[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Andy, I know it’s a bit tough but stick with it.  Pull the seat and move the seat supports over 1/4 – 1/2″ with a big rubber hammer–or whatever big heavy tough thing you have laying around.  That should allow the clutch to clear.  You could also cut off the left side seat support and use a bolt on model, which would give you more options still.

We’ve mounted a Pro Gas Animal (same dimensions as a 206) on a TopKart Cadet, now that was tight.  We had a 206 on a 2007 Intrepid, and we’re planning on putting one on a TopKart 102.  So far I haven’t seen any show stopping problems.

It’s going to be tight, but look a little harder at possible solutions.

Hope that helps,

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

I’ve been a 2 cycle guy since 1963, but last year my grandson started sprint racing at our local sprint tracks.  Of course all of those run predominantly 4 cycle classes.  So we got a Pro Gas Sportsman from Steve and while we were at it bought a 206 for my son to play with when we weren’t road racing Leopards with the WKA/WKC.   I initially went on Bob’s to learn Animal stuff, which I certainly did, but also picked up so oddball undertones which I couldn’t quite understand.  There was definitely so anti Briggs sentiment which I found very confusing??!!

Anyway, my point is, I would certainly appreciate it if you guys would start posting here on ekarting.  That included you Brian, Jim, Steve and all others who try to keep us well informed.  It is truly appreciated!!

Clark Sr.

WKC VP and board member, WKA NRRC member.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Very good observation George!

Thanks, Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Ditto what David said.  Comet will certainly know what’s available.  Also check Russell, TS and/or FastTech.

Let us know how the X30 runs compared with the Leopards.  We’ll all need to know that in the next year or so.

Have a good one,

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Thanks for the junior info Kelly.

Clark Sr

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Everyone posting here has some very good observations and feelings.  I’m also a Leopard road racer as is my son, and we both run 4 wheel brakes.  I personally wouldn’t be without them, but that is NOT for safety reasons, it’s for performance reasons!  You can obviously go into a turn much farther and slow the thing down straighter then with rear brakes only.  IMHO.

I completely trust my brakes and would have no issues at all with a single rear brake.  If you are uncomfortable with a single system, then by all means run the second system.  NO ONE is telling you that you can ONLY  run a single brake in any class!!!!  That is NOT what the new rules say.  And it only effects 5 classes.  ALL of the current “Sprint Enduro” and laydown classes are completely unaffected by this change.

It’s also obvious why these classes were changed.  They are the true WKA ManCup and GoldCup classes which can cross over to road racing the easiest.  Change the gear and go!   The only exception to that is the Limited Modified class, which simply allows the Gold Cup Pro Gas karts another class to run each day.  That’s it.  No hidden agendas,  no politics!

These changes were authored, discussed, and approved by ALL seven members of WKA’s NRRC before the trustees ever saw them.  Those members included reps from SKC, DKC and the WKC.  Four cycle reps (one of which authored the Pro Gas and LM rule), Tag rep (who authored the Tag and Leopard rules), a shifter/Unlimited rep, and three members from the laydown world.  Very group and engine type are represented in this committee.  And the rules were approved by the trustees with a vote of 8 to 2 as I recall.  And as a note of interest, the trustees requested we change the brake requirements for single brake systems.  This was to eliminate the possibility of someone running some little tinny brake setup in road racing.  This is something we never thought of.

I know this seems like a bit of a rant, so please don’t take it the wrong way.  You folks on this forum have been very professional with your input and thoughts.  It is truly appreciated.

Please keep your inputs coming.  They are important to us.

And here’s one.  Totally off subject.  In GoldCup and Mancup there are many junior (12-15 YO) and sportsman (8-12 YO) classes.  Any thoughts on road race classes for the same age groups?  Pro Gas Sportsman/Jr, Yamaha Sportsman/Jr, Jr Tag?  Sprint chassis’ only?  Thoughts?

Have a good day folks,

Clark Gaynor Sr.

