Engine claim rule in a box stock pred class question.

kartracer_3

Member
My local track has a relatively new box stock / pure stock predator class and they recently raised the claim fee to 150, which is fine, I recently checked at Habor freight and the engines , like everything else , have went up in price however our local track decided to make the claim rule $150 plus your engine to claim another engine.
Does anyone think this sounds right ? If so why ?
I always thought if there was a claim rule you paid the money to the one being claimed you got their engine and then they took that money and bought themselves another engine. but what do I know I am just another hill jack kart racer from southern Indiana , LOL.
 
If you finish 2nd and wish to claim the winners engine it cost you $150. You get their engine, they get your $150. I’ve seen some tracks that only allow the claim to happen with in the top 5, some allow it to happen throughout out the class rather it’s 1st and 2nd or 9th and 10th. The way it’s stated in our local track rules is that you must finish directly behind the engine you wish to claim as I’m sure most are the same. Some tracks also have it worded that the tech man receives a small portion of the fee for being the bearer of bad news during the claim.
 
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never understood having to finish behind the driver for claim. who wants to claim anything other than numero uno. last place should be able to buy firsts motor. hardly anyone claims in the Carolinas because most cheat and they are all worried $150 will buy their $800 ringer
 
I forgot to add that part of the new rule is you have to finish in the top 5 to claim someone's engine. That part I agree with. I also like the engine swap idea , just take the money out of the equation and let the top 5 sort out the engine swapping. Perhaps pay a $25 fee to the tech guy or the track to claim an engine.
 
I forgot to add that part of the new rule is you have to finish in the top 5 to claim someone's engine. That part I agree with. I also like the engine swap idea , just take the money out of the equation and let the top 5 sort out the engine swapping. Perhaps pay a $25 fee to the tech guy or the track to claim an engine.
150.00 plus your engine for another .
Not many will be swapped !
 
Personally I would just buy another new engine instead of claiming one. Every box stock race I have been to was won on tires and chassis setup, not motor. Low horsepower classes demand a fast kart.
I agree, the same could be said for any " stock " class, set up and especially tires are king however you always have that handful of people who can not leave things alone , they will get in there and tinker for that extra edge.
 
Dumb rule, IMO. Set a claimer price and be done with it.

In my younger days I helped a guy with his stock car. We raced locally, and his crew chief was a setup genius, so we won our fair share, and sometimes then some; at one point we had something like 3 engines claimed in 5 weeks. After that we changed tracks to one with good tech and no claimer rule. We did get a small degree of revenge - no one that claimed one of our engines ran any better than before. All we ever did was pull them out of a wreck at the local junk yard, clean them up, check rod and main bearing clearances and correct as necessary, ring them if necessary, and adjust the valves regularly, as that's all we could afford to do.
 
Big cars were like that for awhile.... I think its a great idea. Had to be running top 10 or something .
The idea of a claim isn't to supply engines. It's to deter people from spending too much building engines.
If you lose an engine,take it as a compliment... check lash and install a new plug in your new to you competitive engine. Install it. And go beat the guy again so bad he pays another buck fiddy to claim his old motor back.

We had a protest rule, if you protested, you paid 250.00,, and ur motor got torn down first because the guy crying the loudest is usually secretly saying
"He has to be cheating, because I am, and I can't beat him"
..
I like the exchange claim class.

Slap on a turd engine, do a real good setup, and go buy ur engine back.
 
Sounds to me that they want to have a claim rule but put in a deterrent to keep people from using the claim rule . I raced in Indiana a few years back , when the clone thing came about with the claim rule , and people would get into the clone class without knowing the rules of the class , go out and buy a builder's motor for around 4 to 5 hundred dollars then cry and complain about the $125 claim rule and pretty much put pressure on promoters to drop the claim by saying " I was planning on running your track , but if my $$$$ motor can be claimed for $125 I will race somewhere with no claim " , then promoters started caving and dropping the claim .
 
The idea of a claim isn't to supply engines. It's to deter people from spending too much building engines.
If you lose an engine,take it as a compliment... check lash and install a new plug in your new to you competitive engine. Install it.
It may be a compliment, but we didn't have the time to replace engines every week - if you haven't been there, think about it. You have to find a new engine , check it out, adjust it and install it, every week. I wouldn't enjoy that in a kart, but in a big car, where you are dependent on local wrecking yards, it's a real pain, especially as some people do regard it as a way to source their engines, because they don't understand that they are getting beat by good setup. I don't object to simple claimer rules, but I do object to the way a few competitors I have encountered over the years abuse them.
 
