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I’m no fan of combined classes, but I’m also no fan of sitting around all day watching 6 kart classes race a 20 lap main. I think the inclusion of Rotax classes is a great idea, this is the best way to do it! Looking forward to the start of the season.
They looked pretty cool when I saw it at the chassis seminar. I’d be interested in the adult version, my leatt brace just plain doesn’t fit me.
Thanks for the great seminar, Greg. Looking forward to one on data acquisition. Shop looks great too!
Sort of like the chassis seminars you guys hosted at Shockwave back in the day? New guys take note, those were great!
Wow, that is phenomenal! Genuine thank you to everyone involved for making this happen. Thank you thank you! :clap:
And if Rods suggestion doesn’t work, take that big screwdriver and put it at about a 45° angle (maybe greater) at the end of the ‘split’ in the hub. Tap it lightly with a hammer to try and motivate the hub off the axle. Again, don’t get too carried away as you could damage the hub/axle. Try to keep the screwdriver as square on the end of the split as possible and avoid the axle. You can also try using a rubber mallet at the ends of the hubs if you don’t want to risk things with a screwdriver.
By ‘narrow/wide’ bearings, do you mean diameter? All you really ever see are 40mm and 50mm axles unless you’re dealing with kid karts. 50mm is roughly 2inches in diameter. If the kart is newer (within the last 5 or 6 years), then I’m willing the bet it has a 50mm axle.
Bummer, i’ll be out of town! :down
For those considering going; i’ve been the last two years and it’s been a great time. Good cause too! :usa:
Gunslinger did mine…
I honestly don’t have anything constructive to add. 😆 The classes look good and it sounds like there is some momentum building! Interested on hearing dates and costs now…
@Greg Welch wrote:
In my eyes the class structure for the club state level series is like this:
Club: open or very near to it, let anyone who has a kart come out and play. It should not matter 4-stroke, 2-stroke, 12-stroke as long as it is a safe and well put together kart you should be able to play.
State/Regional: Limited. You want the kart count per class up more than the total count, because the first will help the second. If you have the resources (budget/time/desire/skill/equipment) to play at this level it needs to fit an existing and nationally supported class. This is no longer the run whatever you have level of racing. Skusa + Rotax sounds perfect.
I’m with Greg. Here’s my take on classes in karting…
In my opinion, one of the fundamental problems with karting (around the nation) is the eye watering number of classes. Yes, obviously we want as many people to be able to play as possible without making them buy entirely new engines, but that creates a number of problems.
-Firstly it makes for a very long day; who really wants to stand around from 8am-6pm waiting for their 3-4 on track sessions while TaG Junior, TaG Junior lite, TaG Senior, TaG Senior expert, TaG Senior heavy, TaG Senior Super Expert, TaG Masters, TaG Masters lite, etc run around with minimal karts.
– Secondly, it can be massively confusing for the newbie. “ok, so i just bought engine A, is that legal in class B? No? Well, i’m under 35 but weigh over 200lbs, can I race engine A in class C at track D? I have to buy engine E if i want to race in class B or C at track D?! No class C at track D, so I have to go to track F to race the kart I just bought? And at track F I have to weigh 30 lbs more to race in class B? Screw that, i’m going to buy a dirtbike and race it at any track in the country under the same rules.” Sadly, this seems to happen a lot.
– Opening up classes to boost kart count just dilutes the playing field. Thats OK at the club level, where many of the people will just be in it to have some fun and hone their skills, but its a different story at a regional and national level. Finishing on the TaG Masters podium with only 4 guys in your class – because the others wanted to race in TaG Senior Expert Heavy because they’re under 35 but over 200lbs – takes a bit of the magic away. Again, i think it’s fine in club racing, but it has no place in a regional setting. The fields should be deep, only a few classes separated by age – Junior, Senior, Masters – and engine – Rotax, TaG, 125cc Shifter. SKUSA reluctantly killed off G1 even though it was very popular at the SuperNats, but nowhere near as popular at the regional level. Deeper fields that haven’t been diluted by redundant classes make for a much more satisfying victory (not that I would know :bang ), and keep a series credible. Kind of how every kid gets a participation ribbon at field day even if they’re dead last…same idea.
– For the guys who have their eyes set on the top, more classes can make their desired path sort of foggy. Which engine can I buy that I can run at track A and B, and can take to championship C? If anyone had thought of using karting as the first step on their professional ‘ladder’, it might make them think twice and switch to quarter midgets (I would imagine).
