Are Predators killing the clone?

they have all those rules in the Carolinas and all those motors are far from stock. the amount of work done to the engine is quite extensive even keeping all the parts "stock"
Most of the rules I've seen for that area they allow aftermarket exhaust, or aftermarket air filters, and no rpm rule
 
I have spoken to 3 national level engine builders in NC who told me they cheat up predators regularly. they said they look stock. One told me what they did to them. Its quite a lot of work for $800.
 
I have spoken to 3 national level engine builders in NC who told me they cheat up predators regularly. they said they look stock. One told me what they did to them. Its quite a lot of work for $800.
Those tracks done away with the Claim.
Claim a couple for 150.00 and people will think it's not worth spending that much
 
they still have a claim rule with different prices for different motors predator vs Ducar/Tillotsen
Got a link?
All I've seen they allow parts that aren't OTB, no RPM rule and the governor. can be deleted.
It don't care Tater does a good job keeping the predator in check for our local tracks
 
Like I said, what other tracks do is of no concern of mine, as long as our local stuff stays as it is.
Are you mad the otb is hurting clone counts?
Because I'm not
 
yes and no. I bought a clone because i'm suspicious of cheating in the predator class. but now there seems to be nobody to race. I would like to venture out of the state to race but don't want 2-3 different predators. Predator motors are hit and miss 'OTB' . A lot of people don't know how to gear them. but i would say some just have a dud motor. I never know if people are cheating or not and claiming the motor won't tell you unless there is tech. Cheating up a motor can cost as little as $15.00 and a $150 claim for a $99.00 motor with a $20 upgrade is no real deterrent . You could also cheat your motor and simply make a dud equal to a 'good' legal one. The tracks are now starting to throw money at the predators and that always brings out the worst in peoples intentions. Combine that with the fact that Harbor freight doesn't always have them in stock add to the problem.
 
What track in Ohio ?
2 Brothers Raceway / 9068 Limerick Rd . / Chillicothe.Oh 45601
And racing at Atomic on the big track was a blast , until you flip , lol
Open kart turned 3 tenths off of sprint car track record at that time . Track wasn't perfect , or I think that record would have fallen easily .
 
To this day I haven't seen a claimer class that survived long, not that I'm against them. If they would stick to their guns it would be one of the best things for karting or about any form of motorsports. But, as anyone as said, once Tech is established prices sky rocket. The clone was in an opportunistic place in time with the downfall of the flathead and everyone claiming the Animal was too expensive. The clone could have been the savior, but now is essentially what the Animal was, but I digress. Endless cycle.

This comes down to someone wanting to "go faster" than the claimer class allows, because as someone said they're class fillers and think it's the engine. So instead of following the natural progression to the clone, they say that is too expensive. They want to be in that middle ground, "just allow this and nothing else." Then we'll still be affordable but we'll go "Faster." Now fracturing the rules and kart counts, it's the endless karting cycle. This repeats in history constantly. Everyone thinks they have the answer and that's why you have two different rule sets even for the same engine for the what is essentially the same class. Then an unknown amount of rules for Predators all over the country.

As the argument about speed earlier was going I had some thoughts to share. Fast or speed is relative, sometimes you can drop overall total MPH and actually get faster lap times. So what is faster? Again, it's relative. When thousandths of a second can separate good drivers I can understand where looking for some small areas to improve the engine. But, most of the time the people looking for this speed are the "class fillers." You'll never get it through their head that it's not the engine that is making them slower.

What all this means is that it will always feed this never ending cycle. If people would stick to their guns, keep claimer rules and force those wanting more "speed" to move into the classes that are already established. Instead of catering to everyone just give them their own class. There are already too many weight options, we don't need essentially 20 classes of the same engine, and that's what it is and will always be till someone unifies under one national rule system and the tracks grow a backbone. I've never raced road course, but that is one thing I can say about those guys for the most part. They have rules and if you don't like them, you either follow them or go home.

