A Message From The Karting Australia Chairman
| KA media | 1 September 2016 |
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Dear Members,
As we are rolling into September I thought I would give you an update on a few things that are happening right now and that have taken place over the past few months.
Grassroots Karting
Early this year, we announced several grassroots karting programs that we would be starting during this year. The Board sees grassroots karting development as a very important initiative.
We are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in these areas and are being supported strongly by our Development Program Partner SP Tools.
With the support of SP Tools, DPE Kart Technology and the karting industry generally, Junior Sprockets started in the May school holidays with events at Albury (Vic), Bolivar (SA) and Wanneroo (WA). It is on again in the September holidays with events in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
To date, all Junior Sprockets sessions have been fully subscribed. It looks like the September events at Lithgow and Oakleigh will expand into two days as the interest is already very high.
We will be launching a senior program inviting people to try the sport later this year.
We have established a “Building Better Kart Clubs” working group that is meeting regularly to discuss all things related to improving the show for karters at club level. Our States have nominated some of the best Club operators that they have to collaborate with us on this important project.
The result of their work will be a new website full of resources, ideas and concepts that any of our Clubs can take up with a view to improving what they offer to their members.
By the end of the year we aim to have:
- Junior Sprockets
- Our senior karting experience program,
- Building Better Kart Clubs web site,
- Better Kart Clubs Accreditation program,
- National Risk Management program, and our
- Safety 1st Policy
all up and running.
Club Competition
Recently our Rules Review Committee received a ‘thought starter’ paper on “Club Competition – What It Is and What It Could/Should Be.”
We have asked all of our State Presidents to discuss possible changes in this area with their Clubs and report back as we consider rules for 2017 aimed at improving and providing better value for money from our Club Competition.
This I know for sure; Club competition days must be able to do better than having the karters in attendance at the track for more than 12 hours on a weekend day for 4 on track sessions in each of 12-16 classes and 45 minutes of running time. It doesn’t happen everywhere but it does happen - often.
This sport needs to, and can improve upon that!
Licences and Race Entries
Our event entry numbers hold a fascination for some people around the sport. Stories seem to abound about entry number ‘disasters’ – which is far from the truth.
Here are the facts as at the end of June. In four States, event entries were down over the first six months of the year. At the same time they were up in three States.
On average, across Australia as a whole, event entries were down by 2.3 entries per event conducted from the start of January to 30 June.
Naturally we would all like that to be a positive number but these are the facts!
Anyone that tries to tell you otherwise (and there are some wild statements being made) has either miscounted some of the numbers from the more than 350 events that were run across the country in this time or they would prefer to tell you that the “sky is falling in” for reasons best known to themselves.
2017 Rules Review and Manual Preparation
July, August and September are busy months for us as we work through the process of reviewing and writing our rule book for next year. It starts in June and it starts with you.
Here’s what’s involved.
By June 30 we receive rule change requests from the State Associations. They are probably started by a Club or a Karter. These are reviewed by our Standing Committees (Technical Committee, Events and Sporting Committee) before a first draft of the next year’s Manual is prepared for review and discussion by our Rule Change Review Committee. There’s 11 people on that committee including State Presidents, key Officials, members of the KA Board and members of our staff.
They discuss various rules, make recommendations and comments on the rules before (after a number of different drafts) the Manual is ready for approval by the Board in late October.
It’s a process that works really well and involves people at all levels of the sport.
Track Safety
Your safety as a Karter is a big priority for KA.
Our track safety handbook is currently being updated. We are also in the process of improving our track inspection procedures, developing a track inspector’s training program and creating a format for managed improvement programs so that we can improve safety for all karters, officials and spectators.
Several months ago we announced a $150,000 Safety Improvements Grants Program (maximum $10,000 per grant) to benefit our Clubs and State Associations. The first round of applications close this week and we will shortly be able to announce the first grant recipients.
KA100 Carburettor
At the request of IAME we have homologated a new carburettor for the KA100 engine. IAME and Remo Racing are offering a cost price exchange program ($137.00 changeover price) for the OE carburettor with the engine.
The HW33A carburettor that will now be supplied with the KA100 engine is a completely new design CNC carburettor that provides enhanced tuning of the engine.
It is the carburettor that IAME has decided to use as it starts to sell the KA100 engine in other countries starting with the USA and Japan.
Working Together
I want to leave you with a couple of thoughts about our sport. It is now and always will be what you make it.
Our Board and Management work tirelessly on trying to make this sport better at all levels. No one told us that it would be easy when we took on the challenge of running karting and it certainly is not. We have a plan. (Click here to read our strategic plan) We are working to it, we adjust it as need be.
Creating change and invigorating this sport is not easy.
Our State President’s also know that all too well.
Many of them (and remember that they are all unpaid volunteers) have been recently unfairly personally attacked, mainly on social media by a ‘lunatic fringe’ of our sport. Attacked by people whose sole plan and vision for karting seems to be to wind the clock back 15 years and who have chosen to attack them (and our Board) with fabrications, insult, and denigration, insinuation and wild accusation simply for working in a professional, constructive and collaborative manner with us to improve karting for all our members.
It’s not fair, it’s not right, it’s uncalled for, it’s un-Australian and I am calling it out!
I personally want to thank all of our State Presidents for their commitment to properly and professionally represent their States, and to work constructively and collaboratively with our Board and Management team – no matter what the issue of the day might be.
It is only by working together at all levels that our positive goals will be achieved.
Its culture that drives results.
A healthy culture allows us to produce something with each other, not in spite of each other.
A brittle culture can doom even a great organization or product.
Regards
Mick Doohan
Chairman - Karting Australia
