The Best Kart Engine You’ve Never Heard Of – Iame Parilla Sudam 125cc Tested!
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To be perfectly frank, before we got our hands on a Sudam from IAME we knew we’d absolutely love it. If you don’t live in South America the chances are you have no idea what the hell a Sudam is. The truth is that you really should know about it because it’s simply one of the finest kart engines still in production and raced today. It’s karting’s best kept secret. It has this mythical nature about it. There are even stories about them being tuned to produce over 50hp, which is just mental!
IAME Parilla Sudam – We always knew we’d love it!
So what’s the deal with this Sudam? Well, it’s a 125cc 2-stroke direct drive engine created for the South American market with no fancy gimmicks on it, hitting out something like 38+hp stock. It’s basically an ICA with an extra 25cc. It’s not just IAME who build engines for the class either. If you delve deep enough you’ll find the class in the CIK Technical Regulations and other manufacturers have their own versions. The aim is to keep costs to a minimum.
Thanks to IAME and John Mills Racing we rocked up to PFi Kart Circuit with a brand spanking new IAME Sudam ready to rock’n'roll. The engine looks pretty much exactly like the IAME X30 or the Reedjet that won the 2005 World Karting Championship with Oli Oakes & PDB. It’s pretty and simple. The very latest generation of Sudam engines are water-cooled. Other than that there’s not much to describe. It has a piston, conrod, some other internal stuff and that’s that. It’s a simple engine, no fuss. Think the Parilla X30 without the ‘TaGness’.
She’s a very pretty engine
It’s often the case that the latest generation of kart engines will lure you in with their fancy clutches, starter motors and rev limiter systems. Certainly their mass-market appeal can not be argued against. Sometimes you really can’t be bothered to bump start, but then something like the Sudam turns up and smacks you square in the face. It’s now become a cliché to get all romantic about these style of engines, but really you should have an engine like the Sudam in your life. Really, you should!
There’s something about direct-drive engines that makes your fingers tingle when you drive them. As I write this I can still feel the sensation of driving the ultra-responsive & light Sudam kart in my hands. This is the real deal. This is what every driver, even if it’s just once, should feel in their life. It’s not nerves or even excitement, it’s something that gets to the core of your very being. It’s perfect balance.
There is nothing better in the world than experiencing a perfect driving machine
When a kart is right, it’s beyond description. Everything feels right. Bottom-end power – right. Mid-range power – right. Top-end power – right. You plug yourself in and drive.
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