Mike, Nitro is a sponsor/partner for MGM. PCR robotically welds up the chassis for Paul. There is a relationship with Nitro for the MGM Cadet chassis. Where Paul works with Nitro for the building of it. Nitro makes so many that it only makes sense for Paul to get from Nitro. the overhead for a small amount of cadets out ways possible ROI.
Could be a little more but that’s the gist of it
It’s hard to accurately gauge chassis performance… It’s even harder to accurately gauge how a chassis will perform for you with the way you drive, on the tires you run, at the tracks you race at, in your class and weight. Which is all that matters…
I wouldn’t draw a major conclusion or choose one well known brand over another based on race performance exclusively. At the least you will want to find out specifics of the conditions\variables for weight\tires etc. This way you can narrow the suitability of a chassis for you down.
Pick three chassis, get a sense of what kind of support you can expect (Consider paying for this too) to get at the races that YOU plan running on the tires and weight YOU will run. If you still can’t decide, pick a pretty color and send it. Or maybe they have opportunities to test one?
Leftys are cool but in the 20+ years they have been around in four stroke karts in europe (Moreso UK) really it’s more convenience than anything else. Sure one can hypothesize on possible advantages, but on the track it’s debatable unless you have an edge case where you just can’t get the kart to scale with your driver.
Surprised at this statement, they are pretty common, although I’d propose that “purpose built” is a pretty ambiguous term and it’s debatable as to whether it actually offers a performance improvement.
James,
I agree. I almost didn’t start this post due to exactly what you said. TBH the feedback was way better than I expected. Best feedback I got was in PM’s.
My problem is a lot of support is regional and i’d be on phone support.
So I feel like frame is a shot in the dark as to if it is for me or not, then I’m choosing brakes, front end adjustment type and mfgr tuning support.
We try to build a community of helpful people, vs folks that just want to “flex” 
I know this topic can turn into a hot mess sometimes with everyone piling on their own personal favorites and/or affiliations leaving the person asking the question more confused than when they started.
The topic is good information for people visiting the sit, looking to get started, or buy their next kart… For every poster on the forums there’s literally 1000’s of people coming to just read, so I’m glad you started it. When I write and edit I try to think of those people as much as I can.
Doesn’t matter how many started the final, anybody that was ahead of him started. So he would have started 5th whether there was 50 karts or 5 karts. He finished Heat one in 40th, and by lap 2 of The final he was in 1st. So by my math that is passing 39 karts in 17 laps. Not bad. Especially considering it is on a 206 kart. Just goes to show when you give a little attention to a European chassis you can make it dominant. You don’t see any of these american chassis in 2 stroke racing.
As for the Nitro being the only purpose built 206 kart I know of…well… I can’t think of any other karts on the market with the 4 stroke engine on the left. Nitro is the only one. If you can think of any reason why you would intentionally build a kart for 4 cycle racing and not put the engine on the left I am all ears. I know this is a soft spot for everyone, so let me have it, flame away.
This kart was in one class and passed the entire field in 17 laps, rain or shine. Says a lot. Of course Nick is a badass driver, but there were plenty of other badasses.
I have been interested to see what comes of that model but haven’t seen anything come up lately.
I think the motor on the left is genius for the 206. Just need rlv/Briggs to approve a right bend pipe.
It’s not worth the effort from a performance standpoint is one reason. Opinions will vary on that of course. It’s more of a consideration with kiddos in lighter classes where the engine weight represents a higher percentage of the package. Eg Honda cadets in the UK
It’s convenient to have it on the left with the drive being on the same side for sure.
To me that’s the primary advantage of mounting on the left. But I can understand the marketing angle of packaging that as specific to four stoke racing. Then when it does really well, people look at it and see an obvious difference and assume that’s what they need to have.
I think the difference is the chassis pedigree. I think the convenience is the engine on the left. Why would you put it on the right? I think the Parolin/ nitro karts in 206 competition have proven they are very fast whether lefty or righty. The side the engine is on doesn’t matter, just makes them easier to work on.
Economies of scale, you can use the same jig and process as the other chassis you’re making.
Better resale value for customer because they have a chassis that can be used in a number of applications and classes vs a limited one.
Same robot makes them both. Same cost for each. Same parts for both, just a flip flopped chassis. 4 cycle chassis should have the engine on the left, so the ones with the engine on the right are limited in resale to the 2 cycle guys. There are fewer chassis with the engine on the left so resale/demand will be way higher for 4 cycle racers.
i have a VLR emerald 28 millmeter frame. Iam convinced they are a good kart for weight around 360 -370 for the 206 class iam trying to figure it out for 390 masters with extra weight 20 -30 lbs binds the kart up I have a softer axle for first test early next season to see if the problem gets better if that don’t help iam gonna sell it so if yur goin to race a masters class at 390 I would advise not buying a vlr emerald Kart
Mr. Larry,
Thank you for that specific advice.
What did VLR recommend in terms of setup at masters weights? I’d be surprised if it can’t be made work, I’m almost certain Mike Smith ran one in masters a couple of times…
Do you know what teams run near NOLA? I tried looking on Google but I’m not getting any actual kart shop results.
If the karts you listed are what’s local to you, I would go with the MGM, VLR, or Birel, possibly a Tony Kart but those parts will be more expensive.
The biggest thing I have found is just getting good enough support and tuning help with the frames. When I ran DR, I stumbled onto a good setup every once in a while but we couldn’t make it consistent. The Merlin I ran this year we knew we had a fast setup for, I just couldn’t drive as well on it with my limited seat time.
Hi thanks for your comment the vlr looks great on the track in the lighter class as for masters I can say I was 1 of the 4 in the grands at new castle a month ago & no body made the top 25 outa 41 entries on the VLR If you have Mike Smiths # or contact info I like to talk with him before I decide to change to a different Kart for the 2020 season
No kart shops here currently. So over the phone / email support.
Gotcha. I would try something that other drivers are running then, just so that you might have spare parts and tuning support as you need it. The brands that I listed are the ones that I would feel confident running, but if you have something else you think would work and can get parts for then by all means go for it.
Right now I am soul searching on do I by a new chassis or not. Plenty to consider with non-karting things happening in life.
Spares are no problem. I have become fairly self reliant.
if u can afford new buy new 4 sale karts are usually good top racers only race kart for short period time then its on the used market
Good chassis for 206_ 2020 would be MGM, Comet Eagle ,or Margay I did not rate them 1 2 or 3 just named the Karts for what I see very competive 206 racing karts Just keep in mind a 206 racer don’t need the very expensive Itailian manufactured karts that are for the 2 stokes . My opinion as I see the results at the races