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Welcomes CJKC

By Scott Hannum

There are those times, even when little seems to be going right that something happens.  Sometimes it's seeing a person less fortunate, maybe holding a cardboard sign street-side or a man in a wheelchair unable to walk or move.  These are the dramatic moments of truth that occasionally reveal them selves to firmly ground our paradigms.  There are also the less dramatic, not such jolting times but for some still brighten the day and renew our optimism.  Recently I was fortunate enough to have one of those days and wanted to share my experience.

 As some of our CJKC members are aware, we have been talking to Bob Varsha about being the MC at our CJKC Year End Family Celebration and IKF Awards Banquet. Bob is the lead host of SPEED Channel's Speed Report show and anchor of SPEED Channel's seasonal coverage of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship as well as other shows.  He has been very open to the idea over the past two years and the fact that his son Matt, (also a racing driver) is a student at CU Boulder made a potential visit to Colorado in the fall a no-brainer.  Due to scheduling challenges with both parties, it just hasn't worked out so far. 

Over the course of these conversations I have gotten to know Bob a little and he has always been generous with his time and keen for a "What have you heard lately in F1" conversation which is always a real treat for me.  As it turns out I was going to be in Charlotte, NC on business and as you probably know is the center of many motorsports industry teams, manufactures and suppliers.  It is also the headquarters for SPEED Channel and interestingly enough, the new USF1 team.  On the sheer chance that Mr. Varsha was going to be in Charlotte at the same time I called to see if we could possibly meet in person.  He said he would and we arranged to talk once I was in town and plan to meet for coffee or lunch.  This in and of itself was a thrill having admired his work as a commentator for many years both at SPEED and during his ESPN days.  After arriving in Charlotte Bob contacted me assumedly to arrange a time and place to meet.  He then proceeded to tell me that he needed to go by the USF1 facility anyway and would I just want to meet him there?  I probably don't have to tell you that I nearly fell out of my chair and remember feeling like someone might need to give me the Heimlich maneuver even though I hadn't eaten anything for hours.  I replied with a polite and controlled "Yes, I think I could work that out."

 When I arrived, Bob greeted me in the parking lot with a friendly hand shake and we went inside.  The first thing that caught our eye was a vintage looking Go-Kart displayed in the lobby.  As Bob and I were looking at it and discussing the crude but effective design, who walks up behind to greet us but USF1 Team Principal and racing icon Ken Anderson, the man.  Bob introduced me as if I was a long time friend, (Bob was terrific throughout the whole experience and a class act) and Ken says, "Do you know the significance of that Go-Kart?"  I felt a little embarrassed that being in Karting I didn't have a very good answer other than "it looks like an oldie."  Ken said, "That is Art Ingels first Kart built in 1956 and is on loan to us from Art's daughter."  As you may know,

Art Ingels was a designer and engineer for Kurtis Craft race cars in Glendale, CA who built over 700 race cars, 120 of which were for the Indy 500 including 5 winning entries.  Art is also credited with being the first person to construct and market a purpose built "Go-Kart" which went on to spark the world wide sport that we now know as Karting.  We were literally looking at "The First Kart"! 

Just as we finished checking out the kart another familiar face (and voice) came through the door, SPEED's F1 man on the grid and USF1 Executive VP, Peter Windsor.  Peter greeted us and enthusiastically invited us to take a tour of the facility with him and Ken prior to Bob helping record a series of staff interviews destine to air on USF1's web site, www.USF1.com.  The video should be up on their site sometime soon and as much as I tried to stay out of the way, you may catch yours truly hovering in the background? 

