That was my thought. Hopefully there isn’t a FIA tax on these engines and they end up around the $5k+ mark. Would be cool to see an introductory incentive pricing to get a good starting group going.
Also, if it’s truly OK-N I hope series/promoters don’t gatekeep the use of a specific brand. If I buy a Vortex to run COTA I hope I can bring it to STARS or SKUSA.
I would assume as they are basically an OKJ from a mechanical perspective, they’ll be very similar to that. The price range which is around 2650 euros on Mondo Kart for the IAME OKJ. That doesn’t include carb in the price. So you’ll need to add a couple hundred to that price.
Stars has already said they are going to be open to all four homologated manufacturers. Pricing should be similar to OKJ like @Alan_Dove said. Wouldn’t be surprised if the OK-N is quite literally an OKJ with a different coil for the extra 1000rpm. They’ve already said the point was to use parts that were already in existence.
Wait… 35HP with a non powervalve 125? Possible, yes of course… But maybe not ideal for single gear setup. Curious to hear more on that.
If by FIA tax you mean homologation costs, it’s not as bad as some folks might tell you.
Of course I can’t remember how much it is to homologate an engine with CIK\FIA. Maybe @Simone_Perego can give a range of homologation costs?
So after talking with a Stars rep today. They’re estimating about $2500 for an OK-N engine to the US.
I’m thinking about trying out the class next year. Maybe sell one of my KA’s to get an engine. Stars puts on a good program, the biggest difference between KA and OK-N would be a couple extra sets of tires for the event, but nothing too bad from what I can see. My engine builder is pretty onboard with it, so if I do go for it we’ll have to do some testing before the season starts.
I would do it but I think I am too old for push starting now. The last time I push start a kart was early 2000’s ICA. 20 years ago…time flies. Feels like yesterday.
I suspect it’s a bit easier with the decompression valve. Push starting a 100cc with 9/91 gearing was a fun event.
We have a 75 lb. kid in California with an OKJ and he can push start himself, so I thinks you’d be okay. I’ve heard good things about the decompression valve
I have not talked with Christian Marsh, or anyone with inside knowledge about this, but I would be very
surprised if the OK-N nets out to $2,500. European pricing on the IAME OKJ seems to be in the range of 3,000- 3,200 Euro. Add import costs, freight, etc. and my guess would be around $3,500. Keep in mind that IAME has to consider price gaps vs. their existing products. How would it benefit them to offer an FIA pro-level engine for less than their spec option (X30)? The OK and OKJ engines do not come with carburetor and airbox, so I would imagine that will remain the case for the US market due to the nature of the FIA rules.
Either way, this sounds like a better option than X30, and I hope the class takes off.
Theoretically it should be significantly cheaper than the X30 seeing as the OK-N will not come with radiator, wiring harness, battery box, airbox, starter, clutch, etc. It will be interesting to see if the US dealers put together a “package” OK-N with everything you need (airbox, rad, carb).
IAME France has OKJ at 3,000 Euro, and X30 at 2,900. Even without the bolt on stuff, the OK engines look to have more machined parts, and I would guess are not being produced at nearly the volume as the X30.
I think it’s safe to assume that any of the FIA classes will be more costly than X30, as they’re not tailored to the hobbyist/budget kart racer. Manufacturers have no reason to make these less expensive than their spec engines.
If I’m any of the manufacturers I see OK-N having the following advantages:
I really hope this doesn’t turn into what KF was in America, and actually gains some traction. It would be killer to see a reincarnation of the old ICA grids.
Doesn’t that seem inexpensive?
Yes, I was surprised to hear that number as well. I think being clutchless helps, but I have to imagine it’s a lower number than what it’ll really be with all the accessories for a water-cooled motor.
The only thing I can think of is if the manufacturers are competing with each other and possibly can’t upcharge as much as a spec engine. It’s still early, so actual numbers should be out in a couple months
I could maybe see $2500 for the base engine with no exhaust or carb. Which still leaves someone to source a radiator, pump, carb, and exhaust, etc. The radiator and pump could obviously be used from a x30 or similar package, provided it cools enough.
I think the key for this would be to be honest with what the format is and not making promises that can’t be kept. I see Stars stating this
“if at all evident from the OK categories utilized overseas, this will not be the case at all. Similar to the KZ category, the regulations make it so that there are limiting factors (such as rev limiter, spec dimensions, etc) that make all of the engines incredibly close. There has been a broad range of success amongst the different manufactures overseas, and we anticipate seeing similar parity with the program here.”
No one is buying off the shelf engines in KZ for starters, not at the elite FIA competitions, and it is almost entirely dominated by TM now (in terms of sales), so success isn’t particularly broad. There has been a broad range of success in OK, but that’s not a case of drivers buying engines off the shelf and going racing either, far far from it. OK has such pitiful numbers that really it’s just the works outfits are competing. If it was a bigger success TM would probably start to dominate as they did in the last generation of 100cc engines within the larger market with the K11b
Not sure why rev-limiters make an ounce of difference. If anything they cause issues coz they lock people into their engine performance with no freedom to risk.
I think it’s great that we’re seeing this multi-make concept coming back, but I would warn against making promises that you can’t keep or have control over. This is multi-make competition. The goal is to destroy your competition (as TM have done in KZ if we look at sales).
OK-N can work, as long as those early adopters don’t get a reality check after a year (I saw the same thing in KF. First year a few people were like… the engines are really close… then suddenly they weren’t, no where near).
Multi-make culture needs to be built on sound foundations. is it better, yes. But I’ve seen how mis-sold classes can collapse very quickly.
I think where it gets murky is Stars and others are ostensibly saying that engine parity is good across MANUFACTURERS, and not necessarily across individual engines. We all know that not all individual KZ’s are created equal, and I’m sure the same will be the case for OK-N due to the rule set. This is good news for engine builders, and ultimately a good thing for racers since they won’t need to hope to hit the magic cylinder lottery as they do in X30, Rotax, etc.
It’s dangerous territory to put yourself in indeed, because if people start tuning engines and find pace, which they should, then you alienate so many people. Education is VITAL. If you’re audience know the game, and you get them to buy it, they stay around. If you sell them something else, and it isn’t the case, they jump ship or leave real quick.
If the $2500 is true looking then looking at $3500 for a complete package I suppose.
Kinda defeats the purpose of being light weight, but I sure hope we get a big enough draw for an OK-N Masters. If the US series follow the OK-N regs 340lbs (155kg) would still be tough for me to hit. I’m right on the edge of making 360/355lbs in Rotax/X30.
The normal weight is 145kg for OK Senior 
There used to be a class called OK+ within the regulations that was 160kg. I assume this wasn’t merely an afterthought, but maybe something legally required due to OK Senior being almost unachievable for any normal sized adult human. Obviously no one ever knew about it, nor was it technically run.
I think 155kg is fine, but understand that maybe 158 might be more prudent.
158kg was what KF1 was I believe yes? Or at least I think that’s what it was when they offered it here.
I remember it being quite tough for a lot of the drivers to get down to that weight, but many were eager to drive it so just drove it being overweight. Didn’t matter much in a field of 11 karts.
