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I wish I could say that was the first time I’ve ever seen a double white. We talked about it a lunch today and we can think of at least 4 other times. Jeff made the same mistake at about the same age as RC is.
Greg commented that one time he didn’t see the checker and kept racing. The first time by they ignored him so he continued. The second time by they showed the checker and he came in. If they hadn’t showed him the checker, he’d still be out there!
If you’re talking about me, fill me in. I don’t know a thing about it.
Its a shame that there are some out there who can only make themselves feel better or justify their position by smearing others. I heard that rumor at The Track today and I can categorically state that it is a complete, total and utter fabrication.
This kind of baseless rumor does nothing to help the sport or those of us in the sport trying to make it better. It also denigrates the great effort the members of our team are doing. Two of our MiniMax drivers have been near the top of the lap charts all day. Greg has also been doing very well, running near the front.
When are some of us going to learn that it is NOT the motor that is getting these kids where they are. It is their hard work, their driving ability and the ability of those helping them tune their chassis that is getting them near the front.
Whomever started this rumor and who ever is spreading it, you should be ashamed of yourself.
A service center can not issue a new passport without going through Rotax, even if it is the service center who did the work. There is a very specific procedure to follow.
First the serial number has to be submitted to Rotax to ensure it is a USA engine.
Then the service center has to completely dis-assemble the motor to verify every dimension in the engine for conformance to specification. At that point, the engine can be re-assembled and a new passport issued. The new passport costs $50.00 plus what ever the service center charges for the inspection service plus parts consumed in teh process. It can easily run between $350 to $500 to get a passport replace for a perfectly legal engine. That is why I always tell customers that an engine without a passport is worth $500 less right off the top.
For those of you that haven’t had the chance yet, some out and see the circus. It is something to see.
Last year, I met a guy at New Castle who built a special Rotax. He used a Tilly carb, an ICA style pipe and a DD2 (boost port) cylinder. It was way too powerful for the clutch so he set it up as a direct drive. The thing was wicked fast.
By the way, he was Australian.
Is the ground wire on the wiring harness attached on the engine side of the coil rubber mount. Do you have a ground wire that jumpers across the rubber isolation mount from the coil to the engine?
Many CRG parts will fit as Maranello, like GP, is made by CRG. Many of the brake parts, depending on model, are standard Brembo parts or CRG. Some parts like steering columns, bumpers and nerf bars there are universal parts that will fit. Any thing specific you’re looking for?
Rick
The DD2 were on Mojos, the 4 cycles on MG yellows.
I did look at lap times. The DD2 have only run once on a real tire. The last time out at The Track, the quick ones were in the low 54 second range. The 4 cycles at the CSC the week before were in the low 55 second range. I think we can run in the
The DD2 runs currently runs at 385#. As the package grows, next year they are going to a light and heavy. The 385# number sucks for most of the quick kids and the older race alike. Its a compromise weight. I hope the weights next year are something like 375 and 410.
For a little less money, a guy can get a DD2 package and go faster still. Both the 4 cycle Tag and the DD2 use a front brake chassis so that cost is the same. The DD2 engine is roughly $500 less than the retail on the 4 cycles. At a track like IMI, the DD2 will be just about as quick as a stock Moto shifter.
I talked about this once with Scott. A pipe can be repaired, including welding, if it is obvious that the pipe repair did not alter the pipe from its original design and specification. For example, a pipe can be welded if it cracks but if the weld goes a full 360 around, its not clear if it was a repair or an alteration that changed the length of the pipe.
I think such a repair as you describe should be acceptable but in doubt, its always best to check with Scott. He has the final say on such matters.
Alex
No question TaG kart is the best place to start. Even if you want to move to shifters, you are better to start in TaG than jump into shifters.
At age 19, you are considered to be senior. Junior is 12-15, senior is 15+, master is 35+ or driver over 200#.
As far as engine choice, there are two that are most common and have the best support from the importers. The Leopard engine made by IAME (the largest kart engine manufacturer in the world and imported by Russell Karting and Italian Motors, both very good and strong importers) and the Rotax, ( Made by Bombardier, the largest manufacturer of recreational engines in the world and imported by 3 companies, SSC Southwest, F1 Boston and Cycle Barn, the largest motorcycle dealer in the country). There are others with strong local followings, but are definetly second to these two engines in terms of support.
The Leopard is a very good package and every kart shop here in Colorado sell and service them. The Rotax is sold through authorized service centers, of which there are 3 in Colorado, CRE Motorsports in Colorado Springs, Critical Zone in Grand Junction and us, Shockwave Karting in the Denver metro area.
Basic advantages are the Leopard is cheaper, wide power band, competitive at most tracks, you can rebuild it yourself, carburetor is easy to tune, and it lasts a respectable amount of time between rebuilds. One weak point is the starter which fails because of the vibration. Some have trouble with the clutch. The Leopard can run in Tag or Stars.
Rotax is a bit more expensive, parts are expensive but it lasts longer between rebuilds. Work doesn’t need to be done by a service center unless you intend to run it in RMax challenge races. Then it must be sealed. It is competitive at most tracks in the area. The Rotax can run in Tag, Stars or RMax.
To find out what all the shouting is about, I strongly recommend that you come to the RMax Grand Nationals starting in two weeks at The Track. Over 300 racers from all over the USA, Mexico and Latin America will be there competing.
By the way, we race both Leopard and Rotax depending on the track we are at.
@joe marshall wrote:
Angel,
Better bring it to Doug! Doug said he would reseal for the cost of parts, I believe. Correct me if I am wrong Doug. But if you bring an unsealed engine to a certified center they will have to tech everything to make sure it meets spec or they are putting their dealership on the line along with a hefty fine.
FYI
I was willing to seal engines right there at cost of parts only. I also would do it at the shop but I wanted to take it right from tech. That way, the engine was always in either my or the site of the tech director and I would be comfortable with re-sealing without a complete inspection. Once the engine went back to the pits and was out of my site, it is possible that something could have been done to it and at that point, I would do a complete inspection before re-seal.
To those customers I talked with in tech, they had a choice of three things.
1. Send the engine to anyone in the country they wanted and were comfortable with.
2. Re-seal on the spot for the cost of a seal. The racer did the work under my supervision.
3. Re-seal at my shop for parts and nominal fee. I take the engine with me from the track so that it was under my or the tech directors control at all times once the seal was broken.
Wisely, nobody took option 2. Everybody took options 1 or 3.
Angel
It was nice to meet Clark. He is a very nice young man. You should be proud. Good luck in a few weeks.
