Anyone have a plasma/LCD in their trailer
11-24-2007, 11:30 PM
#16
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Rotax MicroMax, ages 7-10.
http://floridawintertour.com/news/article.php?id=78
If you live in CA or FL, PLENTY of racing opportunities.
I love watching the 5-8 year olds on track. I wish I had been able to get my son involved at that age.
Last edited by ltc; 11-26-2007 at 11:28 AM. Reason: corrected MicroMax age/updated
11-24-2007, 11:31 PM
#17
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BTW, given the live axle used in all karts, in order to turn, you HAVE to lift/unload the inside rear wheel....the factory guys from Italy always say you drive a kart like a tricycle, always on 3 wheels.
11-25-2007, 08:48 AM
#18
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We're a little late to the party, but Santa will be bringing a Kid Kart for my 6 yo (who will be 7 by the time next season starts). Because she also is interested, there's a Cadet that's going to be stuffed into the sleigh for the 8 yo (will be 9 next season).
Wish me luck and a lottery win.
11-25-2007, 09:42 AM
#19
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We're a little late to the party, but Santa will be bringing a Kid Kart for my 6 yo (who will be 7 by the time next season starts). Because she also is interested, there's a Cadet that's going to be stuffed into the sleigh for the 8 yo (will be 9 next season).
Wish me luck and a lottery win.
If I can be of any help (parts, online suppliers, engine guys, setups, track info, events), don't hesitate to PM or email.
I would also consider the Leatt neck brace (Moto GPX) for karting. I can't imagine my son going back to a foam collar.
Lottery issues aside, all nighters repairing/working on a kart, getting brake cleaner into open cuts.....the memories are priceless.
I remember not knowing whether to laugh or cry when my son won his first race (pumping his fists like Schumacher as he took the checkers), after that there was no holding him back. My wife made me buy new bodywork for his Cadet kart back when we sold it...she kept his original (race winning) bodywork, sort of like baby shoes.
11-25-2007, 09:44 AM
#20
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The Cal State Championships are this weekend, there is a group from our home track in NY out there. Reports of 50 kart fields in 50cc Kid Kart class !
After that, its the www.floridawintertour.com ..... I miss time off.
11-25-2007, 10:50 PM
#21
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The only thing holding him back has been having me as his tuner/mechanic/driving coach.......that and about $150K/year to do the karting that he really wants to do (don't let anyone ever tell you that karting is a hobby or karts are toys....my wife used to complain about the Cup car; she now looks back with fond memories of those days and expenses).
He is ridiculously fast in the rain, if he had his choice he'd race in the rain everytime out. He actually has no idea how quickly he can recover/maintain control of his kart; to him it's just driving. It's fun to watch his hands, pretty damned fast.
He's a good kid, high honors in school, polite, curteous, never in trouble, so I don't mind doing it. It's been fun getting to this level by ourselves; we were just too stupid to know we shouldn't even be trying.
Now, if I can just get his mother to stop buying pictures of him from every event and having them framed......there aren't enough walls left in the house.
Just curious, why did you pick Rotax after the Comer 80? We've got 1 more year before moving up and I'm seriously considering the Rotax Jr. as a sealed engine will elimiate one factor of having your competition with huge budgets able to buy the best engines. Looking over and having your competition having 6 engines on a table with 4 chassis compared to your 2 engines and one chasiis is quite humbling.
11-25-2007, 11:00 PM
#22
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Cal State Championships
The Cal State Championships are this weekend, there is a group from our home track in NY out there. Reports of 50 kart fields in 50cc Kid Kart class !
After that, its the www.floridawintertour.com ..... I miss time off.
11-25-2007, 11:16 PM
#23
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Awesome, thanks ltc. I'm in Austin, TX. I plan to take my daughter (6) to the kart track and mess around a bit. Problem is, she's more of a tech than a driver. Loves fixing/building stuff. My son (4) is a drover. Heh.
