UK Karting - Notice Board (2-Stroke Karting) : Re: open TaG

Notice Board (2-Stroke Karting)

Re: open TaG
Posted by 'SimonS' on 26 Dec 2014 @ 12:33

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SimonSJoined: December 2004
Total Posts: 4
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There are problems with 'Open Class' or Libre whichever you want to call it, and they all boil down in the end to commercialism.

First, lets look at the problem of weight handicapping. The aim is to produce karts that are of similar performance regardless of the weight of the driver.

Weight handicapping does this by picking an overall weight for the class and requiring ballast to be added for all the underweight drivers.

The range of all possible drivers in any Senior class is about 50kg, from the smaller framed (Remember Danny Perdosa from MotoGP only weighs about 56kg) through to the larger driver (I think ComfortablyNumb posting here recently admitted to 106kg).

So any selection either leaves a significant number of drivers with an impossible weight handicap (30kg is possibly 3 seconds a lap slower by some estimates?) or means that a light driver is carrying near to their own bodyweight in ballast.

The heavy driver becomes a positive liability in standing starts, there is no way to alter the laws of physics that state that a light body will accelerate faster than a heavy body. In accidents, a heavily ballasted undrivered kart at , say 120kg has a lot more potential for damage than a kart of 80kg. (Let alone the problems faced by the ground crew in moving heavily ballasted karts in the pits / parc Ferme.)

The classic response has been classes aimed at narrow target populations, with those who don't fit those narrow criteria either racing at a disadvanatge or expected to race in other classes. (Why the 250's perhaps have been dominated by older drivers, historically?)

Apart from the other problem that lead is a hazardous material and the proliferation of lead would mean that official attention is forced to deal, expensively, with that problem.

So the obvious solution lies in moderating power output. Various engines already use performance moderators, notably Blue and TKM, which match the driver weight to particular power curves.

(Within this thread, this means that tuning is less important, because the power modifier means the engine is being operated at less than possible efficiency)

The problem with mixed classes under the performance modifier regime is that class operators find it difficult to agree on the correct performance curve. There are commercial considerations at stake in a comparatively small market.

Finally, as has been pointed out, there is the difficult question of tyres and their significance as the source of income to importers / suppliers who might not otherwise find it economic to continue as kart traders.

Message Thread:

Engine tuners RIP by 'PortlandBill' (22 Dec 2014 @ 8:37)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BanzaiBoy' (22 Dec 2014 @ 13:37)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BrianP' (22 Dec 2014 @ 15:44)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'PaulMRotax' (22 Dec 2014 @ 15:50)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BanzaiBoy' (22 Dec 2014 @ 15:57)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'PaulMRotax' (22 Dec 2014 @ 17:27)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'SimonS' (22 Dec 2014 @ 18:19)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'goman' (22 Dec 2014 @ 18:50)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'alanrr' (22 Dec 2014 @ 21:54)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BanzaiBoy' (23 Dec 2014 @ 11:39)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'SimonS' (23 Dec 2014 @ 10:03)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'PortlandBill' (23 Dec 2014 @ 10:48)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'alanrr' (23 Dec 2014 @ 10:55)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BD' (23 Dec 2014 @ 11:09)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'PortlandBill' (23 Dec 2014 @ 11:17)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BanzaiBoy' (23 Dec 2014 @ 12:04)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BD' (23 Dec 2014 @ 12:51)

In answer to your question B D (off topic slightly) by 'BanzaiBoy' (23 Dec 2014 @ 14:32)

Re: In answer to your question B D (off topic slig by 'BilandRacer9' (23 Dec 2014 @ 15:44)

Re: In answer to your question B D (off topic slig by 'alanrr' (23 Dec 2014 @ 16:06)

Formula Blue website and marketing by 'goman' (23 Dec 2014 @ 19:03)

Re: Formula Blue website and marketing by 'BilandRacer9' (24 Dec 2014 @ 13:01)

Re: Formula Blue website and marketing by 'SimonS' (29 Dec 2014 @ 11:27)

Re: Formula Blue website and marketing by 'goman' (29 Dec 2014 @ 11:43)

Re: In answer to your question B D (off topic slig by 'BD' (23 Dec 2014 @ 16:30)

Re: In answer to your question B D (off topic slig by 'alanrr' (23 Dec 2014 @ 17:17)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'MaxRacewear' (23 Dec 2014 @ 16:04)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'FlyingCarpet' (23 Dec 2014 @ 17:29)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'goman' (23 Dec 2014 @ 19:05)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'VanDiemen' (24 Dec 2014 @ 12:24)

Re: Engine tuners RIP by 'BanzaiBoy' (24 Dec 2014 @ 13:27)

StarsofKarting TaG/SKUSA TaG? What about 4stroke!! by 'Attack2001' (24 Dec 2014 @ 23:50)

Re: StarsofKarting TaG/SKUSA TaG? What about 4stro by 'BanzaiBoy' (25 Dec 2014 @ 9:28)

Re: StarsofKarting TaG/SKUSA TaG? What about 4stro by 'LoneRanger' (25 Dec 2014 @ 13:01)

Re: StarsofKarting TaG/SKUSA TaG? What about 4stro by 'Attack2001' (25 Dec 2014 @ 13:21)

Nah! Thomas, the Biland sounds.................... by 'alanrr' (25 Dec 2014 @ 17:05)

Re: Nah! Thomas, the Biland sounds gorgeous by 'BrianP' (25 Dec 2014 @ 17:18)

Re: open TaG by 'kai' (25 Dec 2014 @ 23:37)

Re: open TaG by 'karter212000' (26 Dec 2014 @ 6:43)

Re: open TaG by 'SimonS' << You are here!

Re: open TaG by 'Attack2001' (26 Dec 2014 @ 22:03)

Re: open TaG by 'MaxRacewear' (26 Dec 2014 @ 22:36)

Re: What if i want to do sprint racing? NT by 'Attack2001' (26 Dec 2014 @ 23:40)

Re: open TaG by 'faster' (27 Dec 2014 @ 9:54)

Re: open TaG by 'NikG' (05 Jan 2015 @ 4:27)

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