You mean slower than ROK shifter right? Which is normally slower than a KZ?
TLDR Quote:
āOn track, the engines are much quieter than any other here in Tucson. Lap times have them 0.7 off the ROK Shifter times, similar to ROK Shifter Master, 3.5 seconds quicker than Senior 100cc and 1.5 seconds quicker than Senior ROK from the 2020 edition of the Challenge here in Tucson.ā
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On a quick American history lesson in the current era ā to kickstart any new class over here the spec manufacturer has either given a large amount of engines away for free, done a trade in program, given free entries, or a combination of the three.
So for a new class to start entirely on hype I think is solid at 9 with 2 of the 4 imported manufacturers not even having product stateside.
The closest comparison I can draw is the slow transition of SKUSAās Shifter class from 175 to the KZ by allowing them both to run together in 2021, which had fields of 12-18 on the Pro Tour, then healthy fields of 20-25 at all 3 weekends last year. Granted, a handful may have owned KZs already for SuperNats, but converting engine builders and programs over takes time and commitment.
I figured that the STARS Series should be happy with 10 at Round 1 in North Carolina a few months ago. Now, Iād bet they kick off with 20.
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If I didnāt want to race a few club races or a regional event possibly this season, I would consider trading my KA in for an OK-N just to tool around with in practice days.
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not a huge fan of this, but at least itās something.
Where did you find such race laptime?
It was reported in the EKartingNews article I posted. They compared lap times to the most recent Rok race and the KZs they had the same weekend.
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Being that itās a Rok race there wasnāt any KZās, only Rok Shifters. Comparable times to Rok Shifter Master is still pretty quick however.
Whenever I hear shifter I automatically think KZ these days, brain fart.
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Good discussion with all actors involved in the first OK-N race stateside.
I would lie if all the nice things said donāt make me a little emotional. Even if its a tiny step, hearing the platform is being so initially well received fills me with joy.
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Good for you guys! Congrats!
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Great videoā¦
I got a general 2 stroke question thoughā¦ not OK-N specific.
Jesus is saying that they run VLRs up to 18k in Vegasā¦ (From 26:30)
My question isā¦ how can the engine make power in that RPM range if they are up to 16k without shortening the exhaust length and/or modifying the cylinderā¦ Voodoo magic? 
I donāt know specifically on the VLR, but the KAs spin about the same at the Rio track. You arenāt making any power up top at those RPMs, but the benefit you get rocketing off the tight corners outweighs how much you lose down the straight by screaming the engine.
The Rio layouts usually have a mix of really tight and windy hairpins with no rubber down, and one giant straight. So you sacrifice the top-end power for a bunch of low-end power by throwing a bunch of gear on and letting it basically just make a ton of noise on the straight.
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Another way to view it, is to always keep in mind the hp formula, which is dependent on torque and rpm. With a reed engine you can manipulate things to get some advantage in one area without killing the other. So as long as the drop in torque is not as steep as the the increase in rpm (and above 16k rpm peak torque is long gone anyways), comparatively speaking revving higher actually gives you more power. That translates into advantage if you know how to get there without completely killing the torque curve in lower rpm ranges.
To be honest, I didnāt know VLRs were capable of those many RPMs
They donāt have to. Itās down to the track and the stopwatch. It often makes sense to give up power at one part of the track (end of longest straight) to gain time everywhere else (pulling out of turns).
That said, donāt chase peak RPM values for the sake of it either.
/edit TJ said it better.
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+1 for Buddy Jesus and Dogma 
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Any word on what the mix is like at STARS this weekend for brands? Is anyone on a Vortex, Modena or Iame or is it still purely TM?
Iām sure later we will hear about reliability and performance but Iām interested to know if there is a good mix of different brands
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Iāll do a check tomorrow, just got to North Carolina about an hour ago.
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Iāve seen at least a couple Vortex, and one Modena so far. I believe Carr is on a TM.
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