WKA NRRC member, WKC VP and Board member.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Actually David it does meet the requirement.  If you read a little further down in paragraph 355.2 of the 2015 WKA Tech Manual it says “Dual rear brakes may also use one caliper as long as the calipers are connected to separate master cylinders and the caliper sides are not hydraulically connected to each other”.   It starts on the seventh line of the paragraph.

It’s not very well worded, but that’s what it says.  In all the years I’ve been doing safety tech for the WKC, I’ve only ever seen this on a couple karts.  They were always Tags with older style “shimmed” rear calipers.  I was never a big fan of that setup, but it does work and I never heard of anyone having a problem with them.

Hope that helps,

Clark Gaynor Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Josh, yes they offer a good deal of movement, BUT they are intended to stop TOO much movement!!  Your neck will move, but hopefully not so far as to break it.  I love mine, and have been using it pretty much since they were introduced.  Also a deal with my dear Wife, she said “Get one or quit racing, you’re too old to break your neck”!!!  Not that it’s OK to break your neck when you’re young, –just sayen’!

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

I know we’re in the middle of some web stuff changes, so I’ll send an email to our BOD and see how it’s going.  I am NOT the webguy by any long stretch of the imagination!!!!!!

Sorry for the problem Walt.

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

It’s always great to hear such positive feedback Bob.

Clark Gaynor Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

I can’t say anything officially, but it will likely be an event in June.  It should be announced on the WKA and/or WKC website shortly.

Take care,

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Todd, when we were still running Stock Honda we’d run about 3-5 events.  Figuring about 1.5 hours for a two day and 2 hours for a three day national.  Road racing that is.  So the 5 hours Josh mentioned is a pretty good guide.

For a 5-6 event season, we’d put a piston in it half way through the season, and of course a new one to start the next season.  Every other season we’d put a crank in it.

We only ever broke one piston and that was breaking the engine in!!!  Go figure??!!  And I never found a crack in any we replaced, so it’s more of an insurance thing.  BUT, if a bottom end bearing goes it can make a huge mess!!!

So in your case, I suspect both your motors are ready for a crank and piston.  Hope that helps.

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Yes Eric there will be a replacement for one of the DKC events.  We’re just waiting for confirmation at this point before announcing anything.  Hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll know more.

That’s for the inquiry,

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

We use to start our 250 that way.  Just a normal hand held Coleman as I recall, not the type with the battery on board.  You just have to make sure it will fit down in the seat and line up with the crank.  It worked fine.

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Dom, the Woodbridge Kart Club does have a Cadet class (8-12 year olds) but currently it’s not very popular.  And of course we do have a shifter class.

But rather then go back and forth here, just give me a call and I’ll be more then happy to give you all the specifics.  Also as mentioned above, there is a small sprint track in Maryland call Sandy Hook Speedway, which has a nice group of  “sportsman” classes (8-12 yo).

Check out the Woodbridge Kart Club web site as well as Sandy Hooks.

My contact info is listed on the WKC site, as well as Jeff Troup’s who is also involved in the Sandy Hook program.

Talk to you soon,

Clark Gaynor Sr.

WKC, VP and Board Member.

cggaynor@verizon.net   home: 610-326-8284

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Thanks for the info Kelly.  How do you folks handle the CIK chassis/Tag karts?  Do they require a dual brake system?

I’m trying to get a feel for what the rest of the country requires.  It appears all require “four” wheel brakes on shifters and up.  It also appears most orgs do not require a dual brakes system on many slower classes, like four cycles, Tags, etc.

Thanks again,

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Thank you gentleman for your input.  Please keep them coming.

And thanks you David for starting this thread.

Clark Gaynor Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

To be more specific, it would only be for sprint style karts and NOT laydowns or shifters.  Laydown and shifter karts come with or are designed for “four” wheel brakes.  It also does NOT require anyone to remove their dual/four wheel brake systems!!

The attempt was being made to help encourage “sprint” racers to give road racing a try without the added expense and work of the dual brake system.  In WKA land this proposal would only effect 4 cycle enduro sprint, 2 cycle enduro sprint and CIK Tag classes.

