The ages are not the issue; nor really is the power of the engines. It's pretty much all to do with weight and the vast difference in size of 10-16 year olds, coupled with the increase in kart weights.
15 years ago, when the basic class structure was Comer, JTKM/JICA, STKM/ICA/FA this wasn't so much of a problem. Kart weights were much lower and the jump from one class to the next was much more managable. For example, the STKM weight was 140kg, just 5kg more than the minimax weight now.
When you've got a kid that is overweight in Cadets who then has to be shoehorned into a full-size chassis with high grip, 16hp as opposed to 6hp, an increase of 36kg total weight, having to use 6inch bolts to mount a seat, fitting expensive pedal extensions, modifying brake and throttle linkages etc, you know something is not right. Especially when the obvious solution, as raced throughout Europe and the US, already exists (Micromax).
|
|