is this true

It’s a shame for Briggs.... but sure did love running my Yamaha kt100 must have put 40 runs on that thing and still ran great, rebuild was a lot cheaper too. Really enjoyed running the bigger UAS stuff before it turned into drag racing with two corners. Problem with higher hp racing is paying people to do your tires and set the kart up and hold their hand at the races isn’t as critical as 4cycle racing imo, you have to be able to drive and adapt not just mash the gas and turn left every once in a while and do good because you have the best money can buy.... just my opinion though. I came from a stock car family, the further you advanced through the classes the faster the cars went, you don’t see Scott Bloomquist or Brett Hearn running street stocks or 4 cylinders 🤷‍♂️ Like I said just my personal opinion.
 
If you want to spend less money in karting, find a way to get entry fees down. I pay more for a practice day at Millville than I did on my blue clone.
 
If you want to spend less money in karting, find a way to get entry fees down. I pay more for a practice day at Millville than I did on my blue clone.
I guess I'm just lucky. Entry fee is $15 per class, and $12 per pit pass. No transponders, no parking fee, etc. Just entry and Pit pass. For one class Im ready to race at $27, or with help under $40. 140 karts in the pits regularly. Other tracks around charge for everything, and cant get 60 karts.
 
60 karts is bad? Millville charges $75 and it's a ghost town, tumble weeds and all. At least I get the track to myself.
 
60 karts is bad? Millville charges $75 and it's a ghost town, tumble weeds and all. At least I get the track to myself.
I'm not saying 60 is bad, but I live in BFE and my closest track pulls from a large swath of that. We are having a special race this weekend with an expected 170+ kart count. The expensive tracks are in the larger regional cities and cant put on half the show as my local joint, with a way larger market.
 
Back to the Briggs issue.

Brian, Jim and any of you folks who sell a lot of 206's, what are you hearing? Do you suspect Briggs will survive this? Do you think the 206 program will be kept? Might someone else pick the program up? Are there other engine options which might be a replacement in the future? I'm sure you understand my question.

There are a lot of folks here who know a lot more about chapter 11 issues then I, in your view, what might this mean for the karting community as a whole? Short term and long.

In sprint and road racing, the 206 programs have really been a shot in the arm. In road racing, at some facilities, the CIk 206's are hands down the largest class. And really helps pay the bill for the track rentals. At the WKC, we usually see about 20+ CIK 206's at our club events. At a typical 2 day event, that's 40 entries, at $100 each. That's $4000 income from a single class. Losing that would be a huge blow financially to any organization or club.
Thoughts folks?
Clark Gaynor Sr.
 
Hearing nothing but positive things from Briggs. In full production mode again (Covid Shutdown) and cranking out pallets of engine orders. Separation from Wall Street and more flexibility sounds like a positive change long term.
 
Hearing nothing but positive things from Briggs. In full production mode again (Covid Shutdown) and cranking out pallets of engine orders. Separation from Wall Street and more flexibility sounds like a positive change long term.
I was thinking about buying another LO206 to have a spare and show support for Briggs. The one we have runs great and is just coming into its prime.
 
Not sure where all those pallets of engines are being shipped to...we've been waiting since the May sale, and another ordered after that - We were told the end of August by Central. To keep engines in stock, we've had to resort to buying from other dealer/distributors.
There's certainly no shortage of demand for LO206 engines.

The other option available is the Honda - who has been trying somewhat half-heartedly to get in the door the past 3 or 4 years now. I don't know if that's a viable option or not, but it is out there.
The clone is simply not an option for most (certainly not for our shop.)

Personally, I'm holding out that the financial gurus can spin off the mower manufacturing side and that the management team can restructure and retain the profitable engine department and motorsports division.
I suspect that one of the clauses to purchasing one of the mower companies is that they commit to using Briggs engines as their sole power source supplier -- that could be a problem for any new buyer having to compete with other discount mower mfg'ers currently using Chinese engine suppliers. It's going to be hard to compete in the lawn and garden industry with a $400 per piece disadvantage price-wise. All speculation and conjecture on my part - I am privy to no inside information to any dealing at Briggs. Just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best like many of you.


-----
🏁Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
31 years of service to the karting industry
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
 
Back to the Briggs issue.

Brian, Jim and any of you folks who sell a lot of 206's, what are you hearing? Do you suspect Briggs will survive this? Do you think the 206 program will be kept? Might someone else pick the program up? Are there other engine options which might be a replacement in the future? I'm sure you understand my question.

There are a lot of folks here who know a lot more about chapter 11 issues then I, in your view, what might this mean for the karting community as a whole? Short term and long.

In sprint and road racing, the 206 programs have really been a shot in the arm. In road racing, at some facilities, the CIk 206's are hands down the largest class. And really helps pay the bill for the track rentals. At the WKC, we usually see about 20+ CIK 206's at our club events. At a typical 2 day event, that's 40 entries, at $100 each. That's $4000 income from a single class. Losing that would be a huge blow financially to any organization or club.
Thoughts folks?
Clark Gaynor Sr.
We race at AMP near Atlanta and there is a growing class of Tillotson 225’s. So far it seems like a decent option, at least for CIK Sprint.
 
Going faster doesn't equal more fun.....
I'd rather race box stock predator with a field of 20 instead of 2 strokes with a field of 5
2 strokes are flat-out just more expensive, there's no denying that - at least in the world of sprint racing. 206 was huge and brought A LOT of people from everywhere into karting because it was very affordable. If it wasn't for 206, I'd never been able to afford to race sprint and be competitive. No way.
There's a reason 4-strokes DOMINATE racing yet much slower than 2-strokes....it's not about power and speed that makes racing fun

It's upsetting to see this as I was hoping to hop back into sprint racing next year :/
From racing full size cars over decades we have learned that spending money on faster stuff can have an inverse proportion with the level of fun. That's why IMCA has a whole slew of classes across the country and sprint cars have the 305 winged class. It's so the average joe can race. I hope and pray the 206 keeps alive affordable racing. Clones aren't cost effective.
2 cycles are more expensive and finicky. That's life.
The Honda 50 and then the LO206 have allowed and encouraged us to come into Kart racing at our local track.
 
I think the company that controls Briggs is the Vulture Capital Group that acquired Cabelas that Tucker Carlson did a few segments about. If so it is another unfortunate sign of the times.
 
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