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BPKC summer championship, round 3, Sunday 16th June



By Karting1 ~ June 13th, 2013. Filed under: Announcements.

From BUKC

The third round of the BPKC summer championships takes place on Sunday 16th June with practice available on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th June. All non gearbox AbKC classes are welcome, including Junior Subaru and Bambino. Overnight parking is available.

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This meeting also offers the last opportunity for LGM IAME competitors to practice and race at Buckmore before their round visits the circuit in July and a separate race will be available for this class (subject to minimum entry level). For further details contact Sheila at Buckmore Park Kart Club onsheila@buckmore.co.uk or on 01634 201562 ext 210.

How to take one of the world’s most famous karting photos!



By Karting1 ~ June 10th, 2013. Filed under: Kart Racing News.

You may have come across this photo on Facebook or various social media, but photographer Thomas Morel has revealed on his Facebook page how he took his fabulous photo. Check out this great video below

EXTRA OWNER DRIVER EVENING PRACTICE SESSION BUCKMORE PARK TUESDAY 11 JUNE 6 – 9 pm



By Karting1 ~ June 9th, 2013. Filed under: Announcements.

From BPKC

Buckmore Park Kart Circuit, in conjunction with the Kart Shop, is organising an evening test session for owner drivers on Tuesday 11th June from 6 pm to 9 pm. Sessions will be divided into Cadet, Juniors and Seniors. The practice fee is £50 per kart.

It will be necessary for you to book and pay for the test session in advance and all bookings must be made by Sunday 9th June. The practice fee is non-refundable but see note below. To book your sessions, phone, email or fax The Kart Shop, card details will be required.

Danilo Rossi – €100,000 euros is a perfectly reasonable budget for KF!



By Karting1 ~ June 4th, 2013. Filed under: Kart Racing News.

Despite saying in the past the he didn’t feel that KF was ‘better than before’ and that ‘it’s a good idea when the big manufacturers and the CIK think a little but about what has happened. Maybe go a little bit big and bring in something new for karting’, FIA Driver Commission representative Danilo Rossi (though he currently doesn’t race and in fact is a manufacturer/team owner) has performed an extraordinary U-turn and come out in support of the KF concept.

According to Kartcom (and translated by Kartlink) he now feels that KF should be the foundation for the future of karting and there’s no reason why it couldn’t be implemented at regional and national level, despite the fact it has been a complete market failure across the board and failing to achieve any of its goals.


Danilo has his own range of chassis

He said “We must stop circulating higher and higher numbers that do not correspond to reality. As Team Principal, I am well placed to know how much it costs! We are not the cheapest in the paddock, but certainly not the most expensive. It is quite possible to complete an international season for €100,000. Prices of often double or triple that circulate in discussions or in the press. On the other hand, some items could cost less without taking anything away from the competition. The price of petrol, bonds, and guarantees, are all worth looking at.”


Does KF really have any tangible future? Danilo thinks so

He continued: “I do not have all the answers! But I know KF is now a development category, with good reliability, not too complicated to run, and most importantly, no more expensive than other formats run at a high level. KF should find a place in the national and regional championships. Creating a new category today, could cause the death of karting as we know it. For me, it should work on the present basis.”

Stunning carbon fibre kart spotted at Monaco Grand Prix



By Karting1 ~ May 25th, 2013. Filed under: Kart Racing News.

While Formula One cars are doing 180mph through the streets of Monaco, Will Dendy fortunately stumbled across this little engineering beauty. Manufactured by Team Monaco the kart sports a carbon fibre chassis with KZ engine. Carbon chassis are not totally a new thing in karting, as seen in a unique class often raced in France that has fully enclosed karts. This kart however has a more traditional look. The chassis is designed to create a low pressure area underneath the kart to increase grip levels at high speed (like F1).

The kart is not CIK legal, but apparently plans are to introduce it as its own class in France.

monaco carbon kart

Photo – Will Dendy

monaco carbon kart 1

Photo – Will Dendy

monaco carbon kart 2

Photo – Will Dendy

CRG Spa entering Rotax Euro Challenge – the ramifications



By Karting1 ~ May 20th, 2013. Filed under: Kart Racing News.

