Rock Island Open

[lynn haddock]

How many players this year with the new rules package that allows everything ?

[Roger Ruthhart]

In other words, who thinks they can beat Haddock?

We have only a few entries in this class — hoping there are more out there. Anyone?

[lynn haddock]

Ohhhhh,

I did not ask that ?

I just wanted to know how many new players we might have since the rules are opened up to everything short of a jet engine.

I don’t know about everyone else but for me,  this arena is a fresh breath of air after a steady flow of  SPEC  S  at every event nationwide.

[TJ Koyen]

I’d love to drive in this but never have had the time to put together a package for it.

Driver/Coach/Wrench : Innovative Performance/Exprit
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[Roger Ruthhart]

The beauty of the class is that you can enter anything in it — except a shifter. Yes, we’ve had some special engines, but we’ve also had direct drive Yamahas, DD2 with shifter disabled. etc. While I am disappointed this offering hasn’t inspired the sport to start thinking outside the box more, I’m happy to keep taking baby steps but we have to get some of you guys to come race the class.

[lynn haddock]

Unfortunately the days of innovation in the karting sport for the most part are gone — everyone seems content to run spec classes…..same..same..same.  For me having come from an era were innovation was very common place, it now is a very boring situation.

That is not to say the racing is bad now days, it’s just that when everyone runs the exact same power package, allot is lost in my view.

Many of the early stars of the sport, the real innovators that were not afraid to step outside the box would not fit in these days.

I am thankful that I was around in the early years of karting when we couldn’t wait to get to the big races to see what the other guys had come up with.

[Ted Hamilton]

TJ – give Riley Will a call and get a BRC 150 DD… :) Slap some Oktane stickers on the bodywork and call it a business writeoff?

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2014 Praga Dragon / IAME KA-100

[Greg Wright]

<div class=”d4p-bbp-quote-title”>lynn wrote:</div>
Unfortunately the days of innovation in the karting sport for the most part are gone — everyone seems content to run spec classes…..same..same..same. For me having come from an era were innovation was very common place, it now is a very boring situation.I am thankful that I was around in the early years of karting when we couldn’t wait to get to the big races to see what the other guys had come up with.

 

Me too Lynn.

Greg Wright
Rapid Racing Inc.
Vintage B-Stock Pilot
"When in doubt Gas it, It won't help but it ends the suspense."

[David Moffitt]

<div class=”d4p-bbp-quote-title”>Greg Wright wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbp-quote-title”>lynn wrote:</div>
Unfortunately the days of innovation in the karting sport for the most part are gone — everyone seems content to run spec classes…..same..same..same. For me having come from an era were innovation was very common place, it now is a very boring situation.I am thankful that I was around in the early years of karting when we couldn’t wait to get to the big races to see what the other guys had come up with. Me too Lynn.

Those of us who happened to be around during those days of “innovation” should consider ourselves very fortunate.  I agree with both of you that the current fascination with “spec this, spec that” has made karting a very boring sport!

[James McMahon]

I’m so pissed I’m going to miss the RIGP this year. I was going to enter a stock Maxter XF2 KF with an aircooled Vortex VR-98 100CC rotary FA as a backup. Wouldn’t have had much on pace, but keeping off the walls is half the battle.

I applaud Lynn, Roger and all those for working to get this class off the ground. If nothing else if gives the spectators something exciting to see, hear and smell and at a street race I feel that this is vital. KOS with stock honda’s just doesn’t offer the same spectacle IMO, even though the competition is fierce.

[Roger Ruthhart]

We started the class trying to rekindle and encourage that innovation, knowing it would appeal to only a very small percentage of karters. Unfortunately, for the most part, even that small part hasn’t stepped up.  This year we opened up the rules for 4-cycles and wankels, and marketed to Muscle Karts, but that doesn’t seemed to have helped much either. Frankly, it’s disappointing. But the same thing is going on with NASCAR, IndyCar etc. Everything has to look and run the same and if you show up with something new and innovative, you likely will be penalized or DQ’d. And then they wonder why they are losing fans…

[James McMahon]

I get the need for spec, just not the OBSESSION!

[Ted Hamilton]

RIGP is a great time….best kart race I’ve been to. If I could afford the time and money, I’d be there with my measly 100cc DD to become a rolling chicane for the unlimiteds to skitter around…..

What powerplants are being featured this year? Any BRC’s? What else?

www.facebook.com/hamiltonhelmets/
2014 Praga Dragon / IAME KA-100

[Chris Livengood]

Somebody should bring back an open wheel class.

[Roger Ruthhart]

Oh. Oh.

I’m hearing stories of perhaps several entries with nitrous on board. Guess we’ll find out soon. :)

Chris, what do you mean by open wheel? Pretty much everything under this year’s rules is “open” except bore/stroke.

[Ted Hamilton]

Roger — I think he means breadbox sidepods and skinny front and rear bumpers. :) We raced the 100cc reed / rotary class there in 2002 and had a blast… Someone from Jamaica was in our class, and some other big names from ICA, etc. Alfonso Ribeiro was there in a shifter, and I think Alan Rudolph won that year. They were getting air off the crosswalk seams — I wonder how much air the unlimiteds will be getting with nitrous. Walking across the right hander in between races was asking to lose a shoe in the rubber and tar…..and that microbrewery nearby had GREAT food and ale… Shoot, I’m almost ready to ditch my 10 mo. old and wife and hitchhike there to watch, but I suspect my karts would be consumed in a fire while I was gone…. :) “What happens in Rock Island…..”

www.facebook.com/hamiltonhelmets/
2014 Praga Dragon / IAME KA-100

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