Rotax Max

[speedy king]

When no effort needs to be put in to it, hardly Rotax Max..

[Alex Hodgkinson]

Gary Turkington. Races Formula Renault and Rotax Max, and in the 2002 O plate a Formula Ford racer took part and didn't even make it to the A final

Michael Schumacher. Multiple Formula One World Champion, took part in an FSA world championship round on his own circuit - his best result being a 3rd. So what?!

Speedy, my "armchair karting" tag referres to the kart, or rather, engine it's self.

It's quite ridiculous how people that I know have have to pay an engine dealer over £300 just to replace a piston, main bearing, or conrod bearings. Especially when the parts individually are no more than £60, and the people are more than capable of doing the work themselfs. I hate the sealed engine thing. Yes I can see it's done to stop people cheating. There are better ways though. All they need to do is tell the scrutineers to keep a small tool kit with them. They'd just need to pop the barrel off, check the ports havn't been tampered with, and make sure that the crankcase hasn't been flowed.

[Mackmot]

Strict rules that restrict what you can do to the kart or car only promote cheating. Instead of engineers having the freedom to make it better they are just looking for a way to get around the rules.

Also with the homologated engine tuners and supposed engine equality it just means that people are spending vast amounts of money to get a slight edge. Ive heard of people buying 40+ engines for Rotax, how daft is that.

As I said before Rotax has its place but it shouldnt be seen as the top most competitive formula otherwise people will come along spend too much money and not learn anything, which I think they already do.

[Tweed]

There was a Minimax engine on sale a few months ago for about 15 -20k wasn't there?!! OK, British champ or whatever, but still......

[hmmmm]

People will cheat in every class of motorsport its a fact of life it happens. But the rebuild costs are not that expensive if you look after them and send them some where decent. I was told that to run a 100 national you are talking about £50 an hour. which is alot more expensive than what i pay for my max.

[speedy king]

Originally posted by Tweed
There was a Minimax engine on sale a few months ago for about 15 -20k wasn't there?!! OK, British champ or whatever, but still......

I saw that too. Rediculous amounts, it was probably so highly tuned it will blow up within a few hours anyway! And Carb about £3,000 each!!! Surely no one can have bought them...?

[Century]

Yes they were bought by the same type of idiot who bought the same drivers engines last year for silly money, and then got their butts kicked this year when he found better engines (not). I have never read such drivel in a karting thread. The max classes are not to everyones liking, but like TKM they allow those without a lot of money to compete against those that have, unlike JICA, ICA, and FA. Do not think for one minute that everybody is cheating, it is highly unlikely as the engines are sealed and the sealer (of which I am one) has to fill in a very detailed report, any deviation found will result in no more seals. This thread is about whinging, because of the inability to compete on a level playing field, sadly indicative of sports in GB generally. And as far as Strubby is concerned, well the height of karting in the UK (LOL). Grow up, if you want to race then race the best in the largest grids, if you want to pose, race at nowhere tracks, or in no point grids containing no karts.

[hmmmm]

i totaly agree. struby is the most unfair circuit i have been to. No weight limits and no scruitineers so some people do cheat. which why its more fun to do armchair racing elsewhere!

[speedy king]

Arm Chair racing, that must be hard work with no engine and four small wheels......

[Alex Hodgkinson]

lol @ speedyking........


Yup Strubby is a joke with regards to some of it's rules. There are actually scruitineers, but their more there to make sure things are 'safe' as opposed to legal. However it's quite hard to have an illegal kart, because for example the rules for the 100cc senior class state:

100cc reed or rotary valve engine, open tyres and no weight limit.

Yup there have been people turn up with oversize engines in the past but they've been stiffed out quite quickly to be honest.


I think this thing about buying max engines above £10k is just totally daft, as I'm sure you do too. However it just goes to show that evan though it's supposed to be an economy class people will still pay however much they need to in order to gain an edge. I think Rotax Max promotes this a bit, obviously not to everybody, but maybe to the oppertunist and brainless. I have never heard of a 100cc engine being sold for more that £5000.

