Upcoming WKA 2013 changes to Juniors and Seniors can class

Stewart Willis · Joined: 24 Oct 2008 Posts: 368

Video killed the radio star...

The 1 Pipe killed the Yamaha on the West Coast. Dont be silly with these changes..

Karting has gotten WAY too fast for kids.
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Stewart Willis

John Wehrheim · Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 4:59 am Post subject:

What WKA really needs to do is properly survey the members at least at a national level. Let's understand what the karters and families who fund this sport really think and want. I did this many many years ago for Randy Kugler and it was beneficial.

Mark Dismore Jr · Advertiser Joined: 21 Jul 2001 Posts: 1098

Zack Buschh · Joined: 18 Jun 2007 Posts: 88

Slowing the juniors down would be the wrong approach, that class is from age 12 to 15 and you might be able to race the class for 4 years depending on the date of your birthday. How would you like to be starting your third or fourth year in the class and they inform you that you have been "going too fast"? That would suck. I would seriously look into racing somewhere else before accepting that.

The Junior and Senior classes have virtually the same power, it is the unnecessary 7" rear tire that kills the senior lap times (1 to 1.5 seconds slower lap times depending on track!). The 360 weight for Senior Can Heavy is only 5 pounds off Leopard TAG (although the power of Leopard is double that of can motor and the can motor weights half as much as the leopard/equipment???). I am curious if there is anyone running up front in Senior Can Heavy that has no lead on the kart? If everyone has lead to make weight, could the class weight not be reduced?

You want to get more people interested in moving up to Senior Can? Make them go faster (not to be confused with slowing others down). Start with reducing the rear tire to 6" and add a spec pipe (or a carb/spec pipe combination) for the can motor (a combination that makes them faster than juniors) that combination does not change during the season unless an exchange program is provided (example; if a better pipe is designed during the season, the competitors that have purchased the prior pipe and have been supporting the class should not be penalized, that new pipe should not cost them a dime).

Does WKA even read anything that's posted on here?
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Zack Busch

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jim rogero · Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 8:39 am Post subject:

Anyone remember when the 50mm axle came out? The sky was falling and karting was doomed... Anyone care to run a 30mm axle in Junior or Senior?

Ray Mcik · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 531

Mark Dismore jr., Tim Read , along with others make excellent & valid points, WKA really should be listening to them...

On the Can, at the local level we still allow the non-welded can to be used, lid replacement is around $14.00 , and if you put it on properly the cracking issue seems to goes away..

From what i have heard this pipe for senior can will cost about $160 plus cost of support bracket then maybe a additional set or two of tires if you are racing 12 or more races at a local level...
Next figure in the cost of a crash when you get hit in the rear and it damages the pipe... $90 can/$14. lid vs $160 pipe..

Now think all the part time karters that come out to race ever once and a awhile , they have already have had to add a new bumper or lengthen the existing one, now you are going to require them to add a pipe ?..

Now what everyone else should be asking what other changes are coming down the pike?
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Gary Osterholt · Site Admin Joined: 18 Jul 2001 Posts: 2769

Opps
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Jeff DeMello · Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:12 pm Post subject:

Mike Burris · Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:33 pm Post subject:

Funny thing is WKA got pressured by some of us domestic manufacturers back in the late 90's to put specs on the karts and their components in both oval and sprint racing to put some stability in both segments. The oval guys prevailed and the importers pressured the powers to be to leave it alone in sprints and the rest is history. It doesn't take rocket science to see that oval racing has been much more popular and accessible to the poor boys than sprints have become with their trick $6,000 chassis and $1,000 a set wheels. The group(s) that was supposed to make the sport available to the masses in effect sold you out!

Mike

Mike Burris · Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 4:36 pm Post subject:

"Anyone remember when the 50mm axle came out? The sky was falling and karting was doomed... Anyone care to run a 30mm axle in Junior or Senior?"

Jim, what's the problem with a smaller axle? A lot of us "old timers" used to run twin engine karts (@ 48" wide!!) with about 80hp at 130 mph plus wheel to wheel on the enduro tracks for years with 1" or 1 1/4" axles and lived to tell about it. Most of the continual changes by the CIK (aka Italian engine and chassis cartel) were done on an ongoing basis an is just another example of how they manipulated the rules and gamed the system to obsolete things to line their pockets! Check out an equivalent items for an oval kart and there a huge difference in price AND interchangeability which is not coincidence!

Mike

Mike Burrell · Joined: 22 Mar 2003 Posts: 720

Burris: you sure know how to shut down a good conversation... Throw out a few historical facts that most people don't even realize happened and WHAMO!!! Conversation over.

.......glad you don't have the same effect at the bar or a party!
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National Karting Alliance

Curt Smock · Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 2:29 pm Post subject:

Mark Erpelding · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 1:19 pm Post subject: Can Class

From what I have heard WKA is dropping the Yamaha heavy class and will only be running only one Yamaha senior class next year. I heard this class will race on sat and sunday. I got this directly from WKA. Why would they MESS UP a good thing? We have great competative racing in Light and heavy. We really don't care if we are going slower than tags. I am also spending money slower than tags. This is exactly why we race the Super CAN. IF IT IS NOT BROKE DON'T FIX IT WKA. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE TWO CYCLE!!!!!
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Mike Burrell · Joined: 22 Mar 2003 Posts: 720

John Horn 33 · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 2:07 pm Post subject:

As for the welded end caps on the 4 hole can...where are you getting those from? We don't have them here, and from speaking directly with RLV, they are not making them.
As for the juniors...leave it alone. We are on our last year of junior racing as Zack has said, just finally feel like we have it figured out and they are changing it on us? No way, add whatever to the seniors and let us be. Seems that the ones griping are the seniors anyway?? Actually, I haven't heard anyone griping that they are going too slow? Best of friends with this years double champ in senior can, and I havn't heard him say a word??? What is the real problem?
As for the tires...i know that on our 30mm Merlin, we went faster at junior weight with the 7.1 tires, not sure on our Tonykarts, we havn't tried it. I don't think they will mess with the tires this year though?