ABkC News October 2001 The
ABkC Steering Group had a long and tiring meeting
discussing changes for the 2002 Kart Race Yearbook –
the “Gold Book” – and allocating the 2002
ABkC O Plate meetings. A summary of changes appears
below. The Steering Group received an update on the
Kart Control Board plans, where there were mixed views on
the likely effect on MSA club racing. The
group were concerned about proposed changes to red flag
race stoppage procedures and have written to the MSA
accordingly. The MSA Kart Sporting Committee are
seeking changes including calling a race over when 50% or
more has been run, instead of 75% as at present. The
group felt this could mean races being unnecessarily
short if halted by a red flag. The MSA have no
formal solution to the problem of putting a novice
signature on a licence, if the novice is a junior racing
the day after taking the test and has not yet physically
received a licence. Competition secretaries should
advise such novices to get a signed note from the MSA
Steward in lieu of a signature. 2002
O Plate allocations The 2002
O Plates were allocated as follows: TKM
Classes to Shenington on 30th June on the
basis of timed qualifying, three heats and a long final; Rotax Max
and Rotax Junior UK along with Honda and Comer Cadet to
Clay Pigeon at a date to be decided; Gearbox O
Plates to Three Sisters with Manchester& Buxton
Kart Club for a three year period; Formula
A, ICA, JICA, 100 National and 100 National/165 to
Rowrah. Insurance cover
The MSA
was asked about the terms of insurance cover for
officials and scrutineers, especially if they should
damage a helmet or engine. The MSA confirmed they
are covered from the time they leave home to the time
they return, so long as they go directly to and from the
track. Club insurance cover must be used to cover
items in transit however. A working group has
started an initiative to form a club-led mutual insurance
group, giving cover to drivers and officials/marshals for
a small extra fee on the entry. They now seek kart
club support and a letter is enclosed to clubs explaining
the situation. Honda
A new
type Honda GX-160 engine is reported to be in use. At
the moment it is permitted in the Honda Challenge and the
Honda regs will be modified to fit the changes. InterNations
England
won again at the InterNations, hosted by St Athan Kart
Club at Llandow. The finances of the meeting were
jeopardised by a pull out from the Northern Ireland team
but NIKA have made a generous donation to St Athan.
NI was short of drivers due to a clashing Eire meeting,
and the change in class from JICA to Junior Rotax. The
ABkC have nominated Steve Chapman, Steve Clayton and
David Walsh to agree the way forward from 2002. Braga
The ABkC
supplied free sets of team clothing to the seven British
licensed drivers entered in the CIK European ICA finals
at Braga. Congratulations to Sam Quinlan, the only
one of them to get into the finals. AGM
The ABkC
Annual General Meeting will be held at the Donington Park
Farmhouse Hotel, on Saturday 17th November,
open at 1.30 p.m. for a prompt 2 p.m. start. Refreshments
will be available. The hotel is situated on the
right a little after the paddock entrance to Donington
circuit. Resolutions for discussion should be sent
to the secretary, and nominations for the post of
Chairman and the other officials and elected members of
the Steering Group are invited. Steve Chapman has
indicated he will be standing down as Chairman and we are
sure the AGM will wish to thank him for his eleven
outstanding years at the helm. Summary of Gold Book
changes for 2002
The box
structure table at the beginning will include references
to classes not currently in the book, but which could
possibly be included in future editions. For
instance the new TKM 4-stroke and the Junior and
Senior UK Clubman and Europa Class A are added in
this way. Some way of permitting the new higher CIK
front bumper for direct drive classes will need to be
added somewhere in MSA regulations. Cadet
rear bumper regulations have minor clarifications to
ensure the lower rail is to be secured at all times if
bolted in, and the already published amendment to allow
CIK style front fairings and bumpers is added. A
slight amendment to allow changes of plug caps to the
suppressed type is incorporated. A reference to the
MSA engine measurement techniques is to be added, which
will cover many of the items originally as ABkC rules
published up to the 1999 book. For
classes that use the Bridgestone YEJ wet tyre, it
will be made clear that only the K0 or later type tyre is
permitted. JICA
will come more or less into line with CIK regulations
including the use of the 18mm restrictor. At the
