[Brian Wilson]

Bill Schmidt wrote:
There is an entire turnkey wankel kart for sale on ebay.
I might be a little leary of that kart, he’s been trying to sell it for over 6 months now (at least I have seen it posted that long).  Don’t know anything about it, but being an ‘O8 chassis, the motor may be as well and they have done some updates to the motor since then. I have read differing opinions on porting the Aixro and boosting the hp, may be sacrificing the nice power curve and reliability of a stock motor. Not telling you to not explore it, just do your homework and ask alot of questions about it if you do. From what I understand with all vehicles, a ceramic pipe holds the heat in and I don’t think I would want to be holding any heat into a pipe that is having 1600 degree exhaust pumped into it.

[Brian Wilson]

Marc,

Contact Richard Blackburn  in the UK, he has a shop over there, XratedKarting and he handles Aixros and I know he has used ones from time to time. He does alot with the Aixro race series they have over there. Whenever I need something or have a question, he answers it and will take the time to send emails with pictures, etc to make sure I understand everything….he knows his stuff and keeps a good inventory of parts.  His personal email address is blackburn20@btinternet.com  Are you wanting to get an Aixro so you can come out and play in our new series? First race will be September 21st in Ocala, you may be pushing it, but he can send you a ready to bolt on, hook up the radiator and go motor. I have a few gears you can borrow to get you started.
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Brian

[Brian Wilson]

There will be a slight change up in the dates. I just got off the phone with the management at PBIR and a private group has leased out the entire facility for November 24th and they are changing the race date. He said he will email it to me this evening and I will pass it along as soon as possible.

[Brian Wilson]

James, although I respect your opinion, I respectfully disagree. For one reason or another, the size of shifter classes have dwindled and at some tracks are no longer offered. There are alot of shifters out there that don’t race or those that do that would prefer to run with larger field. When I got into shifters, there was no spec stock moto class…it was just shifters. Then ICC came along and really screwed the class (in my opinion) and fragmented the class into spec stock moto, mod moto and ICC. Eventually non spec stock moto and mod moto were left with no place to race. With dwindling numbers, shifters had the choice of jumping to TaG or not having anyone to race against. This class is being put together to bring those people out and give them a place to have fun with some friendly competition. Why is Aixro on the list? You may call it a selfish reason, but Brian D and myself both have one and we’ll show up.

 

[Brian Wilson]

If you have a stock moto and want to adhere to their spec class rules, you can run in stock moto. If you want to run your stock moto in this class, you’re more than welcome to. But you can’t run the same kart in both classes on the same day.

[Brian Wilson]

I agree and that’s why I was asking if the KF was a shifter. It should only be gear box engines or rotaries.

[Brian Wilson]

Are there any KF’s out there in the right hands that you know of?

[Brian Wilson]

Yes, the class will be scored the same and they will be run separately, unless there are not enough karts, then they will be gridded behind the shifters and scored separately.

[Brian Wilson]

Are KF’s a shifter motor? Not trying to be ignorant, I really don’t know…..I listed the motors I’m aware of.

Open fuel includes methanol.

[Brian Wilson]

Ace, from the old forums…….

http://eknclassic.com/viewtopic.php?t=123678

[Brian Wilson]

Ocala GP will be open on the Friday, Sept 20th from 10 am – 8 pm. The Saturday race will be an evening/night race as the track opens at 2 pm that day.

[Brian Wilson]

Brian, that would be great if you could ask. I would still like to include Jacksonville in the rotation just because it’s a fun track and hopefully it will give some of the people that live in northern Florida a chance to enjoy the fun.

[Brian Wilson]

I understand your point, but let’s look at it from the other side. This class is designed to get people to the track that normally wouldn’t go. There are alot of shifters in N Florida that need some love as well.  If your in the central Florida area, it’s a toss up between the distance to Homestead and Jacksonville. My thought is there will be people that will go to Jacksonville and Ocala and not PBIR or Homestead due to the distance….some like myself will go to them all. There will be people that will go to PBIR and Homestead and not Ocala or Jacksonville due to the distance. Hopefully this will allow the numbers to be consistent across the tracks and give everyone a chance to come out and have fun.

Orlando is not off the table, just on the shelf temporarily, and that could change. Jacksonville is extremely easy to work and besides, if yo have never been, it’s a REALLY fun track.

Unfortunately, and I say unfortunately because it’s the closest track to my house, Anderson is off the table. Due to their zoning and noise requirements, it’s not feasible. I don’t know how long you have been in karting, but  a few years ago, Anderson said moto style shifters couldn’t run at all, only ICC’s due to the noise. A couple people got together with Anderson and they agreed if the moto style shifters could be quieted down to meet noise restrictions, they would be allowed to run. It kind of defeats the purpose of the class if you tell people they have to purchase a new exhaust system to participate and therefore I think the numbers just wouldn’t be there. The track will work with us if the guys who are already legal to run there want to have an unofficial, organized session….and I’m all for it.

