What type of racing would you chose?

[Larry Ferguson]

With such a huge variety of kart racing available these days, if you had to chose, where would you go? And why? (And please leave out the rule issues) 125 Sprint? How about Road racing in winged 250's?

[Matt Kull]

quote:

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Originally posted by Larry Ferguson:
With such a huge variety of kart racing available these days, if you had to chose, where would you go? And why? (And please leave out the rule issues) 125 Sprint? How about Road racing in winged 250's?

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If I had room for it I would be running star mazda's. However since the sprint track is 20min from my house i would have to say 125 sprint.

[Charlie Tackett]

Well, IMHO, right where we are! Road racing a 125 sprinter. For numerous reasons:

1. I believe road racing levels the playing field between the haves and have nots, those with the $$ and resources and the little guys Why? For one, track time. Even if they were available I doubt many would pay what it would cost to rent Road America to get in some extra practice. So verybody shows up the same day and getrs the same practice opportunity. ANother is tires. WE tend to run the medium to hard compounds. Hard to built up a half inch of rubber all the way around a four mile track! SO those teams who may go to a sprint track and run four or five karts and go thru 4-5 sets of tires each to build up rubber to help simulate a ProMoto grip surface will have no advantage on a road race course. WHile handling is important, it is different chassis set-up than for a sprint track, so again the ability to practice and go thru tires adn chassis set-ups by going to the track a week or two before the event is not likely going to happen.

2. It is cheaper in the short and long term. The last year we raced a considerable amount of sprints, I bet we went thru over $1500 in chassis parts. Replacing the body work all the time, half a dozen spindles, rear axles that got bent, etc, etc. We have run road racing for a whole year and never replaced a single item other than normal wear/tear items on a chassis. The chassis also seem to remain competitive longer on a road race course.

3. Atmosphere. RR is generally more laid back and for the *most* part there is more comradeire amongst the racers. I can't count the number of times I have seen Ted and a couple of others run wheel to wheel, bumper to bumper, swapping places for the entier race and then they pull in after the checker adn while in line for the scales, they are high-fiving each other, slapping each other on the back, rehasing all their "moves" on each other, etc., etc. THese guys seem to just love the racing, without being cutthroat and so ultracompetitive that they can't handle getting beat nor appreciate the ability a competitor displayed.

4. Eventual potential for marketing. I'm sorry, but it is my opinion that it is road racing thtat is going have the greatest potential to get kartin out in front of the masses, not sprint racing. Events such a Paul Zalud's and JR's are what is going to get karting recognized and noticed. You are never going to get significant public crowds out to a sprint track in this country. YOu are going to have to piggyback with another form of motorsports on a big track. It is their fans, already motorsport fans, that will get karting recognized. Like in Blaney's bit on Portland with the comment from teh SSCA official about the karts running six abreast into the corner, inches apart. You won't see that on a sprint track! Even Mike Wilson, at Vegas last NOvemeber expressed to me that long track kart racing was the most exciting form of racing in the world! Personally, I would rank a good large competitive field 125 RR right up their in potential excitment with Motorcycle GP racing. The speeds and lap times are what also will get us noticed. Look at what happened at JRs event. This spring Ted turned an unofficial lap of 1:33.7 at M-O in practice ( thanks in part ot getting pulled most of the way down the straihgt by a 250 twin). NIcky Hayden set an AMA 600 track record there a few weeks back at 1:30 something. Now that's Ted driving and me tuning vrs the times of basically a Honda factory team effort wiht a top professional rider. And I bet we have a much smaller budget! It astounds people when they see the times that karts are capable of running.

5. 125s are affordable road racers. With what we have in our 125, it only comes to about 1/3rd of what I know some people just paid for an rs250GP engine for their 250 SuperKart. The 250s maybe impressive on the track, but when the folks walk thru the pits and talk to the teams, it is going to be the 125s that some may seriously consider looking into based on pricealone. Have the 250's out there for the show, but include the 125s. From what I have seen of 250 class racing, often the 125s put on a better show of actually racing wheel to wheel, etc.

SO there's my $1.25 worth

[ August 14, 2001: Message edited by: Charlie Tackett ]

[ August 14, 2001: Message edited by: Charlie Tackett ]

[Drew Cleaver]

I'd like to do a European class over there. Something like Jr. Rotax or JICA or something fun. That stuff just appeals to me.

Drew "puttin' the ol' willy to it" Cleaver www.vmaxracing.cjb.net