For what its worth, I think that Colorado actually does a really good job at keeping classes minimal! :co Obviously, the popularity of Rotax and SKUSA stock moto helps that a lot. You can’t have the perfect world of 6 classes for everyone and still keep people coming back, so there has to be a compromise (obviously). Just the nature of the beast.
I think one of the reasons that motocross is so popular in the US over karting is the structured nature. The AMA runs the show at the top, so if that’s where you want to go, you play in their classes. Buy a 250cc bike and you can race it anywhere, all the way up to the pros. Want to trade up to a faster bike? Buy a 450cc and do the same. (disclaimer! I know nothing about motocross :loony: ) In karting we have SKUSA, the WKA, Rotax, IKF, the CIK….
SKUSA + Rotax does sound like an ideal mix in my eyes too. They’re the two most popular formulas in CO, both with clear paths to a (meaningful) national championship. Both have relatively condensed class structures, and there’s no reason the the SKUSA TaGs and Rotaxes cant share the same track, and the SKUSA motos with the DD2s. Local options and outlaw/unlimited classes are a good idea too.
How many people here have the year end goal of Vegas and the SuperNats? Lots, and that’s one reason I think we should involve SKUSA in this theoretical state series. Same with Rotax. If you truly want to be the ‘middle’ level between club and national, there has to be a clear path to the national level. Give the racers a chance to race and practice all year under the same rules, and they’re more likely to take a shot at the big races. If not, then they still know that they can with little fuss.
But why not just run things the way they are and race exclusively with your club/track/championship of choice? Well, that’s because we have a fabulous abundance of great tracks here in CO, it would be a shame to not include them all. A state champion would be something more – a guy who can perform on several different tracks. Like the IndyCar champion who has to prove himself on short ovals, superspeedways, street circuits, and road courses.
But anyways, back to Greg’s point; an open class structure in the clubs would allow anyone to get their feet wet in karting and just bring out their kart and have some fun without worrying about buying a specific package. Not everyone is so serious and wants to win a championship! But if they do, they can set their sights on the more structured regional championship. A big part of growing this sport is encouraging the guys who race rental karts to come race a TaG, Shifter or Rotax, or the people who are on the fence about buying a kart.
So why not keep the same class structure from club to regional to national? Well because that means not everyone can and will play. Well, why not keep the class structure open from club to regional? Well because that means you have too many classes and too few racers fighting for a now meaningless ‘Colorado State Championship’. Obviously we also have such a limited pool of racers to play with, that it becomes complicated that way. Sadly, we’ll never be able to solve this puzzle. :bang
(For what its worth, I also completely support a licensing system much like SKUSA or the SCCA. Not only on safety grounds, but for competition quality. For example, a Club level driver would have to prove his/her skills before being allowed to race at the Regional level.)
Anyways, to make a long rant short…
Club Level:
– Open class structure encourages anyone to try out racing with a wide variety of kart
– Don’t need a huge budget to compete and have fun (that’s what most of us are in this for…fun!)
– Makes the sport less intimidating to the entry level competitor, and a bit less serious
– Relatively open fuel/tire rules to make the sport more accessible with less cash
– End Goal: To promote the sport of karting to people who otherwise wouldn’t have considered it, and give them a stepping point to something more serious should they choose it.Regional/State Level:
– Structured classes, mirroring that of a national championship
– Rulebook the same of a national series
– More serious competitive racing, the depth of talent here should be much greater, and force the club karter to step his/her game up to compete.
– Diverse track schedule means that a class champion will need to be a quality driver on many different playing fields.
– End Goal: A significant step up from club karting, but not quite as serious as a national championship. Prepare the drivers to race the best in the country on the national level. Give the racers a feeling for whether they want to chase a bigger championship or not.National Level:
– Compete with the best in the country in that discipline
– Top level of karting in the US
– End Goal: Compete in the big name races – SKUSA Supernationals, Rotax Grand Nationals, etcThanks for reading…sorry if it was a bit of a rant (it didnt start out that way!). 😯 I love this sport, and I haven’t been around that long, but i just had to get that all off my chest, apparently!
Greg, is the lot at Unser big enough for a track and trailer parking? I like the idea, and you make some good points about the location, facility, and your customer base. Lot just seems small…maybe Westwood College across the street would want to borrow their lot for a weekend?
Anyways, state series? Count me in.
@Cris Schureman wrote:
Given the State of affairs locally we will be shipping our gear out west and be spending one or two weekends a month on the left coast racing PKC and LAKC in Central and So Cal. It stinks when something like that is the easiest thing to do but we are waving the white flag on the local racing.
Wow, that says it all, doesn’t it! Track owners, those are your dollars going to a track in California. Seriously. :bang
