Track Tac

Low kart counts

Wellington is still racing, Winfield is gone and WaKeeney is a long way from Arkansas City, Yates Center has a track.
I race at Wellington with my grandson as my driver. JrAm this year, moving up next season. Kart counts are a litle on the light side sometimes and descent at other times. I would like to see more involvement but with baseball season running into football season and that turning into basketball the kids just don't have time to attend every race. Then throw in a vacation and before you know it the season is over.
We plan on expanding our racing next year by doing some traveling, with Wellington as our home track.
From what I've seen during this first season of kart racing, the intrest is still there, but the time to do it is limited. To be competitive and keep the machine in good working order I spend at least 10 hours each week cleaning, checking parts and adjusting whatever needs adjusting. Throw in a body or engine repair and you can be in the shop much longer than that.
We are racers. That's what we do. Commit to your racing. Get some friends and relatives involved, and watch the entries grow.
This is the least expensive form of motorsports that I know of. Hopefully we can keep it alive and help it grow back to what resembles the sport that you longtime racers knew back in the good old days.
 
kansas45 - I know Wellington is still racing, I get on the site once and a while and virtually none of the folks listed are folks I know from a couple years ago.

From what I've seen during this first season of kart racing, the intrest is still there, but the time to do it is limited. To be competitive and keep the machine in good working order I spend at least 10 hours each week cleaning, checking parts and adjusting whatever needs adjusting. Throw in a body or engine repair and you can be in the shop much longer than that.

I know pretty much what is involved, I've got a garage behind my other garage that was dedicated to kart prep. I had no illusions that my kids would be the next NASCAR star, etc, we just wanted to run and have fun. The first couple years were OK. The politicking and drama is what got old, hopefully that is gone. I thought the series thing was a good idea, ultimately it turned out not so good and burned people out.

As I said, if the tracks were closer we would be there, I have three grandkids that are old enough, one raced his first season in 2103 and keeps asking to go back. At this point I have two girls in high school that swim competitively year-round, we also shoot quite a bit, and I take a long motorcycle ride a couple times a month, you have to weigh your priorities and assets, what you want to spend on what.

I got no personal enjoyment out of prepping the karts, it was a chore I was willing to do for the kids, but it didn't trip my trigger. I wasn't in it for me, I was in it for the kids, as a youngster I had MX'ed and desert raced, I was lousy, but it was fun. I wanted them to experience that.

I'm pretty sure if Wellington started a 'you pick them up at the track club tire/sealed engine program' I'd get back in with the grandkids, but I'm not willing to play the new tires every week deal.

Good luck, I hope you have fun. I may come up at the beginning of the year swap meet to get rid of everything, maybe I'll see you then.

Edited to add: Winfield being gone is a shame, there was a lot of history there, it was a good track. To bad Gibbs' son, Lucas, wasn't younger when Gibbs took it over the last year or so. I believe if Lucas was still karting Winfield would be open, but I'm probably wrong.
 
I enjoy getting the kart ready to race. Usually we have a race every-other weekend except September was filled with make up rain dates. That made things a little tough in the shop.
The last race at Wellington this year is October 10th. Maybe you can come down and check things out.
By the way, I sent you a PM.
 
DarthDuck said:
Way too much analysis.......IMHO.

KISS
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You'd be surprised how many times I've said that to myself about KISS. Scaling this back as much as I can is something I think about a lot. As conversations went on, the need for some sort of central platform kept coming up. My goal is to make the site itself be easy to use, coordinating everything won't be so easy.

I think if we want participation in the sport to grow, we need to do some analysis and act on the results of it. In my case I'm taking on the task of figuring out how karting can best position itself to capitalize on the potential of the web then building what I can to make that happen. Rinse, cycle, repeat.
 
kansas45 said:
I enjoy getting the kart ready to race. Usually we have a race every-other weekend except September was filled with make up rain dates. That made things a little tough in the shop.
The last race at Wellington this year is October 10th. Maybe you can come down and check things out.
By the way, I sent you a PM.
Click to expand...

Didn't show up.
 
