes. SKUSA rules, no exceptions this year including ignitions. In other words, PI?s would be in.
Novice Shifter. A good class last year. Same rules this year, no changes at all. Top 5 in CSC points must move up to Pro.
Stock moto. SKUSA rules, open to any driver. Weight to be 385#. This class would be in place of S2. S2 was not well represented last year and does not deserve to continue. However, if a stock moto class were offered, there would be many experienced racers who would jump into it as the costs would be much lower than any shifter class. It just might be the class that saves shifter racing from itself.
Senior/Heavy shifter. Same rules as last year, no changes but might consider giving the motos a weight break.
Pro 125. Same as last year, no changes but might consider giving the motos a weight break.
Some thoughts on tech. If we are going to get serious about tech, we need a spec fuel. There is too much to be gained by juicing fuel. To cheat as much in the motor as to get what you can gain in the fuel would be so easy to catch, you wouldn?t even need to tear them down. Its low hanging fruit and in my opinion, engine tech is just punitive costs for winning if you?re not going to spec fuel. Run what ever fuel you want for club races, but CSC races should be run with spec fuel and procedures developed to check it.
Tires should not only be marked but also checked for correct compound. Last year, only once did tech check my tires for compound (Steamboat) and at no time did anyone check durometer. You can gain up to a full second at most tracks by doping tires. Let?s put a stop to it.
In these two areas, a person could cheat and gain seconds and we don?t tech them. Yet they are easy to catch and simple to tech. We tear apart motors which are difficult at times to tech and where gains are minimal and expensive to put back together. And even there, I?ve never seen us check head volume, bore and stroke and that is where the power is in the 2 cycles. We tear them apart, miss all the important stuff and then complain about the bearings, gaskets and seals that have minimal impact on performance.
Larry, my 1st race ever in a Kart was at the Super Nationals in Vegas and it was in a 250 :idn: I had only been in a kart for about 15 minutes ever before that and got so hooked that I came home and bought ground just to build our track. After 5 axles, 2 Italians(I took them out) I finally made it to 6th in the main before having a spectacular crash down the back straight at Vegas. The only time I was on the track is when I was crossing it, he, he, but I had a ball!!! I am hesitant to require a minimum # of Club races before someone can compete in the CSC because of some guys naturally adapt and run up front from the very beginning and some have many races and still run towards the back but are still having fun.
Doug’s comments make sense to me too.
Stacey, that is just too funny! I do think sometimes it is best just to throw the kids in the lake and let them learn to swim. I do agree that people adapt at very different paces. Someone, like yourself, that comes from a different sport but has a lot of racing experience will usually adapt pretty well. For me, I know I will have fun whether it is at the front or the back of the pack. However, I’m making this leap for the kids. They’re the ones I want to support and encourage. This old, tired, beat-up, broken body of mine has had its share of serious racing. Now, its for fun. Ya, right.
Let’s race!
😆 If there’s not a novice adult tag class where does a newbie start :cheers:
I agree with Doug on the K2’s. Give us ignition boxes and leave the front brake opt. with 10lb adder.
Open tires might make $$$$ sense for club races, and even CSC races. But YHC’s are just fine with us.
We want to set-up kart for local races just how it will be set-up for Stars/SKUSA.
Thanks.
Who’d be up for a stock moto class? As long as the Tech is persistent enough to check motors, I think it would be a good class.
The only thing I see in Doug’s post that I disagree with is the removal of the S2 class. You are correct that few ran it in 2004. There are going to be several from the Novice 125 class running S2 in’05 plus the few that raced it in ’04. I count 8-10 right off and think a few Pro 125’s might drop back to S2. I don’t think I am ready to run in the pro class from a talent, tuning and budget standpoint. I don’t think the S2 class will have enough people to run solo, but could combine with the smallest field out of the other shifter classes. Just split the grid and start them at the front of a slower group or behind a faster group.
Did anyone think of taking a written pole tomorrow night on what classes the ’04 drivers will be running in ’05? That might give an idea of preliminary numbers and class structure ideas. Not everyone reads and participates in this forum.
Mike Baures
The poll doesn’t have to be complex. I am sure there will be someone at the door taking money and checking for those that have already paid. They could simply have a check list with all the classes. The person can ask all the people that enter what class they are running in ’05 and record the response. A ballot on every table would likely be a butt ache.
Mike
I’m going to suggest something completely outside the box…..
Instead of trying to handicap the motors (like we’ve been doing). Why not just group the motors by type and simply qualify drivers into “flights” by times? Say 60 125 shifters show up for a race, you might divide them into two or three groups by times. Give guys that might have blown it in qualifying the opportunity to move up — not down. You could set a minimum weight, tech the fuel let everyone use whatever tires they wanted. At the end of the day, you would only need to tech the three top finishers. Maybe institute a “claiming” rule.
Tech would be easier, race days shorter. The fast guys would still end up with other fast guys, and winning would be just as sweet. Newbies would instantly understand the rules.
Anyway, its Winter……….The mind wanders. Just wanted to stir the pot a little. 👿
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