Firstly, an apology. I try to get these news snippets published quickly, but for various reasons that just didn’t happen with this lot. So, on with some news briefs from the past few weeks!
HOW-TO: How do you re-open and straighten out flattened radiator fins? Here’s a tip – get a tooth pick!
INDUSTRY – From the next CIK-FIA homologation in 2022, Gillard chassis will be manufactured by the OTK Group. In December last year, Tim Gillard decided to retire, after 41 years in the business. On hearing the news, the OTK Kart Group expressed an interest in the British brand. “I’ve always admired Tim’s work and I’ve always respected him and his brand” said OTK’s Roberto Robazzi. “When I heard he wanted to retire I proposed to him, to incorporate Gillard’s name in the OTK brand range.” The Gillard brand was launched in 1980 and has won multiple European Championships (both CIK and Rotax) and a World Championship in 2005 with Oliver Oakes. Despite small volumes hitting our shores, the brand also enjoyed success in Australia.
VIC CHAMPS – Here’s the timetable for the Victorian Kart Championship being held at Oakleigh this weekend. Friday was dedicated to practice and tyre scanning. Quallie and three heats today (Saturday), heat 4 and the Finals on Sunday. Current forecast for Sunday is showers…
PRODUCT – New product available via DPE Kart Superstore, ‘Cambox’ cameras that mount in the visor area. There are two models available, the V4+ and V4 Pro. Specifications, pricing and more info on these HERE.
GETTING AROUND COVID? – Remember earlier this year when tennis players were deemed “essential workers” of the Australian Open, while karting was banned in Victoria? Well, several pics popped up on social media such as this, Angelo D’Ettorre’s new kart ready for its KA3 Senior Light debut at the Rochester Golden Power Series round.
ADVICE – Tom Williamson recently sat down to answer a few of his followers questions. Here are a couple from a Dad of a young karter.
COLD CASH – The first ever “Gippsland Challenge” is set to run at the Morwell kart track on June 19 and 20. The club has confirmed Saturday night races (in the middle of June, it’ll be cold!), two finals across the two days plus prize money for each class that has over six entries, so it should be worth getting along to. Due to track capacity limits, only the first 22 entries for each class will be accepted. More to follow.
VIDEO – James Wharton at the kart track, Ferrari Driver Academy:
The United States Karting Grand Prix (USKGP), a karting festival at Utah Motorsports Campus on July 23-25, is shaping up to be a ripper. A number of announcements over the past weeks include:
- LeCont Tire will be the spec rubber used for all the sprint classes (dry and rain tyres) at the event. LeCont will also be the tyre utilized in the ‘World Tire Changing Challenge’. Some classes will be restricted to one set of tyres for the entire event while others will get to juggle two sets.
- A new class will be run for the Tillotson T225 4-stroke motor. The winner will earn a seat (which including kart, engine, tyres, practice & race fees) at the Tillotson T4 World Cup in Europe in September, plus $1500 prize money.
- $5000 cash to the Pro Shifter main event winner in the Sprint portion of the program.
- Kart Expo International, historically America’s longest running trade show devoted to the kart racing industry, will reignite its future with a manufacturers and suppliers display.
PRO TOUR – Promo poster for the ‘new’ Rotax Pro Tour that kicks off in June and has nine Grand Final tickets to be won. More detail on this was published back on Saturday, Feb 20 HERE. Regulations, series registration and number reservation will be announced soon. There are practice weekends arranged at each track the weekend before the race meetings, so look out for the details.
LOTSA LAPS – What does a typical training day with Tom Williamson Motorsport look like? In this video Tom describes what a training day is like with Tom Williamson Motorsport.
KART GAMES – Motorsport Games has purchased the KartKraft racing simulation game. “I’m thrilled to finally announce that KartKraft is joining the Motorsport Games family” said KartKraft’s Melbourne founder, ex-karter Zach Griffin. Two-time F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso is a shareholder in Motorsport Games. “KartKraft recreates the authentic feel and thrill of kart racing” Alonso said. “As a former Karting World Champion and owner of my own karting school, I want people of all ages to be able to experience the joys of karting first-hand. KartKraft is a natural progression for introducing a new generation of drivers to the sport.” Motorsport Games has been on a buying spree, also acquiring Studio 397 and rFactor2. More HERE.