PS, about the speed conversation. The Power to weight ratio makes the acceleration of a UAS/RWYB style kart appealing to most. It's not exactly the top speed, though we all want to "go faster." As mentioned above MPH isn't always the answer unless you can increase mph all the way around the track, not just top speed.
 
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yes and no. I bought a clone because i'm suspicious of cheating in the predator class. but now there seems to be nobody to race. I would like to venture out of the state to race but don't want 2-3 different predators. Predator motors are hit and miss 'OTB' . A lot of people don't know how to gear them. but i would say some just have a dud motor. I never know if people are cheating or not and claiming the motor won't tell you unless there is tech. Cheating up a motor can cost as little as $15.00 and a $150 claim for a $99.00 motor with a $20 upgrade is no real deterrent . You could also cheat your motor and simply make a dud equal to a 'good' legal one. The tracks are now starting to throw money at the predators and that always brings out the worst in peoples intentions. Combine that with the fact that Harbor freight doesn't always have them in stock add to the problem.
Box stock project doesn't keep stock either, the whole pandemic thing and they all come from China.
The predators are 149.99.
The predators don't need universal rules, local tracks cooperating and doing what their racers want is what works.
You want to go across the country and run predators then research and fix an engine that conforms to their rules
If you think someone is cheating claim the engine.
Like I said Ashway and Godspeed, Tater does a really good job, and the guys that are running them kind of police themselves
 
2 Brothers Raceway / 9068 Limerick Rd . / Chillicothe.Oh 45601
And racing at Atomic on the big track was a blast , until you flip , lol
Open kart turned 3 tenths off of sprint car track record at that time . Track wasn't perfect , or I think that record would have fallen easily .
Been trying to get down to 2 Bothers. Been to Atomic many times.
 
2 Brothers is a nice little track that provides good Racing fun. Some good racing at 2 Brothers Raceway will be going on Sept. 5th.. A Karting for Cancer event will be on tap.. Ill be there, you should too.. Check out 2 Brothers Raceway on Fbook.
 
2 Brothers Raceway / 9068 Limerick Rd . / Chillicothe.Oh 45601
And racing at Atomic on the big track was a blast , until you flip , lol
Open kart turned 3 tenths off of sprint car track record at that time . Track wasn't perfect , or I think that record would have fallen easily .
While racing on the Big track that is Atomic. My nephew was Full speed coming into turns 3, he Looped the kart at about 60+ MPH, just spun around and kept on racing Thank God he didnt flip.. :)
 
2 Brothers is a nice little track that provides good Racing fun. Some good racing at 2 Brothers Raceway will be going on Sept. 5th.. A Karting for Cancer event will be on tap.. Ill be there, you should too.. Check out 2 Brothers Raceway on Fbook.
I have checked it out many times. Just trying to fit it in. Being on Sundays. I’m 2.5 hours north of there.
 
The Preds have not killed our clone classes at our local tracks here in southern Indiana yet but what they have done is all but killed the resurgence of our flathead classes. When our track first reopened about 3 years ago we had 20-25 flatheads showing up for each race. Enough to have a heavy class and a super heavy class. Now we are down to one class and lucky if more than 3 show up. The Pred class on the other hand has went from 3 karts to a regular 15-20 karts per race.
I have been thinking all along that folks sold their flatheads and went to the Pred class but I will keep an eye on it to see if any of the clone classes start shrinking. After reading these comments I dread what's getting ready to happen. Our local tracks have a habit of rewarding the classes that show up each week and are now having money races for the Preds. $400 to win this weekend for the Preds and there has been at least one engine claimed at each race this year. Which is fine but I am thinking that's going to lead to a set of tech rules for the Preds and then there goes another " affordable " engine class.
 
unless its a points race or a money race you will not see a 375 clone class. this weekend is money for 350 clone, 400 clone, 375 predator and 375 flathead. I thought 375 was the premier class yet seems to have dried up to nothing around here.
 
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