Hey guys
I have a KA100 I have been driving for a season now, and looking to give it a little pep. Anyone know how i can make that happen? Is there a place i can send to rebuild the motor to a little different spec, or perhaps something to change in gearing or carb?
I plan to enter a few races this summer, so dont want to do anything too drastic, but open to race legal suggestions, if you will
Thanks!
Within the confines of the rules, there really isnât a ton you can do to them for noticeable performance. As Iâve mentioned on here before, I ran 2017 on a stock KA and finished on the podium multiple times at USPKS events.
But if it has a ton of time on it, it may be worth having a builder take a look, freshen it up, and see what they say.
Its fairly new kart. Its a 2016 formula K chassis which I read isnt preferred for races, any idea of that? Kart maybe has 10-15 hours on it. I drive X30 most of the time, but not as competitve in one of those as i am in the KA
In races are KAs allowed to run front brakes? Ive looked at a couple kits but dont want to spend the money if its just going to hinder my race ability
No idea why someone would say that. The Formula K is a fine kart.
No, and you wouldnât want them. Not necessary in such a low powered application, will only slow you down.
Kind of what I thought, i love that Kart and seem to keep up with the midfield, no where near the front runner times yet, but getting there!
Thanks for solidifying my thoughts on the front brakes, really appreciate it.
Do you run front brakes on any X30?
I think I remember you saying youâve been to GoPro a few times? In the KA how do you take turn 8 (the hairpin) I seem to always lose my speed i try to carry into that corner. Any suggestions?
No, not legal for X30 either. The only karts here currently allowed to run front brakes are shifters.
Hard to coach without seeing specifically whatâs going on, but smoothness is key there because itâs such a tight corner. You can get away with a little early turn-in because the radius opens on exit. Brake hard where the little access road is on the right hand side of approach, turn-in aiming for a slightly early apex, keep the kart loaded consistently through the whole turning phase, on throttle early, and then unwind, letting it drift onto the end of that exit curb on the right.
I have a video or two that might help:
With commentary-
Without (can hear throttle and brake easier)-
This is so helpful.
Thanks man! Awesome videos. Will you be going to GoPro for races this year?
Not sure, if I do it will be to coach and wrench for someone else. I just had a kid this last year so I probably wonât be able to get in the seat much⌠Weâll see if the wife will negotiate once summer rolls around. 
Congrats on that man! And good Luck negotiating with the wife, that can be tricky! lol
Thanks again for the tips!
Iâm considering a Praga (a blue Formula K) as a free agent this winter - what donât you like about the chassis?
If you want the kart to be a bit faster for practice, you can remove the stock KA100 airbox and install a big Righetti Ridolfi unit - it removes a restrictor. If you want to go radical, get another head and turn or mill it down to only have 8 cc combustion chamber volume, use a carburetor from an old ICA, and burn 110+ octane fuel. Obviously, youâll have to put your legal head, carb, and airbox on for the races.
As an alternative, for practice, I have a Leopard package I can sell you.
Assuming you want to be legal for racing at GoPro and have the freshest motor possible then call Brian at BBS race engines. Talk to him about a rebuild and blueprinting. Heâs made GroPro his home track in recent years and offers lots of on-site support most weekends there.
Good Morning,
I love the formula K chassis. Ive just never raced and someone told me it was not optimal for races, not quite sure why as I put up decent times, and i consider myself a beginner.
I actually have an X30 on a praga chassis as well, that I love to drive. The chassis feels a little more stable, but that could be because different performance out of the corners etc. I also found that the praga chassis handles curbs a little better. When i go over curbs in my formula K i feel i have to drive the kart a little more.
Chris,
Thanks for this. I will reach out. Appreciate the info
Hi Alex, Iâve got a little piece of unsolicited advice for you. Itâs very common for racers (especially beginners, as you classify yourself), to want to buy speed (hot motor, new chassis, front brakes, etc.), but the wiser investment in both the short and long term would be to take a fraction of the $ you would be willing to spend on go-fast âstuffâ and invest it in getting coaching from a quality coach like @tjkoyen.
Iâm not affiliated with TJ in any way 
, I just like his approach, believe in what he says, and appreciate that he is always willing to help people on the forum with driving, setup, and general information.
Also for some self-help, check out http://www.intuitivespeed.com/
Good luck to you this year! 
As someone who has been/ is a student of TJ and Warren⌠this is time and money well spent.
Very kind words Warren/Dom. Thank you.
Warren is right, there is very little speed to buy in karting. 80% of it is driving. Until youâre consistently within 0.5 of the leaders, thereâs plenty to come from driving.
Thanks Guys! Much appreciated advice!
@tjkoyen do you have a website or some literature I can look at?
Thanks again!
A little description of what TJ does for me, although it has changed over time. These days TJ isnât working on technique with me but rather racecraft.
He has been helping me understand how to make better decisions on track and to gain a fuller understanding of how to navigate in traffic correctly. It is a W.I.P.
In my case, I live in NJ, so I donât do any trackside coaching with TJ. Rather, I record everything and then TJ does a video consult like this:
I have found the training to be very beneficial.
With Warren I worked on driving and brain. Both are very good at all things, I just mesh with Warrenâs philosophy of driving more so than TJs but I find TJâs experience as a top level kart racer provides all sorts of valuable insights.
When I become Formula Ford world champ 
, it will be Warrenâs expertise there, however. He has a very deep understanding of cars.
In short, why not both? I kid a bit but the reality is there are many different ways to think and do.
Come to think of it, TJ and Warren are probably my secret weapons. Not too many rental racers get coaching!
âblue printâ A KA100!! What does that mean??
