[Dan Schlosser]

There should be plenty of used Yamaha packages around under $2500 Matt. Keep an eye out for a 32mm or 30/32mm kart to help carry the extra weight. Out that way they may run the Can exhaust but you can pick up a Senior Y Pipe exhaust package that really wakes the Yamaha up, particularly for an adult. Our local club (Pitt Race) has 15-20 drivers ranging from some flyweight guys to guys your size.

Run that for a season at least and pick up on all the little tips and tricks – with your background it’ll come to you very easily. Just need to experience the nuances first hand. After a season if you want to go faster then jump up to a TAG or Shifter.

Tim Hannen at OVRP, Kaos Kart Shop, Mike Doty Racing – a lot of good local guys up there.

[Dan Schlosser]

Hey Brian – welcome to the sport! Where are you located? That’s usually the best first step toward finding out information.

[Dan Schlosser]

Hi Daryle,

We don’t cross paths often as we primarily contest east coast and midwest events but I would like to extend a personal thank you to someone willing to invest in karting. I truly hope you receive viable, calculable results for your efforts. One of our drivers did take advantage of the program you instituted for drivers and sported the colors throughout the season at our local track – Pitt Race. We helped him reach out to the local PCA region and I know he took part in the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix festivities as well to promote the Fikse sponsorship.

I believe it is extraordinarily important for karting to look beyond the shops and manufacturers for all of the sponsorship and advertising dollars – hopefully your program will go a long way toward proving the potential.

Thank you again for your efforts. I look forward to meeting sometime in the future!

Dan Schlosser

Kartwerks USA

[Dan Schlosser]

Very stiff. Would make great prybars…

[Dan Schlosser]

Without fail the best venues for finding new racers year after year were the new car show and World of Wheels each winter. Sometimes they’ll donate space to local racers displaying their karts/cars/etc. I would think Grand Junction would be there already though.

We also had success with local car cruise type of events such as Cars & Coffee.

 

[Dan Schlosser]

How many do you want? What wall thickness? I have 12 30mm x 5mm thick axles I’d make a deal on. ;-)

 

[Dan Schlosser]

Nowhere unless a local club allows it just to let you run. Guessing you saw the ebay listing? Much better off just buying a Swift or whatever actually runs near you.

[Dan Schlosser]

This is an excellent kart – well maintained and in great condition. Isaac’s kart was built as the twin to Luca Mars’ kart from 2014 that won USPKS, GLSS & WKA Championships. No guess work involved – instal driver and know you have a winning package!

[Dan Schlosser]

There wasn’t any general distaste for the Pipe. People didn’t stay away from WKA because they ran the Pipe, they stayed away because the kart counts were low. If people come back, it won’t be because they went back to the Can (that pretty much no senior runs outside of New Castle) it will because the events are better run and they are attracting more teams and drivers.

I support most of the WKA changes but this one is silly IMHO. If they cancelled every class that was down on entries, there would have been no series. Nearly everyone that runs the Pipe vastly prefers it to the Can. The only reason USPKS stayed with the Can was to be different than WKA – I pretty clearly remember the racers coming together and even going as far as to get some signatures to request that USPKS change to Pipe. Mark shot that down, not the racers.

 

[Dan Schlosser]

Great place to start Kenny – lots of friendly, knowledgable people over there that will help you get off on the right foot. Along with NCMP, G&J Kartways in Camden, OH is a short ride and Pitt Race in PA is about 3 hours away. You are actually in one of the best pockets in the country for Kid Kart, Rookie and Sportsman racing – all programs are very supportive and pretty well attended.

We have started a lot of young kids out in our programs and I can honestly say that from 4-7 it is just a guessing game. Some are ready at 4 for practice days and some at 7 are not ready to race. Pay for a Test Drive and if that goes well then maybe rent a kart for a few days when you can get the track mostly to yourself. You’ll know pretty quickly if he is ready.

In your area Jim Conlin at Adrenaline Fix karting is a great resource as well as a few other local shops.

Jason is spot on in regard to value of a used Kid Kart. If it runs it is never worth less than $1000 and if it is the most badass, decked out race winner it rarely is ever worth more than $2500. Costs about $2500 new for a basic one, $4000 tricked out. Safety gear will run you around $500 for a CRM2007 rated Youth helmet, proper chest protector (and rib vest probably), foam neck collar, gloves and a suit or jacket. Don’t skimp on the helmet and I’d recommend a foam collar with the wedge such as the Kart Racewear brand to start – the neck collar/brace is most importantly there to carry the weight of the helmet for the kids until their necks get stronger.

