CKRC Forums

Good morning everyone. I am new to the karting world and plan on jumping in for the 2021 season. Due to another MX injury this summer, all my karting intentions were squashed while being stuck in a leg cast for 3 months and counting.

I attended a Try-A-Kart event with my 6 year old daughter this summer and she was hooked. I recently purchased a Righetti Bambino for her from a fellow Auburn Bay resident, so now comes a kart for myself, gear and means of transportation and storage.

My first of many questions is in regards to transportation and storage. I have heard there are options to rent a space at the track to park a trailer. I have also heard there are C-can options as well. Can anyone give me information on either of these options?

I will be honest with 3 young kids (6, 3 and soon to be announced) I feel the trailer option might be the best route for us. It gives me the opportunity to bring my equipment home for wrenching when I do find some free time. From anyone's experience, what is the ideal trailer setup for potentially 4 karts? Future planning for two classes for myself and having two karts for the kids.

Second question, first kart for someone with decades on MX race experience and 5 years of autocross? Ultimately I know those skills won't transfer directly to karting but it at least means I am not green to lining up with 40+ other racers and making it around a track. I did go and see the fellas at Overdrive with the intention of buying a brand new chassis and Briggs setup, but Joey really wanted me to do some research on the VLR and thought it might be another great option. Unfortunately I was not able to attend my Try-A-Kart session this year due to the injury, so have not had an opportunity to try out anything.

Thanks ahead of time for any insight the group can provide.

Shaun

Hi Shaun, and welcome to the club.

Let's talk about trailer size.

My dad and I have 3 karts nose to bumper in a 24 foot V sled trailer. It's a very tight fit and we can't get any more. However, if you were to run 2 double stackers, you could easily make 4 karts fit in a trailer of this size. Since I live in Red Deer, I like the option of a trailer because if I want to race in Edmonton, then it's about the same drive there to CKRC. I do leave my trailer at the track all year generally, then bring home in the winter for sled use. If you want to leave your karts at the track then one of the 20ft+ seacans is where its at. People have decked them out with TVs, power, toolboxes, and workbenches. They are a great deal for year-round storage.

Now onto racing.

I would advise against getting the VLR; although it is low maintenance and 2 stroke, there is currently no grid like you will find in Briggs and Rotax. The average grid size outside of ROK cup races is 1-3. Last race, there was 1 guy, and he had to race at the back of Rotax masters and get lapped by the entire grid. The times are only 2-3 seconds faster than the fastest Briggs and 5-7 seconds slower than a Rotax. Rotax and Briggs are both great options; they both have incredibly close racing and are quite a lot of fun. As someone who was completely new to motorsports last year I would recommend buying a used Briggs and if that's too slow then go get a nice Rotax and race masters. Briggs senior grid is average 15+ racers, Briggs masters is 17+ and Rotax masters is 10+, you will not find this grid size in the ROK Vlr currently. However, the VLR is nice because of the ROK cup. Im not sure of what the grid sizes will be next year but I've heard rumors of 5-9 average. If racing in Vegas at the ROK Cup interests you then the VLR would be the right choice, our club is cool since we have gotten some seats every year for the CUP. We are the only club in alberta that does that.

If you have any questions about running VLR, Dan Velpel, and Keith Olsen, Or Phil Haggerty are the guys I would reach out to.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. Welcome to the club and I cant wait to see you racing next year!

Hi Shaun

I have been looking after the parking for the last few years at the track. I would be glad to talk to you about the various options. You can email me at [email protected] and we can have a conversation. We do have other MX retirees in the club who would be glad to talk to you about their "conversion".
Blake

HI Shaun,

Great to see you jumping into karting! I remember when you were at the try a kart day with the walking cast...did you do something after that came off?

Regarding storage - trailer is a great way to go if you a) want to bring stuff home to work on, and b) if you want to participate in races at other venues. The other plus to a trailer is it's easier to resell. The sea-cans are nice from a space perspective, but there are drawbacks..portability and resale specifically (IMHO).

