As the title says… I’m curious what people think of the new weights SKUSA announced for KA.
I had to look this up as I hadn’t seen anything about it.
KA100 Senior
Engine: IAME KA100
Age: 14+
Weight: 345 lbs
Tires: Evinco Blue ‘SK-H’ Spec from SKUSA
Kart # 900-999
Personally I love it, as it means I’ll only have 30 pounds of lead on my kart. But I don’t really get the move otherwise. I guess they are trying to cater to the younger crowd maybe? There are a lot of juniors moving to KA and some of them are pretty small.
But this pretty much means anyone over 165-ish lbs is going to be overweight.
ugggg.
not that I’m planning to run SKUSA but if this trickles down to regional and club level it will probably solidify me running Masters where I can this year instead of Sr.
AT 44 years old I’m sure I’ll be in the minority of this argument but I wish the weights would have remained the same. My pride and mind tell me I’m still sharp enough to run in Sr, sometimes my body tells me otherwise. All the club stuff we ran including GoPro, MCC and New Castle I could show up and run Sr. and be competitive while still rolling across the scales at 372-375. I’m as light and fit as I was when I got married almost 20 years ago and still struggle every week with weight, that extra 15 lbs would put Sr completely out of the realm of possibility moving forward.
I honestly would like to run whatever weight brings the most competition.
Everywhere else seems to be keeping it at 360 for now so I’m not sure this will trickle down, especially since SKUSA isn’t really the standard ruleset in these parts.
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345 - 180 (kart fueled) = 165
I could run senior with no lead. Joy. getting old has its benefits.
That being said, I have trouble imaging a young man with muscle mass being able to pull this off 6’ plus.
I actually weighed 5 lbs more at 18 than I do now and had muscles.
I like it as a national decision. I’d bet every driver in at least the top 10 has 15 pounds of lead on the kart. As someone that has had 50 bolted on since I started racing, I’d be happy to drop it to 35. I don’t think it’s a call to make for the club stuff, regional could go either way imo, but specifically in the context of SKUSA I don’t dislike the decision. What clubs and regional series do as a result is a different issue.
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This only benefits existing competitors. It actively hurts participation from heavier drivers looking to jump in.
People who are underweight still add lead and race. People who are overweight don’t show up. I get why they’re doing it; they’re catering to their racers, but it does nothing to help grow entries.
Add it to the list of odd choices SKUSA has thrown out this year.
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Skusa is tired of all the complaints, so they’re implementing all the crazy ideas to prove they won’t work. At least that’s what I think could be happening
While I’d be happy to take off 15lbs, It would make entries smaller, and anyone over 165 would have a rough time
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My daughter will just barely make weight. But I wish it were left alone as it does affect us in our regional series, but our club races will remain at the higher weight.
I understand that it’s probably aimed at the younger lighter drivers that have moved up. However it’s easier for them to stay in juniors, either until they age out, or stay a little longer with a waiver, than it is for a 175lb person to lose weight. Understandably, there are those that are smaller and lighter that benefit from this (you know who you are). But as it has been said, are they trying to limit participation by excluding heavier individuals?
I know too much weight on the seat can be a safety issue, but has it ever really become an issue on track? Like have the karts with more lead lost then on track more easily? If not, then what is the safety concern, aside from lifting a heavier kart?
I would love for this NOT to trickle down… but it already has in Texas at the regional level. TSRS announced they will be using Skusa’s updated weights.
My hope is that USPKS keeps the weight at 360 and Skusa sees a decrease in entries this season… and they revert back.
If they made a masters class. Would be sweet. So not sure if they are making a push to send people to x30. Or they are planning to add 100 masters.
I bought an x30 just because 100 senior is just to wild for my old self.
Maybe the endgame is to encourage those drivers to go to X30?
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Not likely, with X30 senior being 355lbs (only 10 more than KA) it’s likely you have to be even lighter to make weight in x30. Not having weighed it, I assume the radiator, hoses, pump, and water are all heavier than 10lbs.
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My ka and x30 karts are almost identical. Maybe 2 lbs. ka is heavy. And at only 1/2 gal or so of water. Not bad.
Edit. I still have lead to make 355 for x30
Not likely that I would go to a SKUSA event (too old and too slow) but in watching the 100cc class videos from the SKUSA highlights its obvious this has become a young persons stepping stone to senior 125. What is perhaps more concerning is if this trickles down to other regional or even local series and tracks. I don’t like young people with 60lbs of weight on their karts either but there has to be a happy medium. As someone else suggested I would feel better about this if there was a masters class too.
Why not have light and medium or heavy classes?
Classes are getting capped, the entries are there to have two. The question, is there enough time to get another class in.
That’s how we used to do it, but honestly I don’t like the idea of diluting it into two classes.
I much prefer one big class at a “medium” weight.
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This is something my daughter brought up tonight when I talked to her about it. While I am pretty sure we’ll make weight and not be overweight, she brought up the fact that some of the people she races with, and she means on track battles, could potentially not be around her. They either would leave altogether, or if there was another class option, they’d move to that and she wouldn’t have her competition anymore.
I understand the heartache from a lot of people, and I actually think dropping 15 pounds at this point in the year is a big change at the wrong time of the season. It something that needs to be brought up before people decide what their year will be like. In the Texas Sprint Series, last year they didn’t want to add a LCQ to the KA class because it’s not what people signed up for, but the weight drop is also not what people signed up for, at least those that already paid for the full season.
For sure! Rather race 30+ than 15. Always end up
with someone to race against and with l. No matter where you’re at for overall speed.
It might make for a smaller Senior group, but it’ll add drivers to Masters - and everyone who isn’t selling lead or replacement seats or replacement frames will benefit.