Is UK Karting Good Enough?

Is karting in the UK as good as it can be? It's a question that is rarely discussed within the karting community. Does that mean that there is a no problem, or is everyone hiding from the idea that UK karting is not up to standard?

British kart drivers have always done relatively well at an International level. Ben Hanley, and Martin Plowman are couple of current examples of this. So, there is not much to say about the standard of drivers we produce in this country.

But it isn't the standard of driving we need to analyze, its the whole UK karting set up. Its about the standards of facilities, circuits, events, and karts.

Facilities

PF International Kart Circuit is the premier karting venue in the UK at the moment. That's not because of the actual circuit, it is because it has the finest karting facilities this country has to offer. PF International Kart Circuit has a clean, almost sterile, feel to it. And it is because of their facilities it was granted a license to hold the Rotax Euro Challenge.

The problem is this - PF International Kart Circuit is the only circuit that can boast having above average facilities. There is no other track in the UK that comes close to the standards of PF International Kart Circuit. Nearly every other circuit in the UK has grass instead of concrete for pit bays.

Many people believe this is not a real issue, but I disagree. This is where we are forced to start comparing ourselves with other countries. If any of you have had the chance experience karting in France, Italy, or Spain will know that they are leagues ahead of us when in come to the standards of the facilities. And why is this important? Well, when a track has decent, well run facilities a race weekend is so much more a 'pleasant' experience. Everything is easier and more fun to do.

So what can we do to improve our circuits? Is money the key? To be honest, I think it's an attitude thing more than anything. Italy, Spain, and France are no more richer than us, yet they can afford superb karting facilities. Why is this? Comments Please!

Circuits

The subject of circuits doesn't entirely relate to the facilities. For example, PF International has great facilities, but the circuit is not up to CIK A Homologation. Where as Three Sisters doesn't have the best facilities, but has a track that 'could possibly' gain a CIK A license status.

Now, why is this important? I believe every karter in this country should get the chance to drive at least one superb circuit. One that is going to blow you away. That is not say the UK doesn't have some great, and challenging circuits. But none of them match the quality of Granja Viana in Brazil, or Campillos in Spain.

What are the possibilities of the UK gaining a large quality kart circuit? Unfortunately the investment does not seem to be there at the moment.

Events

Until recently, it had been about 10+ years since the UK had held a Short Circuit International Karting event. This drought was ended by PF International's hosting of the Rotax Euro Challenge.

Drivers from all over the world will come to the UK to begin their careers in single seater racing. The UK is seen as a bed rock of the development of drivers into F1. So considering we have this status for single seater racing, why karting have a similar status. First of all their is no International events in this country to promote UK karting. Due to the lack of International events in the UK, karting in this country is not a priority of most international karters. Many good UK karters now go abroad to race, rather than staying in this country. Martin Plowman being one example.

The lack of International events does relate to the circuits, and facilities. And as I have explained, at the moment, there is not a track in the UK that can, or is willing to put on an International Short Circuit Karting event. (apart from PF International holding the Rotax Euro Challenge)

It has to be said that even though the UK is lacking in International events, it does have a wealth of superb National events, that contain quality competition. For example, Kartmasters, TKM Festival, 'soon to be' Rotax Festival, Super 1, F6, Stars of Tomorrow, etc...

Karts

This is an interesting one. The UK has two main sprint classes, TKM and Rotax. With Rotax being the dominant of the two. My view is that neither of these class's are of a suitable standard.

TKM's are a great little class. They offer cheap, and reliable racing. Unfortunately they are slower than the other class's, and aren't quite as pretty as the other karts. The below picture encaptulates Formula TKM. Ugly, slow, and slightly odd.

British Karting in 1 Picture

I don't believe that TKM offers a suitable karting experience.

Then there is Rotax. Fast, but ultimately not satisfying. The engines are not great, and they do not sound like proper karts. My previous article explains all about Rotax.

I believe a TaG class is the way forward. There are now cheaper, and more reliable engines on the market, but due to the nature of British karting they are not being allowed to race at all circuits. I believe people should be given the choice to race what they want, and when a monopoly like Rotax dominates, an injustice occurs.

So Is UK Karting Good Enough

In my opinion - It is not as good as it could be. Why?

The circuits are not quite up to a workable standard. As I have explained a decent facilitated circuit improves your racing weekend enormously. It also creates a good impression for any prospective karter visiting a circuit for the first time.

The lack of choice in karting is a problem. I believe if there is a chance you can have more choice, you should have it, and the proposed TaG class will allow anybody to race anybody, in what they like.

Due to the fact karting is seen as a stepping stone, rather than a stand alone motorsport in this country, it gets neglected. Not enough care goes into funding it, are therein a problem lies.

Its easy to compare karting in the UK to other countries. But I will state this - It doesn't matter how good karting is in France, there is still room for improvement in the UK. Its not a case of 'they' have better tracks, so we should to. Its a case of - we should have better circuits because we just should. Its our right!

I will write an article on How We can Improve UK Karting in the near future. Thanks for reading.

The End of Rotax?

There is no doubt that Rotax is the dominant force in karting across the world. That's not bad for an engine thats supposed to be in a snow-mobile and not on a kart. But is it's time as the number 1 kart engine going to come to an end?



There are many 125cc long life kart engines on the market ranging from the Parilla 125cc Leopard, PRD 125cc Fireball ,VORTEX 125cc ROK etc... but do any of these pose a threat to the Rotax 'monopoly'?

Well, yes, to the monopoly anyway! It is no secret that the Rotax is a high maintanance engine, and as it is sealed, checking for internal problems can be a nuisance. The carb is difficult to set up and weather stations seem to be a necesity.

There are now many alternative motors on the market for you to choose from that rival the Rotax FR125 MAX. Lets look at two motors that could cause the Rotax FR125 MAX some trouble in the near future:

1. Parilla Leopard - A popular engine in France, and America. Engine life of up to 20+. Uses CIK 360 Tillotson. And retails at about £1200. Not sealed. Rebuild cost £200-400

2. PRD Fireball - Built in Taiwan. Engine life similar to Leopard. Uses CIK 360 Tillotson. And retails at £850. Not sealed. Rebuild cost £200-400

Both these engines offer performance that is the equivalent, if not better than the Rotax FR125 Max.

Also, these 'new' batch of engines are specifically designed for karts, unlike the Rotax FR125 Max. This results in them having a power band more related to the 100cc engines. The Rotax FR125 MAX is notorious for having a power band that is slow-fast-slow. They also offer the same ideal of near FA performance, but with lower cost and higher engine life. Also, the carbs that these engines use are better designed for karting and offer the oppurtunity for outside tuning while driving.

Across the world there are many classes. To accomidate all these engines a TaG (Touch and Go) class was introduced. Go to www.tagracing.net for more information, or check the UK 'TaG' equivilent at www.clubmankarting.co.uk. This class allows you to use any 125cc Touch and Go engine. And any engine performance differences are levelled by weight restrictions.

So why isn't there a TaG class in the UK? Why can we only race Rotax and not the other engines?

Unfortunatley the UK is one of the only countries that doesn't incorporate the TaG ideal. I will tackle this issue in a later article.

But is the dominance of Rotax coming to an end? Well, with the infux of cheaper and improved high performance long life engines, it is only time until the dominace of the Rotax FR125 MAX weakens.

Welcome to Proper Karting!

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This blog aims to provide all karters the oppurtunity to learn and discuss proper karting.

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