11-25-2007, 11:33 PM
#24
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Just curious, why did you pick Rotax after the Comer 80? We've got 1 more year before moving up and I'm seriously considering the Rotax Jr. as a sealed engine will elimiate one factor of having your competition with huge budgets able to buy the best engines. Looking over and having your competition having 6 engines on a table with 4 chassis compared to your 2 engines and one chasiis is quite humbling.
Skipped MiniMax and went right to Jr Rotax from Cadet simply due to his age at the time and his driving ability. He barely fit the full size chassis, even with the seat moved all the way forward and with pedal extentions and with 45# of lead in the seat, but as he grew, he did get fast.
I really enjoy the sealed Rotax engine concept, 50 hours between rebuilds, pretty even engines, it comes down to move driver and setup than $$ engines.
Rotax is pretty well reprented in our area, and my son likes it a lot more than Yamaha (they sound funny running around on the clutch).
We'll see how he likes JICA and running Stars.......
11-26-2007, 07:33 AM
#25
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Skipped MiniMax and went right to Jr Rotax from Cadet simply due to his age at the time and his driving ability. He barely fit the full size chassis, even with the seat moved all the way forward and with pedal extentions and with 45# of lead in the seat, but as he grew, he did get fast.
I really enjoy the sealed Rotax engine concept, 50 hours between rebuilds, pretty even engines, it comes down to move driver and setup than $$ engines.
Rotax is pretty well reprented in our area, and my son likes it a lot more than Yamaha (they sound funny running around on the clutch).
We'll see how he likes JICA and running Stars.......
11-26-2007, 11:08 AM
#26
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The only 12-15 yr old class in Stars is JICA. JICA motors are blueprinted, need an external starter, notoriously high strung air cooled 2 needle carb motors that turn lots of RPM's and you need to have 3, practice, qual and race motor, which are rebuilt after each race weekend.
Jr Rotax is a sealed motor, 14K rpm rev limiter, water/radiator cooled, no needles on the carb, onboard electric starter/battery, rebuilt every 50 hours (maybe piston ring at 25 hours) .....
The chassis is the same, CIK homologated.
11-26-2007, 11:21 AM
#27
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The only 12-15 yr old class in Stars is JICA. JICA motors are blueprinted, need an external starter, notoriously high strung air cooled 2 needle carb motors that turn lots of RPM's and you need to have 3, practice, qual and race motor, which are rebuilt after each race weekend.
Jr Rotax is a sealed motor, 14K rpm rev limiter, water/radiator cooled, no needles on the carb, onboard electric starter/battery, rebuilt every 50 hours (maybe piston ring at 25 hours) .....
The chassis is the same, CIK homologated.
11-26-2007, 11:23 AM
#28
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It's when you get into the $500K-$1M kid karting budget, drivng 4-5 days/week, racing every weekend, home schooling, etc..... that it's time for
11-26-2007, 11:32 AM
#29
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It's the nature of motorsport and it really shouldn't be a surprise. We are the Minardis of the grid. It's hard to compete with the McLaren and Ferrari's of the karting world. When you see 18 wheel rigs pull up to our 12'X6' trailer and you overhear these kids talk about their weeks where they are at the track as much as they can be and are home schooled, etc. it's hard to compete with that. Thankfully, she's got straight A's in honors class and wants to go to the best college she can get into. She loves the sport and believes when she's out there, she's the best driver on the course. We're having fun. It's dad that's a little more competitive. You've probably swayed me over to the Rotax side again. Now I have to see about the chassis. CRG or Birel?
11-26-2007, 11:58 AM
#30
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FWIW, we ran a CRG in Cadet, an Arrow AX9 for 2 years of Jr Rotax and now we're on a pair of Maranello RS7 chassis (one for Nationals and one for club).
Birels are very big out in CA, as are the CRG's.....of course the $ to Euro isn't helping much these days.
