I know there's been a lot written about TKM for 2010 since the release of the rule changes, so sorry for starting another thread on this.
Does anyone else get the feeling that the TKM rules might help increase numbers of those racing TKM at club level, but do the opposite at a higher level?
I can’t help but think, whilst the introduction of relaxed chassis laws might coax some entry-level participants to the class at club level, it has over-complicated a great class that was simple and a relatively cost-effective form of karting.
Previously, there have only really been two chassis to choose from Tonykart and JKH. And whilst relaxing the laws on older karts seems good in theory, think about the upgrades / modifications you would have to make to the kart to make it race legal. Is it really cheaper than going out and buying a second hand Tonykart or JKH? My thoughts are, if someone can’t afford to do that, it’s highly unlikely they’re going to be on the pace at a club meeting, let alone competing at a high level on a 10 year old kart.
My perception of the drop in TKM numbers over the years purely boils down to TKM being unfashionable. Too many of the youngsters want to be in a nicer looking kart stickier tyres which has quicker lap times, and that isn’t 20 year old technology. And when I look around the paddock, I think there’s a lot of father’s who are stuck in the same mind-set. It seems like a competition to have the biggest Motor-home, the nicest helmet, the biggest number of spare engines in the back of the van. From 12 years ago, when I started, Karting has developed into serious show and that’s what has killed TKM, its ‘cheap’ label.
Opening up to CIK chassis and older chassis won’t mean that TKM is suddenly more attractive to the serious guys in the paddockbecause they can have a nicer kart, I think it could have the opposite effect. It could be seen as an entry level class, that anyone can compete in, with any old kart and I’m worried that some people in the paddock might not want to be associated with that.
I’m worried TKM have done what they think is best trying to attract new participants to the class without much thought for the guys who compete in TKM for the right reasons: It’s a cheap (well, relatively) form of motorsport which isn’t over-complicated and is well contested. I hope I’m wrong, because if the class dies, I can’t afford to do anything else.
But when you take the new rules into consideration, there are so many variables to try. For example, a 50mm Axle assembly for Tonykart inc. VAT is just a shade under £550 if you wanted to test that route and I dread to think what a CIK chassis would cost if they prove to be any quicker? My point is, is that there’s all these questions floating about and its upto the guys who were already doing the class for the right reasons and probably would have carried on doing it anyway to spend money figuring out the answers. I’m fairly annoyed at that because it goes against everything that TKM stands for (or has done previously) and I’ll be surpised if we see a lot of the front-running faces in TKM next year and looking at the amount of TKM equipment all of a sudden being sold on in the market place, it looks as though its happening already.
For the record, I hope I’m totally wrong...
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