If you have the choice go with the sealed Honda over the Comer every day of the week and twice on Sunday. You’ll spend more time working with your son and enjoying the sport rather than being frustrated with your engine.

[Dan Schlosser]

Pitt Race hosted an Open House for karting yesterday where my son Andy went to represent Kartwerks by displaying a few of our karts. He met with several new families/racers with one family in particular being very interested in moving forward. The young lady that will be the driver got interested from watching Kart Life. The highlight of her day was getting to meet Savannah.

This isn’t rocket science people – karting has been given a gift and the fact that the industry on the whole has done so little to take advantage of it is frustrating and shows the incredible vacuum of leadership in this industry in the US.

While IAME, Vortex, Rotax, Briggs, MG, Bridgestone, WKA, SKUSA, USPKS, etc continue to waste hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight over market share, we watch that market continue to dwindle. Rather than be the engine that drives karting growth they choose to be divisive, petty and increasingly effective at driving people away rather than bringing new blood in. Market growth is infinitely more important than market share.

As a small kart shop I can attend a few shows to promote karting, spend a few dollars on advertising/sponsorship and generally try to be a positive voice for the sport to the general public. I don’t have the wherewithal to advertise on Kart Life or leverage any other opportunities of that magnitude to expose the sport to new people.

I have made a conscious decision to not sponsor/advertise anything other than local or club level programs that bring new people in to the sport. I will no longer sponsor any series, event, etc that is not using those funds to bring new people in to the sport. That said, if an industry effort was put together to grow the sport by doing things such as advertising on Kart Life, or potentially the SKUSA broadcasts on CBS Sports this spring, my checkbook is open and I have a pen in hand.

 

 

[Dan Schlosser]

Alex – Call Mike or Michael at 724.535.1000

That may have been posted before a change of management at the track so may not be getting your inquiries.

[Dan Schlosser]

They have at least 2 of those Corsair karts Alex – if you buy one, buy them all and make a great package deal so you have spares. Two of those karts are essentially brand new – they are as clean as they look. If I recall the story correctly Corsair was an Italian brand started by Teo Fabi’s (80’s IndyCar) family. The Fabi family did a lot of a business with a company based out of West Virginia and they sent these karts over for the guys that owned that factory. They used the one for some lapping days at Circleville and Pitt Race but the other two were never completed and used.

The karts have many basic interchangeable components and you can probably find what need from Righetti or Parolin.  That said, I’m in full agreement with David, Walt and the rest that say buy from a local shop if you are new to the sport. You will need help and at the end of the day it comes a lot easier if you’ve established a relationship with a local dealer.

If you do buy one (or all) of these karts I’d suggest taking them to Keith or one of the other local guys and pay them for a few hours of labor to go through and set up the karts for you to start.  The relationship you establish will pay off many times over down the road.

 

[Dan Schlosser]

Once again I find myself in almost complete agreement with Tim. Nice job buddy.

At the end of the day no one is leaving karting because of the show. And at the very least someone is going to start looking around for tracks or shops or racers to ask questions. When that time comes hopefully they find someone like Tim to lead them down the right path rather than some of the whiney knuckleheads that bitch and moan incessantly.

Looking forward to the next episode. And running my next Facebook ad campaign… :<)

 

 

 

 

[Dan Schlosser]

Greg Dingess nailed it. Spot on in every regard.

Greg Wright also nailed it with which side of the pyramid needs to be attended to.

Both mimic much of the rhetoric I have preached for awhile. We need reasonable, entry level programs with common rules to build the base of the sport again. Let IAME, Rotax, Rotax and Honda fight amongst themselves at the National or even Regional level, but the tracks and clubs need to ignore what they do and focus on putting butts in karts again.

I have made a conscious decision not to sponsor any large traveling organization this year or in the near future and will instead be spending my sponsorship dollars on local racing only. I spent $4500 last year sponsoring classes & events and advertising. At the end of the day I got some slightly better pit spot locations and my name called out a few times. Nothing against the fine folks that cashed those checks – they have to run a  business too.  But that $4500 could have been used to provide class sponsorship, awards, arrive & drive programs, incentive programs to build LO 206, Rookie or Kid Kart programs locally that would reap way more rewards long term.

Anyone in this business for the long haul should seriously consider where their money is being spent. With the current environment of big engine manufacturers mandating the direction of the sport, I’m of the opinion that they can fund their own agenda and I’ll underwrite mine – sustainable growth at the local level.