time of writing the CIK have not yet decided what sort of
tyre the Juniors will race with so the slick choice is
not yet finalised. It will continue to be a
Bridgestone, but possibly not the present YEQ nor the YGB
used in ICA. If it is a new tyre, it will only be
available from 1st March 2002. In TKM,
it will be mandatory to have all ten fin rubbers fitted
to the engine head and cylinder, as well as heatproof
webbing wrapped around the flex. This will give a
worthwhile decrease in noise output. There are
other minor alterations. Formula
A Dunlop slicks will change to the new CIK DBS type
and the wets to KT8. As
foretold in this year’s edition, CIK style bodywork
becomes compulsory for the 125 gearbox classes, when in
short circuit trim. The Europa
class owners have put forward for MSA approval their new
Class A, using the Motori MC Bat engine and Topkart
chassis. The current regulations will become their
Class B, using the obsolete Gilera engine. The Rotax
257 in 5-speed form will be permitted in 250 National. In what
will be the last year of 250 International, the
references to CIK have been removed, to be replaced with
standard MSA regulations. Seeded drivers from this
class will use 01 through to 09 to distinguish them from
250 National. The
weight in 250E increases to 210kg with no separate
long or short bodywork differences. The Rotax 257
may be used in this class. The replacement
crankcase manufactured in France by F.P.E. for the 256 is
permitted. A new set
of Junior Gearbox regulations has been drafted for
ABkC clubs and championships, incorporating the
registered Honda CR80 engine. It must be used with
a control exhaust pipe, and the 28mm Kiehin carburettor
as registered with it, whilst the TM will continue to use
the Mikuni 32mm carb. Tuning is restricted with a
maximum head volume of 8c.c. and total exhaust opening of
195 degrees. Slight modifications may be required to
existing TM cylinder heads to comply. It is hoped
the changes will lead to greater numbers in the class.
To alleviate any fears of one of the engines dominating
through 2002, the Super 4 will be permitted to introduce
restrictors to equalise performance. The
gearbox silencer requirements will now allow for
oval shaped mufflers by specifying a minimum
cross-section instead of a diameter. The Honda
Challenge is now incorporated as an ABkC
championship, called the Super Two National Four Stroke
Kart Championships. ABkC will
state that secondary brake cables, which must be
used for all classes from 2002, must be a minimum nominal
diameter of 1.8mm. No more
water cooled registrations for 100 National will
be permitted after the end of 2001. Currently any
newly registered water cooled option must have a thirty
day period, when its pending registration will be
publicised, before it can be used. MSA have
approved the Rotax R-100 DS-E-R in water cooled format as
R-100 DS-F-R/LC and ABkC have accepted it for 100
National, to join the Parilla, Comer and Italsystem.
The situation with the application for the Fox MC20V is
still to be resolved. Transponder
fitment regulations have been amended at the request of
the MSA. From 1.1.2002 the transponder must be on
the left side of the kart, between 290mm and 390mm back
from the line of the front axle (Cadets 240mm to 340mm).
This applies to all karts, so gearbox drivers that hang
their transponder on the seat or rear wing will have to
find an alternative position. It will
be made clear that fire extinguishers must be kept
in the competitors pit area at all times, ending the
practice of everyone taking their fire extinguishers to
drivers briefing, and putting the paddock at risk. Clubs
are asked to amend their Supplementary Regulations if
necessary, so that only one set of slicks per
competitor are permitted during a race meeting. Congratulations
to all new champions and seeded drivers. Thank you
to all the clubs who ran ABkC O Plates and
championships. At the time of writing, the
following results were known (some provisional) Formula
A – Hill House Hammond MSA British Kart Champion:
Chris Rogers ABkC 100
National – No 1 Tom Wilson MSA
British Cadet Champion 1. James Calado, 2. Adam
Christodoulou, 3. Jordan Oakes. O Plate
winners: Junior Gearbox – Frank Wrathall, 125 Open
– Noel Brennan, 250 International – John Riley,
National 125 – Carl Millington, 250 National –
Gavin Bennett, 210 National – Charles Morris,
Formula TKM – Chris Lamare, Formula Junior TKM
– Daryl McDonald, Junior Intermediate – Benjy
Russell, Rotax 125 Max – Dan Hazlewood, Junior Rotax
UK – Tom Atwill. Back to ABkC Site Index | Visit UK Karting |
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