I’ve raced WF for 3 years in the NHKA, which is a competitive class with about 18-20 karts on average per race. But the problem is I get Barely any seat time, and quite frankly I don’t like the organization. and while the competition up front is tough, (Im in and out of the top 5) I don’t feel like I’m being pushed much. What are my options for series’s, classes and tracks to race at? Ideally I would like KA but I’m not sure that’s very popular in the NE (I live in Boston) is it possible to race x30 or rotax on a budget? I don’t want to go down to 206, I think it’ll be too big of a step down in terms of speed.
Another option is getting a membership at club Motorsports, but that’s a TON of money upfront for a .5 mile track. (3.5k initiation fee, 1k yearly fee)
Realistically my yearly budget is around 6k, and I would have to do some form of a tent program
I feel like we have touched on this before. I think you are in a tough spot. Ideally, I think you need to get your own kart. TAG is going to be the most universal class as it is run just about everywhere. The downside is it is very competitive and to some degree, more expensive (compared to lesser forms of karts for sure). Tent programs may seem attractive in your situation but the costs seem high to me. Are their racers in NH that do both the local races as well as travel for f-series or beyond? It might be a lot to ask, but if you were to befriend a racer that has room in his trailer and travels that might be a way around some of your transportation restrictions. Maybe you can shoulder some travel expenses too.
I think the other thing is asking yourself what you want out of this. Is this a hobby or do you have bigger aspirations? As I recall you are pursuing a career in the motorsports field? I ask this because you seem somewhat conflicted. Not trying to be a DH but you mention top 5 finishing, which is good but you’re not dominating, can you push yourself to be the fastest? Does that interest or motivate you? If you move to TAG and are finishing mid-pack would that still be fun or what you want? Your budget may be limited if you are looking to get as much track time as possible.
My one friend that does f series as well just went to college, to be fair my tent costs are very cheap. $500 a race for the kart, tires, mechanic, transportation, fuel, etc. $200 if I own it. Tenting is my only option currently but owning is not off the table. Is rotax competitive against x30? It seems to be a decent bit cheaper but I wouldn’t want a slower engine.
I am extremely competitive and really want to push myself. I would be happy to be midfield, I think it would help push me. I’m not sure why I can’t catch up to the top 3 at this point.
Could you afford coaching sessions with someone like TJ? Not like one. Like a real effort over the course of a season. Could be video coaching like TJ does. I have gotten alot out of that. Working with Warren changed me, I think, also. Made me faster by helping me get to the bottom of things sorta. But I probably learn different than you. Me, I’d throw money at training and help rather than a faster engine. It’s still you hoofing it.
While I don’t have hands on experience from what I have seen at our track they are very similar. Rotax seems to have more mid and high speed and the x30 more low and mid. At your bigger tracks in NH that might be a disadvantage but I don’t know. The Rotax would open another option of the Rotax Max challenge where you race only against other Rotax karts with the possibility of going the world Rotax race.
I think I’ll send some footage to TJ. Maybe some data as well. I’ll talk to DRT and see what the costs of running rotax in the f series would be. Other than that I could try getting down to OVRP for a practice day