The tour was fantastic with Ken and Peter explaining all of the various departments, functions and personnel that were on hand.  We saw everything from the computerized engineering dept to composite manufacturing, graphics design, machining and even the large table where the very first USF1 car is being assembled.  I was very impressed with not only the transformation of the former Gibbs Racing facility, but more so with the people themselves.  Ken was so enthusiastic as he walked us around and took the time to proudly explain details of the high tech processes and systems being used and did all of it in a down to earth tone and manner that was most impressive.  The excitement and anticipation permeates the building as workers put in twelve hour days in hopes of meeting the pending deadline of March 14^th for the first race in Bahrain.  As I mentioned to Ken and Peter while viewing the first car sitting on the assembly table, "For a car guy, this feels as if I am standing on the launch pad of Apollo 11's Moon Shot, I am witnessing a piece of motorsports history and its very exciting!"

 I want to sincerely thank everyone at USF1, Ken Anderson, Peter Windsor and John Bilecky, (an old friend who I hadn't seen for almost twenty years and is now USF1's Creative Director of Media) for allowing me to have access to their facility and for agreeing to let me share this story and photos with our Karting club, your hospitality is greatly appreciated.  And of course thanks go to Bob Varsha for inviting me to come along for the ride in the first place, an afternoon this F1 fan will never forget.  The CJKC wishes USF1 all the best in their endeavor and thanks them for making an American based F1 team a reality.  You can bet we'll be watching!

By Eric Cody

Photos by Ryan Hiatt

The Colorado Junior Karting Club (CJKC) is an organization set up to provide an opportunity for young people and their families to experience and grow in the sport of Karting.  The club is solely focused on "Jr" drivers ages 5-15 within the Kid Kart, Jr-1, and TAG-Jr classes.  Established in 2007, the club conducts organized practice sessions, training events, and organizes Kart racing throughout the state of Colorado.  The CJKC is sanctioned by the International Kart Federation and its series comprises the IKF-4A Junior Karting Championships.

 The club has experienced incredible growth in its first three seasons of operation.  The first season began with just a handful of Kid Kart and Jr-1 participants, but as word spread of the camaraderie and professional manner in which the series was run, young racers began to migrate to the club.  The 2009 season saw fields of 15 Kid Karts, 5 TAG- Jrs, and staggering 24-28 entry fields in Jr-1.  The club also organized a group of participants who raced in the IKF Grand Nationals in Reno, Nevada.

 The Engine Dilemma

One of the leading causes, which helped establish the CJKC, was creating a stable platform for families to enter the sport.  Central to this was the issue of value for the significant investment required to go racing.  The club wished to establish an equipment package for a minimum of three years allowing families to amortize the startup cost over several seasons.  Prior to the CJKC, some families were forced to update equipment on a yearly basis resulting in higher costs and fragmentation of classes.  Central to this goal was engine stability.  In 2007 the club committed to the Comer C-51 for Kid Karts and the Comer K-80 Jr-1 engine package for a minimum of 3 years.  Availability of engines, parts, and the recognition of most sanctioning bodies were prime motivators in this decision.  Operating under IKF rules, the club saw participant's present motors with different levels of preparation.  Members would show up with stock motors fresh out of the box, others would have used motors purchased with the kart, while some members would have professionally blueprinted and prepared motors.  The club provided a technical inspection program at each event and has never had any significant problems with illegal motors.  However, the cost to be competitive has increased significantly and there's growing concern from members regarding engine parity which is critical to the clubs developmental mission.

 Unlike most racing series, the CJKC is not owned or operated by a track, race shop, or combination of the two.  This unique ownership group allows the club to make decisions primarily on the objectives of the club membership as a whole minimizing the influence of potential windfall to self interest.  The first step in the engine review was to gather the thoughts and concerns of the membership on topics ranging from cost control to their future racing aspirations.  This was done by issuing a comprehensive survey to all members of the club.  While this survey did not ask for engine recommendations by name, the survey was geared to determine what level of cost control, equality, sanctioning, and performance the members wanted as they entered the next three year commitment cycle.  Members were asked how much they agreed or disagreed with questions such as:

 "I would like to have an engine that will last one full season with only small maintenance."  -This question was almost unanimously supported.

