[Tom Grisham]

I can only speak to the VLR chassis which was, from its inception, designed as a LO206 specific chassis, undergoing over 2 years of local testing and refinement.  Its development was neither rushed nor compromised, and involved racing at several venues.

The VLR Emerald was also recently awarded the honor of being chosen the Tri-C spec class chassis for 2017.  The results of the Emerald’s testing and development show in the results of the opening round of the Tri-C season at CalSpeed where the Emerald won the LO206 Senior class in a talent-packed grid of 30, against both 2-cycle and 4-cycle chassis.

[Tom Grisham]

Have a very nice X1E bare frame if you are still interested.

[Tom Grisham]

Hi Rod, just make sure you have a neutral setup on the OTK and that should be a good starting point, something like 55″ rear, 15mm of spacers each side on the front wheels, flat bar, neutral caster and medium axle.  This is a very good start for most conditions.  From there you can try changing the bar or caster in small increments.

I have no experience with the Birel wheels or other offsets on an OTK.  However, the stock OTK wheels for that year (MXP) are better suited for low grip/rain situations whereas the stock wheels from 2015 and newer (MXJ) are a much better all around wheel.  There are also the MXC wheels that many racers prefer, but they are quite pricey.  If you do not have access to other OTK wheels to try, start with the neutral setup mentioned with your stock wheels, then try the Birel wheels, accounting for the different offsets by sliding the rear hubs in/out and see what you think.  Good luck!

[Tom Grisham]

A truly great person and wonderful driver coach!  He will be missed by many–Godspeed Jerry…

[Tom Grisham]

“Wrecking”?  No group seems to “turn down” to avoid being passed more than the “seasoned” guys, both in TAG and shifter….

[Tom Grisham]

The real issue is consistency.  Unfortunately, a Race Director can’t see the whole track or all passes throughout the pack.  Often he/she then relies on corner workers, not all of which judge good and bad behavior by the same standard.  The end result is inconsistency.  We race at club, regional and national level events and see the inconsistencies throughout.  I don’t suspect any one person can just fix it, either consistently or permanently.

Race directors typically threaten a strong hand but usually do not follow up.  After a while the drivers assume it is just more words they are hearing at the drivers’ meeting.  Then, when an effort is actually made to “crack down,” more inconsistencies seem to arise, leading to arguments, bad will, complaining, unsportsmanlike conduct, etc.  Typically the situation goes back to “normal” at the next race with the drivers self-policing and only the most obvious and clear violations being penalized.

We started with narrow rear bumpers and raced them in the cadet classes with no issues, despite a wide range of experience, ability and aggression on the track.  My vote would be to go back to them.  Otherwise, I feel the most consistent (and thereby arguably the best) approach is to continue to let the drivers self-police, with only clear, obvious and egregious violations that were witnessed by an EXPERIENCED track professional being reprimanded.

[Tom Grisham]

sold.

[Tom Grisham]

Will send PM

[Tom Grisham]

1) I am certainly not an insider, but it appears MG did not have enough tires to supply this race, even if everyone had preordered.  SKUSA did everything in their power during the race to get additional rain tires “flown in.”  The tires never arrived that I am aware of.  It sure appears MG did not have them, as I can think of nowhere else SKUSA would have tried to have this many flown in from once the entire United States was out of them.  We can only speculate if MG could have actually made 1000 or so sets of rain tires between the preorder cutoff and the event, but they apparently had none on hand to ship when SKUSA (arguably their largest customer in the world) asked.

2) All MG tires are shipped and their price includes shipping.  If they are not currently shipped air, than I am sure the air surcharge would have been gladly paid by those purchasing them (again, if MG actually had them on hand).

3) At least one adamant person in this thread is acting as if he is part of the MG supply chain.

4) Customer service means taking care of your customers if you can, even if they screwed up.  That is how good customers remain good customers and successful businesses remain successful businesses.

[Tom Grisham]

I agree with Matt D. and Billy M., both of whom have a  lot of experience on this issue.  If your son is safe in a piston port class, he will be safe in a shifter, even if off the pace at first.  Matt’s son races SKUSA’s S5 class, and even though the motors have some restriction, he would beat most unrestricted adults.  My 13 year old daughter also races S5, as well as TagJr. and, honestly, the shifter class is way less prone to accidents and bent parts.

One only needs to go to a motocross track to see what a 15 year old–or a 10 year old for that matter–can do.  As in karting, most adults can not catch them.  Do not let anyone tell you he is too young just because he has not reached 16 or 18.

Karting is way safer than motocross.  If your son is off the pace, he will simply be behind most of the action until his speed picks up.  Absolutely, if you and he are comfortable with it, then go for it!

[Tom Grisham]

Hi Ian, again, safety is the main issue.  I would not tell someone not to ride a dirt bike or Razor on dirt roads, and will not lecture to you either.  You may want to put a warning flag on the kart such as they do in the dunes if there is much traffic in your area.

I will assume you have some common sense and don’t need a bunch of know-it-all racers to limit what size soda you can drink….

[Tom Grisham]

Hi Ian.  Karts can be set up for dirt although most on this forum are more familiar with their use on asphalt.  This site regularly does stories on the So Cal Oval Karters who run on dirt and I am sure there are other organizations as well.  Perhaps you could get in touch with folks there for recommendations.

I would say the biggest issues are lack of a differential and, more importantly, safety.  Karts are low to the ground and hard to see by persons in cars, especially around turns, etc.  If noise is an issue in your neighborhood then I would suggest a 4-stroke engine such as the Briggs LO206.

That said, have fun.  Welcome to the sport!  And please don’t get the impression karters are a bunch of cranky naysayers!

[Tom Grisham]

Absolutely no hair should be out of the safety gear.  The last thing I do before firing the kart is a hair check.  Typically if long hair is in a ponytail and tucked into the suit all is good.  However, if even a strand is out (in our case blond) I take my greasy fingers and tuck it back in.

I believe IKF, and likely other organizations, require that no hair be outside the gear.

Should be an immediate black flag if hair ever comes out during a race or practice.

I would think the danger might be as great in the pits around running engines/turning axles so this would be another area to use caution and common sense…

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