[Daniel White]

Add: 8. garage rental space

[Daniel White]

Seven years ago GoPro, CMP, and AMP didn’t exist. Karting is starting to grow the corridor between Florida and the Midwest with some well-developed kart tracks (GoPro) and higher-end multi-use facilities (the other two).

Hopefully, the karting industry will continue to add state-of-the-art, modern tracks that will help grow the network.

It seems to require a massive investment, but I think NCMP is the model, and the one that GoPro followed, with multiple income sources:

1. big-time lifetime karter involved

2. Rental karts & a rental kart league (perhaps the single-most important feature)

3. Within an hour of a big city (one with a racing culture helps)

4. Retail & internet sales

5. Connected to an importer

6. Driver coaching / trackside support

7. Hosts national races

[Daniel White]

The premier track in NC is GoPro, a half-hour north of Charlotte.

About an hour outside Columbia, SC, is Carolina Motorsports Park.

An hour south of Alanta is Lamar County Raceway, home of the Georgia Sprint Karting Association (GSKA), my club. They have a healthy 4-cycle class. Short track (.26 mile) but great sightlines and good people.

An hour north of Atlanta is Atlanta Motorsports Park, a hilly .8 mile course. They are growing their 4-cycle classes.

There may be othere, but those are the main ones I think.

[Daniel White]

I just order a set of Douglas SEs from Fastech. $90 for a pair of 130 fronts, $100 for a pair of 212 rears.  I paid $220 shipped from CA to GA. What a deal.  I’ve seen sets on other sites for $275 and up.

[Daniel White]

I heard this amusing explanation for understeer and oversteer when I was a kid. These words (or a paraphrase of them) were spoken by Tom Sneva:

“Understeer is when you crash the front of the car. Oversteer is when you crash the back of the car.”

[Daniel White]

Tony, I’m interested in perspectives on 2-stroke packages. I currently race Yamaha Pipe (Spec-pipe) and plan to continue, although I may go back to a TAG at some point (I raced a Rotax from 2008-2011). I’m average build, 5-11 and I’m around 180.

[Daniel White]

Darrin, the producers would have a LOT more drama if they filmed a day at our club . . . but enough about the adults . . .

[Daniel White]

I’ve seen many pics of national-level and national races, and they aren’t even wearing neck braces.

I once pulled out of a race on the pace lap because a strap broke on my neck brace (360 device). And I was on the front row (for a change).

That said, I’ve always worn rib protection racing TAG, but don’t wear one in Yamaha at my home track.

[Daniel White]

Thanks for the responses fellas.

[Daniel White]

I, too, would like to know more about this motor package. Looks like an HPV with a different carburetor.

[Daniel White]

At our .25 mile, 7-turn track, where you are only on the brakes twice per lap, the difference is about .7-.8.  It’s a significant difference, and I feel it throughout the rev range. Moreover, in my opinion, the pipe makes setting up the go kart even more critical / difficult. With the can all I had to do was point the kart and I was near the front. Pretty boring really.

I love the SR-Y pipe compared to the can.

[Daniel White]

Thanks Walt. This helps inasmuch as it confirms how much I need to learn about clutches.

At first I had a 2-disk Horstman dry, but the gear sheared off from the drum, so I borrowed a competitor’s 3-disk Patriot, liked it immediately, and arranged a trade (had to replace the broken part of my Horstman of course). The Patriot setup worked well for quite a while before I broke a floater. At that point I learned about gap settings (I tell ya I’m an ignoramus), so I measured everything, found out my gap was .097 (the manual says it should be .025-.032), and decided to replace the friction disks and the one broken floater. I bought a set of gap keys and set it correctly, but the kart wouldn’t take off. Found out my stall speed was around 7700, so I just start turning the screws until it felt better.

I’m frankly mystified that my rebuild didn’t give me the results it was supposed to, and that my kart seemed to run better with the way-off gap.

I think I should just get a KPV.

[Daniel White]

Jay, I will definitely be more proactive maintaining the clutch drum screws by replacing the screws and using fresh loctite.

And a couple of guys at the club have encouraged me to replace the starter button with something more reliable.

I was under the impression that I needed to remove my clutch after each day at the track, cleaning the floater and with brake cleaner and roughing them up with medium grit sandpaper. Are you saying this is unnecessary, that I only service the clutch every 3 races?

TJ, I completely agree about the Rotax driveability. My kart was very hard to set up with the power band coming on the way it does, particularly on our 180 degree banked left-handed, which comes after a slow section, taken flat.

If I go back to TAG, it will probably be an X30, though I am intrigued by the new Rotax Evo.

[Daniel White]

Jay, the paper towel thing was certainly my fault, but I don’t see how the wire working loose from the silicon is anything I could have prevented.

