Karting in Colorado is BROKEN

[Greg Welch]

@Ben Schermerhorn wrote:

Costs between local and regional races is big….but they are justifiable…. flown in staff, bigger tire inventories, and different track requirements. Would a regional series survive at $50 an entry? 50 entries got paid for at one race at RMPKC. Costs are always trying to be lowered and The Track at Centennial and RMPKC have done so. I honestly don’t believe that solely lowering costs will bring back the glory days. There are many, many other factors.

I think this is spot on. I feel our series promoters across the board have taken steps to drive costs down. I applaud our track owners and series promoters for that.

[richardhensley]

I am new to karting, so I have a perspective that may be valuable.

My first comment is that I had to work really hard just to get into the sport. We are not a very inviting tribe. What was my issue? How do I know what to do and not look like an idiot? I finally just decided to bite the bullet and hope.

I’ve been racing for about a year and a half, and I have a perspective on that. I did 14 races this season, which turned out to be too much and I’m tired. That is my fault. I will be scaling back my efforts next season.

I’m fortunate that I have the ability to afford racing. However, I wanted to get my family involved in the sport so I built two clone karts and was able to get them racing at IMI. The only way I was able to get my family engaged is because the cost of the clone made it affordable. My family had a blast racing, which means that I will continue racing, and now I will favor venues where all of us can race. Me in TAG and my partner and daughter in clones.

So, for me I will do fewer races next season that are more inclusive.

I let almost anybody drive my clone karts in an effort to promote our sport. I believe this is my give back to the sport. I continuously ask friends and family to come out and join us. I will go so far as to allow these folks to race my clones if it comes to that. I would also like to specifically give a shout out to Rodney Ebersole, he built a briggs kart and allowed a good friend of my daughter, a surrogate daughter of mine, to race. She is currently figuring out a way to buy a kart of her own so she can continue racing. Thank you Rodney!

[David Fedler]

Great post on your experience Richard. I think it echoes most people’s experience. You gottta really want to race…

One of the challenges new people have to over come is the “where/what” to race. And we as a community do not have a simple, common story to tell. If we could collectively agree on a common strategy, at least we could all communicate the same message and at the same time have bigger fields. Would this not work?

1. Rentals
2. Arrive and race (racing at the various tracks using their equipment)
3. Club Races
– CJKC for kids
– 5 classes (Cadets, Juniors, Seniors, Masters, and Shifters) for all the track/club series
4. Regional/National
– Racing the Rockies: Rotax
– RMPKC: SKUSA

It seems inclusive. It offers a ladder for those that want to race more/at a higher level, etc. It gets people involved from the first time they set foot in a facility even if they are renting. Imagine 20 Masters drivers with a “TAG” winner and a “Clone/LO206” winner on the track at the same time. Feels like it should work at the club level.

[richardhensley]

I attended a couple of races where a club race for adults ran in conjunction with a CJKC race.

The classes were

CJKC classes (kids, JR1, JR2)
Club TAG (PPKC Senior and Master) (IMI All TAG and Clone/Briggs)
Club Shifter

At the PPKC race, I think we had 8 or 9 TAG karts all racing.
At the first IMI race, we had 8 or 9 TAG karts.
At the second IMI race, we had 12 TAG karts and 4 Clone/Briggs karts. (Close to your 20 kart number on the track)

I don’t think a lot of classes are needed for the adults. The TAG and Shifter model at IMI seemed to be the least constraining and open format. The PPKC model published TAG USA as the constraint model, and in practice it was run what you have inclusive model. Right now, we need folks with karts sitting around to come out and race. If that leads to big fields, that’s what’s called a good problem to have. At that point, we may need to consider class splits and governing rules.

[richardhensley]

I would like feedback from the CJKC folks about the race where adults ran as part of the club.

Is that a model that was appropriate for the CJKC club to continue to allow?
I believe that the clubs conformed to the CJKC insurance, and basic rules of conduct. Is that true?
Is this a model that can be considered for next season?

Is the “Follow the Kids – Adult Racers” Club with a small number of classes something we should continue, and make more formal?

Everybody runs, 4 make a class, ready go!

Clone/Briggs
TAG
Shifters

As an aside, PPKC offered an arrive and drive in conjuction with the SBR rental folks. I’m not sure how that worked out for SBR or the club.

Richard

[mmanov]

I am the second newest TaG Masters driver, after Rich Hensley. Like him, I did it the hard way.
Yesterday, a co-worker said that his 27 year old son really wants to take up kart racing. I gave
the co-worker an estimate of $3000-$5000 to get to the starting line. Or, I said, your son could
hope that next year there is a New Racer class, running in rental karts.

That discussion gave me a much better perspective on how valuable it would be to have a New
Racer rental kart class. The sticker shock of buying your own kart would be a lot easier to swallow
for someone who has already had their first wheel-to-wheel experience. We should make those new
racers earn their starting place with a lap time; they will value their achievement more if they had
to work for it. This class would also be the ideal sales venue for used karts.

When the Winter Park Ski Patrol recruits new volunteer patrollers, we have an open-to-all-comers
ski test. Perhaps 5-10% of the skiers who take that test complete the training program and
become patrollers. In contrast, we have much better luck when existing patrollers bring their
buddies up to ski. Their conversion rate is more like 10-20%. I employ that same tactic when
I let a buddy drive my kart. Without exception, their reaction is shock and awe, with a lot of
interest as well. I’d suggest that others might want to occasionally bring in a buddy too.

We would all have to give something, be it waiting through yet another class on race day,
giving up time in your own kart, or being occasionally stuck behind a never-ever driver on
a practice day. But, we’d all gain something as well. The track operator would get more money
from their rentals, it would be a little easier to sell used karts and, best of all, our fields would grow.

Mike

[Les Prins]

Here is a good article on growing the sport of karting.

http://ekartingnews.com/2013/10/24/morning-coffee/

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