PUSHBACK RETURNS – Having ditched the push-back bumper system for its opening round of the Winter Series, SKUSA is going back to using them for the next round in Miami. “No matter how you slice it, we’re going to make some people unhappy,” explained SKUSA’s Tom Kutscher. “Some people absolutely hate the bumpers, while many people appreciate their use and effectiveness at policing rough driving.
“It’s not lost on us there are occurrences where people initiate the pushback bumper without hitting anyone. And / or there are some dirty tricks in the cool down lap or scales. It’s up to us to try and find efficient ways to police that.” More info on the SKUSA website HERE.
TWO DRY TYRES – Organisers of the NSW KZ2 Super Series have confirmed the class will run on MG Yellow FZ and SM tyres this year, though only one spec of tyre can be fitted to the kart at a time. “The MG YELLOW FZ $170 per set in the past has been the X30 approved tire and the MG YELLOW SM $240 per set was the KZ2 tire” the organisation posted on social media. The wet tyre for the series is the MG White.
KARTING DOCO – Looks like TheRaceBox is trying to get funding to put together a karting documentary. By the look of the promo clip below, they’re going for a ‘Drive to Survive’ style production, something that has really worked for Formula One.
TheRaceBox captured several hundred hours of footage and interviews at FIA Karting races last year. “Unfortunately we were not able to secure the necessary funding to allocate the time necessary to post-production” TRB posted. “We haven’t given up on the project, and we still want to bring it to life, but the funding situation means it’s moving much slower than expected.”
OSCAR’S HOME – Renault F1 driver Oscar Piastra returned to the kart track in Melbourne recently, clocking around 150 laps at Port Melbourne the day prior to the Go Kart Club of Victoria’s opening club race day of 2022. Oscar is back in Australia on a break before returning to Europe.
TRACK UPDATE – Extension works at Wimmera Kart Club’s track at Horsham. Commentary and video by Remo Luciani.
RULE BOOK – The 2022 version of the Karting NSW rule book has been published and is now in effect. KNSW list the most notable changes as:
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- Update of age range for Competition Licences
- Introduction of Mid weight divisions to some senior classes
- Minor changes to tyres for Speedway and KZ2
- Several minor wording changes to clarify some rules.
There have been no changes to engine eligibility, or restrictor sizes. The main KNSW rule book, plus the extra books for Enduro, Sprint, Speedway, Retro and Vintage can all be found on the KNSW website HERE.
APP – Praga Race Team Karting HQ now has an app for its fans to stay up to date. The app is free on both Apple and Android platforms, but you’ll need to sign up to the Stack Team App first.
FORMAT SHAKEUP – Organisers of the Rotax Pro Tour have released an overview of the 2022 program. The Australian Rotax MAX Challenge will comprise four events with a significant format shakeup at the Ipswich and Griffith rounds – Ipswich will have pre-determined grids (no qualifying) for the opening four heat races, while a reverse-grid enduro will be part of the game at Griffith!
STICKERS – Get some KartSportNews stickers on your gear for the new year! Postage is free within Australia. Go to the Merch page HERE to place an order for a pack of 10 or 20.
RUBENS’ ROTAX – Former F1 winner Rubens Barrichello is back on the hunt for a ticket to the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals. The Brazilian finished 4th in DD2 in 2015, but is now tackling the Masters class.
TOUCH UPS – Lots of tidy-up work has been going on at the South West Kart Club’s circuit at Cobden, Victoria, including a lick of red and white paint for the kerbs.
DOUBLE ELECTRIC – BRP-Rotax will have two electric classes in the 2022 DEKM; one for Seniors and another for Juniors (drivers born in 2008-2010). Both categories are made of ‘arrive-and-drive’ packages that include the use of a Rotax Project E20 electric kart, space in the awning, transponder etc. Run over five events (an official test plus four race meetings), the fee for the entire season is €13,900 (approx $21,800 AUD) while a singe race weekend can be done for €3,500 ($5,500). Both classes will use the MOJO D5 slick for the dry and the MOJO W5 for the wet.
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