Karting News Briefs
| 20 March 2014 |
| Tweet | |
the future and the past...
- Karting was once again at the Australian Grand Prix. For the second year in a row, I volunteered to help the national association with its karting promotion in the general admission area behind turn 1. Like last year, karting was part of the CAMS display where this year the new Formula 4 race car was launched.
Don't let anyone tell you it's only the locals who turn up for the GP. I reckon around 40% of the people I questioned were not from Victoria. Of these, most were interstaters, but there was a surprising number from overseas who wanted to know about karting. Overall, the promo created significant interest for the sport.
Above: Several karts were on display at the CAMS stand at the AGP. The interest was pretty much on-stop over the four days. Kids loved the fact they could sit in a junior kart and try it on for size. Hopefully they are now bugging the hell out of their parents to start racing! pic - Mark Wicks, KartSportNews
Karts also took to the Albert Park circuit, demonstrating the 'ladder' from Cadets through karting to CAMS' new Formula 4 and on to Formula One. More info and further photos are on the Karting Australia site HERE.
Above: Jack Doohan, Broc Feeney, Adam Klunyk and David Sera line up with their karts alongside Karl Reindler (Formula 4) and David Coulthard (Formula 1) on the start line at Albert Park
pic - KA
- Here's a video of the latest update on KartSim from its creator, Zach Griffin. Includes new gameplay footage. Having been busy on another project, Zach is back working on getting Kartsim finished!
- Here's another old VHS video uploaded to YouTube by Glenn Riddell of Silhouette Karts - Clubman Light 1991 Vic Open at Geelong. Remo Luciani (#20) and Mark Wicks (#83, your KartSportNews man) off the front row. This one features DPE's Darren Hossack #4, Doc (Neil) Pearson #68, Melinda Price #12 and Derek Auty #24. More vids on YouTube HERE, including 1989 Bendigo street meet, 1994 Nationals etc.
- Did You Know???
IKD announced recently that their contribution to the costs of the 2014 Rotax World Finals was $18,000 EURO. That’s approximately $28,000 Australian Dollars of support for Australian Karting from IKD.
- Alan Dove of karting1.co.uk digs in the knife (and then twists it!) to the KF formula and hopes the CIK can create something inspiring for 2016, or risk the sport going totally arrive-and-drive. Click HERE for the article (titled "Please CIK, don’t to screw up the new 2016 engines, our souls are at stake").
- The March newsletter for the Association of British Kart Clubs (ABkC) makes for some interesting reading. Karting in the UK is hurting, and the traditional governing body of the sport, the MSA, is losing clubs and members to IKR (Independant Kart Racing) groups. The issues mentioned in the newsletter sound eerily similar to what we hear here in Australia. Things like too many financial barriers to enter the sport, lack of information for spectators, 'amateur' drivers having to race against 'pro' drivers, over-zealous officialdom etc. The newsletter (a 3 page PDF) can be read HERE.
- Who can win the inaugural Col Becker Memorial at Lithgow? Col was the founding President of the Combined Districts Kart Club and the instigator of many improvements at Lithgow over the years. His family still race karts, including his son Russell (a former National champion) plus two grand children and a number of cousins. CDKC are pleased to announce the Col Becker Memorial as part of CDKC's annual calendar. The event will be for a different class each year, starting with Junior Clubman for the 2014 edition later this month.
