Post by faf1 on Apr 26, 2013 22:54:29 GMT -5
I would like to know peoples opinions on what they believe it is going to take to save this sport and bring it back to the glory days when you got onto the track with 20 other racers! I do not intend to offend anyone here but I am a two stroke fan. I understand that it is cheaper these days to go out and buy a kart and a clone engine and go racing but man it is so freaking boring to watch! Shifters and TAGs were what always drew the crowds to come watch. Seeing them drive out of the corner at high rates of speed with a fine line between control and utter chaos! The sound of the engines as they come screaming past you and hearing the shifter working their way through the gears! Even if you had never raced a kart a day in your life! Just to hear and see those karts would get your adrenaline pumping! I went to the race last year to watch in Connersville. I grew up in Connersville and remembered how great it was when the kart races would come to town. That was back in the early 90's. Excited I was to return to the town I grew up in and watch this event unfold onto the streets again! Let me just say it was not long of me being there when my excitement to see the race unfolded in to utter disappointment. I ran into a driver that I have great respect for. I have raced against him and he was and still is very dominant in whatever he runs. You could say he is second to none. I had to stop and ask him why he is running the clone class. What happened to the shifters and the TAGs he use to run!? He told me that the clone is cheaper and it was a lot of fun to run. Baffled I was as I walked away from him. Asking myself mentally how can this be fun running a clone kart? They are half the speed of a shifter! OK maybe he meant it was fun because there are more people in the class running it. I could see that as fun but to sacrifice the speed I do not see myself wanting to jump on board with that! Like I said earlier I am not here to offend anyone but being a previous racer myself I am searching for the answer of what is killing this sport!!!?? My opinion is this. Straight up obvious number one answer is economy we all know that. Number two is there have been too many changes in classes over the years. Yamaha pipe. Loved running that class. Where is it now? Dead! Then they said let's do HPV.HPV 20? Dead! Then it was Stock 125 Honda! You got it dead! See the trend here. Racing organizations, not saying thisone but the one that claims to be Midwest #1 Kart Series with a killer 5 races for their schedule this year did. I chased these classes as they always stated that this is going to be the class that everyone is going to run. Yes my wife buys our cars because she knows I believe the lies that car salesmen tell me! But anyways back to me chasing these classes and trying to keep up with what was going to be the new fad that everyone is going to run. My 20 in karting? You got it dead! My question for you is what is your idea to make karting what it use to be? Four cycles may be fun to race but guarantee you 75% of the people watching will say it is their least favorite. And yes spectators are important to where your future races will be held.
