[Greg Wright]

My favorite fitting seat makes it difficult but not impossible to take a deep breath.

[Greg Wright]

I can’t completely agree with you Jim particularly in this day and age where so many young kart racers are looking to use karting as a leg up towards the mythical motorsports ladder. If they don’t learn to stay away from the wheels of their fellow racers now what are they going to do when and if they step up.

Yes I am in the camp that feels that there are too many bumpers now. Motor racing does have and must have an element of danger in order to maintain it’s identity. Otherwise we may as well race simulators.

[Greg Wright]

5.125

[Greg Wright]

These have been great responses Nate. Please take them to heart. Talent and desire are only a part of the equation.

[Greg Wright]

Ted, You are going to get a lot of opinions and/or options on that question. Personally we have had very good luck with the Patriot clutch. I’m not convinced that you need the 3 disc version with the WKA spec pipe that is used at the motorplex. The WKA pipe clutches even lower than the 4 hole can.

[Greg Wright]

Obviously I hope for the best for iKart and other US manufacturers (Example Margay) to rise to the forefront of the sport both here and elsewhere.

  The iKart has already been proven in National competition with Jesus Rios in Man Cup and an ikart was on the pole for this years Robopong 200.

   One thing that will have to be overcome is the amazingly popular view by many that they won’t buy anything American made. I have heard this sentiment over and over whether we are talking about karts, motorcycles or automobiles. I despise this sentiment but it is a stumbling block for success.

[Greg Wright]

Get well soon Tom, We will miss your grouchiness.

[Greg Wright]

[quote quote=17477]

 

So this is basically a disagreement in the philosophy of what constitutes racing.

In my opinion Absolutely!!

Okay…wow…I’m kinda out of ideas then.

Cool with me!

I would contend that almost every non safety related rule in the rule book is there to control speed and in some way and to equalize, thus maximize the competition. So if those rules are there to limit speed and maximize competition, is it such a stretch to simply limit speed on the front end? And for the same reason – to maximize competition.

Might I suggest in that case to eliminate ALL non safety related rules period. I agree that the rules are in place to attempt to equalize the competition. The challenge is to out drive and out think the competion in spite of the rules all the while adhering to the rules as written.

 

 

[/quote]

[Greg Wright]

Jeff, There is no question that bracket drag racing is successful. By the same token while I understand the concept perfectly well it (the concept) doesn’t gel with the way that I am wired personally.

I have friends that are bracket racers and we have this conversation regularly. While your statement that “some” bracket racers drive their cars to and and from the track is true but is a very small percentage. The drag racers that I talk to tell me that if they intend to dial in a (throwing out numbers here) 10.00 time they will build a car that will easily turn low 9s or high 8s in order to be able to play the game.

   These same drag racers talk on and on about feathering the throttle towards the end of the run and disconnecting the brake lights so nobody can see when they get on the brakes before the finish line.

  In the higher levels of bracket racing many use a computer that calculates their ET based on their 60 foot time and the computer will control the throttle to keep from breaking out. Granted that there are events called “No Box” that don’t allow the computer control (The box) and they are letting off and hitting the brakes consistently before the finish line.

To me at least this line of reasoning is counter to the core of motor racing and is similar to the reasoning that youth sporting events should not keep score in order to make everybody a winner. Screw that!

[Greg Wright]

Thumbs down on the bracket class idea.

Sorry but anytime that you can be DQ’d for running too fast just turns me off. Call me old school I don’t give a hoot. Despite what some seem to think racing is still about speed.

[Greg Wright]

MCP, Great brakes, affordable pricing, great availability and in many cases will be an upgrade from some European braking systems.

[Greg Wright]

To be clear the “Buzz” that I see missing is the lack of smack talking and general anticipation before the event, and the lack of  bragging and/or complaining after the event.

Compared to past years it was nearly nonexistent.

[Greg Wright]

Thanks Mark.

[Greg Wright]

OK,  After much staring and swearing it appears that the number is actually 5901444.

That would appear to make it a ’97. Yes?

[Greg Wright]

Is this the number on the plate below the output shaft? Number there is 901444.

 

I dunno.

[Greg Wright]

+several Brian. Although I think you are being generous, I’m more inclined to believe that the article focused on no more than 1 or 2% of kart racers.

