CRG and Briggs & Stratton Racing have officially started a technical and commercial partnership to launch a new promotional project regarding entry level karts on the European market. This collaboration is intended to market a “low cost” complete Kart and organize a promotional sporting programme.

The CRG chassis has been named FS4 and will be pushed by a 4 Stroke LO 206 engine produced by the American company Briggs & Stratton. This engine has been very successful and widely distributed in the entry level range in America and Australia, thanks to its low cost and, particularly, due to its low running costs.

This is the ground on which the project of importing the same philosophy to Europe has developed. Italy will be the test bench to verify the effectiveness and potential of this initiative. The CRG Kart with Briggs & Stratton engine will be sold at a promotional price of Euros 2.700,00 + VAT in a complete package that comprises all the accessories and tyres.

Bridging the gap between rental Karts and Racing products is the goal of this initiative. Such a gap has been made huge by the always increasing costs of karting competitions and by the necessary time, specialized technical assistance and costly maintenance that are required by this segment, which has become extremely professional.

CRG FS4 with Briggs & Stratton 206 powerplant

The Kart CRG FS4 aims to meet all these requests, as it is affordable by a very wide range of enthusiasts and, most importantly, it benefits from the easy management and low maintenance costs of the Briggs & Stratton engine, which really allows everyone to get on track without the assistance of specialized technical staff. The declared objective is to meet the needs of the racing enthusiasts, that intend to make a step forward compared to rental Karts, but that cannot afford a classic racing product.

This is quite an ambitious challenge for CRG, that wishes to give a concrete contribution to boost an expansion of the ground level of Karting enthusiasts through an economic, but extremely valid and easy to maintain, product. Such an articulated project also includes a race format specifically devised to take the new customers of the Kart CRG – Briggs & Stratton closer to motorsport, in a simple and cost effective way.

For this reason, a network of race tracks suiting entry level karting has been selected to promote events and local races, with running costs kept at minimum. The basic mechanism is that every race organized by a Karting club, a circuit or a local promoter, awards points valid for the national ranking, through which the best drivers can qualify for a National Final.

As already happening with tennis, this ranking will allow drivers taking part even in two different events during the same weekend, to earn points and climb the classification up. The sporting programme named BRIGGS KART CHAMPIONSHIP will officially begin in 2018 and will schedule more than 40 races on the whole Italian territory.

The Championship will initially include only category SENIOR for over 16 years old drivers, but this “top class” will be soon joined by the JUNIOR (11-16 years old) and MINI for younger drivers. Technical Regulations (that will not allow changes to the sealed engine nor to the chassis) and Sporting Regulations will be officially disclosed in September, as the dates of the promotional Road show and some sporting meetings that will be organized in 2017. Among these, the new category Briggs & Stratton will be present for a demo in Lignano Sabbiadoro in occasion of the Rental Kart World Contest organized by CRG.

CRG President Giancarlo Tinini, introduced this commercial and sporting challenge with these words: “We got our inspiration from the success that these engines have in America and we devised a strategy to promote this entry level programme in Europe. This product fills a void that no current category can. Our intention is to deliver an economic and easy to manage product on the market and to support it with a low cost sporting programme. We want to reach out to new potential drivers, that aim to something more than rental karts or that are at their first experience with the track racing because they cannot afford costs and time required by higher categories. We are committed to a strong promotional activity because the whole karting base level system, starting from racetracks to operators, is currently struggling a lot. We found a common sentiment with Briggs & Stratton, but also with several operators that are committed to promote this new commercial and sporting project, and are willing to share their experience in the sector.”

Marlon Treptow, Briggs & Stratton racing Sales Director, agrees on the potential of the project: “Our goal was to devise a product for the sporting activity, to be placed in between the rental and racing lines. There is a market gap and our product has the potential to reach out to new racing enthusiasts with a very interesting offer. The partnership with CRG –  one of the most prestigious karting brands worldwide, allows us to bring on board all the know-how to build a solid project from all points of view: technical, promotional and commercial.”

Promotion activities will be coordinated by CRG and Marco Angeletti talks about the first objectives: “In the past few days we have been previewing the Kart FS4 powered by the LO206 Briggs & Stratton engine to the public and operators in this sector. The first feedback has been really very encouraging; this is a high-tech racing chassis with magnesium accessories also featuring a sleek design, that is identical to what our clients are used to enjoy in higher classes.  We have also drafted the first operational plans with the sales network, organizers of the local races and a series of partners that we are selecting, based on their experience with entry level karting. The promotional programme will kick off in September with a series of “test drive” events on some circuits located in the north and center of Italy, where we will give fans the chance to taste the new FS4 kart. Regarding the sporting activity, we will hold some promotional meetings this year, but the programme will officially start in 2018. We are also launching several communication initiatives, mainly on social media and on the web, that are very important channels for the commercial and sporting activities.”

FIGURES OF THE BRIGGS & STRATTON KART CHAMPIONSHIP PROJECT:

Kart: CRG FS4 chassis equipped with a Briggs & Stratton L0 206 4t engine and VEGA tyres.

Retail price: Senior and Junior ready to use models retail at Euros 2.700,00 + VAT, including tyres. The MINI product will be launched in 2018.

Categories: Senior (from 16 years), Junior (from 11 to 16 years) and MINI (from 7 to 11 years)

Race format: Local races awarding points valid for the National Ranking. The best National drivers will qualify for the National Final. An International Final will also take place.

Technical Regulations: Only set-up changes allowed. Engines sealed and all changes banned. No change allowed on the chassis accessories.

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