I’m mostly renting the track privately for testing or coaching. Good chance you might catch me on a random open Friday night trying to stay out of the heat.
I don’t really do much of the club races at this time and just stick to regional/national races. Especially at this time of the year, it’s too damn hot so turnout is probably poor.
Do you have a kart yet or looking for a Compkart?
They are pretty easy to stand up on the rear bumper once you get it in the van. It’s no different than if you have to lift it solo for the one-man stands. So if you can do that, you can stand the kart up and lean it against the wall.
I am in the process of looking for something. I met with Ryan, went to innovative a few times. I would like to meet with Justin but our schedules haven’t lined up so far.
I am wanting an x30, even though it seems as if the class is dying, and will buy a KA as well because it seems like that’s what I can race at bigger races.
Someone I know in Cali has a Tony/x30 that is top of the list as well as a super low HR Ricciardo/x30.
If I could find something here that would be great, but it seems as if the choices for what I want are limited. Although Curtis has a decent Birel in the showroom.
Not sure if you read my “master plan” thread. It has a little background about me and what I am hoping
To do.
Forward direction motorsports in CO has a nice comp/KA for sale. If you have any leads let me
Know!!! I am for sure getting something soon!!
My plan is something similar to what you are doing. My work/travel schedule is crazy. I want to get my feet back under me and when my schedule allows travel to races around the west coast. When will you be testing next? Would love to come out, I’m
Trying to meet as many ppl as possible right now.
Both Ryan and Justin a great guys and I’ve raced with both of them. Just depends on what you want or can get you hands on. Also Forward Direction guys are good dudes as well.
If you are fine being out at PKRA with the only X30 this is fine. Really the only thing being run at the track is LO206 and Rotax.
I’ll shoot you a DM with my details so we can chat. In the mean time take a look at Formula501.com
Good friends of mine just started a league that has somewhat exploded and that’s currently running at PKRA. Would be a great way to get back into karting in a relatively completive series. I will be racing with them here shortly when they start racing again in September.
It’s been fun watching it grow. Went from 5 or 6 guys just starting out to 20+ now. Bunch of really gung-ho guys from zero karting experience to pretty high level of driving skill. Races are setup similar to an F1 sprint weekend. You also have a teammate so there is individual and team points.
It is a bit unclear but seems like it is an owner/racer situation. What they mean about the whole “team” thing is unclear. You take turns racing? You are on the track at the same time?! How do you earn
Points?? Either way, seems like they get a good turnout. Have me rethinking the choice
Of engine I’m going to go with….
Kart arrived, did some tear down and cleaning, mount new seat. I was waiting for the Stone stand to show so I was working a bit low on some car jack stands🤷♂️ I couldn’t let it sit there and do nothing.
Didnt want to remove the engine until I had a proper stand, which arrived today, as well as my Amazon sprinter van.
All my hurdles are disappearing one by one, last one is getting it into the sprinter on my own. I’m
Confident I will come up with something.
Suit and gloves arrived, i have a helmet. I go on a busy travel stretch with work in a day, once that’s over it will be time to look at getting on track!!!
Since the sprinter is (relatively) low (compared to say a pickup truck) you could use some loading ramps, either two or one large one to roll the kart stand up the back. I’ve gotten dirt bikes, quads, and lawnmowers up with those so with the mellower slope of the van I think it’s doable. If it proves difficult you could attach a winch to either the stand or the floor of the sprinter to pull the stand up the ramps.
I agree 100% on the vertical. See my setup. Keep checking ebay until you see a used set coming up. It’s 3 pieces: the 2 bases and an horizontal rest which has a strip of delron to avoid scratching the bottom. Pit pal made these, they are discountinued but they come up on ebay
I’m a one man operation and I can handle a shifter and a DD…and a third one (Rotax) when I’m in good mood. That vertical stand is easy: you roll the kart in, lift the front until it stands on rear bumper, then walk one back wheel at the time
High roof Sprinter is the ultimate karting hauler in my mind. My buddy had such a nice Mercedes one built out and he could haul two karts, spares, engines, EZ-ups, and still had space for a couch and big screen in it for long road trips and data.
I will start to keep an eye out for those vertical stands, looks like a nice set up.
I have to admit I am feeling a little overwhelmed when it comes to the van, as far as outfitting it. It’s an open slate, so that’s good, but so many options and things to consider. Insulation, power, air, storage etc. on top of all the things I need to address from it being an Amazon vehicle, 70mph speed limiter, automatic engine shut off after 30 secs or so in park, doors auto lock after 20 secs. All reversible but I need to get the proper scanner to recode all the modules………
it’s going to be a journey and I am open to all ideas!!!
I am a solo operation as well. I use an RLV like stand that folds up and tip it on it’s back wheels to load and unload the kart. It works like the tilting stand you pictured at the top, but has the advantage of the folding flat. The front and rear supports fold down at the base. When loading in the back of my pickup truck, I can just lift the nose of the kart onto the tailgate and roll it in. When I take the small open trailer, I position the nose of the kart over the trailer, fold down the front support resting the nose of the kart on the trailer. I can then from the rear bumper of the kart, lift it off the back of the stand and slide it onto the trailer.
The tires on the stand are large nobby ones that work well on gravel or dirt and uneven surfaces.
I have seen a few setups for vans and enclosed trailer where they used folding shelves on either side that you could roll the kart onto. This left additional storage under the kart for canopies, kart stands, etc.
Well, my one man show made it to the track and on the track for the first time in 20+ years!!!
Was a bit earlier than I was planning and I wasn’t where I wanted to be but good enough for a shakedown. The kart starts, runs and does kart things. I can be completely self sufficient, load unload, at the track coming on and off the stand.
First session I was as nervous as I can ever remember being, but I’m sure you know the saying “it’s like riding a bike”. Ran the full session, carb needed tweaking but I was able to do that on the fly and got the mid range break up taken care of.
Remember when I said I wasn’t fully prepared…… lap 2 session 2 the right hand seat bolt smashed my rib, with no protector. Did 2 more laps then decided to pull in before I made it worse than it needed to be. Ordering a protector tomorrow!!!
All in all it was a promising shakedown. I am so excited to get this new journey going full steam!!! But it will be a few weeks before I can get back out, work gets busy till mid October. More time for my rib to heal I guess!!!
No doubt a rib protector is essential. The rigid Bengio types are the best.
If you ran KT100 back in the day the KA doesn’t need as much on the fly adjustment as that did. KA adjustments are usually described by minettes on a clock hand and 5-10 min is a significant change.
I started with the 60min on each needle as specified in the Iame KA100 manual. I think it still needs more on the top as the EGT was quite low, but I think the driver needs more before I need to worry about that:rofl:
I ran KT when I first started but progressed to Rotax DSB (100cc rotary valve direct drive with a 28mm Ibea slide carb) and that thing needed constant needle attention and a choke at throttle lift at the end of straights!!
where I wanted to be but good enough for a shakedown. The kart starts, runs and does kart things. I can be completely self sufficient, load unload, at the track coming on and off the stand.
