Actually these twins are from Unser Karting at Centennial Raceway in CO. They aren’t the typical arrive n drive stuff. You have to average a relatively quick lap time for a few races in Saudi’s before they allow you to attempt to drive the twin’s. I just wish there was a way to test drive a real race kart; I’m curious to see if any of the techniques that made me quick in rentals is even applicable to the top line karts discussed here. I guess I’ll find out once I’ve saved enough for my kart!
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Give the tracks around you a call and see if they know of (or offer themselves) arrive and drive 206 offerings. They are out there, but not always well advertised. Margay’s ignite series is another option too.
Are you down in CO much? There’s a couple of arrive and drive 206 options down that way too, paging @Eric_Gunderson1
There are 3 out there that always seem to be at the top in 206 Cup/Cup Karts North America. Though, I can tell you that those also tend to be the chassis that has a driver, tuner and/or manufacturer that is putting in the work to be there.
In no particular order, Ionic Edge few different models have all proven fast. With the late 2016 into 17 redesigned front end being the best. MGM, the newest design by Paul Rice seems to be a rocket. Everyone on it is fast. Coyote, pretty much any of the models have been up front. There is also a newer offering by Haase that has showed a bit of promise for the limited time it’s been on track. The VLR is hit or miss. I think some of that is due to the limited adjustment in the front end. DR is spotty, with a top caliber driver I’ve seen them fast but not consistently. Many, many more to go through…
Ultimately, I think just about any brand can be fast. It’s about learning what the kart wants and what you can give to the kart and vice versa. I’ve seen people running up front with 15 year old karts and I’ve seen karts up there that just hit the track.
Long story short, find one that fits your $$, that has local or good support over the phone, fits your driving style and have some fun.
***EDIT — Also to add, the MGM, Ionic and Coyote are all just a comfortable and fast on the harder club tire as well as the softer regional/national tire.
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Yep Jim @ CKT is great and will help with whatever you need. The VLR from him is a great choice.
Another resource is Brian Jacobsen at Viking Kart Products in Carol Stream.
Go talk to Chad at Norway…he probably knows of some used karts in the area if you want to go that direction. He can probably get you in a rental 206 from someone.
Margay, VLR, Coyote, Ionic, MGM, Comet Eagle are all solid choices.
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He said he’s in Illinois though. I think AZ might be a trek.
To answer the question of “best” chassis, I would say the Coyotes seem to be some of the most consistent front runners at CHMS. Could also be a coincidence that some of the fastest drivers just so happen to have a Coyote chassis. With that being said there a number of other chassis that are very competitive. I am in my first season of 206 Sr. at Concept Haulers and race a Ricciardo DR-AM29. It’s a Birel-Art with the cooler Ricciardo stickers. The AM-29 is a 206/4-Cylcle purpose built chassis. I have been on the podium a few times and the kart is not the reason I am not finishing where I want more often. I just need to work on consistently putting together a fast lap and am confident the kart can run up front. With the hard MGIR tires that CHMS runs the chassis does not play as large a role as most would think. If you want to go fast budget for the season practice pass, get your money’s worth out of it, and then spend whatever is left on a kart. PSL has a decent deal on a Ricciardo like the one I bought. Happy to share setup notes on the kart.
What class will you be racing in?
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206 Sr. will be the class I will be running in as well actually, also at CHMS. I was just there yesterday talking to Les about storage and their racing series’. I took their rentals out for a spin and had a blast on the track layout. That is one incredibly rough track tho! I just don’t fully understand their steadfast beliefs in the MG blue tires. I ran those on the rentals and swear I couldn’t tell a difference between cold tires and tires that had run 6 laps. Any thoughts?
it comes down to $$$$$$$. They have a contract with MG and the 206 is a budget class so you want a hard tire so it’ll last all season. We’re a few hours north of you and run MG’s. We run the orange though.
