 |
|||
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
2006 - WHAT'S HOT, WHAT'S NOT |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Every year about this time as the season winds down karters begin to ponder the racing plans for NEXT year. Everything about karting is high speed evolution. Those who have been around know the history lessons. Even the seasoned veterans of the sport have a tough time predicting for the next year - what's hot, what's not. If you find yourself asking what to plan on next year, this article is for you.
Karting is a complex formula of classes, racing levels, and costs. Two very simple wise old sayings beckon simple truths;
Everything, everything, everything else about this karting paradigm is relative to those two truths. The faster the class you choose the more it will cost you. The more a product wins, the more it will be in demand. Winning isn't just measured in lap times; It could be the number of entries in a regional series for example. Winning can be defined as just about any success to a goal. Over the last few years racers themselves have undergone an evolution countering the the path of competition events;
The first thing to consider is what your realistic racing budget will be in 2006. It's all too easy to want more then you can afford. If you can't afford it, don't plan to spend it. That way you'll be back in 2007. Those who can afford a $50,000+ racing budget know who they are and will likely be running a national series like Stars. Those with less should plan their budget accordingly - and will have a much better time at the track. With budget being the limiting factor, we'll focus on consumable budget ranges and recommended classes/programs to consider. $20,000 + Obviously you're financially prepared for a top racing program such as Stars of Karting. Typical costs reported for a season by several racers we've surveyed include practice, training, Regional/Local events (more training), services and parts, but not including initial purchase of kart/motor/trailer - just the consumables;
$10,000 and less No doubt you can do a lot of things with ten grand. Maybe test the waters at one of the big top events if they happen to come close to home, but be prepared to drop extra nickels in the slot if that's what you choose to do. This puts you in the top range of Regional racing budgets. Unfortunately as budgets decline, the selection of classes become far more complex. Choosing between speed, entry counts, series often gets a bit polluted. Whether you choose long track or short track the costs are about the same overall. In cases where race events are a double format, you have to make decisions like two sets of tires or one? Based on a typical 6 event series, this is about what you can plan on spending on operating costs;
These costs include a fixed expense of $720 for travel, entry/passes for 2, food, hotel and tires. Your actual cost can vary, but it gives an accurate overall difference in the operating and budget costs. The big difference is the cost of the equipment for each class. Given a typical breakdown on the current market for chassis/motor/spares (not stands, safety equipment etc). New prices are new including any necessary blueprinting along with typical spares cost new. Used prices are typical 1-4 year old competitive and well maintained/updated packages with fresh motors and usable spares in new or excellent condition. Includes typical Mychron and 1 set of mounted rain tires.
The complexity of Regional racing takes another turn looking at the trends of the Regional Market. Some markets have a strong base of TAG's where others have a strong base of Rotax. The same rule can apply to just about any group of classes. What's hot in 2005 may not be in 2006. 80cc Shifter is practically dead. Yamaha classes are on their way out. TAG is in turmoil as the motors become more difficult to balance. ICC and 125 Moto can't seem to work out compromises where they both are equal in competition ability. The only classes that seem to be without the usual conflicts are 125 Stock Shifter and the Rotax classes. 125 Stock Shifter While not a new class, this class is growing at a pretty fast rate. Following the typical pattern of rising classes, 125 Stock Shifter is beginning to ramp up and is very well positioned be the largest shifter class within two years. It will likely be larger then the current TAG Sr class within two years. Unlike TAG the growth will come from the racers self-perpetuated interest rather then the retailers. Kart supply retailers end up forfeiting the sales revenue on motors for this class and as such won't support it. On the other hand, 125 Stock Shifter offers the most performance for the money of any class and has the lowest operating cost of all the classes included. The biggest detractor to 125 Stock Shifter is the initial cost of a new package - at about $8,300 complete. Delete the Mychron, rains, the spare cylinder/top end, and half the gears included in that price, and the price is below $7,000. Start with a quality used chassis and new motor package, and the price is down to under $5,000. That makes the 125 Stock Shifter very attractive, probably the best bargain in all of motorsport. Karting trends always begin in Southern California and sweep eastward. Average entry counts for 125 Stock Shifters in the SoCal Regional Prokart series were over 20 per race, with a high count of 30. Those who are waiting for this class to build through 2006 