UK Karting - Notice Board (2-Stroke Karting) : Re: How long should races be?

Notice Board (2-Stroke Karting)

Re: How long should races be?
Posted by 'SimonS' on 02 Jan 2011 @ 12:01

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SimonSJoined: December 2004
Total Posts: 4
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There is a constant refrain running under the thread though, a few people who insist that there are too many classes.

Which, by and large, is not strictly true.

When I started, and Dunkeswell was my local track, there were 7 classes racing, and when I went there not so long ago there were 9 classes racing.

The big difference is that we had 200 plus drivers 20 years ago and around 100 drivers today. The time on track was the same, 3 heats and a final. The difference of 2 classes was more than made up by the fact that one had grids of 65 in one class in 'the old days'.

Mind you, the track then was full, not only on Saturday but also the midmonth practice Saturday as well.

As part of my research into the Kart Green Paper (and you are all going to put in your considered suggestions before the 17 Jan, aren't you?) I asked why people did not take up karting. The overwhelming answer was that they had other things to do. When they went karting, they wanted to go, get in a suit, drive about for 2 hours and go home, all for a set price.

They did not want to faff about assembling a kart, fiddling with the engine, spend Ł300 to Ł400 and a whole day just to do 40 minutes at most on the track. And yes, there was a certain resentment of those drivers who had acquired racecraft, because that was 'cheating', if you wanted to spend that amount of time on track then race with other people who did the same thing, not win every Saturday League meeting.

Blaming the decrease in the number of drivers on the number of classes or the amount of practice avoids the problem that MSA racing has become an elite sport, harking back to the times when, if you wanted to go karting, you more or less had to own your kart. Now, if you want to go karting, you hire the gear.

Of course, there is a second problem. Karts have got much faster and much more reliable. When I started it was common to start with 24 on the grid but only 10 or 12 would finish thanks to mechanical failure. Even the top drivers were likely to seize one engine a meeting or throw a chain. However I did not have a single mechanical in the whole of last year and only threw one chain and that because it broke when I ran over someone else's kart.

The thing is, ordinary drivers are now putting in the laptimes that were only produced by the really talented drivers, racing harder and closer than ever before, and the need to practice a lot to maintain that edge safely means that the 'drive once a month and no practice days' is going to spend their time being largely uncompetitive and a back marker risk unless they are very talented or have 'previous'. They are going to have more fun in Hire and Drive, so that's what they do.

The main problem with the 'too many classes' answer is that whatever you get rid of, you are likely to lose more drivers in the process. Why would I spend an additional Ł3 to 5k to get rid of my current engines and buy a different class, effectively just to race with the five other people of my (average) level whom I currently drive against ?

Its no good saying used TKM's are cheap, they are only cheap because no-one wants them but if another 200 drivers whose class has been cancelled start buying them, the price will go up as the supply dries up.

You can even argue that the modern engines have driven up costs. In the days when one raced air-cooled at the edge of destruction, traders saw a large amount of work in supplying spares and engine work. Now they want / need to make the same amount of money from a smalled number of clients and greatly reduced sales. I think it is fair to say that JAG's decision to supply tyres is directly responsible for the introduction of a new class, so that another trader can stay in the business.

The matter is more complex than just 'too many classes'. The danger is that the decision might just be taken on the basis of the noise about killing classes without looking at the consequences.

Message Thread:

How long should races be? by 'QuickOldTimer' (30 Dec 2010 @ 22:36)

Re: How long should races be? by 'rushy121' (30 Dec 2010 @ 23:21)

Re: How long should races be? by 'QuickOldTimer' (30 Dec 2010 @ 23:25)

Re: How long should races be? by 'Adstomko' (31 Dec 2010 @ 12:40)

Re: How long should races be? by 'JohnM' (31 Dec 2010 @ 10:52)

Re: How long should races be? by 'Adstomko' (31 Dec 2010 @ 12:38)

Re: How long should races be? by 'Adstomko' (31 Dec 2010 @ 12:51)

