[Dan Schlosser]

Smart move all the way around. From a shop’s perspective it is less inventory to carry. We normally sit on $1000+ of 6″ tires for just one class. From a new racer perspective that is a lot of used, cheap rubber around to learn and practice on.

The used 180mm wheels on the market will get gobbled up for rain tires in short order.

This was a move we had inquired about probably 5-7 years ago – just seemed like a smart move for the sport in the long run.

 

[Dan Schlosser]

We either have, or manage programs that have, very strong hand picked “national caliber” engines that surely meet the blowdown numbers. Despite devaluing what we own or manage, we wholeheartedly support the move to an acceptable range without the need to disguise the work.

Sometimes you have to be willing to sacrifice a little personally for the long term good of the sport.

 

 

[Dan Schlosser]

Simple rules change fixes this and eliminates $3000 Yamahas…..

 

[Dan Schlosser]

Neat project but definitely not something for a 5 year old. Have fun restoring it and teaching some basics mechanics through that but find a Kid Kart to learn driving with. Sized more appropriately with a safer seat, pull start, low horsepower and front end geometry that makes it easy for the younger kids to operate.

 

 

[Dan Schlosser]

A slight adjustment to this weekend’s schedule as we will be starting 30 minutes earlier to accommodate the additional classes. Drivers Meeting will be at 8:10 with Practice starting at 8:30!

 

 

[Dan Schlosser]

Pre-registration is now open:

 

http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=b6711678a701494ef8a4b85bc&id=7ffddc05c3&e=%5BUNIQID

 

 

[Dan Schlosser]

I believe it was 110 total entries Pat. A very nice, well run event with very little drama. They brought in quality people to run the event down to tech and it went pretty much like clockwork.

We had 5 entries out of our camp and I hope to double that at least for the second round pending where that race is scheduled.

[Dan Schlosser]

Brought a concept up just like that DC when I ran BeaveRun. It was met with very mixed feedback. LOL

We wanted to bring everyone to grid and do a pill draw to decide the layout with the kart being sealed at that point – all up to the driver, not special setups.  We could have run standard layout, reverse direction, oval, short track or outer loop. I think it would be awesome to try.

[Dan Schlosser]

Get better soon Wes – we’ll be thinking of you.

[Dan Schlosser]

I think it was very emblematic of the issues that WKA has to seriously address. The idea, right or wrong, that you have to run three classes per age group to get the desired track time is scaring away the racers that only run one class or maybe two. They are of the opinion they can’t compete with the high budget racers so they either stay home or grossly overextend themselves. Sometimes it is all I can do to convince people to NOT spend money. Seems counterproductive to my own short term cash flow but it is something I believe is imperative for the long term goal of keeping people in the sport.

The junior class adding TAG is the perfect example. The perception of many is that in order to maintain an equal amount of track time for the experience and tuning benefit you need to run all the classes. To do it somewhat properly you need:

3-4 Chassis & spares = $15-20,000

2 Parilla engines & spares = $7,500

2 Yamaha engines & spares = $6,000

2 Komet engines & spares = $5,000

Per event:

6 sets of dry tires = $1,200

3 sets of wet tires = $600

1 tuner/mechanic = $1200+

2 pit spaces minimum

larger trailer or pay to transport

 

The further the package gets from value for dollar spent, the more difficult it will become to maintain numbers let alone see growth. Generally speaking I’m content with the rules, the events, the race-day management, etc – so I’m not in the WKA bashing camp – but there are some very simple , very obvious decisions that need to be made to right the ship but no one is willing to rock the political boat to get it done.

 

 

 

 

[Dan Schlosser]

The best part of Tim’s $800 insurance policy was that had he not used the tires as needed, he still would have had $800 in product.

Price gouging sucks, particularly in our small, close industry. But there are squirrels in every line of work and I’m guessing it would pretty easy for most people to guess who would or wouldn’t play that game. Just unfortunate that some people got taken advantage of.

At first I thought this was a black eye on SKUSA and/or MG but its pretty obvious they did everything in their power to accommodate the racers. Some chose not to take advantage of the opportunity offered while other people who paid teams a lot of money to make sure they were well provided for were let down by those teams.

If SKUSA would have amended their rules on the fly to accommodate the unprepared, the prepared would have had every right to be upset. They made the only decision they could.

 

[Dan Schlosser]

The Pipe is better sounding, better performing and a ton more fun. Talk Eric in to making the change, absolutely no one will regret it. For Senior guys at 345 or higher, the Pipe is absolutely a no-brainer.

 

[Dan Schlosser]

In ballpark numbers the Yamaha Can is in the 14 horsepower range, Yamaha Pipe 17HP, Leopard 28HP.