Our local tracks really were booming up until a couple years ago. We were all running an "E-Mod" clone which was just a stock engine and we would use any pipe we wanted. We were consistently seeing 20 plus in all classes, every night. Shortly there after, we all went to the AKRA rules, which are great, but overall, the cost of building and maintaining the engines just pushed people away. Now we are down to one or two tracks left running in our area and not many racers left either. We are hoping that a sealed predator class will bring some of the racers back out of the wood work and get us back on track. Time will tell
 
From what I see in sprint karts, it's the cost. Most classes where I am are 2 cycle. Pretty expensive to run. Most require new tires every race or 2 to be competitive. The engines all cost at least $3k for a new set up. Karts are $4k or more for a roller. Fuel is $75 for 5 gallons. Entry fee for club event is $50. Then you have to have all the safety gear, tools, kart stand, trailer, etc. Huge investment for a hobby to get going. Would have loved to get a TaG set up, but the cost made it out of reach. Got a LO206 and have been happy. Still costs a lot to get set up from scratch though. Luckily got a great deal on new roller and the initial cost wasn't too bad. Sealed engine that doesn't take a ton of maintenance, pump gas, and a hard spec tire made it doable for me. If it wasn't for the low cost of this class, would have never got into the sport.
 
DarthDuck said:
Just how many have demanded a "central platform", as a need?
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I dont recall saying or implying it was demanded by anyone?

Survey process been more qualitative, than quantitative. That's to say it's more about a given person's role and involvement within karting than just sheer number of people saying "they'd like x". The initial survey in 2013 was aimed at drivers, just under 500 responses for that at the time. Mostly sprint asphalt but some dirt racers too. Then moved on to talking with forward-thinking folks in the industry. Lastly, placed resources into discovering what a would-be racer's experience is like when they are trying to get started or find out more about kart racing.
 
Dryslick13 said:
From what I see in sprint karts, it's the cost. Most classes where I am are 2 cycle. Pretty expensive to run. Most require new tires every race or 2 to be competitive. The engines all cost at least $3k for a new set up. Karts are $4k or more for a roller. Fuel is $75 for 5 gallons. Entry fee for club event is $50. Then you have to have all the safety gear, tools, kart stand, trailer, etc. Huge investment for a hobby to get going. Would have loved to get a TaG set up, but the cost made it out of reach. Got a LO206 and have been happy. Still costs a lot to get set up from scratch though. Luckily got a great deal on new roller and the initial cost wasn't too bad. Sealed engine that doesn't take a ton of maintenance, pump gas, and a hard spec tire made it doable for me. If it wasn't for the low cost of this class, would have never got into the sport.
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Glad you came across the 206 package. TAG is a big jump for people coming into the sport. Not just the driving challenge, but knowledge required for maintenance, upkeep and good performance. A lot of people who start with a TAG (or worse shifter) burn out and get overwhelmed.

The 4 cycle classes are a great entry point, they require less maintenance and stand up to neglect much better than their two stroke counterparts. It gets these folks started in karting with a positive experience that they can build on. When they feel ready they can either level up their competition with the 4 stroke, and/or move to something faster.

My thought is that getting folks into the sport and making sure they have good formative experience is key. Many die-hard "racers" scoff at this kind of newcomer that doesn't want to wrench, but the reality is that the overwhelming majority of people entering the sport want to wrench less, and drive more. The more of these folks we can attract and retain in karting, the more sustainable "real racing" becomes for the masochists and tinkerers among us.
 
My thought is that getting folks into the sport and making sure they have good formative experience is key. Many die-hard "racers" scoff at this kind of newcomer that doesn't want to wrench, but the reality is that the overwhelming majority of people entering the sport want to wrench less, and drive more. The more of these folks we can attract and retain in karting, the more sustainable "real racing" becomes for the masochists and tinkerers among us.
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Isn't that the truth.
I've found this to be especially true with sprint racers -- They are really into the "arrive & drive" mentality. When we sell an LO206 to sprint racers, 9 times out of 10 they want it completely assembled; pipe wrapped, muffler clamped, fuel lines plumbed, air filter oiled, floats set, etc etc. The dirt oval guys are much more likely to want to do at least some of the assembly themselves. Even there, the newbies want their hand held until they are up and running. Nothing wrong with that either -- we all had to learn at some point before we became the "masochists and tinkerers" that many of us are.


