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| November 29, 2011 News |
| 2012 WKA Gold Cup Series Adds Animal Kid Kart and Three New 2-Cycle Classes |
| Article by: WKA PitBoard |
The first event of the 2012 World Karting Association Gold Cup race season is still four months away, but with some very significant class changes, it's not too early to begin planning big season opener March 2-4, 2012, in Jacksonville, Fla. Although the Gold Cup did grow by over 20 percent in entries in 2011 over the previous year, WKA continues to look for ways to grow the series. This year WKA has added five exciting new classes to the program to attract new karters to the series.
Perhaps the biggest departure from past tradition is the addition of three new 2-cycle classes. These classes will be sponsored by IAME, the long-standing manufacturer of 2-cycle engines popular in the WKA Manufacturer's Cup and WKA National Road Racing series. For the Jr Sportsman level competitors, Gold Cup will add the Komet Sportsman class. With the exception of the spec tire rule, this class will run under the same specifications as the Komet Piston Valve Sportsman class in the Man Cup Series.
Junior and senior drivers will be piloting karts with the newly approved Parilla X30 TaG engines, which allows junior age drivers to race a TaG powered kart, first for a WKA National series. Performance of the X30 Junior class engines will be limited by an exhaust restrictor. The spec tire for all three of the IAME sponsored classes will be the Vega XH Green.
Another exciting announcement is the creation of a national class for Kid Kart drivers. Although the traditional 2-cycle Kid Kart class may still be offered as a "demonstration class," drivers in the new Kid Kart class will run for awards, and a national champion will be crowned.
Even more significant, the class will allow Kid Kart, Cadet, and standard size chassis and will be powered by the Briggs & Stratton LO 206 Kid Kart engine. This easy-to-tune and highly reliable engine will provide a foundation for growth as drivers can move up from Kid Kart to Sportsman classes and beyond just by updating the engine as they grow.
The senior-level drivers have not been left out as WKA also created a new Animal Amateur class. This class runs the same specifications as the Animal Medium class, but participation is limited to drivers who have never won a National championship. This will be a great entry-level class for drivers who are just getting started in the Gold Cup Series.
One of the senior class categories to return in 2012 is Animal Modified. For senior drivers wishing to participate in the exciting Animal Mod class, there are supplemental rule changes for the engine package in 2012. To read the updated rules for the Animal Mod division, refer to Rule 263.12 in 2012 WKA Tech Manual.
As previously announced, the spec tires for all senior classes except X30 will be the Firestone YKD. Again, with the exception of the Junior X30 and Komet Sportsman, the Junior and Sportsman classes will run on Bridgestone YLC. The spec tire for the new Kid Kart class will be announced shortly.
To correct an error in a previous post, the rain tire for all classes except those sponsored by IAME is a Bridgestone rain tire. The rain tire in classes sponsored by IAME will be by Vega.
Two other changes apply to all karts in all series. First, tie rods must be steel or aluminum. No carbon fiber or other non-metallic material allowed. This is a safety measure as carbon fiber parts tend to shatter under stress.
Finally, the Data Acquisition System rules have been clarified. The revised rules state that on-board data acquisition systems and/or computer systems are allowed to retrieve the following information only: RPM, water temperature, cylinder temperature, speed, exhaust temperature, lap timing (lateral G sensing), and computer scoring systems. Sensors and wiring for other inputs must be removed from the kart during practice and racing. GPS based systems are allowed. Telemetry is not allowed; data can only be downloaded when kart is off of the racing surface and stationary.
These are the major changes in the Gold Cup classes and rules for the 2012 competition year and are reflected in the 2012 WKA Technical Manual. However, it is always a good idea to watch the WorldKarting.com and read the Pit Board announcements for the Tech Updates. |
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