200 Super Tech

200cc Supers don’t get on the track much these days, so when a solid field of the beasts assembled at Horsepower Heaven a few weeks back, there was much interest.

Years ago, karters were just as interested in the 'tinkering' factor of the sport as much as the driving. It was as much about who could modify their engine for more horsepower as it was who could go deeper under brakes.

Outside of vintage karting, the ‘Open Performance’ class is the last of the AKA categories that permits pretty much anything, and it is this in which the 200 Supers now fit.

It was refreshing to wander the pit area at Todd Road and see some creative engineering on the karts, as opposed to the K-Mart Karter of the modern era, simply buying everything off-the-shelf and going racing

 

Above: Adjustable spring/shock unit on the throttle pedal Jason White's highly modified Swiss Hutless. Designed to offer some resistance and more control to throttle application - which can be difficult when a 200 Super decides to buck mid-corner! The unit is off a radio control truck(!) and can be adjusted by filling with different weights of oil. "We call it the ThrottleShock 4000" joked White.

Above: The lever on the steering wheel operates an electronically controlled line-locker valve in the brake's hydraulic system. White simply keeps his thumb on the lever when he wants full 4-wheel braking at the end of the straights, but as soon as he releases his thumb, the front brake circuit is closed off, meaning rear brakes only - perfect for helping rotate the kart on corner entry. The front/rear bias is controlled independently with the usual threaded bar to mechanically offer more or less pressure to each master cylinder.

Above (Ash Budd pic) & Below: There is flex in the centre part of the axle, so when that's also where the brake discs are, the calipers need to comply with the axle movement. As such, the Jason White/David Catchpole team karts were engineered with the calipers not fixed rigidly to the chassis, but rather an independent housing that could float on spherical rod-ends.

Above: The Mitchel Evans kart from Tasmania was immaculate. Fitting those two Kartune TM engines, airboxes and radiators in such a confined space meant it was impossible for Mitchel to reach the tuning jets. Some modifications turned the carbies on their side with the tuning jets pointing straight up.

Above: Question: WTF is that cylinder hanging off the side of the carburettor??
A: It's a boot lock solenoid off a VN Commodore.

Above: Question: But why?
A: It operates a custom fabricated butterfly choke housed in front of each carburettor. Evans simply presses a button on the steering wheel and both engines are choked automatically and consistently.

Above: Beefed-up cross member on Mitchel Evans' Arrow

Above: The tube layout on a number of the twins was quite different to the usual sprint kart standard. This is Trent Palmer's machine which placed 3rd in the final. But what's even more significant in this shot is the steering setup with reversed stub axles and forward steering arms.

Above: In comparison to some of the other's, the Brian Hicks kart that Gerry Brookes drove was rather simple - no water pumps, radiators or coolant hoses here!
pic - photowagon.com.au

Above: The winner: The Dom's Arrow/TM x2

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