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Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
27 years of service to the karting industry
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
 
I think, just to add....it's interesting to note how many new folks call, email, pm, etc. or simply come on here seeking "speed secrets" that will shorten their learning curve in hopes of quicker (if not instant) success. Maybe it's this entitlement mentality that's so prevalent in our culture today.
It's not uncommon for "tuners" to be paid for their help at sprint races. Similarly, "tire gurus" are paid for their services to babysit customers' tires trackside.

There is no "magic bullet" when it comes to winning (although tire prep comes close.) ;)
 
CarlsonMotorsports said:
Isn't that the truth.
I've found this to be especially true with sprint racers -- They are really into the "arrive & drive" mentality. When we sell an LO206 to sprint racers, 9 times out of 10 they want it completely assembled; pipe wrapped, muffler clamped, fuel lines plumbed, air filter oiled, floats set, etc etc. The dirt oval guys are much more likely to want to do at least some of the assembly themselves. Even there, the newbies want their hand held until they are up and running. Nothing wrong with that either -- we all had to learn at some point before we became the "masochists and tinkerers" that many of us are.
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Agree. The expectations of folks coming into the sport have changed, many don't want to wrench a whole lot, especially in sprint. At least they don't want to wrench a lot at the beginning. That's just how it is. We can scoff at that, or adapt to get these folks started on the right foot with a good experience, integrated with the karting community and hopefully have them karting for life.
 
Sounds like there is need for these classes just as there is a need for the guys that,just cant leave it alone, like me.
 
Dryslick13 said:
From what I see in sprint karts, it's the cost. Most classes where I am are 2 cycle. Pretty expensive to run. Most require new tires every race or 2 to be competitive. The engines all cost at least $3k for a new set up. Karts are $4k or more for a roller. Fuel is $75 for 5 gallons. Entry fee for club event is $50. Then you have to have all the safety gear, tools, kart stand, trailer, etc. Huge investment for a hobby to get going. Would have loved to get a TaG set up, but the cost made it out of reach. Got a LO206 and have been happy. Still costs a lot to get set up from scratch though. Luckily got a great deal on new roller and the initial cost wasn't too bad. Sealed engine that doesn't take a ton of maintenance, pump gas, and a hard spec tire made it doable for me. If it wasn't for the low cost of this class, would have never got into the sport.
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I just got back from the WKA Gold Cup at Barnesville. We had 20 entries in the LO206 class. That was the most fun I have had in 5 years. The HP is so close that it makes it all driver and set up. Yes, gearing can make a big difference with these engines but a good free kart and a good driver can make up for it. I had been racing the alcohol and now pro gas animals and flat heads before that. This LO206 package was the most fun I have ever had. I had to dodge a kart and fell back to 18th and climbed back up to 8th with the help of a red flag to bunch up the field (Glad Ryan is OK!). You had to fight and scrap and earn every spot.

Here is the MyLaps from Sunday below. Look at how close the times are! This type of class will teach you to drive. This type of class will teach you to set up a kart. Yes, you really should be on new rubber each day but this is a national level event. Personally, I ran on day old rubber because the track was cool and it took forever for new rubber to come in. I am excited for this class. I think in less than a year WKA will be back to running consi's to set the field for a feature. This will help grow kart counts, on the sprint side at least. I think it can help the dirt world too. With this package, you don't have to worry about someone showing up with the latest CAM, header, some other latest part that finds an 1/8th HP no one else has. It really is a level playing field (and very affordable).

http://www.mylaps.com/en/classification/3728353
 
I'm not saying anything bad about LO racing, it's a welcome addition to karting, but after the 1st 3 karts, the times don't look all that close.
 
Al, normally the field is separated by 3 to 5 tenths per kart. With some of the older and current rules packages, you end up running all spread out like a 1.5 mile NASCAR race. There were 10 karts with in 3 tenths of each other. I know that New Castle Motorsports Park has over 30 karts in LO206 for their weekly show. The 206 count in the FL Winter Tour and FL Pro Kart Tour are growing. Its a good time to get into racing if you were ever dragging your feet. Plenty of relatively new 4 cycle sprint chassis for sale for less than $1500 fully rolling, spend $495 on an engine, add new tires and you have a top notch competitive kart you can with with if you learn to drive quick enough. I am sure the helmet cam videos will show up on YouTube soon enough. WKA was letting us run them this weekend. You will see how frantic it is even with the lower HP and drum clutch.
 
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