[hmmmm]

oh Five grand is ok then!!!!! HA. I have raced there with some of the best LEGAL engines in the country and people breeze past me. not just by weight. I no of the people who have paid stupid amounts of money for these max engines and no that they are not stupidly quick and easily beatable. which surely proves that there carn't be that much difference between the engines so more is on getting the most out of the driver.

[Nigel Wilson]

Alex you are talking bo****ks. We don't race Rotax and probably never will on a permanent basis, but I don't ridicule people who do. When was this famous race where the top 18 were covered by six seconds, I'd love to see the timing sheet. Having competed in Jnr gearbox for 2 years I can assure you that even with small grids it is certainly not micky mouse. Having raced the so called premier classes for the last 5 years or so what exacly have you achieved as far as results are concerned. I follow karting very closely and have never heard of you. Do you ever read anything concerning karting other than on this forum, I doubt it otherwise you would know that there will be no Super 4 next year.
The words, fish pond big little in a (re-arange to suit) spring to mind.
See you on the ICC grids next year.

[Alex Hodgkinson]

Ok, yes I did miss the announcement that Super 4 would not be running next year. I only found out on Saturday in Karting Magazine that it's now disbanded and Super ICC will be running with Stars Of Tommorow. That's the grid I hope to be part of next season. Watch this space

In 2000 I competed at Woodthorpe KC (all jokes aside please) finishing a close second to this years TKM Kartmaster & TKM festival winner Ryan Cole.

2001 I raced at both TVKC and LKRC, winning the LKRC 100nat championship, finishing 4th in the same class at TVKC.

2002 same again at LKRC but pulled out of TVKC mid season.
Also at Woodthorpe KC I finished 2nd in the Champs.

2003 Just a 2nd at woodthorpe kc... (GCSE year)

2004 Another quiet year. A levels and all that sh*t messing my racing up. In August joined the S-ICC class having never driven anything with a gearbox. Dominated the final meeting of the year against a grid comprising of regular Super 4 frontronners.

All set for 2005..

[hmmmm]

hope you are going to drive clean in stars as they tend to take alot stricter line on things like that.

[speedy king]

As should all championships...

When did Alex ever mention he was an overly aggressive/dirty driver??

[hmmmm]

he didn't but i wittnesed it before just a friendly warning to him and his family.

[Alex Hodgkinson]

he didn't but i wittnesed it before just a friendly warning to him and his family.

:confused: You did? When...?

The only two incidents I can think of are April 2000 when I put a much quicker engine on and unintentionally started punting people out of the corners.. and this year about June involving #27 in the 100's, but that was more a complaint by me against him.

I honestly don't think I've ever driven dirtily or excessively agressively, so should be no problems

[hmmmm]

Ok. Just what i have seen an heard.

[speedy king]

Missunderstanding i think

Hmmmm is talking about previous experience he had, not you Alex. I miss-read it too at first.

[hmmmm]

no i meant alex.

[Alex Hodgkinson]

oooooh now I get it! I should be fine

[JGMagoo]

Alex, why do you race karts and not Formula-1? There, everything is pushed to the max, engines, drivers, tires, etc. I suspect that you answer to the above question would be "Money"
There are, what, 25 formula -1 drivers in the world? Isn't it wonderful that there are hundreds of thousands of go karters, and racers in all types of racing? If all racing was "to the max", there might only be 25 or so prticipants in the world.

JGMagoo

[speedy king]

Anyone know where i can get the mini max carb and exhaust restricter from? And how much will they be? I'm selling my junior and someone is interested about racing it as a mini max

[Alex Hodgkinson]

Originally Posted by JGMagoo

Alex, why do you race karts and not Formula-1? There, everything is pushed to the max, engines, drivers, tires, etc. I suspect that you answer to the above question would be "Money"
There are, what, 25 formula -1 drivers in the world? Isn't it wonderful that there are hundreds of thousands of go karters, and racers in all types of racing? If all racing was "to the max", there might only be 25 or so prticipants in the world.

JGMagoo

1, because I'm only 17,
and 2, because I haven't got millions of pounds to throw at it.

No, I think you've got the wrong idea. I very much doubt, for example, that if they made formula A the only karting class in the world there would only be 25 participents, as you suggest. Anyway as if that'd happen.


speedy, get in contact with mills, ogden or someone like that.