You have to wonder how happy Rotax will be to see CRG Spa enter a factory team into the Castelletto round of the Rotax Euro Challenge. Rotax is often seen as a the ‘Olympics of karting’. The spirit of amateurs and semi-professionals competing with each other on a level playing field rather than big professional outfits.

rotax

You would think that the world’s leading driver right now – Max Verstappen – entry into the race would be plastered all of the Rotax Facebook page or their website. But alas not a word anywhere. Only a delve into the entry list do you find their names. This really should be huge news. If Lewis Hamilton with the support of Mercerdes decided they were going to do a bit of Formula Ford, you can imagine the news would be plastered everywhere.

Rotax bill racing within the Rotax MAX Challenge as “the world‘s biggest, most international and fairest racing series…on a club, regional, national and international level” (Rotax Brochure). It is questionable how fair it is for an amateur going racing against a full factory outfit who have all the facilities you could hope for at their disposal. It isn’t quite the ‘Olympic Spirit’.

The Rotax kart division are faced with quite a challenging time at the moment. As well as a tricky economy, the controversial Bain Capital (who have a controlling 50% stake in BRP – Rotax’s parent company) are preparing an IPO. It is reported that this is to pay off debts incurred when the company was created to pay dividends. This movement suggests, and as reported, that Bain are looking for selling their stake in the business. Something which potentially has massive ramifications for karting worldwide. BRP got rid of the sports boat division last year in a bid to concentrate on parts of the business with ‘greater growth potential’. With the current state of world karting, you are left scratching your head thinking “where’s that growth potential in karting?”

It is understood the strategy of Rotax is to focus on the hobby karter, the first time buyer. The idea that fully-fledged professional outfits are racing within their series might not be something that fits within that marketing framework at a time when the karting division may well be under large scrutiny from shareholders.

For CRG, the move to race within the Rotax program represents the final nail in the coffin for the failed KF project. Make no bones about it – KF was designed to go right up against Rotax and beat it at its own game, and predictably it failed on all counts. CRG have always had a close relationship with Rotax so this move shouldn’t be too surprising. The only surprise is Rotax not mentioning it in any of their literature, but neither are CRG.

One can only speculate that CRG want to increase their presence within the Rotax scene to sell more karts. OTK, despite having no real relationship with Rotax, enjoy very large success selling chassis for the class, particularly in the UK. This must frustrate their Italian rivals whose well documented support has not been rewarded with a dominant market position.

Entering this race is not totally risk free for CRG, and from a marketing perspective it could be lose-lose. If they win and dominate it’s ‘because they are factory outfit’  and if they lose (which is unlikely) it’s because ‘the kart isn’t good enough’. How they get the kart to shine first and foremost should be their greatest point of interest. We all know their drivers could win on pretty much any chassis.

For the CIK, if CRG feel that KF is not a place where it has to be racing to sell karts and get noticed, then KF’s existence is becoming of little relevance other than a ’stepping stone’ to other things. While it is true other manufacturers have supported Rotax racing with teams and so on, nothing has quite matched entering a full factory effort. Max Verstappen, Jordan Lennox-Lamb and Felice Tiene team are all entered. CRG want to win! It’s a wake up call for the CIK, if they really need another one with regard to KF.

With the economy as it is it should be no surprise we are seeing thse shifting marketing strategies as companies try to figure out how to best move forward their businesses. This move from CRG certainly has large implications for everyone!

Alan Dove

CIK European Championship KZ LIVE Broadcast



By Karting1 ~ May 19th, 2013. Filed under: Kart Racing News.

Follow all of today’s karting action from Wackersdorf via the stream below

Streaming Live by Ustream

Latest images from Wackersdorf, CIK European KZ by Manuela Nicoletti



By Karting1 ~ May 18th, 2013. Filed under: Kart Racing News.

Latest pictures from Round 1 of the European KZ and KZ2 Championships in Wackersdorf, Germany. All provided by the fantastic Manuela Nicoletti

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