Billett Flywheel for clone????

Jordan Johnson · Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 7:29 pm Post subject: Billett Flywheel for clone????

So now in order to race at 61 kartways i have to go out and buy a $90 Flywheel to put on a $100 motor to go out and have some fun? Thats insane! How are we supposed to get "new people" in to a class thats supposed to be "cheap and fun" when were gonna have $300-350 in them?? lol
I think that the rules are getting to be pretty insane. Out of all the times i ran my clone at norway and 61 and all the dirt ovals we went to i was never afraid or worried that my gas tank was going to catch on fire next to me or that the flywheel was going to explode!!! I dont know thats just my opionin...

Jordan Johnson
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Jordan Johnson

Chris Hatch · Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 405

If your track allows any modifications such as aftermarket pipes or springs, the flywheel becomes a crucial safety component required by every track insurance program. However, think of it like all the other $100 of bolt on stuff you need for the motor, it will all bolt on and off when you buy the next $100 motor.

Jordan Johnson · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 9:42 am Post subject:

Dean Graves · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:18 am Post subject:

As soon as you took the governor off, the rules were going to change for safety purposes eventually. What did you expect. Maybe you can run a governed motor class. Wink

Chris Hatch · Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 405

Perhaps your vision of the class was different from some of your competitors and/or promoter.

Cheap and inexpensive class fore newbies would be a box stock clone that doesn't allow the pipes and engine work the makes the flywheel necessary. Maybe even with a inexpensive claim rule.

Other people want something they can manipulate to gain an advantage which leads to a builder prepared or stock appearing where the flywheel is necessary from a safety standpoint, and safety is never too expensive.

Perhaps your track should have two clone classes.

Jordan Johnson · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 2:45 pm Post subject:

John Matthews · Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 8:26 am Post subject:

Hi Jordan,

I can definitely see your point, one of my pet peeves as an engine builder is when local tracks come up with their own rules. I think it's much better for the racers when local tracks follow a national rulebook. In this case however it might come down to insurance requirements that they can't get around.

When clone motors first started out I recommended them for getting more folks on track. This was before they even had rules for the class and most sprint tracks had forgotten that 4 cycles even existed.

Then AKRA came out with a pretty decent rulebook

http://karting.4cycle.com/showthread.php?t=344623

but the problem always has been racers wanted more. So, they came up with Super Box

http://karting.4cycle.com/showthread.php?t=215859

which I thought was a great idea but never really caught on. Then came the Builder Prepared class

http://karting.4cycle.com/showthread.php?t=344624

Now for a competitive AKRA Box Stock engine you should be prepared to pay around $500. Not exactly what you or most of the other clone racers signed up for Crying or Very sad

IMHO, sprint tracks should learn from the experience of dirt oval racers in this case.

With the new Ducar engines coming out and all the variables in manufacturing the challenges are only getting bigger for track officials in keeping racing fair and tech under control.

The ASN which for years has raced Honda GX160 & GX200's on karts; USAC, and the QMA with Quarter Midgets that raced GX120 and GX160's. All these organizations are coming to the conclusion that the most stable "low cost" platform for racers has to come from a company that builds racing engines.

So, if your track wants a billet flywheel go with it. Parts can and do fail, and the consequences of catastrophic flywheel failures can be deadly. It really doesn't matter that you've never had a problem, it only takes one guy to miss with a hammer and not realize why they need to replace that "perfectly good" flywheel.

But if you really want a stable, lower cost platform for club racing start lobbying for the Briggs LO206.

JMHO,
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John Matthews
Heartbeat Power, LLC.

James Brummet · Joined: 14 Sep 2008 Posts: 64

For the 61 kartway track it was because of insurance per WKA I think everyone knew that the class would end up like this past history in every class of karting has been this way. The other problem is everyone coming from other classes to race clone then the new guys get tired of getting beat and they also quit maybe more so then the cost.

John Matthews · Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:03 am Post subject:

mike clements · Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:37 pm Post subject:

Have you ever seen a flywheel explode ? I have. What price do you put on a human life ? Question

It doesn't usually hit the driver of the kart who's flywheel broke. It hits someone just standing beside the track or sitting in the bleachers. If I thought there were modified clones racing at a track with stock flywheels, I would not even drive down that street during race times. I would probably take out an advertisement in the local newspaper telling people of the dangers too. Again, I have seen for myself exactly what happens. It isn't pretty.

ron christian · Joined: 09 Mar 2009 Posts: 293

Jordan why did you not attend ANY of the winter meetings,,

This was a decision made by the RACERS, not the club. insurance said wiener pipe or billett flywheel,, it was announced on line for EVERYONE to give their opinions,, the OVERWHELMING vote was for the flywheel

Dont bash the track, ,, the flywheel is a good idea..

Tony Goodman · Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 5:36 am Post subject:

We had one explode on a kart at our local sprint track last year. Parts were found 50+ft away. It happened on the back part of the track after the karts had spread out a little. (no one was hurt) Next week the track and racers made the billet flywheel a rule. Also when that motor wears out you can take it off and put it on the next one. Tony

Jordan Johnson · Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:29 am Post subject:

paul hir · Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:35 am Post subject:

if its such a safety precaution how come Box Stock still uses Stock flywheel? or is it going to be 2012 rule to throw more money into the engine.

John Matthews · Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:03 pm Post subject:

http://ekartingnews.com/viewtopic.php?t=103914

http://karting.4cycle.com/showthread.php?t=330447

OK,

First, if so many people are talking about it there's probably a reason.

Second, competitive box stock motors are already over $500, you might be able to run around at the back for less but if you're racing you probably want to be competitive.

Third, if you can't afford $100 for a piece of safety equipment then you might be better off volunteering as a flagger or crewing for somebody else rather than racing this season.

So, don't be silly. The person who gets killed by one of these Chinese pot metal flywheels won't be the one driving, it'll be a spectator, track worker, or somebody's kid Crying or Very sad

Look at the real costs of racing before you start saying that the price of a motor is going to keep anyone out. The smartest thing clubs running clones could IMHO is allow the LO206 to run heads up against Box Stock. They're both beginner classes where the winner should be the guy who drives best. If you don't like the idea of sharing a trophy just run them in the same run group so you don't take up more time. Getting more folks involved in karting is great but I would hate for it to cost anyone's life.

JMHO,
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John Matthews
Heartbeat Power, LLC.