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Hi all,
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Tom and I will soon be retiring from a career in aerospace. We have built ourselves a retirement home just south of Hartsel Colorado, so CRE would be my closest track. I have enjoyed amateur racing all my life (drag, autocross), so I thought I would give karting a try.
I had planned on getting into a TAG class, but ran across some info on World Formula and it sounds like exactly want I was looking for (fun, cheap, and not so darn serious). So, if you don’t mind, I would like to ask a few questions:
1. Is W/F catching on at CRE or is it dying?
2. Can a 6′ 5″, 230 lb. 60 year old find happiness in a kart?
3. Are there any extend-length chassis available for taller people?
4. What would you consider to be an adequate budget for W/F racing?Thanks for any and all info.
Tom
At 6’5″ you will have to get an “extended Porch” kart and yes you can find happiness in karting.
I am not familiar with world formula but am with the Tag Master and rotax-6 yrs
CRE Motorsports
CRE MOTORSPORTS
21430 Spencer Rd.; Calhan CO 80808
719-749-9840
http://www.cremotorsports.comTom, welcome to karting. Contact George at the number above for any questions you have about CRE and World Formula. George has a great track and atmosphere and has always been helpful to me.
To your specific questions, YES a 6’5″ 230 lb ‘er can find (much) happiness in karting. YES there are specific chassis available for taller drivers. You may want to check the Margay ‘limo’ chassis in particular. Other chassis may have an extended ‘front porch’ option available but I know for sure the Margay does. Who knows, you may fit in a ‘regular’ chassis?
Adequate budget?…that is the key question for everyone. Whether you are buying new or used will be a question that only you can answer. Used? you could have a race kart for 2 grand, New..4-5 grand and up. Better yet, drive up here to denver this saturday for the swap meet, most of us will be bench racing and there will be lots of low cost chassis’ and motors and parts.
See the other posts on this site for details on the swap meet. It would be a good opportunity for you to meet some nice people and learn about the sport. Hope to see you there.
Kirk
Tom,
The World Formula class is a lot of fun. As long as you don’t mind tinkering with engines. There is quite a bit of maintenance involved. The good thing is it’s not that expensive for the parts, compared to other classes.
There is a fantastic kart for sale on this board. Look on the classified section for the heading “Briggs Modified for sale”. Dan Peterson is changing classes and is selling his kart. He is asking $2000 for it, with everything included… quite a bargain. It runs up front every time out.
Cost for the maintenance? Well a lower end rebuild every 3 to 4 races is about $150.00 in parts. Oil is about $7.00 a quart and needs to be changed every 10 to 15 laps. Tires are a constant, no mater the class ($180 for a set of MGs). Fuel (methanol) is $4.00 per gallon. You might go through a little less than 2 gallons in a race day.
Hope that helps.
Do come to the swap meet on Saturday. There might be something you can’t pass up. Lots of people to answer questions too.
@Kirk_Deason wrote:
To your specific questions, YES a 6’5″ 230 lb ‘er can find (much) happiness in karting. YES there are specific chassis available for taller drivers. You may want to check the Margay ‘limo’ chassis in particular. Other chassis may have an extended ‘front porch’ option available but I know for sure the Margay does. Who knows, you may fit in a ‘regular’ chassis?
At 6’4″ I can say yes to the question. Like Rich said, an extended porch is the way to go although I’ve yet to have an extended porch kart.
As for the weight, I used to weigh 223 when I started but then I got serious and I’m now tipping in at 205. Remember Bubba Gump and his shrimp recipies? I can tell you the same about boneless skinless chicken and canned tuna. Welcome aboard and ask as many questions as you can. :cheers:
Tom, I have a world formula but do not race as of yet but have plenty of laps on it. I have done lots of tinkering on the kart but this motor in its stock form requires little maintenance. Just jetting changes and changing oil so far for me. I don’t know the status of that class at CRE but I do wish there was a class here in Denver. I think it would be a great starter class. Welcome and good luck!
All, thanks for the warm welcome and the info 😀
It looks like the 6′ 5″ will not be a problem, but as for the 230 lbs, I’m going to have to look for plan B (Sorry Mike, but skinless chicken and tuna arn’t going to cut it :idn: )
I would love to go to the swap meet, but I don’t think my better half would understand me jumping on a plane to Colorado just for a swap meet.
I will contact George at CRE to find out about W/F.
Again, thanks for the welcome.
Tom,
My apologizes for not getting back to you sooner, I was busy over the weekend hosting our final WKA race of the 07 season.The World Formula is alive and thriving at CRE. We started the 07 season with 9 Juniors, 5 Powder Puffs and 7 seniors; the Junior class grew to 12 strong while the ladies and senior classes did slip BUT still hold promise for 2008 with renewed late season interest. The WF package is a great, low cost entry level class for Juniors from 12 to 15, ladies who may have an interest in karting but are put off with the noise or high performance of the current market of TaG engines and of course it makes for a VERY affordable package for guys on a tight budget.
There is definitely a place in karting for a 60 year old, 6′ 5″ at 230 lbs. BUT honestly your weight would be a real hinderance to your competitiveness in the WF Senior class. I would suggest that you come out to CRE for a tour and a FREE test drive on a 28hp Easykart 125 demo kart when you arrive in the Pikes Peak region. This is going to be a program to watch in 2008 as it makes a rebound on to the national market. The EK125 is a TOTALLY spec karting package that is VERY low tech, VERY low maintenance, VERY flexible, VERY fast and VERY affordable for a racer of your size and age. A completely race ready kart, with full graphics is $4,495.00 with used packages available for $2,500.00 to 3,000.00. I would suggest that you visit http://www.easykart.com for further information and pictures of the karts.
Please call me at 719-749-9840 to arrange for a tour and test drive when you arrive in the area.
George
Are these karts raced anywhere else other than CRE and how do they compare to the Leopards and Rotax’s…..ie horsepower, durability, and costs to rebuild.
Are they in the TAG class or a separate class. Anyone else that wants to chime you are welcome….Im not having much luck in finding a used kart of any type.
ThanksFuzzy, I will take a shot at some of the questions you have.
The world formula is not a TAG USA motor but does have an onboard electric starter. It is rated at 15 hp with a rev limiter set at 7100 rpm. The CIK has homologated this motor to their “world formula” for a world wide standard of 200cc, 15 hp, all under $1000 for the package including the motor, header, air filter, and clutch. TAG motors are approx. 28 hp and much faster but are more money to start off. With the rev limiter set at 7100 rpm, this will extend the life of the motor and I have heard that most motors will last for at least one racing season without falloff in power.The advantages of this motor in addition to its low price is it will not require an expensive chassis to be competitive and you will not go through tires as quickly as the faster TAG karts.
The only disadvantage I can see is that it is slower than TAGs.
The WF is popular out east and on the west coast but has not caught on as much in the mountain region, at least not yet. I am hoping that a world formula class will form in the Denver area as well as CRE. I think it would be a very good entry level class for 2 age groups: JR2, 12-15 and SR, 15+. Some tracks offer this package for JR1 (8-12) with a restrictor plate.
Check out this link on Ekartingnews.com
http://www.ekartingnews.com/viewtopic.php?t=62858&PHPSESSID=4b235c1f84e078424fccc88c56d15598It is about karters that wanted a less expensive package with much closer racing than the TAG classes in their area. Racing is relative, you only need to be faster than the others on the track to win the race.
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