Re: How long should races be? by 'Aquila' (31 Dec 2010 @ 13:08)

Re: How long should races be? by 'Adstomko' (31 Dec 2010 @ 13:19)

adstomko by 'Aquila' (31 Dec 2010 @ 13:38)

Re: adstomko by 'Adstomko' (31 Dec 2010 @ 13:59)

Re: adstomko by 'JonOllier' (31 Dec 2010 @ 14:25)

Re: adstomko by 'Adstomko' (31 Dec 2010 @ 14:39)

Re: adstomko by 'Aquila' (31 Dec 2010 @ 15:28)

Re: adstomko by 'Aquila' (31 Dec 2010 @ 16:05)

Re: adstomko by 'Adstomko' (01 Jan 2011 @ 10:51)

Re: adstomko by 'JonOllier' (02 Jan 2011 @ 11:40)

Re: How long should races be? by 'Newshound' (31 Dec 2010 @ 13:15)

Re: How long should races be? by 'QuickOldTimer' (31 Dec 2010 @ 15:09)

Re: How long should races be? by 'faster' (31 Dec 2010 @ 16:12)

Re: How long should races be? by 'buzzinrussell' (31 Dec 2010 @ 16:25)

Re: How long should races be? by 'michaelg36' (31 Dec 2010 @ 17:03)

Re: How long should races be? by 'faster' (31 Dec 2010 @ 17:25)

Re: How long should races be? by 'michaelg36' (31 Dec 2010 @ 17:33)

Don't forget Costs etc by 'PhilipSharrocks' (01 Jan 2011 @ 11:07)

Re: How long should races be? by 'stemorton46' (31 Dec 2010 @ 17:35)

Re: How long should races be? by 'buzzinrussell' (31 Dec 2010 @ 17:55)

Re: How long should races be? by 'michaelg36' (31 Dec 2010 @ 18:14)

Re: How long should races be? by 'glittttt' (31 Dec 2010 @ 17:56)

Re: How long should races be? by 'NealC' (31 Dec 2010 @ 18:31)

Re: How long should races be? by 'faster' (31 Dec 2010 @ 18:47)

Re: How long should races be?- faster by 'tonykart96' (31 Dec 2010 @ 18:57)

i agree with neal by 'Aquila' (31 Dec 2010 @ 19:35)

More practice by 'QuickOldTimer' (31 Dec 2010 @ 20:45)

Re: More practice by 'QuickOldTimer' (31 Dec 2010 @ 20:49)

Re: More practice by 'Adstomko' (01 Jan 2011 @ 11:11)

Re: How long should races be? by 'keats25' (01 Jan 2011 @ 13:33)

Re: How long should races be? by 'Aquila' (01 Jan 2011 @ 15:17)

Re: I quite like the idea you know... by 'Chris34' (01 Jan 2011 @ 19:46)

Re: I quite like the idea you know... by 'Aquila' (01 Jan 2011 @ 19:59)

Re: I quite like the idea you know... by 'stemorton46' (01 Jan 2011 @ 20:03)

Re: I quite like the idea you know... by 'Chris34' (01 Jan 2011 @ 20:29)

Re: I quite like the idea you know... by 'huxley' (01 Jan 2011 @ 21:24)

Re: I quite like the idea you know... by 'Aquila' (01 Jan 2011 @ 22:21)

Re: I quite like the idea you know... by 'keats25' (02 Jan 2011 @ 1:59)

Re: I quite like the idea you know... by 'Aquila' (02 Jan 2011 @ 2:14)

Re: How long should races be? by 'SimonS' << You are here!

Re: How long should races be? by 'Aquila' (02 Jan 2011 @ 14:23)

Re: How long should races be? by 'stemorton46' (02 Jan 2011 @ 14:28)

Re: How long should races be? by 'Aquila' (02 Jan 2011 @ 15:20)

Re: How long should races be? by 'SimonS' (03 Jan 2011 @ 12:13)

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