 

[Brian Wilson]

They will be

1) Ocala GP on September 21st

2)Homestead on October 5th

3) PBIR on November 24th

4) Still working on a date for Jacksonville

I will start a new thread tomorrow with the  rules (which are still open to discussion), details and dates

[Brian Wilson]

Marc-Andre, I stepped up and took the lead on organizing this class. I have talked to the tracks and they are all for it and encourage it and said they would do whatever to accommodate it as they get to keep 100% of the proceeds. This class is not meant to take any racers/participation away from their existing classes, they see it as I do, as a way to have more people participate that normally wouldn’t. In a sense, add to the numbers and not fragment what they already have. There will be no splitting the class into two groups, unless the numbers get so outrageous that it’s dangerous or unmanageable to run as one group.

If you want to race in a spec class or are already participating in a spec class, that is great, keep participating in it. But I think alot of people out there underestimate the number of karts that do track days, but don’t support the races because they either don’t want to deal with the money/time issue of the spec class or want a more laid back “fun” atmosphere to participate. If you want to call this class an organized, timed track day rather than a race, I’m fine with that. There are alot of people out there, myself included, that have karts with “non spec moto” engines, mod moto, ICC, Bilands, Vampires, Aixros & DD2’s that would participate, but don’t have a class that will accept them. There are also alot of fathers who have given up their competitive racing because they are now sinking their money/time into providing their children with top notch equipment and would participate in a fun class like this. As I said, this class is not meant to fragment or take away from existing classes, but a means to bring people out and have fun that otherwise would not be doing it.  I think you underestimate the number of track day/casual racer karting enthusiast out there.

I envision this being the type of class where the participants park near each other, help each other out with what they can, make new friends, reconnect with old friends, hang out and talk after the races about what fun they had while grilling together and at the end of the day, tell the others they look forward to seeing them at the next race and figuring out who will bring the grill, burgers, side dishes, etc for the next weekend of fun.

 

[Brian Wilson]

Tricity is not really a kart track, it’s a better than nothing local option. Not knocking it, but with the other tracks in Florida, it would be a last resort type thing in my opinion.

Anderson is difficult due to the zoning ordinances. They cannot have competition karts on Sundays. On Saturdays, the competition karts have to be off the track by 4 or 5. The once or twice a year a race does occur, they are so limited on time, it would be very difficult to be added to the schedule. Due to insurance and such, I think the only viable option would be if during a regular Saturday practice day if they would give you a 10-15 minute block of time here or there to run an “unofficial” practice and race.

[Brian Wilson]

I don’t see a problem including the DD2’s. I know there are a few guys out there that would participate and be as fast or faster than some of the shifters or Aixro.

[Brian Wilson]

For those of you that are interested in this class, I have a few scheduling questions for you.

1) How many of you would go to 103rd Street in Jacksonville?

2) How many of you would travel to Monticello?

3) Orlando Kart Center is hard to deal with, anyone object to not including them?

Would anyone be interested in something in December or January?

 

[Brian Wilson]

Ok, let me rephrase it….any one that backs this class and has input as to rules, etc. Please offer your input so we can shape things that are agreeable to all.  If you think the class is a bad idea or won’t participate, that’s fine….but please stay out of the discussion. Only input from those that will or plan to participate (or participated in this type class outside this region) that will contribute is welcome.

If you plan on participating, even if it is only one event, please respond with your intent so we can get an idea on numbers. Not saying you will be held to it, just trying to judge interest.

250 two strokes and 450 four strokes are out, sorry, but no track is really welcoming them.

With the exception of OGP, 250 four strokes have been welcomed, but don’t know if anyone other than Brian Degulis has one…so it may not be an issue anyways.

[Brian Wilson]

Ace, there are alot of people like myself who are not the type of person that fit the mold your thinking of. If you have ever noticed, there are always 3-4 times as many similar karts at a track day than there are at races. Why do you think that is? Could it be that someone wanted a shifter and picked up a yz 125 that is just as competitive as a stock Honda for 1/2-1/3 of the price and they would race it if they could? Could it be that someone like myself or Brian Degulis likes the speed/power of a shifter but doesn’t want all the maintenance of one so they bought an Aixro? Maybe someone likes a different brand of tire or doesn’t want to spend the $$ on what the track specifies is the “spec” tire. Maybe someone gets bored of going to the same track time and time again and would enjoy visiting other tracks. There are lots of reasons for the class….and I’m sure you can find lot’s of reasons against it. For those like yourself that find lot’s of reasons against it, you more than welcome to race the other classes offered. You will always be welcome to run with us if you’d like.

 

[Brian Wilson]

Question #1 Homestead always runs a double race weekend. For the weekend of October 5th & 6th, would you prefer to have the race on Saturday the 5th or Sunday the 6th? Tony is open to either and asked me to let him know which we decided on so he can put it on the schedule and start promoting it.

