UK Karting - Notice Board (Combined Forum) : Re: Tony Kart

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Re: Tony Kart
Posted by 'richydehav' on 11 Dec 2008 @ 22:45

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richydehavJoined: August 2006
Total Posts: 180
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Andy, there is no simple answer to "should we stay in cadets or move to minimax".
Cadets is a great place to learn your race craft and generally the longer you can race there, the better. 2009 will be James' third season in cadets (and karting)but has to be his last year as he will be 13 in May 2009. We still have about 4kg of lead on for a dry set-up so weight is not a major issue.
You mention that your lad has had 6 races so I would guess that he does not have a lot of experience and more time in cadets would seem sensible. At 11 years old, you say he is 46kg in his race outfit so weight could become an issue but he probably has a lot of speed to gain from experience (based on only 6 races so far).
Apart from the weight issue you have to consider height and overall strength when considering moving up to minimax. The karts are bigger and heavier and it may be too soon to consider moving up - only you can judge this.
If I use my son,James, as an example - he weighs about 38kg, will be 13 in May but is only around 4` 9" so we have no issue about another year in cadets. Our normal race weight in the dry is between 101kg and 102kg just to be on the safe side as scales at tracks can vary even over a race weekend. Now, if your lad is a similar height but 9kg heavier then you may need to look at his diet. On the other hand, if he is 5`6" then his height/weight might be fine but you would start to have problems fitting him into a cadet kart. Either he would be in a very bunched-up driving position or you have had to move the seat right back with possible adverse impact on the handling of the kart.
The next consideration is his strength - could he handle a bigger/heavier/more powerful kart?
At the moment your race weight of 102kg should not be a problem and with lightweight components you can compensate for a while for any weight increases (at a cost). I have seen other tactics for reducing weight such as drilling holes in the rear number plate and seat stays etc.
Hope this gives you some help - remember that once you race in minimax, you can not go back to cadets but you can practice as much as you like. Take your time to consider what seems right for your lad - at the moment i would not have thought the weight issue was a serious problem.

Message Thread:

Cadet weight by 'AndySkingley' (09 Dec 2008 @ 10:21)

Re: Cadet weight by 'k44tng' (09 Dec 2008 @ 17:27)

Re: Cadet weight by 'Hi99' (09 Dec 2008 @ 17:34)

Re: Cadet weight by 'JDsRs' (09 Dec 2008 @ 20:24)

Re: Cadet weight saving by 'Cadet49Dad' (09 Dec 2008 @ 21:14)

Re: Tony Kart by 'jakes93DAD' (09 Dec 2008 @ 22:43)

Re: Tony Kart by 'AndySkingley' (10 Dec 2008 @ 18:48)

Re: Tony Kart by 'gez65' (10 Dec 2008 @ 20:21)

Re: Tony Kart by 'richydehav' << You are here!

Re: Cadet weight / Confusion by 'SamsDad' (10 Dec 2008 @ 21:24)

Re: Cadet weight / Confusion by 'Cadet49Dad' (10 Dec 2008 @ 21:52)

Re: Cadet weight / Confusion by 'AndySkingley' (10 Dec 2008 @ 22:40)

Re: Cadet weight / Confusion by 'sparkymann' (11 Dec 2008 @ 8:42)

Re: Cadet weight / Confusion by 'neilw60dad' (11 Dec 2008 @ 8:51)

Re: Zip Storm Weight by 'SteveG98' (11 Dec 2008 @ 13:26)

Re: Zip Storm Weight by 'AndySkingley' (11 Dec 2008 @ 21:20)

Re: Zip Storm Weight by 'richydehav' (14 Dec 2008 @ 16:54)

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