Track Tac

Whats going to happen in the karting world

So why not cut to the chase....define a SPEC and then anyone can build something to the spec.... I figure you'd need to control intake and exhaust port sizing, valve sizing and timing (cam profile), and let the best engine win.... it'd be nice to see Hondas, Tecumsehs, Kohlers, Subarus, Briggs, and Chinesium all on the same track...
 
Ted Hamilton said:
So why not cut to the chase....define a SPEC and then anyone can build something to the spec.... I figure you'd need to control intake and exhaust port sizing, valve sizing and timing (cam profile), and let the best engine win.... it'd be nice to see Hondas, Tecumsehs, Kohlers, Subarus, Briggs, and Chinesium all on the same track...
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I think this is a great idea... That way we all can run just a weight class and rwyb at a spec...
 
Ted Hamilton said:
So why not cut to the chase....define a SPEC and then anyone can build something to the spec.... I figure you'd need to control intake and exhaust port sizing, valve sizing and timing (cam profile), and let the best engine win.... it'd be nice to see Hondas, Tecumsehs, Kohlers, Subarus, Briggs, and Chinesium all on the same track...
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Burris had something like this back around 2005 called the F-200.
It limited carb size (Tillotson), valve size, required OEM crankshaft, block, sidecover, and heads. The motors put out an honest 15 to 16 hp in the 8000 rpm range (probably 20 or 22 hp according to some of the hp readings I see now. :) )
 
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Ted Hamilton said:
So why not cut to the chase....define a SPEC and then anyone can build something to the spec.... I figure you'd need to control intake and exhaust port sizing, valve sizing and timing (cam profile), and let the best engine win.... it'd be nice to see Hondas, Tecumsehs, Kohlers, Subarus, Briggs, and Chinesium all on the same track...
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Be very careful what you wish for.
USAC midgets are totally un-affordable currently because there is always a new engine being developed that is better than the previous year's/month's engine.
The current TRD11X engines can run upwards of $65,000 for a 4 cylinder engine.
The Esslinger Fords were not much less than that 15 years ago when they were all the rage.

Here's an article that is kind of dated (2016), but gives a decent background of some of the various engine combinations that have been used in midget racing over the years.
https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2016/08/midget-engines/It's a good read by an old friend of mine none the less.

At tracks where engines are combined in certain classes, there always seems to be one with a distinct advantage, and everyone migrates to that engine.
With the ease of spec-ing Chinese engines and parts for import, we could quickly go down the route of midget racing. I dare say we've already seen a lot of this with heads, blocks, carbs, rotating assemblies, etc. within the stock class clones.



-----
🏁Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
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31 years of service to the karting industry
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
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Brian -- makes a sad kind of sense. Maybe if it was something like Racesavers that restricted the breathing so that the rest was negligible....Dunno'. We're our own worst enemy. I guess it really depends on why one races. I do it for the sheer joy of it. Others have a compulsive need to be "the best," whatever that means to them. Perfection exacts a very high price.
 
Ted Hamilton said:
Brian -- makes a sad kind of sense. Maybe if it was something like Racesavers that restricted the breathing so that the rest was negligible....Dunno'. We're our own worst enemy. I guess it really depends on why one races. I do it for the sheer joy of it. Others have a compulsive need to be "the best," whatever that means to them. Perfection exacts a very high price.
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Racesavers are basically an LO206 (or maybe more closely the old Blue Wazoom) of sprint cars. Chevrolet blocks only, spec. unported cylinder heads, all sealed (and resealed) by licensed engine builders. A guy can spend $20G+ on a Racesaver engine, or he can spend $12G. The end result will be nicer parts, sure, but no more power.
I think one of the keys to the success of Racesaver program is that it pays very little to win. There's no incentive for guys to get "creative" in the cylinder heads and cams to take chances on slight performance gains at a much greater risk and constant rebuilds. There was talk of a few guys that have tried that route for the one-off races that paid some money, but you can't justify blowing them up or needing to reseal them every other race for $400 (+labor) for a couple hundred rpm or 20 HP advantage.

It's "an" answer, but it's not "the" answer.

The LO206, whether you like spec racing or not, totally revitalized the sprint side of karting. It has made some inroads into the oval scene (at least here in the midwest and pockets elsewhere,) but hasn't even made a dent in the clone sales in the oval market. The Predator, on the other hand, is definitely taking some clone sales -- the problem is, that it is clone 2.0 as far as history and rules.

FWIW, we just got two new Lo206 engines in (back-orders) on Friday, and two more customer engines in for rebuilds.
We sure haven't seen a drop in demand for the 206, despite the uncertainty @ Briggs.
I know the saying that "no news is good news," but eventually I think we'll hear something from Dan about the direction of the company. I suspect that's still being ironed out.
 
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