- This topic has 13 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 21 years, 3 months ago by
.
- Posts
Larry, many of your observations are very well founded. Karting has struggled with these issues since its inception. One of the biggest reasons is there is very little money to be made in karting and everyone is fighting and clawing for every dime they can get.
As far as where to start, I could type for hours and still not answer all your questions. I suggest that you call me at the shop when you have time and I would gladly answer any questions. I do not sell karts, I manufacture parts that fit in just about all karts. My sons have raced in Colorado for over 8 years and we have raced every class from Junior 1 Briggs flat head to Tag to Pro125 shifters.
I am at 303-781-7829
Thanks Doug. I can tell as I’ve dug deeper into this forum that you are one of the guys working hard to improve a community you have a lot of passion for. I’ll give you a call.
Larry,
I might add that if you are reading posts on this website it DOES give you a pulse on things here in Colorado but remember this: How many people in this state actually PARTICIPATE on these forums? Like in most things these days some people use a computer some don’t. Like any message board you have to sift through the junk to find the nuggets…
I race in TaG Masters Class and can say without a doubt that you will not find a class more competitive. We do not have an ARMS race (open checkbook racing like in F1, CART, IRL, NASCAR etc). I know that if i am getting beat someone is a better driver, tuned thier engine and chassis better or put in more seat time away from race days. Yes, CSC Bandimere was good but teh best race of the season (IMHO) was CSC IMI with two packs going into corners two abreast and this happening all race long! I would agree with your kid though. At 12 years of age wouldn’t it be better to walk first before you run? Ask a commercial pilot next time you fly if they started in a jet engined plane or was it a Cessna 152?
As for the whining about being DQ’d etc. That unfortunately is going to happen in any sport. How we all respond with our ATTITUDE determines if we are doing what we set out to accomplish (have fun, enjoy the commeradiere and DO OUR BEST). Yes, maybe we don’t have all the rules set out and the consistent tech inspection, flagmen and workers but they all bust thier arse off for what? ATTA BOY is about all they get. This CSC is in it’s infancy! This was only season #2 of the CSC. Do you think that the Indy 500 got off flawlessly in season #2 (in 1912). I will say one thing abotu tech and that is, the rules have always been posted on this website and bits and pieces of the classes are through SKUSA’s site too (I do not race in Animal, comer, etc so i am NOT an expert on this). If you have a grey area ASK. I didn’t get to the podium busting my arse off only to get DQ’d. I ask, I read, I comply. If you don’t and get DQ’d then point the first finger at yourself and ask “what could I have done?”
So you want to race TaG, great. As for engines I think everyone can tell you that there is no “silver bullet” out there. Cory Siep took #1 (TaG Junior) in a biland and I don’t remember him having an engine issue once. Biland is Brad @ IMI’s baby. He knows his stuff, period, talk to him. About the only motor we don’t have here in Colorado is the Italsystem. It’s only a matter of time till someone thinks it’s the engine of the class. All track owners have the ability to get WHATEVER chassis, engine and parts you want. Support them and they will go out of their way to ensure you get your stuff working properly. If you go outside Colorado to buy something just be prepared for the consequences. If your stuff ain’t working then you can call your out of state company. If I was a shop owner what motivation do i have to help you? I can’t speak for all the shops here but I can tell you this: I had a starter issue on my Rotax and Stacy Cook in Grand Junction was bringing a starter off their rental for me to borrow if I couldn’t get mine working. Brad at IMI has worked on my kart late into the night to get my stuff working better than when I brought it to him. And I would consider buying from a shop in California??? Not a chance I’d have to have my head examined!
Ask questions! Talk to racers and talk to track owners. I can’t believe that you only talked to one shop owner and got only thier perspective. That would be like going to a car dealership that only sells one brand of car, do you really think that they are going to tell you that thier stuff SUCKS and you should buy X instead? You are in the right direction IMO, you just need to talk to more drivers. Hell, I had a policeman in Steamboat asking me questions and I would have talked to him more had I more time (I was heading for my race) and told him to corner me after my race!
We have a great karting community here and this is only my second season! Sure there are a few bad apples that screw it up for the majority of us, why should karting be any different than life? And when this stops being fun and I can’t bust the balls of my fellow compeditors over a beer at the end of the day then I’ll get out too. Read, ask, observe. Jump on in the water’s fine! BTW, at the Steamboat race you’ll find out that we are improving the CSC. Elected Race Director, paid personel etc etc. It is only getting better. As for CRE I can’t comment on that I am too new to the scene.