Most modern kart chassis are tuneable and can be fast. It’s pretty hard these days, if the manufacturer has the ambition, to build a truly awful kart. You could simply buy a Tonykart or another top brand, and reverse engineer it, and while you may not be 100% on pace, that new manufacturer could be more in the ballpark than not.
With that said, the ‘best’ chassis for you likely is the one with the best local or regional support. Who cares how many races the kart wins at X big national race if no one in your area stocks any parts? Go with what a lot of others in the area run and have good customer service with, and proceed from there once you get your feet wet.
I was skeptical of the Blues at first. Now that I am halfway through my first season, it is the right move. 206 doesn’t have the power or speed of some other classes so the blues make things more interesting. They are great for the 206 class because of the durability. They will last at least a full season. Your wallet will thank you. Another advantage is the fact that theoretically it can help limit spending on always having to have the best and newest chassis. These tires level the chassis playing field fairly well. As far as the heat, you will certainly notice a difference in your own kart. Having your own kart and not being in a rental you can change the tire pressures to ensure they are heating up and providing optimal grip.
Thanks, that’s really good, and reassuring, information. How long have you been racing karts and the 206 series?
I have driven a lot on hard compounds on jim hall’s karts. Those tires last forever. That being said, there was a noticeable difference in traction between cold and hot. The first lap and a half was always real squirrelly. If you aren’t able to tell the difference between hot and cold tires, they must be rocks.
Well in fairness they were on rentals. I have no doubt there’s a huge difference between a rental and a kart Jim has worked on. He explained to me that there really is no comparison between a rental and a true racing kart. So I jus gotta keep saving for that VLR chassis and learn from there! But all u guys have been very helpful and welcoming, thank you.
Daniel, if you are in the Denver area, go to Action Karting at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison. If you can run laps under 59 seconds consistently they will let you rent an LO206 kart. These are legit 206 karts. Yes, they are rentals so they are a bit rough around the edges but it would give you a taste of what an actual race kart chassis feels like.
And I run into Eric Gunderson in a thread related to LO206 chassis… If anyone knows why I am researching this topic right now, it would be Eric lol.
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I’ve seen some people take a 2 stroke kart and put a 206 on it and then there is some karts that are designed for 206’s. What makes a difference between the karts that are designed for 206? I’ve seen some people on Facebook mention that if you are getting into the 206 make sure to get a chassis that is designed for a 206. Any thoughts?
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Welcome @bobzilla Are you already racing and looking for yoiur next chassis, getting started, or just curious?
Here’s a couple of topics to digest:
Here’s my observation
The benefit of “206” or what are called four cycle chassis is mostly down to convenience, simplicity and price point. They tend to be economy models with basic (if any) camber/caster adjustment, more rudimentary braking systems, steering wheels and so on. That doesn’t mean they are inferior however, just no frills.
Beyond that there’s some differences like a 40mm axle vs 50mm axles, sometimes different tube diameters but again, like I say you’ll see both types at the front of fields.
You’ll find people have been able to make almost any kind of chassis and axle size work. The four stroke specific chassis usually have two main features.
Manufacturers have “developed” chassis for low power situations, but it’s not necessary to use one and you’ll find non specific chassis up the front as well.
Rant:
Most opinions on facebook in my experience are though the lens of what a racer/dealer thinks is best for themselves or their own personal preferences… Rather than listening to the person coming into the sport and actually taking the time to understand the specifics of the person asking the question. That’s one of the drivers (pun intended) behind these forums, a place for advice that actually pertains to each situation because unfortunately there’s rarely any universal ones. Location, budget and other factors play a big part.
Long story short, a chassis marketed as a “206” is sure nice to have, certainly won’t hurt but by no means a necessity. If you can find one that’s in your budget that offers support at the tracks you plan racing at, go for it.
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I thought these karts have adjustable camber/casters?
100% new to the sport.
Welcome: Kick off a topic in the Getting Started in Karting category. There’s a bit of a questionnaire to fill out that will help folks figure out what the best options might be for you.