 

 

[Dan Schlosser]

I can almost see Vortex or even Briggs partnering up in this but i don’t really get another Stock Honda program. At least with Vortex you’d pull in the interest of the Mini-Rok families that had their rug pulled out from under them. Maybe.

 

[Dan Schlosser]

How far did you go with factory Carbon Fiber & Magnesium Josh? We got out Tacho down to 368 with a Leopard using the CF pan, Mag hubs & cassettes and no graphics. Similar weight driver with gear probably.

 

[Dan Schlosser]

210 or 212 mm wheels Bob.

What material really depends on class. TAG will be Magnesium, Yamaha could be either Magnesium or Spun Aluminum. Most don’t use Cast Aluminum with the exception of for rain.

Brock – they are changing the rule now because the US is really the last market to utilize the product. As a result less product needs stocked and the inventory cycles faster thus lessening the chance of customers getting “old” rubber.

[Dan Schlosser]

Hi Brandon,

Over the years we’ve probably brought 15-20 families in to Sprint karting from the indoor tracks around DC – primarily AllSports GP near Dulles. Pitt Race is the closest sprint track to your area (4 hours or so) and offers the most track time as well as storage options, instruction, a race series, etc. I could put you in touch with a number of families that we have worked with that’ll give you the high and low points to racing a program that requires a travel commitment.

For the life of me I can’t figure out why there isn’t a legitimate sprint track in your area – the demographics are fantastic and the weather mild enough to run 9 months plus.

I love the LO 206 program but at Pitt Race the Yamaha Senior Pipe for your age is a fast, fun, largely inexpensive class. It looks like we should see 15-20 kart fields in 2015.

Let me know if you have any questions or want to discuss some options and pricing.

Talk to you soon,

Dan

[Dan Schlosser]

Yamaha – Pipe is more fun and better suited for the senior weight but at the end of the day if the kart counts are there that’s all that matters. Switching back and forth requires a $40 pipe mount, $240 pipe package and a clutch adjustment. With that in your quiver you can race WKA, USPKS, Route 66, Badger, New Castle, Pitt Race and most of the other local tracks in between.

If you are really hell bent on running some big events just pick the package that makes you happy and run those couple events in that series. In reality you really weren’t going to run all of WKA, USPKS, SKUSA, Winter Tour and Rotax anyway unless you had a quarter million dollar budget.

Its karting. There are too many people with vested interests in IAME, Vortex and Rotax that control the direction of the sport. And there is just enough money on the line, but not enough for everyone to share, for there ever to be a way for them all to just get along.

We finished the year with 15-20 Yamaha Pipes at Pitt Race and many more to come in 2015. People are finally using some common sense and going to the track to have fun and not break the bank. Karting should not be a huge financial burden to the point it causes stress. Go and have fun.

 

 

 

[Dan Schlosser]

At the end of the day its as simple as:

Yamaha Rookie

Yamaha Sportsman

Yamaha Junior Can

Yamaha Senior Pipe

That should be the basis for every track, every club, every regional series and every national series (that isn’t manufacturer based/funded). There are 30K engines out there and they fit on any kart. They are cheap and plentiful and with the right rule structure can be very even. They are supported by nearly every engine builder and the parts are not brand specific thus leaving the door open to participation from vendors, parts manufacturers and engine builder.

We just took TJ’s lead and bought our old Yamaha back and plan to play with that next year. That engine is 15 years old and probably has 100 wins on it in Junior and Senior racing with 5 different families over that time. You just can’t beat that kind of value.

Sure we may do a few races in other classes if the spirit moves us but at the end of the day we want to have some fun and we want to try to be a good example to our customers and families that are looking for some direction in what to run. And to us that can be accomplished with our old Yamaha.

 

 

[Dan Schlosser]

Really awesome project Andy! What a way to get a student excited about a project – tying their passion in to the lesson at hand. As a husband of a teacher that works with advanced kids and hears some of the amazing things they do, this really excites me. I will share it with her as well.

 

Have fun with your boy and let us know how it goes!

Dan

[Dan Schlosser]

How old is your son Bob? That would drastically affect my answer on helmets.

[Dan Schlosser]

Personal opinion Glenn but if you had not scheduled one week prior to Rok weekend each month you’d have a lot more interest from the Mini-Rok families already committed to the Winter Tour program. Some of our racers can justify 2 trips a month but they can’t justify two weekends in a row with work and school responsibilities.

Something to consider for next year.

[Dan Schlosser]

We are already there Pat. The fix is easy – I have yet to hear a single compelling argument to why the rules are not changed. If I’m missing something, someone please enlighten me.

 

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