Symon,
Hi - James' Dad here.
Maybe your right - maybe it has gone too far. I can't match your 32 years (5 at best) but towards the end of our time in the sport things got a lot worse. And maybe all that will be left are those that cheat regardless of the consequences, those with enough money and those who genuinely love the sport and hope they are competing on a level playing field and live in the hope that talent will shine through. Which I think it can/does so don't necessaily agree with the pessimism but accept that things do need to change.
To be honest I knew nothing about slipping clutches until last summer when another Dad coming out the cafe in Sosnova said to me 'I bet they are getting the grease ready for next weekend' - a reference to Kartmasters. Which if you ask anyone who was there, was the biggest example of slipping clutches there's probably ever been. They even introduced the bar test on the Sunday EVEN THOUGH it was inadmissiable at for Rotax!
I remember vividly 2 years ago standing on the bank at PF and another Dad told me someone was selling clutch springs that were of a specific 'hardness' (not sure if that's the right technical term!) that gave a particular driver a distinct and undetectable advantage.
The point is we've come across lots of cheating in just 5 years and although it's not THE reason we left the sport this year, it was definitely one of our considerations.
I hope an answer to 99% of cheating can be found just like I hope those that deliberately take offensive action at race starts can also be eliminated.
For what it's worth, I think having the loggers are better than not having them or saying 'go on - grease as much as you like.'
In my view never has the saying 'if you can't beat them then join them' been untrue of karting - at least for us, you and the vast majority of those taking part.
I'm just as much a fan as I was when James raced but don't miss it one iota.
good luck for the remainder of the season.
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