Moreover, I buy all my clutch drums with a gear already on it, loctited by Comet. The Horstman dry clutch I had before that failed when the gear sheared off from the drum.

The brand news starter I purchased came with a faulty starter button that just gets stuck.

The guy who owned the motor before me claimed it had 2 hours on it (he sold it to a local kart dealer who soon after sold it to me). I took their word for it–my mistake. But a decent, fair-minded dealer / reseller would have at least dropped in a new piston and ring. But I digress.

[Daniel White]

I raced Rotax for  4 season, and Yamaha the past 2. Maintenance wise, it’s not straightforward.

Engine
Rotax: no problem whatsoever. Yamaha: two race days were lost as I trouble-shooted poor engine performance; eventually, I sent it to a guy with a dyno who figured out it was loose wire in the coil / magneto side of the motor ($90 repair).

Starter
Rotax: had to replace my starter once. Yamaha: all sorts of issues with a POS starter I bought used from a dealer. Bought a BRAND NEW mini-starter in September, and sometimes the thing won’t shut off!

Carburetor
Rotax: total BS; you need to spend megabucks to nail down weather conditions to achieve optimum performance; apparently, the new carb will solve the problem. Yamaha: generally worry-free, but you need to keep an eye on the screen, and the system needs to be rebuilt way more often

Clutch
Rotax: the old one was awful; the new one a breeze. Yamaha: my dry clutch is complicated and needs constant attention; have broken one, and twice the gear screws have worked themselves loose, which locked up the crank

Rebuilds
Rotax: I put 33 hours on mine and rebuilt the top end once ($300) and a complete rebuild once (about $900). Yamaha: bought used and crapped out after one race (bought it from the same guy who sold me the crappy starter); full rebuild was $700, raced less than 8 hours, then rebuilt again for another $650-700.

Power valve
Rotax: clean every now and then. Yamaha: no power valve

Exhaust
Rotax: somewhat of a pain to mount (needed to change to a 10-degree motor mount, and even with 4 springs it leaked and made a mess). Yamaha: no real problems, other than accidentally leaving a paper towel in it (which ruined two race days as I tried to figure out why my motor wouldn’t run).

 

 

[Daniel White]

If you have been racing IAME TAG engines and plan to continue, you need to shell out $3200 for the X30, then try to find someone who will purchase your out-of-fashion Leopard.

OTOH, Rotax is offering to fix issues with its current engine, issues that have plagued this motor for years (I hated the low end power characteristics and the hit-or-miss jetting), and issues that made the motor less preferred at certain tracks. Moreover, they are offering current owners a deal to upgrade the engine for around $500. Now they will be on more equal footing with other motors at all tracks (if they are permitted to race together), and won’t have to get rid of their expensive motors with fire sale prices.

Seems to me Rotax took a more economical approach this time.

 

[Daniel White]

I had a Sparco Imola which lasted 5 seasons. Kinda pricey–about $325. Last season I bought my second Sparco, the Rookie K3. Much less expensive, under $200. So far, so good.

[Daniel White]

I had to get get rid of my stock OTK fuel tank because it leaked at the place where the plastic bracket screwed into the tank. This was an issue on those tanks from my understanding. Anyway, I got the KG 3.5 liter tank ($45) and the bracket ($6). One of the upsides is that with the space I saved, I can put a 5 lb weight in front of the tank if I need to.

[Daniel White]

That was an awesome answer, Andy. I figured you would be a guru on this topic. Thanks!

[Daniel White]

A fellow is selling his 2012 FA kart in the EKN classifieds–with this on the ID plate:

42/CH/11

B450241

This OTK kart is newer then mine.

I’m essentially trying to find out what year my kart is. Looking at pictures of the EVR, the EVRR, and the EVK, I can see subtle differences. I know I don’t have an EVK, but I’m not sure if it’s an EVR or EVRR. The floor pan sticker kit reads EVRR, but one of the previous owners said the original frame was replaced by the one that is on it now. He sold it to another fellow, and I bought it from him.

 

[Daniel White]

I see a bunch of turns but I don’t see a kart track, unless the parking lot at the top of the picture will be used.

[Daniel White]

Dave Baker has posted an ad on our club’s site. The kart may be just what you are looking for: a Tonykart with very few races on it, and a CMC prepped KT-100. I think it’s around $2500. Check georgiasprintkarting dot net

[Daniel White]

The Vettel kart is called the Vettel KDS.

Kate’s Dirty Sister

[Daniel White]

Has there been any criticism of the new kart? Is it good for larger drivers? (I ask because I think it has 28mm tubing.) Also, I’ve seen ikarts with TAG motors, but has anyone used it in Yamaha?

[Daniel White]

Hmm, got hit on the side 2-3 times, with no other karts in the track–during an open practice?

What a jackass.

[Author]

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