By the way, I’m getting this together solely as a way to have fun and bring guys out. 100% of everything goes to the track, they will provide the insurance and we are running under their guidelines and fee structure….they are just letting us structure the class how we want.

[Brian Wilson]

Since Marc-Andre has decided to take a step back…..I’m going to step up. I have made a few phone calls and here is where we’re at. All the tracks would welcome the idea and would allow it to be the dates that Marc-Andre had originally set up (although he had the PBIR date incorrect by a day) and so far these would be the stipulations.

No 450 four strokes….multiple tracks have said they would prefer to exclude them. Fine by me, I don’t know anyone who has one on a sprint kart anyways.

250 four strokes….OGP is talking about that one and will get back to me next week, but they have no issues with any brand 125 two stroke, Aixro, etc. Other tracks have said the 250 four stroke is good with them.

Fuel would be open

Tires would be open

Weight would be open

There will be tech for chassis and driver safety gear….no engine tech.

Proper one piece kart driving suit will be required (no jeans).

There will be strict and I mean strict rules for driving….no contact and no aggressive or defensive driving. This is your warning and you will be black flagged. If you can’t race/drive clean, then race in the other classes offered.

You can drive in multiple classes if you’d like, but the kart you run in this class cannot be run in any other class that day.

I think a 30 and over age limit is fair.

Don’t have the dates/tracks set yet, but you will drop your lowest points for the series, wether it’s due to mechanical, DNS, DNF or just did not attend.

There will be no trophies offered on a per race basis (unless the track offers it), I will spring for a series champion award, haven’t decided if it would be a trophy, gift certificate or whatever yet.

All this is open to discussion and thoughts.

Please fell free to comment and say if you would or would not consider attending something like this. This class is meant to be fun…if you race purely for the competitiveness and have a winning at all cost attitude, there are other classes for you.

This class is not meant to be the latest, greatest see how much you can spend class.

 

 

[Brian Wilson]

[quote quote=7229]bingo!! you want to lap and have fun the stuff you got is great you want to race well you need to sale and buy right motor, just like any racing series, it is what it is.[/quote]

“you need to sale and buy right motor” equals you need to spend more money!!

There are two sides to the coin…….

In the old days of karting, there weren’t all the rules, you had home mechanics building their own karts, going out racing them with a bunch of other guys and having fun. The the kart shops and tire manufacturers got involved and started with all the specs and rules and karting started to decline as it was no longer a guy throwing together a kart and having fun. The spec racing gets expensive and in my opinion, is not always using the best motor. People started getting out of racing because they could no longer have fun without spending more money. Believe it or not, there are alot of people that don’t race to win, they race to have fun. There are guys out there that would have more fun battling for 9th place and enjoying the camaraderie throughout the day than getting some stupid trophy or being punted off the track by someone who wants to win at all cost because they invested so much into their kart.

I may be the minority in my thinking, but I think the masters class should be more about attitude than age.  It should be more about guys that still want to have competitive fun, but don’t want the ultra competitiveness of the other classes. Guys that enjoy turning their own wrenches and going fast, but have a life and responsibilities outside of the track.

maybe I should try and get this idea off the ground instead of a “Masters series” try and have a race that would run at other events that would be a fun class, with strict rules regarding driver etiquette and safety…..but open to various karts. No restrictions on tires, fuel or weights. Engines open to 125 or 250 2 strokes, 250 or 450 4 strokes, aixro, vampires, etc

[Brian Wilson]

Not trying to stir the pot or complicate things, but since most masters (from my experience) do it for fun, why not open the class up to karts other than stock moto? If the attendance gets large enough, then you can start implementing engine rules. I know lot’s of guys that do track days because they are more of a “run what you brung” type of a deal and they are there for fun….not trying to outspend the other guy. Not saying to open it up to every kart engine out there, but if someone wants to run a yamaha or kawasaki 125, a four stroke 250, an ICC or possibly even an aixro….let them. You may find alot more people out there than you would think that would join in. I have an aixro and wouldn’t commit to the series, but I would show up for at least one or two of the races, but may make them all if it worked out with my schedule. Maybe have the true “master stock moto” guys start on the front of the grid and put all others behind them.

By the way, don’t forget there are three other tracks in Florida that would probably welcome you with open arms as well…..Monticello, 103rd St & Homestead. Sure, one of them may be really far for someone to travel so they may not attend, but you would have a better chance of pulling in people from all over the state. If you wanted to have a “series champion” have it where everyone would only be scored on all but one race, that way you could use one race as a “drop race” if you either had a mechanical or chose not to attend the furthest race from you.

Just food for thought…..

 

 

[Brian Wilson]

Where do you mount it then? I would think it would vibrate too much on the front panel. If mounted on the side by the radiator or something like that, I would think alot of the view would be blocked….at least by me it would, I’m not built like the average karter and have very wide shoulders and upper body.

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