All those fins add a lot of weight.
Adding senior aged heavy drivers (+14 YO) to Masters kills the primary reasons for a Masters class, it’s not just about weight. Many seasons ago, in Masters we had very quick kid racing with us locally and to top it off, he was able to enter the Grand Nationals racing guys that were 50-65 YO. However, it does seem unfair that a young kid can’t race in class without a weight penalty but then is it fair for a 16 year old to race a 60 something YO?
Yeah. I raced masters to be with guys and gals that needed to be at work on Monday.
If I wanted to get injured I’d race the kids in open wheel karts. Instead I race them in caged rentals and it’s all good.
I’m still trying to figure out why Senior starts at 14 years old. Why not bump up the age limit to say, 16-18 years old (if not older)? Right now you’re in Micro for few years, Mini for a few years, Junior for a couple, and then Senior for 16 years before you’re eligible for Masters. When 20-22 year olds are now considered to be veterans because they’ve been in Senior for 6+ years and are just barely in the middle of the age group, I think it’s a bit silly. Maybe I’m missing the point.
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Might be about getting younger drivers in to race cars earlier.
Kids are jumping into cars prematurely as it is. They try to jump into a car and still have the same bad habits they did in karts. Only now the speeds are higher, vehicles are heavier, and costs are increased.
I think it’s silly too and to make the racing better for senior I’ve always wanted the age limit to be raised if anything. But kids are jumping to cars sooner and sooner, and in Europe they’ve brought the minimum age down for seniors for that reason as well. Senior OK is all kids basically.
From my point of view, my daughter moved to seniors last year at 14 only because she was 20 lbs overweight in juniors. We did not want to move her up, but 20 lbs in junior is a lot. In seniors, we only have anywhere between 15 and 20 pounds of lead depending on how full I fill the tank, and her weight.
I do agree that allowing kids as young as 14 may be a little young, I think they need to not just consider age, but also weight of the kid wanting to move up. If you’re 14 and weigh 110lbs, then they shouldn’t be allowed to move up, but if they are going to be at least 10 lbs overweight with no ballast, then they should be considered to move up. At 16, then maybe you allow them without worrying about the weight. Boys are not done growing at 14, so as they age to 16 they may not need as much ballast when they move up. So, effectively, if you plan to move up in the “option” year, weight should be the only reason to move up.
The never ending weight debate!
As a parent of a 110ish # kid moving up to seniors, I like lower weights in the senior classes. That’s 25-30 pounds of extra lead I don’t have to add. I can make a 340/345 class dry with no lead myself.
250# no driver karts are pretty stupid.
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345 is fine for senior as long as you have a masters class. But for reference I am 5’9 170lbs, that’s about the weight limit without buying light batteries and ti parts to make senior.
It will probably help the masters numbers but the masters age should also move to 35+. 380 is a fair weight for masters.
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The rule change we’re discussing is only for SKUSA Pro Tour at the moment. As I noted above, it’s because the senior class has been opened up to 14 year olds so there’s a lot of young kids in it now.
USPKS still has the weight at 360.
The problem is I don’t believe there is a master’s class for 100cc so older heavier guys would have to go TAG masters.
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This is why I know own a x30
Same reason I run a TaG 125. Last race I crossed the scales at 398 lbs with zero lead added. Most OTK components are already magnesium, so no real way to save there. Only other thing I could to do drop weight is swap out for a LiPo battery and maybe a carbon fiber floor pan. It might save me 10 lbs. Considering the average American Male weighs 198 lbs, it seems odd to set the Senior weight 33 lbs lighter than the average adult male. I guess at the National Level, most drivers age out to Automobile Racing before they hit weight.
My local club doesn’t even list a TaG Masters Weight this year and Senior is 355.
There’s 100cc Masters here and at Rok Cup and I know it’s always a consideration for series if they can get enough entries.
When you say here, I assume your home track in WI? What kind of turnout do you see?
I think they get up to 20+.
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SKUSA should have left the X-30 Senior weight high so that the younger heavier drivers have at least a place to race among like competitors. If there are lot of fast, young, heavy drivers, then the X-30 Senior class should work. Moving the young heavy drivers to Masters just kills the reason for a Masters class. Besides, there is no real victory and value in beating up a bunch of old men.
Agreed. Sort of silly putting kiddos with us. Defeats the purpose, which is not about speed.
In this scenario it’s not a masters class, it’s a heavy class. Call it that and give up on differentiating by age.
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