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I think you are off on what it takes to be competitive. I just bought my TAG kart(CRG Rotax) last November for just over $4000 with a ton of spares and some tires. Budgeted for one top end rebuild and a full rebuild for the season. I am very competitive at the GJMS club races. I also went to some of the RMPKC budgeted for about 3 of them. I only bought tires for the race. I would practice on used tires run pump fuel when I could(practice no one really cared). I was running great at IMI until a center seal leak let water into my bottom end killing the rod bearing. The GJ RMPKC I did alright Saturday and Qualified 3rd Sunday. I was laughing all weekend as I was pitted with my pickup an easy up and my tent that I slept in next to a high dollar motor home and trailer. Never once did I think my budget or kart was holding me back.
One of the issues with cost is the perceived cost it takes to race and the actual cost. It is always easier to look at the guy who won and say he won because he out spent you vs he out drove you. I saw this all the time racing DH mountain bikes at a high level in the US and Canada. Guys constantly saying if only I had the money that guys does I could win. When on the track you could visibly see things his riding could improve upon. We need to as a group recognize what is an actual cost to race and what is truly needed and educate new drivers about this. I am hoping to race one SKUSA Pro Tour race next year. I will be there with just my pickup and easy up and tent again. Do I feel like I will be at a disadvantage, no. My driving has more to do with making up tenths on the track then having a freshly rebuilt engine every race. So saying you need a very high budget to be competitive at club races is not right.
There is a big jump from club races to the RMPKC races though. Next week at GJMS I could show up with my kart and for $45 entry/transponder and 5 gallons of pump fuel race on Sunday and have a blast. Now to show up and race the RMPKC we are talking 10 times that cost. I think this gap is something that needs looked at.
I hope you guys and some others make it over. Always a fun weekend club racing at GJMS.
As for the weather, let it rain just adds to the fun!
It was dumping a few weeks ago and I had a ton of fun out on the track.
Is karting in Colorado broken or is it just experiencing the same thing other racing disciplines are? The younger generations are not as competitive as past generations. Look at event like Tough Mudder. These are very successful events that are replacing races. People are looking more to hang out with friends and just finish vs how quickly they can finish.
You can see this happening everywhere. People want the glory of competing in an event but could care less where they actually finish. With current kart racing we have almost nothing to offer these people. So is kart racing broken or is racing in general something people just are not as interested in anymore?
Figure out a way to get people to drive more then 20 miles to a track and you would be going the right direction.
New Jersey is back in on the provisional schedule.
Is this the simulator that Sabre talked about on her facebook page?
What do they charge to use the simulators?
Great day of racing! Great seeing the new faces. A few made the trip over the mountains to enjoy a fun weekend of racing. Can’t wait for the next race Oct 20th
Comer 50 class
Junior class
All Tags, 6 kart field
All Shifters, 11 kart field (Sabre did not run a transponder)
All the front range drivers need to get over here and race. Going to be a fun weekend, running the track counter clockwise. Come on over and have some fun. The focus is definitely on having fun, hence the Le Mans style start last club race. No complaining about the drive. I will be just outside of Boulder in Nederland tomorrow and coming back to get to GJMS Sunday for the club race.
Shifter class Le Mans start
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201241739541427&l=8362573727440487722Looks like the weather is going to clear up for Sunday. With all this rain lately I was actually hoping for a rain race.
What are chances of not having to buy complete sets? I know I was harder on fronts this year then rears(caused by setup). I probably could have gotten away with using one set of rears and two front at GJMS this summer.
You are not really going to fix the tire issue cost. To race larger events it is going to be the price you pay when every tenth counts.
The club racing with open fuel and tires are fun and very inexpensive. If we based a regional series around something like this we might get people to travel more then 45 minutes to race.
Edit to add, We could take an idea from Bernie and add sprinklers around the track and race in rain conditions. much easier on tires.
Maybe we get a grassroots regional going. Using the GJMS and IMI, and other CO track club races. Run the club races like normal but pick one or two races from each track to count towards a point series. No need for a large national promoter. This would give those that want a inexpensive way to race around the state a way to do it. With it being more then a club race it also helps motivate people to drive over the mountains to visit other tracks.
Tire cost is a big deterrent. All of my friends are involved in some kind of racing, mostly on 2 wheels in dirt and know the importance of tires. Talking about karting they are always interested, once the costs of tires is mentioned you see that interest disappear.
Thanks Tony. Thik you could take quick photos of the result sheets and post those up? It would be nice to see all the info, lap times, gap between positions, etc.
No, when going through my kart to get ready I found the housing for my starter was cracked and I doubt it would make it through the weekend. With my tight budget I decided to not race this weekend and put the money into parts for the kart and be running 100%(been nursing some other things along) for the next GJMS club race. I really did not want another weekend of spending money with little to show for it and having a kart needing repairs. The RMPKC races have been a little rough on me this year.
If I remember correctly pre-entry prices were as follows, not sure if prices go up for day of registration.
Race entry is $170
Friday Practice is $50
You need MG whites for both race days(Saturday and Sunday) $212 a set
Transponder rental if needed $20
Pit space, call TTAC for prices.
SKUSA license is required