INDUSTRY – Scuderia PCR Australia is now the Panta Fuel Australia dealer for NSW. “Need Panta Fuel for your kart racing, give us a call or drop us a DM!” ~ facebook.com/scuderiapcraustralia
RECRUITING – Have you thought about becoming a volunteer? Here’s a promo by Karting Tasmania. Spread the word!
ENTRY INCREASED – The entry limit for X30 and KA4 Junior has been stretched to 45 for the next round of the Australian Kart Championship. Potential competitors should log onto KA’s CMS as soon as possible before the classes fill up once more.
PICS – More images from AKC round 1:
AKC STANDINGS – Points and placings in the Manufacturers’ and Teams championships, plus the Ladies Trophy after AKC round 2:
HUNDRED HITS – Europe-based Australian commentator Ian Salvestrin celebrated his 100th WSK event earlier this year. “In Cricket terminology 🏏, 100 Not Out” he posted on social media. Salvestrin commentated his first WSK race at Adria back in 2014.
YOUNG FUNDS – Young Victorian Motorsport Australia members currently have access to special Government funding under the Get Active Kids voucher program. It’s open to 4 to 18-years-olds, or families that are experiencing hardship as a result of unforeseen circumstances. The program offers $200 of expense reimbursements for things such as registrations, uniforms or equipment costs. Quite why an individual or family that’s capable of going motor racing would qualify for ‘hardship’ funding is a bit confusing, but regardless, motorsport is on the list! More information and how to apply is on the getactive government website HERE. Over 100,000 vouchers are available with the program running from March 2021 to April next year.
NEWSLETTER #1 – Karting NSW newsletter issue number 2 (February) for 2021:
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PRODUCT – DPE 30mm Kartech brand axles. Various hardness and lengths available. More info HERE
NEWSLETTER #2 – Queensland Superkart Club newsletter for February 2021, click HERE.
PRESSURE PROGRESSION – From karts to the Indy 500? That’s pretty much what George Mack did in 2002! Read the full story and the challenges he faced on Racer.com HERE.
PACKED – This is how many karts got to the track back in the day. Do you need trucks and huge trailers to go karting? Well, no. This is Melinda Price’s F100 ready to hit the road for the Retro Round at Canberra. #keepKartingSimple
WORLD – The World Motor Sport Council has approved the re-scheduling of two FIA Karting Championship events on the 2021 race calendar. The European Championship for OK & OK-Junior on the Circuito Internacional Zuera (Spain), originally scheduled for 15-18 April has been moved to 22-25 July. Similarly, the European Championship for KZ & KZ2 (plus FIA Karting Academy Trophy) at Adria Karting Raceway (Italy) has been moved back, from 29 April-2 May to now take place on 12-15 August.
BANG! – Maybe some time spent at a kart track in their youth could have helped here? (WARNING – language alert).
SHORTCUT – There are some great slow-mo shots in this summary clip from WSK Super Master, La Conca. Talk about cutting the kerb!
ENGINE DOCS – The user manual for IAME’s Screamer 3 engine is now available for download from the Remo Racing website – click HERE to see the 11-page PDF. The Screamer lll was launched in 2019 to compete in the KZ/KZ2 gearbox classes.
EVENTS – The TaG Heavy Tri Series races at three venues across three months in NSW.
PRODUCT – EOS Kart scored its first National level victories at the recent AKC round in Melbourne. EOS, made by OTK, is available through DPE Kart Superstore and their dealers
ENGINE SAVER – Rotax is offering a 500 Euro (approx AUD$770) saving when purchasing a 2021 Race Package. “Buy a complete Rotax MAX race package consisting of a new engine of the Rotax MAX engine family with powerpack and an additional bare engine of the same type and save 500 EUR.” Contact your local Rotax distributor for more.