Hope to see you out there with your son. He’s only 12 once and getting up at 5:30am on a weekend to go race doesn’t give him much time to get in trouble…
:cheers:
Mike Jansen
303 931-7660 mobileLarry
All of the tracks except for CRE run the same classes and rules. Your kart would be legal at all of the CSC races and the races run by the 3 tracks, IMI, Bandimere, Grand Junction. The track owners are making changes to the CSC series by creating a nonpofit corp to deal with the politics that were present when there was no official organization running the series. We will be having a racers meeting soon to go over the rules for next year and other issues. IMI is the USA importer for the Biland engine and any rumor as to them blowing up is unfounded. We have the parts and have over 70 engines in stock. A new company has taken over in Germany manufacturing the engine and there will be no problem with parts and they back the engine 100%. We have sold over 100 of these engines and have had just two failures that could be blamed on the engine which were covered under our own warranty. It is the most reliable engine in TAG by a long shot. You can drive one at IMI for a demo no charge. We also sell the Leopard and Rotax TAG engines and parts for them at the best price in town. You should be aware that there are many people who will say things that are not true and you should talk to more than one person before you form your opinion about anything. If you have any questions you can call me at the shop 303-833-4949.
Brad
Thanks for the feedback and suggestions Mike.
I am fairly certain I will personally participate in the TaG Masters class. It sounds like it is filled with great people. I certainly don?t expect to be competitive ? at least for a while 😀 ? but I?m looking forward to joining the fray.
I don?t know what the answer is in regard to protest. I understand one?s desire to protest if they feel they are competing against someone who is cheating. I?ve only gone to three races at three different tracks and there were protests or threats of protests at each one. Maybe they are legit, maybe just petty. You would hope that it wouldn?t have to happen. It certainly is not very inviting to a newbie. I agree with you that how it is handled is more important than the protest itself but that is rarely observed from the outside. I also know that in a racing circuit that is supported almost entirely by volunteers that you can?t expect too much or fault folks that give their time so graciously.
I?m glad to see that the CSS is still growing, committed to improvement and will be adding paid personnel. That is a sign of higher professionalism and with that comes higher responsibilities, more standards and better coordination.
I also couldn?t agree more on supporting our local dealers/track owners. I?ve done that for four decades with motorcycling and know that without it everyone loses. I certainly plan to buy karts from one of the local shops. The only thing that keeps me from buying karts today is knowing what class I can put my son in next season.
Thanks again, Larry
Welcome to the Tag masters!
Stop by and say hello and ask questions.
🙂Thanks blink (or is it Brad?)
I?m very glad to see that the tracks that are supporting the CSC have consistency around rules. That is very reassuring to someone just getting started. Having an official organization behind the CSC should lead to only better things. I?m pleased to hear there will be a racers meeting soon. Is this a meeting that non-racers (at least for the time) can attend?
I briefly talked to someone at IMI about the Biland engine. I had no idea you guys have sold so many or that you have so many engines and parts in stock. That is reassuring. I stated earlier that I have a bias toward four strokes but I have owned many two strokes motorcycles and I for one do not believe they are going away in the near future. Just look at all the R&D and enhancements Yamaha just put into their ?05 YZ 125 motor. I will come by soon to take you up on your offer to demo the Biland engine.
I?m well aware that people speak with a bias and frequently misrepresent the truth. Until you get to know people it is hard to read through what is true or not. That is part of the reason I have solicited input from this forum. I know I can?t learn everything there is to know about karting before jumping in but I would like to make some thoughtful decisions before investing so munch money, time and energy into this new endeavor.
Thanks again, Larry
Hey Larry welcome to the fray.
As for being in last don’t worry we’ve all been there. Dennis Garwood (#1 TaG last season, he left the state before he defended his title) said he’d make a CSC race this year and he didn’t, because of this he’ll be wearing a dress along with you 8)
It’s a Geezer class initiation. That and you have to buy and provide resfreshments for the top 3 finishers in class. Rookie hazing is a bear at times but you’ll get used to it.
Larry,
Feel free to call with any questions you may have. We have a great dealer on the east slope and we give full factory support at all CSC races.
Richard Buxman
RBI Racing
800-268-0844
[email protected]or call Barry at Billet Performance Karting. He is awsome and won a few championships in the CSC this year.
303-841-4855
http://www.BilletPerformanceKarting.comDon’t match Dennis’ dress. His is purple with White polka dots. What you wear is up to you (within reason)
:rotate:
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.