As a member of the WKA NRRC and the WKC board of directors, I’d very much like to know what the rest of the North American clubs and organizations require with respect to road racing sprint kart braking systems.

Your input would certainly be appreciated,

Thanks,

Clark Gaynor Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

I’m not sure what the X30 specs are with respect to what is allowed to be done to them, BUT we do run Leopards with the WKA/WKC road race series.

With WKA road racing, you more or less can NOT touch anything.  With our new MY09 Leopard, Brian Fisher pulled the crank a to make sure it was square, gave it a couple more thousandths piston clearance, and set up the carb.  The thing runs great and has won it’s share of races.  I believe Brian charged us a couple hundred for his labor.

I would expect a TOTAL rebuild on a well worn engine would run you a $1000 or so.  But you’re replacing a bunch of parts and doing a total tare down and rebuild!!

Just my opinion,

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Yes there is.  It’s a bit much to go into here, but what it amounts to is it’s coverage for everywhere BUT on the track.  I believe it’s generally referred to as “Off track and storage”.

Check with Michael Davis Insurance.  He handles insurance for WKA and such.  440-338-7007  If you’re a WKA member you get a substantial discount.  It covers everything from your trailer and karts down to your tire gauge!!  You take an inventory, calculate a reasonable replacement value and Michael can give you a quote.

Most of us would be shocked at how much we have tied up in kart stuff.  And if the whole mess is stolen or burns to the ground, it would be a huge set back.

Worth looking into,

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

All the WKC events.

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Ted, just to clear up a point.  The Rotax is a fine motor, as is the X30.  I’d suspect the Rotax could go nearly twice as long between rebuilds, but as Rob stated is quite a bit more expensive.

You did mention road racing, in which case if you live on the East coast and run with the WKA / WKC the “Leopard” is far more popular!!!  We typically run 5 to 6 road race events per season, all being at least two day events with approx. 1.5 to 2 hours of run time per event.  We have the Leopards totally rebuilt every TWO seasons.  That will give you an idea of maintenance levels.  My Uneducated guess for the Rotax would be 3 to 4 seasons.

Also as Rob stated you can adjust on the fly with the Leopard or X30 and don’t need a weather station to calculate jetting as the Rotax requires.

Have a good day folks,

Clark Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

I agree Dale, I’m not convinced we need another org right now.  Two organizations fighting over the same events isn’t going to help anything.  You’ve been involved in road racing long enough to understand clubs and promoters are hanging on by their fingertips as it is.   Adding a new org, with even a slightly different rules structure isn’t going to add entries.  At least in my opinion it isn’t.  And if the class structure and tracks are the same, I have trouble understanding what the point is.  More track dates will not suddenly become available, and I suspect rental prices are not going to be reduced.

We’re all aware now that AKRA is going to add road racing and sprint racing to their program, but we haven’t heard anything else.  I know WKC is open to hearing what they have to say, but until there is a MUCH better mouse trap, I suspect we’ll be staying with WKA.  At least in the short term.

That is just my opinion, and is in no way a WKC endorsement one way or the other.

Have a good one folks.  Let’s all wait and see.  I’m just wondering how long we’re going to have to wait!

Clark Gaynor Sr.

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

What part of the country are you from Bob?  Where do you intend to race?

[Clark Gaynor Sr.]

Bob, do NOT allow him or you to drive it in the street!!!  Or parking lot for that matter.  There’s nothing to gain, and everything to lose.

But let’s assume you have a safe place to run it??!!  Make sure it’s a little richer then normal or you risk seizing the engine. (I’m guessing you live some place cold).  As Oliver said, drain the fuel, put a carb kit in it, and I like to spray a little TriFlow in the plug hole and turn the engine over a few times.  That should about take care of it.  But I’m sure others have their own little rituals they follow which will work just as well.

But better yet, just have him get out the PS3 and play a little GT6.  At least it’s warm, and you can’t hurt anything til spring!

Have fun,

Clark Sr.

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