Karting1
Tests Aixro XR50 Wankel Kart Engine, and Oh God - it's AWESOME!!!
We turned up at Lydd on a typical
Lydd day, sub-zero temperatures and gale force winds expecting
to be testing an over-hyped and over-engineered lump. We heard
the rumours that the XR50 Rotary eats ICC karts for breakfast
and bangs out about 48hp, and frankly we doubted it......
but what we encountered was simply a life changing experience.
The Aixro XR50 kart puts you in a whole different universe!
Hit play on the video and enjoy....
When you first see the XR50 the only clue you get to its
neck braking performance is the big fat chain and front brakes
'a la' ICC karts, without the gearbox.
But the engine itself looks like a rather
innocent and humble unit, nicely engineered and clearly put together
with a great deal of care. Not surprising since it's built and designed
by German engineers. Certainly it doesn't look like an engine to
be in awe of, until you drive it!
Here's the video test of this awesome
engine -
Alan Dove is our kart tester here, and
he still hasn't got over his test in the XR50, here's what he had
to say.
"The Aixro XR50 Rotary is
simply the best kart engine I have ever driven. It’s crazy
mental good. Forget about your TKM’s, Rotax Max’s, Bilands,
ICC's or whatever you drive, the Aixro XR50 Wankel Kart engine
has to be the future. It’s awesome, and on a completely new
level of kart driving experience. "
"I got two sessions in the
kart, and they were the best two sessions of karting I have ever
done in my life. I didn’t push it very hard and it was freezing
cold, but I saw the light people…THE LIGHT.
The engine just kept pulling from zero upwards and then some more.
Its just kept on accelerating on and on and that’s why it
needed front brakes. Even though in the second session
the engine wasn’t running as sweet as the first due to the
freezing cold conditions, it still had enough power toblow
me away."
"I just couldn’t believe that an engine of that size
could deliver that much power, and furthermore it was relatively
quiet. I am now struggling to think of why I would drive any other
kart engine. It is just that good. It’s surely as
quick as a Formula A, and I reckon it would compete with an ICC,
and it hasn't even got a gearbox! It's just straight, uninterupted
power."
"When you’re driving,
its like your right foot is connected with the road. The engine
responds immediately to every movement of the accelerator. There’s
no delay in power delivery, and no dip in the power curve. There
is just so much power to play with. You'd have to be highly skilled
to go quick."
"I had a few sessions in
a Biland kart also to warm up, which was kindly donated
by Kai Attwood, who also organised the day... so a big
thanks to Kai!. The Biland felt so slow compared to the Aixro XR50
Rotary Kart Engine. I thought the Biland was
great the first time I drove it for karting1.co.uk, but now
the Biland just seems on a lower par."
" I have never driven a kart
with front brakes so I didn’t really know how hard to push
it. I would be exiting a tight corner thinking - ‘Alan, you’re
the man on the edge’, and as I am exiting the corner I would
find I was only at half throttle. The engine had a whole
lot more grunt there for me. I just couldn’t believe there
was so much more power to come. There was me thinking I
was well quick on the exits, and in fact the engine was hardly breaking
a sweat. I wish I could have this engine for longer to realise its
full, or more realistically, near-full potential."
"The kart itself handled
OK..And to be quite honest, I didn't really have
time to think about the handling. What I did get from the handling
regarding the engine is that the engine is pretty light (17kg) and
more like a 2-stroke kart engine, rather than a 4-stroke. But we
weren't testing the kart, we just wanted to put our foot down and
go!"
You can really tell thatsomeone who understands real karting built this engine.
And it’s designer Paul A. Woelfle from
Nova Racing – was there at the circuit with us. This is
the man behind the karting careers of H-H Frentzen,
and Nick Heidfield. He knows his stuff, and it
was fun to hear his karting stories about Senna, Schumacher
etc… He has been there, and he is still doing it!
Paul A. Woelfle is a kart engine genius,
put simply!He has created something that is on
par with Einstein discovering the ‘Theory of Relativity’.
Paul A. Woelfle, and
his Aixro XR50 Wankel kart engine encompass what karting is about
for me – passion with balls!
With the CIK wanting to introduce
4/ stroke engines in the ‘not so far off’ future, I
think karters should really consider the benefits of kart engines
like the Aixro XR50. The emissions are extremely low, they’re
very quiet, and unlike a normal 4-stroke engine the Aixro
XR50 is designed to take the heavy loads of braking in a kart.
I would be happy to see this breed
of Wankel kart engine take over after 2-stroke kart engines are
gone. That’s how excitedI am about this
engine.
What more can I say– the
engine produces around 48hp, has rebuild intervals of a standard
4-sroke kart engine (once in a blue moon), and stupidly quick with
a perfect power band. It’s just so much fun to experience.
The Aixro XR50 Wankel Kart Engine is truly out
of this world, and one of the finest kart engines ever made!
And if you want confidence
in your product, each engine is bench tested before it's sent to
you!
The future is bright, the future is
Wankel!
18/03/06
NEW
- McLaren SLR Kart Tested at Paul Ricard
Visit the website of the Aixro
XR50 Rotary (Wankel) Kart Engine to get all the technical
info and pricing up-dates. Currently the motor goes for
around £2800 which seems steep, until you drive the damn
thing!!
NEW
- McLaren SLR Kart Tested at Paul Ricard