On a 3/4 mile size track (more or less) the difference is about 3-4 seconds with each jump.

[Dan Schlosser]

If you have Yamaha available, run in that direction… quickly… without looking back…

TAG is fine – it’s fast and has some decent classes but if you are starting out there is no better package than the Yamaha.  Seriously, buy a Yamaha and have fun and stay in the sport for a bunch of years without breaking your bank, ribs and interest.

The idea that TAG or Rotax is a good entry level point is something that people with short term agendas perpetuate.

[Dan Schlosser]

You’ll never accuse me of being a Rotax fanatic but I have to say it is extremely hard to beat in terms of TAG packages for someone wanting to get in to the sport and turn a lot of laps. The biggest factor is that it actually starts every time you hit the button. The lower rpm’s and being counter balanced also make it less likely to vibrate itself, and you, in to oblivion. The rotax ignition, exhaust and clutch are a lot more robust too than any other TAG and won’t typically let you down without warning.

The carb on the Rotax is unnecessarily tricky but there isn’t an option unfortunately. It is fine for lapping days but you’ll spend some time and testing to get comfortable with it to be able to fine tune on a race day.

The Rotax will also run 2-3 times longer than any other TAG package which helps offset the additional initial expense.

 

[Dan Schlosser]

The rules need to come out NOW. The longer they wait, the lower the participation.

After driving the Pipe I can’t imagine why anyone would want to listen to/drive the Can. The Can was a dying class at Pitt Race/BeaveRun but is finding new life with the Pipe. From 3-4 karts the year before with the Can to 9 at the end of last year on the Pipe and an expected 12-15 to start next year.

Looking forward to seeing the rules so I can try to sell the package/concept to my customers for local and traveling races.  Only takes a quick look at the success the F100 Series is finding to see how this should/could work.

[Dan Schlosser]

I think it would be great Chris. Travel help is always welcome – shared rides, hotels, food, etc. A place for teams to go that need help for an event or a place to let people know they are available – most feel funny about doing that in an open forum I’ve found. Even things a lot of us have to deal with like health insurance.

Good idea.

[Dan Schlosser]

Are you running front hubs or using direct spindle mount wheels?  If you aren’t using hubs currently you can achieve what you want a lot easier and probably cheaper with a set of 17mm hubs and hub mount front wheels.

The Easykart is just a Birel R30 though and any of the newer style Birel spindles are heftier and give you additional width.

If you are really set on changing spindles though here is a page from Comet Kart Sales showing the different Freeline options.  You have #1, the #3 is an easy swap and still has a 17mm shaft to accommodate your current wheels or hubs. The #5 is a nice piece but will require new 22mm hubs as well as the spindles.

http://www.cometkartsales.com/store/chassis/birel/images/birel-spindle-bg.jpg

 

[Dan Schlosser]

Our team has had a lot of success in Yamaha Rookie and our families have won with Cook, Adkins & Woltjer engines. We also work with families that have seen excellent results with Comet and Switch power.

It all depends on the level of support you need and personalities honestly.  Each shop handles things slightly differently but they are all good IMO.

Dan

[Dan Schlosser]

I’ve participated in KMI, PRI, IMIS plus every applicable car/outdoor/powersports show in Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

Karting specific shows are great fun to get together with everyone in the industry to talk about how hard it is to make a living in the industry while we all take turns trying to give the house away to the few actual consumers that show up at the show. As each additional show comes along it marginalizes the value of the one it broke off from and it becomes less likely that anyone can derive enough value to offset the expense. Hopefully the Winter Kart Show keeps growing and can break that trend at least regionally in the midwest.

PRI & IMIS when worked properly actually offer a good potential return.  It is hard work though and you get 99 misses for every one hit at best. But the potential to introduce karting to someone that isn’t in the sport now but already has at least a passing interest in motorsports is very real.

Hands down the best shows though are still the local car/motorcycle/outdoor/powersports shows that connect you with potential NEW customers.  There is never any growth if all you ever do is cater to the same 100 people in your market locally or 1000 regionally. Local shows take a tremendous amount of patience initially and good old fashioned salesmanship after the fact. Something the hobby dealers in the business probably don’t have time for but the professionals need to embrace.

There are reasons I can find to attend any of these shows but the quantifiable return is going to make it hard to justify participation in many of them. Now what I would really get behind is someone in the industry finding a way to make inroads with the PRI event to secure a karting room/venue in conjunction with PRI that would give us access to the rest of the motorsports community while still having a way to cater to our own karting community.

 

 

[Dan Schlosser]

What is the date this year Russ?

[Author]

Posts