I may try to test the IAME later this year.
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The weekend started with 4 Vortex, 2 Modena, and 11 TM, and ended with 1 Vortex, 1 Modena, and 15 TM. We were by far the fastest Vortex, qualified decently at 4th, but were not competitive vs the TM once the racing began. Our Vortex was capable of a fast lap, but was swamped by the midrange of the TM coming out of the double rights and the bowl.
The TM and Vortex are completely different; the differences in port timing are such that they look like different classes of engine, which is interesting because the are almost identical in OK. The lack of a power valve has lead both manufacturers to approach the OK-N from very different angles. The Vortex has much more bottom end. Like tons more. We would pull 5 kart lengths off of the hairpin but get swallowed up after the double rights. Based on what we saw on the dyno between the two engines, it looked like we could gear our way around the midrange difference, but it did not work out on track. The other Vortexes in the field must have been pretty stock, as they simply were not competitive at all. We ended up switching to the TM for the prefinal, but a mistake was made in packing and we brought the wrong engine, one that was set up for New Castle. It was more raceable than the Vortex, but it was much too top end biased to really work.
The Vortex needs more porting work, but once we get it right, it should be a fantastic engine. We did not have enough time, or parts, to really go nuts on development before this race.
It really was fun, and I hope the class takes off.
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So begins the war of arms 
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Ever since the K11b TM really have been unbeatable in the context of non-factory special engine supply. They dominated the last era of 100cc, dominate KZ and will dominate OKN.
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Be careful with āporting workā as an overall development direction for the purpose of finding performance. The blanket can be moved up and down, but it seldom can be elongated. As a top of the head comment, iād suggest looking at timing as a function of the powerband, as i believe they are quite sensitive to the change.
Iām very happy with the turnout that the race has received. The final was thrilling and it seems that there werenāt many engine related issues. Next stop is the National Italian Championship, which starts in two weeks time. Manufacturers are slowly but surely churning them out, wherever they canā¦
That already somewhat solidifies what was said. Its going to become a matter of which track gets which engine. Its a builders class and i understand that. Shame there isnāt more parity across the makes.
I still want to drive one. Seems like a blast.
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10/10 would drive.
Hopefully a little more parity will come with time without diluting the open formula, avoiding an engine-model-per-track situation.
Thatās a feature not a bug. The pursuit of parity is a curse upon motorsport. Thereās no point to OK-N if the P word enters the discussion. May as well cancel the class and do spec. If this is not embraced culturally the class will die.
From one race we have discovered a clear distinction between a TM and Vortex. Itās good stuff to digest and build interest.
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I 100% agree, and will put in the time and investment in parts to make it work. The last thing I want to see is de facto TM class. The Vortex is close, we just need more time to balance the powerband a bit. We only just got the Vortex a few weeks ago, while the TM have been available since the winter.
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Iām on a bit of a Xander\Kart Chaser Binge today:
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I guess that isnāt entirely what i meant. More that if it gets to the point that for this track you need this motor, and this track you need that motor. I donāt want spec racing. If the vortex is close, awesome. What you said Christian is what i was meaning. Where its just single speed KZ where everyone just has a TM.
Iām exhausted just listening to Xanderā¦ 
Good call of what looked like a great race! If I hadnāt just been RIFed Iād probably subscribe after hearing that call!
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Some pretty physical stuff! Ryan Raffa is coming up it seems. Heās been doing well. Bummer he got podded off track.
Maybe Xander should charge by word spoken. This would have been a profitable race.
Is the aggressive driving somehow connected to OK-N?
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Iād say so, and not in a bad way. I think everyone feels like they have a point to prove both in driving and for the class to establish it as boss.
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Somewhat. The motor has a lot of mid range but lacks bottom end power. And the rev limiter being so low limits the typical slip stream smooth passing. Makes it a bit harder to get by guys, so if you know itās harder to repass, youāll fight harder for the spot to keep it. And vice versa in the fact that if you want to get by a guy you better take advantage of the opportunity you get because there wonāt be more.
Hmmmm
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AutoritƩ Sportive Nationale (National Sporting Authority).
Interesting to see that they are trying to bring back those engine to the national level.
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Interestingā¦ how is engine supply looking?
https://www.facebook.com/RokChallengeoftheAmericas/videos/7496991280320220/
Scares me this thread is over a year old.
Challenge of the Americas (edit) looks to be struggling to get a grid, not a surprise. The FIA really have dropped the ball with OK-N. Part of me wonders if it was designed to fail to pursue to spec-hegemony ideas, but the reality is more likely a lack of competence. Does the FIA just expect people to race their classes with little to no promotion at all?
I know weāre still relatively early days and the worlds is supposed to have an OK-N grid for a World Cup event but Iāve heard next to nothing about it.
Did you mean āChallengeā instead of āStarsā? Cause we havenāt opened registration for anything except licenses
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