So, we just picked up a new OTK 30mm chassis. There’s been a lot of talk about bad batches, namely CY 88 and 89. Before hitting the track we want to be sure batch 86 hasn’t been afflicted with the same issues!
Who’s had direct experience of this? Legit input please, no pit lane gossip 
I haven’t heard of this. What are the issues people are reporting?
Essentially, folks reporting strange handling and being up to a second off usual pace.
RedExions had been struggling with his LN quite a bit, then switched to a standard OTK (presumably diff batch number), and found all his time back immediately.
Subsequently he swapped that LN chassis for another batch number and was straight back on pace! We have no prior experience of OTK (coming from KR), so knowing whether or not our kart is DOA would be helpful! Clearly, defected product recall isn’t a thing in karting - it’s almost $7K for a roller in Australia. Come on OTK lead by example 
@KartingIsLife
Do we have to give oxygen and airtime to a “I crashed a dude on purpose” video?
In a practice session no less.
I agree not cool, however this issue has been identified by various unrelated individuals and teams.
Oh yeah that wasn’t a complaint about you, but rather the video Alan posted. It bothers me to send this guy additional clickies in that there’s plenty of impressionable youngsters that will be like “ok I can smash people if I don’t like how it’s going down”.
That’s a very entitled perspective and one that is detrimental to the sport, imho.
Back on topic, I wonder if there was a bad batch of steel somewhere with the global supply chain issues. OTK has great quality, the best fixtures and jigs and manufacturing facilities, but the raw material would be something out of their control and would be hard to QC.
Given material and supply issues from covid, no doubt. I know a frame builder who stopped altogether due to material costs skyrocketing.
This is simply a due diligence post as a karting dad - ensuring we don’t beat our heads against a wall with a possibly sub-par frame we have no experience with. Besides that, OTK finish and quality looks top notch!
How are people identifying these batches and their associated numbers? The chassis tag?
How do we know this isn’t just a placebo effect? Playing devils advocate here. #notsponsoredbyOTKmafia
I think the fact that Alan’s video shows a guy doing a back-to-back and reporting the same symptoms as other people here in the States is some kind of corroboration, or at least an interesting enough coincidence to investigate further or add some validity.
Though like I said, I hadn’t heard of this until today and a few other guys I talked to hadn’t heard of it either.
Same. Quite a few samples of both teammates and competitors on new OTK chassis of every flavor and first I’m hearing of this. Maybe these batch numbers never made it state side.
QC’ing raw material isn’t too difficult, but QC’ing 100% of raw material is. I would imagine that if the issue is in these particular batches, it’s not all of them and is likely a relatively low occurrence, just knowing sampling plans and whatnot from my work.
Title is really clickbaity, the kid wasn’t crashed, it was a love tape, and a good way to teach the kid that you don’t rejoin the track without care
What I find bizarre/remarkable is the kind of pace difference some have apparently lost compared to normal product. 0.6+ is almost unheard of. I’ve seen people weld their own karts together in a garage and not report being .6 off the pace.
Frame irregularities just create another variable in the ‘dark art’.
Our previous chassis wasn’t the same after a seat tube reweld and 3 visits to the jig (18mm correction in one case). We lost an easy .4, but it was a Kart Republic - silly soft.
That said, plenty of folk do maintained pace with similar incidents.
We’ve got a regional race next weekend, I will sus out everyone’s chassis plate numbers on the grid and see if anything sticks out.
I’ll check all our OTK karts in the tent too.
This is what I heard by industry insiders that told me off the record while researching about Kart Republic chassis… it could be considered gossip but they both repeated the same thing… the tubing material for OTK chassis comes from Russia (can anyone confirm that?) and that is one of the reasons for a loss of quality control… I was also told that only the green Tony Kart OTK chassis have the original spec material (tubing I suppose) and that all other brands (colors) may not… I need to continue this antidotal but pertinent information research with others… I need to ask that of a team here in my area that strictly runs OTK but mostly the non green ones… he will give me an honest opinion or may just laugh it off… we’ll see (said the blind man)…
By the way- I requested that video posted and titled I crashed I guy on purpose should be remove… regardless of who it is and what he did (love tap or a bump and run) it shows unsportsman like conduct and we shouldn’t condone it but condemn it… kids (any new racer?) need to be taught to be clean drivers and instill good sportsmanship to help the growth of the sport and continue to make it the family friendly sport that it is…