Home Multimedia

News Tech Articles
Forum CD Order
Contact Sponsors
    Red River NTK        
 
  With the advent of cleaner emission requirements trickling down to everything from cars, trucks, bulldozers, off road vehicles, even Bar-B-Que grills, it is only a matter of time before karting will clean up 2 stroke emissions also.

We introduced the specs on one product coming, the amazing Biland 250.

Coming from the innovative factory of italsis, is the new water cooled wankel design rotary power plant the XR-8.

If you are not familiar with the innards of a wankel design, Click Here. Then click below "Start your Engines"

Basically it consists of a triangular rotor or "piston" that is mounted on a crankshaft inside an "epi-trochiodal" cylinder.  The rotor is geared to turn 2 revolutions for every 3 revolutions of the crankshaft (or two firings per crankshaft rotation).  That translates to measuring the cubic capacity as the volume of two of the three piston lobe swept volumes.

Wankle power borrows a little from 2 strokes in exhaust pipe, porting, and squish design development.  It also borrows somewhat from a 4 stroke in having a sealed wet lubrication system, and distinctly separate cycles for intake and exhaust.  It does however suffer from the much greater surface area to quench the combustion flame and the required materials technologies for side/apex seals (the equivalent of piston rings).  It results in less efficiency then a 4 stroke, despite the rotary (or better put; wobbly) nature.

 
  Italsistem Rocket Rear View

Note the integral cast mount, and routing of fuel lines.  Could they be borrowing on the Mazda technique of lubricating the Apex seals with coolant?

Lower profile will also mean lower center of gravity.

Also, the exhaust is still very simple.  Much more to be gained here.....
     
  Italsistem Rocket Top View

Outboard drive enables mounting this motor on chassis designed for 2 cycles as well as 4 cycles.  Starter looks like it may be vulnerable to side impact.
  It is reported to be intended as a 100cc replacement motor, and has not yet been submitted to CIK for approval.  Details are sketchy, but reported specs are as follows:

Price range: $3000-3300 US, ready to bolt on (Carb, Clutch, Pipe, Silencer)

Power: 27-30HP range stock

It is not intended to be a sealed motor, but will definitely have rigid specs, including clutch engagement, and pipe design.

 
  The first exhibition competition race with these power plants were held at the Monaco Kart Cup race October 15, featuring celebrities like Alex Zanardi, and Clay Regazzoni.  The following is a tranlastion of the report from Italian:

Zanardi is appeared in great shape, in feet on its "new" legs, as soon as supported from two prosthetics; to the way of the contest, which they have participated, between the others, also Peter Runggaldier, Andrea Piccini, Ezio Pianola and Jos Verstappen, have unfortunately had of the problems to the motor, than they have forced it to the endured withdrawal after the way. The Victoria has gone to the pilot of Formula 3000 George Marsh. To the box, like "tourists", there were also the pilot of Formula 1 (temporary "without flying" Heinz-Harald Frentzen, the mythical Dottor Costa and Clay Ragazzoni. As far as the contests of the motors to two times, sure more moving, the Intercontinental category To Junior has been dominated from the number 80 Alexander Sims, while the better time on the turn has been of Jean-Karl Vernay (48' ' 926). The 25 turns of the end of Formula To have exalted for the combattività demonstrated from the contenders Cesar Balistreri and Benjamin Horstmann, than is alternates you to the head of the contest for various times, always completing surpasses spectacular; to the goal it has had better the Italian than Australian origin Horstmann, that it has made to record also the better time on turn (46' ' 781). To the third party place Bravo Jèrôme D' Ambrosio.
 

Photo of Zanardi and his mount.

With contributions courtesy of Lawrence Cunial, italsistem, and Monte-Carlo-online