 "I would like to have an engine that could be used for more than one class as my child moves up." -This statement received strong support from the members.

 "I would like to have a motor that is sealed and cannot be opened for internal adjustments by the owner or professional tuners." - A majority of club members support the concept of a sealed engine program.

 The intent was to use the results of the survey to evaluate the motors available to the club.

 The Engines and the Test

Immediately after the season ending celebration and awards banquet, the club began to solicit motors for consideration in the Jr-1 division.  The club was open to evaluate any and all motors that are appropriate to this class.  The club received the following 7 motor combinations to evaluate on the track: 

• - Blue Max Honda Clone
• - Stock Honda GX-200 - Sealed
• - Briggs and Stratton LO 206 - Sealed
• - Race Prepared Honda GX-200 - Sealed
• - The "Rock"
• - IAME Gazelle
• - Stock Comer K-80 with Vevey Pipe - Sealed

Unfortunately, two other motor combinations, (Yamaha KT100 & Rotax) that were promised to the club did not arrive and therefore not evaluated.  The current Jr-1 club motor, an IKF/WKA legal Comer K-80 was not officially evaluated as the club felt it had plenty of data from three years of racing that same package.  However, there were several club members who brought their Comer K-80's to the track for the test day and were running with the test motors during the sessions for comparison.

The test engines are inspected before the test.  -photo courtesy R. Hiatt

The engine test goal was to evaluate how each of the motors performed with different drivers of various abilities.  The club invited all current Jr-1 drivers to participate in the test with 18 drivers, including the top 5 finishers in the IKF regional championship, taking advantage of the opportunity.  Each motor was mounted to a tuned chassis and the drivers were cycled through for one session with each motor.  The club felt that by keeping each motor attached to the same kart and cycling the drivers through, they could eliminate the chassis as the reason for a driver's times. Transponders were also attached to keep track of lap times for each driver.

The drivers wait to take to the track for another test session.  -photo courtesy R. Hiatt

The club was extremely impressed with the reliability and strength of each motor with no engine failures or problems during the entire test.  The club was additionally impressed with how easy some of the motors were to tune.  The reaction of the parents to each of the engines was also closely watched.  The club was interested to gauge the level of excitement of the parents to each engine as some had only raced the current Comer K-80 since they began Karting.  It was refreshing to see some of the parents open up to other engines and embrace ideas such as single-jet carburetors, belt drives, and sealed motors.  It was also enjoyable to see some of the drivers really blossom with the different motors.  There were the usual fast drivers running good times, however some of the drivers who typically were not at the front of the field were right with the faster drivers, which was one of the objectives the club was hoping to see.

This Honda was tested with a belt drive which was well received for club racing.  -R. Hiatt

The lap times were also meticulously kept and evaluated.  The club was specifically looking to see which motors produced the most consistent lap times across all drivers and there were some surprising results.  Some drivers were actually faster with motors of smaller horsepower ratings. It was also interesting but perhaps not surprising, how different motors were faster in different parts of the racetrack.  For example, in several sessions, the Briggs LO 206 was able to gain up on the IAME Gazelle in the tighter cornering sections of the track while the IAME Gazelle would easily pull away on the faster straight sections. Amazingly, the overall lap times were fairly close for all of the motors across all of the drivers.

 Next Step

The next step will involve merging the survey results and the test session data.  The club will then meet as a group to review these critical pieces of data as well as overall recommendations from the club leadership.  A decision will be made by the club as to whether a change from the current Comer K-80 is desirable, and if so, a new motor will be selected for use beginning in the 2010 season.  Additionally, the club will consider how to best transition into the selected replacement.  The CJKC plans to make a final decision on these questions before the end of the calendar year in order to give members ample time to prepare for the 2010 season.  Stay tune for the final results!

 The Colorado Junior Karting Club would like to thank all of the suppliers who generously supplied engines, equipment, and the assistance that enabled this one of a kind engine review.