I can see a market for KA100 where I live but the IAME dealer basically disappeared during the pandemic, leaving only Rotax, and a good amount of people here like fast engines even though some suffer to pay.
The predecessor to KA, HPV/KPV was basically killed when they decided to run the 4 pipe. While faster, cooler, and more fun to drive, it made the engine require more rebuilds as we spun more RPM and it stopped being the cheap, low maintenance class it was intended to be.
Part of the beauty of a mid-speed class like KA and part of why it gets entries is that it opens the class up to a wider audience of guys who are maybe older and canāt commit the training and preparation to do X30 anymore (for example, me) or younger drivers who arenāt ready for X30 yet.
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I think that it only works if the fast drivers up front get tired of the field being too close. And not for an issue with competition, but the higher rate of crashes when the drivers are on top of each other in the pack.
But from what I can tell at COTA races the field spread is pretty good ā not too close, not too far apart. So weāre still a ways away from getting to the point where drivers would want to go faster to spread the field out.
hi emilio,
where do you live?
Oh, trust me, I understand. From a global perspective it makes absolutely no sense that the Western US has made a category slower than the international Junior division its top of the heap.
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This is kind of funny to me. Here in the west KPV/HPV was basically killed off by the rise of TAG (Leopard/Rotax at the time) because older guys felt the air cooled stuff was inconvenient and slow, and the ānewā tag engines were a good step below shifters in terms of physicality. The TAG Senior and Masters classes flourished at PKC, and eventually there was demand for a TAG Jr.
Iād agree, but I would acknowledge this is all with the benefit of hindsight.
If the Rok GP Sr field died off, was it because people didnāt like the engine package? or was it because it was really just being canibalized by the 100cc class? Same at PKC with X30.
Implementing the OKN class was basically a bet that the reason the 125 classes died off was because competitors just didnāt like the engine package, but it appears that itās just been market consolidation.
In the case of the Challenge, when they first moved to Rok, my impression is that Andy had a pretty loyal customer base, and those loyal customers jumped pretty quickly towards the GP - not because they already raced the GP, or because they had any great love for or knowledge of the GP - simply because they were loyal to the series.
I credit Andy for having the balls to try things, and heāll surely admit they donāt always go as planned. Given that the KA was starting to gain some steam in the West, I think he saw the 100 as an area for potential growth in his series. Ultimately, what it became was mostly an opportunity for his loyal customer base to dump the GP and switch over to an engine package that they could race elsewhere, and the 100 gained steam at the expense of the GP in the Challenge.
Itās funny when the GP died off in favor of the 100 (customer choice - nothing to do with the promoter) because you then heard some people complain that the 100 was ātoo slowā. In response Andy offered up the OK-N class. In the end, it seems that the KA being ātoo slowā comments were probably just an excuse for guys who werenāt fully committed to racing the series - regardless of the engine package.
I would agree with this assessment. Iād also like to point out that I have all the respect in the world for Andy, and I would have loved to have seen the OKN work out. Itās a shame to me that everyone is preoccupied with the KA now.
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Peru
I remember my father was very confused when he saw that the SKUSA Masters X30 was cancelled cause there werenāt enough entries afaik.
Meanwhile, first race in Mexico this past weekend, with 19 OK-Nās and 18 OK-NJās 
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Does Mexico have a strong ASN, and by strong I mean control what classes are allowed to run?
And I assume Formula Karts runs the series on behalf of the ASN?
A common theme on these discussions is often that the US barely has an ASN and no one takes any notice of it except for international licensing. So most series are run by, on behalf of, or intrinsically linked with an engine manufacturer and often tire/fuel/oil manufacturer/supplier.
I donāt think for a second the US would accept a strong ASN but itās a thought.
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Yes it does Nik. Formula Karts requested to be recognized by OMDAI (the Mexican ASN) as an official national championship, which was granted. This means that all the stewards and technical delegates are provided by OMDAI, for the events.
OMDAI also runs its own national karting championship in parallel, which will also switch to OK-N for 2024.
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Reviving just to share enthusiasm for 91 OKNJ & 99 OKN entered in the upcoming fourth round of the 2025 Italian Championship, in Cremona.
Record entries for single speed categories in an Italian event, in recent times.
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Iād love for the ārealā OK to be adopted hereā¦ It would be faster than the the shifters at a lot of tracksā¦ Thereās a reason the DD categories are good training tools and FUN. Why run the neutered version?
I am somewhat surprised that SKUSA hasnāt adopted the full OK class and beaten the others to the punchā¦
They run OK-N it in Stars already and get about 20 for junior and 20 for senior. I canāt imagine the full-blown OK would get more entries, with the added cost.
As TJās number indicate, it is (slowly) catching on. Last year there were mid to low teens in Jr and Sr. Now 20 and I think there were 25 or so at one race.
Ted, you will recall the old ICA days. Here today and gone tomorrow. Time will tell if OK-N will last longer than JICA and ICA.
OKN would need very stable numbers to even think of bringing OK, and that would also need the participation of the ASN, which from what I have read here, it doesnāt have much power in the US as far as I know.
Sometimes I think Pro X30 should X30 DD like how some guys do here for fun, would add more challenge for the category, but I doubt it would happen.
As a side note, the South American Karting Championship FIA is monobrand(TM engines) and the OK(J) engines can only be rented, though the donāt give you radiator. My best guess why is like that is because most parts South America wouldnāt buy it if itās only for raced once a year, besides costs, and also because Argentina and Brazil would figure out the tuning faster than other countries.
Also, in Peru they are starting to introduce OKN, but for now as a classificatory competition for the OKN World Champioship, like it was done in the mid-80s and early-90s. Itās monobrand for OKNJ and OKN with Vortex. Although, right now at best there would be 6 drivers and thatās praying 
Its good to see, the OKN is better then i thought from the start.
But here where i live it dont have a chance at the moment.
What would be the commercial incentive?