I'm back...
here's my take on 'what can we do to keep the cost down to bring more people in but still keep it competitive ? '
To drive the cost down why not outlaw the mystique of SP prepared engines by publishing a list of parts that enhance the performance of standard engines. Have the list approved by our sport's Chief Scrutineer and have the National list of approved scrutineers made available and approachable so new blood can enter the profession. Actively encourage new scrutineers to enter the sport.
(on a side note- when I attended WL to use my N.I.C.E. equipment I was met with a blinkered approach by the MSA scruts who refused to work with me, saying if they did they would be thrown out of the MSA. It was laughable as I could have helped them move into the modern era of non invasive scrutineering. When they did scrut engines later that day they managed to get a vernier stuck in an engine and I got the 'credit, via rumours, for that, even tho' I was nowhere near the scrut' bay after packing up my kit early morning).
Carrying on the theme of levelling the playing field/etc etc... Publish flowbench results so anyone can see where performance can be gained or lost on heads/carbs/exhausts.
Publish a 'how to' guide on DIY SP engine prep.
Have all guides and practises sanctioned by the sport's Chief Scrut and allow anyone with a technical bent to produce an SP type engine.
Obviously this will kill the high price of SP engines but that is to answer the original question.
To answer the second point of 'bringing more people in'I think it is also a case of keeping people within prokarting rather than losing them each year. At present people enter prokarting thinking they can stand a chance of moving steadily up the grid as they learn how to race. This illusion is found to be just that after a short time and the convertee becomes a 'lost cause' once they realise the front half of the grid are all using SP engines and the silly money that the purchase of SP engines demand.
For nearly 14 years I have been asked, by potential customers of my DIY engine prep guides, what do company *** or company *** do to their engines when I pay them big bucks?
As long as there are no alternatives to SP engines the sport of prokarting will shrink. Eventually the sport will die and the suppliers of SP products will move on.
Karting will be a poorer place for the demise of prokarting but who cares?
Grass roots karting will adopt another engine and so the cycle will be perpetuated yet again.
We have a chance to keep prokarting for a while yet if we act on the evidence: # prokarters resent rebuild costs after conventional scrutineering ans: introduce Non Invasive Checks
# prokarters are lost due to high costs of having to buy SP engines ans: publish what is done and how it can be done
# prokart scrutineering is stuck in the past under MSA constraints ans: allow non MSA N.I.C.E. scrutineering and encourage training
-and on answering a last point of 'keeping it competitive...' Imagine how competitive a full grid would be if more people had the know how and opportunity to prepare a winning engine!
Brian P.
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