STOLEN KART – a Kart Republic KR2 chassis with KA100 engine was stolen from Craigieburn (Melbourne) between 2am – 5am on April 8. “This Kart is still brand new as Christian (the owner) had booked a driver training session for today to drive it for the first time” Glenn Riddell informed KartSportNews. “To say he is devastated is an understatement. With the custom sticker kit it is unique so we’re hoping it can be found and returned. It has a fresh fully rebuilt engine by Pulse Tuning and also an Alfano 6 fitted. The Kart will be missing the side pods and rear wheels as they were not on the Kart when it was stolen.” Any information should be directed to Craigieburn Police on (03) 9303 4433 or Felice Zoiti on 0425 730 536.
SERIES RETURN – The KANSW Premier State Cup kicks off at the Frogs Hollow track near Bega in May. Below is the four-round schedule:
EVENT – The annual Nicole & Rod Franks Memorial is at Newcastle next week:
EVENT – Below is a quick RMCGF 2021 promo video, for the first time to be held in Bahrain. Who will represent Australia at this famous world final from December 3 to 11?
NEW RULE – A new Head & Neck Restraint requirement will soon kick in for karters racing under the Speedway Karting Association of Australia. From June 30th this year, a commercially available head and neck restraint device must be worn. It must be manufactured specifically for kart or motocross competition. ‘Horse Collar’ style braces cannot be used. SKAA list some available brands as 360 Device, EVS, AlpineStars, Leatt Brace, Omega Brace and Atlas.
GOOD PROMO FOR KARTING – Chad Neylon headed out to the Oakleigh Go Kart track when the Supercars were in town for the Sandown round. There he met some rapid future stars of the sport!
25-GRAND! – Huge prize pool in Griffith this weekend! Three karts, loads of tyres, cash, gift vouchers and more.
TRACK OPEN – The Newcastle track is back ready to race on. “It has been a slow ride with all of the unforeseen weather and some hiccups along the way, but we can assure you all that it ready to go!” the club posted on Facebook. “The board engaged Oscar Priest to test both before and after the repairs, and he has stated that it is amazing to drive on. As a result of this we have decided to open the track a bit earlier than we stated.” The track will be open from today (April 10) until Thursday the 15th of April. “Saturday and Sunday will be run as per normal with payment at our canteen, and Monday to Thursday will be run through Go Kart World.”
TRACK CLOSED – The Ocala Gran Prix (OGP) track in Florida USA is set to close. The short but challenging eight corner circuit that has hosted multiple national-level events will be torn up to make way for a new 180-unit storage facility. Owner Jorge Arellano said shutting down the circuit, which catered for race and rental karting, was a business decision. With a booming horse industry in the Ocala area, the property can earn more by providing storage for horse equipment, RVs and other assets for the years to come. “This is about business, money in versus money out and providing something that is needed in the Ocala area” Arellano added.
RENTAL – TB Kart Srl and TB Kart USA have announced their new flagship rental kart, the R25. The machine features the ISAC Safety System for frontal shock absorption plus an “anti-gas and brake system” that prevents the simultaneous use of brake and throttle, which increases safety and avoids overheating. It has an adjustable seat, adjustable pedals, reinforced stub axles and covers over moving parts. “The R25 is priced significantly less than other rental karts providing the same, if not better quality, and a better value for your dollar” said TB USA’s Farshad Bagheri.
TEAM DRIVER – Former IndyCar driver and four-time Canadian National Karting Champion, Zach Claman DeMelo, has been named lead driver for Jacques Villeneuve’s JV Kart’s 2021 campaign. “Being Canadian, it’s an honor to represent an iconic name like Villeneuve in the motorsport world” Zach said. “I am excited to put the kart and name at the front where it belongs.” The RaceLab team that runs the JV Karts has plans to compete in several regional series in Western Canada to prepare for a serious tilt at the SKUSA SuperNationals and ROK Cup USA.
DATA – A Kart Expo survey has revealed some interesting figures regarding karters in the USA. It claims on any given weekend there are more than 68,000 people involved in the sport. Kart racing participants are extremely active travelers. The survey revealed that 75% of karting families own SUVs, pickups and towing and trailer packages. They are also active families travelling 20 times or more every summer traversing more than 100 miles per event. 48% of karting families combine their racing activities with family vacationing and sightseeing recreations.
- 40% own Motorcycles & ATVS
- 35% own Motorhomes & Campers
- 30% own Recreational Vehicles
- 10% own Snowmobiles
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