I have a 12x6 which can accommodate 4 full size karts on stackers..it's tight but can be done and easier to travel with and park. With a couple of kid karts and one full size you should have no issues with a 12 x 6. Those size trailers have either a ramp or barn doors. The ramp is nice to have but it take up a lot of space at the back for trailer when open...I went with barn doors and built a ramp that I stash out of the way when not in use, so I can fit everything into a single 10x30 spot.

Parking at the track is a deal for around $300 for the year depending on size of the pit space.

Regarding the racing - I take issue with Evan's comment about avoiding VLR - it's only in it's 2nd year and it is building. There's about 8 of these in the club right now, and the biggest inhibitor I see is the lack of used options (I have one coming for sale soon). Once we start seeing some used VLRs available, I think the numbers will definite ramp up. It sits nicely between Briggs and Rotax from a performance perspective is way more cost effective to run that a Rotax if you're mechanically inclined as the engines are not sealed, so you can work on it yourself - there are no performance modifications allowed. You can do the complete rebuild yourself if you have all the right equipment. I had a crank done by joey and did everything else myself. Total to fully rebuild was about $750 (labour and parts). Also, the longevity of the VLR is a plus. You could get a couple of years on the bottom end, and just a new piston a hone on the top end annually.

Regarding speed - given the right driver, they are more like 4 to 5 seconds faster than briggs (57s vs 1.02s) and only 3 to 4 secs slower than Rotax (57s vs 53/54s) (I'm not hitting 57s (yet), but between my briggs and VLR I have a 5 second delta). Last year, Scott Meyer and I were the only 2 in the club, but we had some of the best races, always on each other a swapping lead several times a session. Looking at the times the other VLR drivers posted towards the end of the season, we are all be within .5s of each other - so sure to be some great racing next year.

One thing Evan failed to mention (probably because he's a young'n and doesn't get impacted), is the punishment Rotax can put on the body - I know a few Rotax drivers who've had to skip races because of ribs/back pain. With the lower HP, the VLR does not throw the same Gs at your body the Rotax does.

One other thing to consider is simply tire costs, more HP = more tires. Briggs is typically 1 set of tires per year. I did 2 sets on my VLR with several TnT nights mixed with all the races. Rotax - I know the RTX masters limit themselves to max 4 set per year.

So Please don't discount the VLR until you've had a chance to drive one, consider all the costs (tires, maintenance, rebuilds, etc.) We're kinda in a chicken/egg thing - there's a lot of interest, with folks who will jump in once the numbers grow - but the numbers won't grow if everyone takes that stance.

Keith
VLR Masters 5

Hi Shaun,

Hopefully you are recovering well. If you're interested in trying the different classes, Alan has Briggs, VLR , Rotax, and Shifter in his rental fleet, so you could give them a try, and see which feels right for you.

Phil Haggerty

The VLR is by far the cheapest class to run ( we make it that way) and has more get up and go than a Briggs (2nd cheapest class to run) puts out decent power without the beat you up cornering forces of a Rotax. Easy to work on (and you can rebuild them yourself total rebuild around $800 ) The ability to compete for a seat at ROK the RIO in Las Vegas. If you want lots of power and your body is not too fragile Rotax is a option .. (the most expensive class to run)
I would take Joey's advise and at least look at the VLR a decent driver like John Kwong in one is a pleasure to watch and not much slower that the slower Rotax guys.

Thanks to all the replies, PMs and even those that spent a great amount of time on the phone answering all my questions. I ended up purchasing a 14x7 enclosed trailer which was only for sale as a package with a PCR chassis fitted with a Rotax Evo.

The $$$ I saved buying used will still allow me to expand my fleet with another kart mid season next year, but at least I will be able to try all options in the spring. For now it looks like the Rotax masters will have a new back marker to practise passing on for the 2021 season.