Both Formula Blue and TKM are unsealed, though both have strict regulations about what you can do with the engines (ie: nothing except replace parts, no machining allowed).
Both have similar running times, nominally 20 hours between services but in practice a lot less if you are racing competitively.(EG: A Blue would need inspection at 500 kms, say 6.25 hours on a track where you average 50mph, such as Clay or Whilton, for a top overhaul, 2000 kms for the bottom: )
Both seem to have similar running costs. You need to budget for entry fees(practice and racing), scheduled maintenance (bearings, brakes, chains and sprockets, engine items) and unscheduled items (breakages, damage and 'OOOpes') (An Oops might be a wheel coming loose, the chatter on the studs will elongate the holes, make the wheel unusable / unsafe).
Regardless of what various people say, racing IKR and MSA are both similarly expensive from the kart's point of view. AS IKR racing (as against IKR 'fun') becomes more popular, you will see more regulations appear because people will want to race on a level playing field, not against special monsters turned out of someone's workshop. (the Christadolou modifications to a Rotax, for example, were described as costing "F1 types of money" though some of that may have been making them difficult to detect) Loosely compliant equipment works providing no-one is worried about winning or, more particularly, you aren't worried about winning.
Yes, you can start IKR with an old kart / old engine, with 'plastic' that would be illegal in MSA racing, but as soon as one has an incident one is either looking for difficult-to-source old plastic or upgrading to 'new' and available.
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