will be missing the boat.... Rotax Since 2004 the Rotax Max Challenge (RMC) series began to step away from the usual format of running combined with other Regional series. The more fragmentation among the various series, the better the RMC series becomes. For 2006 that are some very exciting plans in the works for an exceptional and cost effective regional series. Nothing official has been released, however this is the shape that is beginning to take place. There will be an East and West National with a possible run-off between them. In any event the total travel to compete for a US RMC championship will be lower then ever before reducing competition costs. Regional level RMC events will be hosted at more of a local venue such as part of a club racing series. Points from results at ALL races will count towards the National Championship. While no plan could ever be perfect to all karters, this new concept offers the best compromise that every karter has asked for. With gas prices up and travel costs down, a racer could easily be crowned a National Champion on a budget of under $3,500. Along the way racers will still have at least 6 races with double digit entries in their class. Not all races would be at one track - there may be one or two events shared by multiple RMC series with double, even triple the Kart counts. Wile Rotax has a strong following at the middle levels, (Jr., International, Masters) the Minimax and RM1 fields have been a bit sparse. Minimax is open for growth as several Kid Karters are getting ready to graduate. The RM1 has a new opportunity for growth as well. RM1 The introduction of the RM1 met with some resistance in the market. Coming out at the same time ICC's made their debut, it was priced very close to the more attractive ICC package. While the RM1 was a spec chassis that had some really nice innovative features the chassis was considered a "boat anchor" by many. Parts costs were perceived a bit steep, and brakes had some early problems. A few embraced it, but most weren't interested. For 2006 the RM1 will be open to several new chassis suppliers. The recent announcement of the Birel version stimulated enthusiasm and suddenly there is a rapid growth of interest. It's too early to say if the $8,500 price tag will be a major deterrent, but one thing that separates the RM1 from every other karting package is it's probably the first one to make sense in entertaining financing on. With $3500 down and $5000 carried over 3 years the payments are pretty reasonable, and if you're planning on using it for 3 years, you should have a $4,500 kart to sell when it's paid off - if it's kept up. What's Hot The choices you make will depend on what you can afford, what you want to race, and the trends in your region. If you don't have to ask how much, the answer is simple;
If you find yourself in the second class league of Regional racers;
What's Not Hot While TAG Sr & Masters is still hot, it is beginning to fade a bit. Rotax is still a viable option for the TAG class and offers dual-purpose use with the Rotax class. The Rotax has been a proven winner in the TAG class, including short tracks, Long Tracks, even at the Rock Island Grand Prix. TAG Junior never really got a good footing as the motor packages were never really scrutinized at near the same level as TAG Sr. Rotax Jr is included although not necessarily at a competitive level. TAG Novice had a great start out of the gate although the challenges to keeping the momentum strong is evident. The Parilla Gazelle is probably among the best overall packages, but there have been a few concerns with some other motors offering an advantage such as the Comer. Whether or not the Comer offers an advantage is not the larger of the issues in this class, it's the concerns the parents offer over whether one motor may be advantaged over another. Maybe that's a "politically correct" way of describing the "Go-Kart Dad" syndrome. Never the less, it is a factor which exists and the younger the racer the more likely it becomes a factor. Remember the second sentence in this article; "Everything about karting is high speed evolution." TAG simply seemed to have experienced the evolution at an even faster rate. As a used Package TAG is still hot. In areas lacking Rotax support, TAG is still hot. As far as a new package in the back yard of a strong Rotax region, it's not hot. Yamaha Classes are not hot. Yamaha took several years to rise, and several years to fall. Just a few years back, Formula Y was one of the biggest classes in the sport. Today it's practically vintage only. Even in the Jr1 class Yamaha is fading. Jr1 and Jr Super Sportsman (4 hole can) are still good classes at the local and regional levels in some areas. The supply of good used packages is greater then the demand, generally a sure sign the classes are going the way of Formula Y. 80cc Shifter is probably the coldest class on the block. Coulda/woulda/shoulda really doesn't matter, the class is pretty weak in most areas. There are still a handful of long track racers out there. So what class are you racing next year? Take a close look at the sizes of the classes inyour region and look at the results to count the entries through the season. Unless it's the next rising star like 125 Stock Shifter or RM1, chances are 2/3's of the same competitors will be back next year. Whether the class is growing or shrinking is a question of whether it's hot or not. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||