This has happened with any completely stock class raced, and got worse since the Chinese clones came. Only way to stop it was owning and sealing the engines and assign them by a drawing, which I did losing money and putting a lot of time, an it was fun and fair while I had the energy to play with it with my Blue Rental Clone class. What I don't get is tracks placing a claim rule that are not gonna enforce and drivers accepting a rule and then refusing to turn in their engines. Then a new class is created, and so on every few years with the added load to the track programs where you see at least 20 classes and many hours at a track even for a local race. Just ridiculous. .
 
Best yet is the promotor and his buddy that works the infield running the predator claim class and claims are at 250, they allow the ducar to play with the predators. Promoter or buddy started front row of heats every week and won 90% of races, not a single motor claim all year. Next year at points banquet convinces everybody to lower claim to $125, promotor moves on to another class and his buddy now doesn't have the ducar on for an advantage and cant run top 3. Promotor yelling everyone is cheating the predators up and motors are being claimed every week now, racing is fun yall.

My local track has a relatively new box stock / pure stock predator class and they recently raised the claim fee to 150, which is fine, I recently checked at Habor freight and the engines , like everything else , have went up in price however our local track decided to make the claim rule $150 plus your engine to claim another engine.
Does anyone think this sounds right ? If so why ?
I always thought if there was a claim rule you paid the money to the one being claimed you got their engine and then they took that money and bought themselves another engine. but what do I know I am just another hill jack kart racer from southern Indiana , LOL.
 
Exactly and I don't like that part. Its suppose to be a cheaper, fun and fair beginner class. It won't be long at all and they will be costing as much as clone engines.
Beginner class? Donnie Nall is racing predator the local tyre guy here is racing in the predator class. last three regular Saturday night races have seen 10-12 predator racers vs 3 racers in 375 clone. there have been no 375 clones in the last two regular sat nite races. people looking for competition are going to the predator. you pay $1300.00 extra for 1 sec difference in lap times. people are starting to wake up to the clone prices just like they did when the animal tripled in price after the builders got a hold of them. this past weekend the flagman came around and said 375 predator is now 20 laps $100 to win. they know who is supporting the track and it ain't the local builders.
 
Beginner class? Donnie Nall is racing predator the local tyre guy here is racing in the predator class. last three regular Saturday night races have seen 10-12 predator racers vs 3 racers in 375 clone. there have been no 375 clones in the last two regular sat nite races. people looking for competition are going to the predator. you pay $1300.00 extra for 1 sec difference in lap times. people are starting to wake up to the clone prices just like they did when the animal tripled in price after the builders got a hold of them. this past weekend the flagman came around and said 375 predator is now 20 laps $100 to win. they know who is supporting the track and it ain't the local builders.
So who is supporting the local track? China and harbor freight? I know im in the minority but the Animal engine is the best engine for kart racing. 2 years from now everyone will be running the next "CHEAP" engine package and go down the same stupid road again. Let me be clear, The predator is NOT a racing engine and the clone is a poor excuse for one. Worst thing that has happened to kart racing is all of the different cheap engine options trying to make it affordable. I will never ever run a predator or a clone. Flat heads are ok, animals are the best.
 
Beginner class? Donnie Nall is racing predator the local tyre guy here is racing in the predator class. last three regular Saturday night races have seen 10-12 predator racers vs 3 racers in 375 clone. there have been no 375 clones in the last two regular sat nite races. people looking for competition are going to the predator. you pay $1300.00 extra for 1 sec difference in lap times. people are starting to wake up to the clone prices just like they did when the animal tripled in price after the builders got a hold of them. this past weekend the flagman came around and said 375 predator is now 20 laps $100 to win. they know who is supporting the track and it ain't the local builders.
1300.00 for a second faster sounds like a bargain. Our last kart track, 1/5 mile, was mid 10 second laps... in a 15 lap main, thats a lap and a half faster... 20 lap a main is a 2 lap difference.

When you see the checks the Chinese are writing to support your track, try and get a picture of it.

Briggs and Stratton has been supporting karting for a long long time.

And, clones more directly displaced flathead, as I recall, not animals

JMO... worth exactly what you paid for it
 
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