  That’s been a serious problem with the sport in the modern era, coddle and publicize the top 2% and leave the rest to their own devices.

[Greg Wright]

Yo Chris, I’m not exactly sure where you are going with your statement.

Are we somehow going to find new blood for the sport by scaring them with the high cost, high risk sort of articles like the one in question?

[Greg Wright]

[quote quote=15761] But nevertheless, it’s just another article on karting repeating a theme that EVERY outside media article, or PR release about kart racing seems to say over and over ad nauseum, and NO ONE, except maybe this site, seems interested in correcting: “Karting is a sport for kids”.
[/quote]

I have to agree whole heartedly with this statement. This is one of the biggest problems with karting in the current era at least in my opinion.

I’m not even convinced that this site is interested in correcting this misperception. More often than not the “Driver of the month” is a pre-adolescent or adolescent youngster with his eyes on the stars and head in the clouds.

The founding fathers of karting were certainly not kids nor did they intend for it to be a kids sport. As proof the first ever “Nationals” held in Azusa California had NO  junior classes, I would have to check but I think it was the 3rd running of the “Nationals” that finally offered a limited number of junior classes.

When I first got involved with kart racing it was very common for a Junior driver in concert with his or her parents LIED about their age so they could run Seniors which was where the action was. Now I find Junior drivers LIE about their age so they can continue to run Juniors. To me this points out a basic flaw in the management of our sport.

Before somebody jumps on my statements and says “Ol’ Greg doesn’t like Juniors” I want to correct them. I feel that the Junior classes are VERY important to serve as feeders to the Senior classes PERIOD. Not to be the stars of the sport, that is insulting to the Senior drivers who historically have been the mainstay of the sport.

[Greg Wright]

[quote quote=15742] Here’s a question, a Yamaha 4 hole can motor develops roughly how much HP?

WW

[/quote]

I hate horsepower number since they can be manipulated so easily. So my answer is “About Half”.

[Greg Wright]

[quote quote=15724] You would think with Ed Carpenter as big a karter as he is that karts would not be an issue. Must be something else?[/quote]

 

Just as an aside, Ed Carpenter only runs karts once a year. He came up through the Quarter Midget ranks as a youngster.

Back to COTA discussion.

[Greg Wright]

I don’t think so Wade.

In this comparison the karts will be on the same tires and if the driver is getting the maximum out of the machine corner entry will be the same. Admittedly the TAG will have to slow more before entry.

Throttle off the corner, Same thing applies and in fact the edge might go to the Yamaha, again there is only so much cornering traction available so theoretically they should be the same. Observation; At NCMP a Yamaha will out pull a TAG off of the slower corners for several yards, then the parties over.

[Greg Wright]

Uhhhhhh, Where does the perception come from  that a TAG kart will corner harder than a Yammie? Corner speed should be the same.

[Greg Wright]

[quote quote=15434]Well…..since Mike mentioned it. If COTA is out, what about the F1 road course at Indy??[/quote]

 

I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one, Indy has been approached several times over the last few years and it was NO!  According to some conversations they might listen to the idea of a temporary course for sprinters but no on the full road course. What a shame.

[Greg Wright]

Not sure of brand but considering the rotary valve intake it must be a Formula C engine from the late 90s early 2000s.

[Greg Wright]

Rob, Man oh Man do the 4 cycle dirt guys get their undies in a bunch over that. What bothers me is that they insist that (example here) a 14-56 (4 to 1) ratio will out accelerate a 17-68 (4 to 1) ratio but the 17-68 will run faster on top.

  Let’s see here now, if it is a 4 to 1 ratio and the engine is turning say 6000 rpm the top speed has to be the same. I’m told I’m wrong, there could be some difference in acceleration curves due to changes in the friction developed in the drive train but 6000 rpm divided by a 4 to 1 ratio has to be going the same speed no matter how you achieve it. Again I’m told I’m wrong. Ain’t buying it.

 

I will add that with some experimentation I have found that using the bigger combination of gears will reduce some friction in the drive train due to not turning the chain around as tight a corner (drive sprocket) and there is an almost imeasurable gain that does show up on a dyno run. The gain is within the standard range of deviation but consistently showed up on the + side.

This is impossible to test with sprint type gear ratios.

[Author]

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