First off, racing is dangerous no matter the speed, the venue or the type of kart. To state the ‘road racing’ is much more dangerous then sprint or oval is being blind. Racing in general is a risk, even as a solo driver in a parking lot. Walking down the street is a risk, flying a plane is a risk. That’s not the question here.
I’m really confused with your stance on this subject. You support a program that does NOT require dual brake systems, then when another program makes it an option, you feel they are not listening to their racers?
The WKA officiers, Board of Trustees, and hell, even most racers in 2000 when this rule was put in place are a lot different from now. Back then, there was not even a Stock Leopard class, or TaG class. Things change, and looking at lap times, we really haven’t gotten that much faster in the same karts after 15 years. So what’s to say we can’t change things now.
Road America and RWYB are completely unrelated to this topic.
We are looking at 5 categories, and changing the rules in which they follow. WKA is not TAKING away dual-brake system, they are just making it an option to not run dual-brake system.
The main issue we should be looking at is educating racers on the proper way to do things in the sport – driving, maintenance, etc.
At Roebling Road, a young driver who had never made a single lap in a kart, raced at a WKA National event. That is just wrong. It put that driver in danger, and the others in danger, and should never happen.
What is safe is getting people to learn about the sport first before taking them to places like Road America, Mid-Ohio, Daytona, and other big facilities. There are plenty of driving schools at the sprint tracks across the country. Hell, even learning to drive in a ‘rental kart’ is better then just throwing someone out into a pack of experienced drivers and saying ‘Go for it.’
Next, how about a real mechanical person doing safety tech, and making sure karts actually have the working components in place. I have been guilty of thinking my kart was ‘safe’, and went out and lost the steering shaft. Thankfully, I nor anyone else was not hurt. But that goes to show you, Safety Tech NEEDS to be done by a professional, not the person who volunteers to put stickers on a kart.
I love this sport, and always will. The last three months have really made me question why. People continue to think one direction is the only direction to go, otherwise, it’s wrong. Well, it’s not. Karting is as diverse as the world. So many different types and forms, and there is not one single format that you can follow that will cover them all. In this topic, it should really come down to what the driver wants, and feels comfortable knowing what they can do.
David Cole - EKN Managing Editor
