Rotax Max

[Alex Hodgkinson]

Over the last few years I've grown to hate the Rotax Max class more and more..

Karting should not be about driving around with a modified detuned fifteen year old motorcross engine full of nylon gears, with stupid extras like electric start, rev limiters and balancer shafts on.

It should also be a Sport that's not nailed down in every way shape and form by select groups of people. People who claim that they are making it "fair" for everybody, but in actual fact are making it unfair for the majority, better for a few, and better still for themselfs.

However Rotax Max has managed to combine both of these bad factors.

The first one is obvious to see; at the centre of the whole class is the stupidly armchair-like FR125. Karting should be about extracting the absolute maximum from driver, tyres, chassis and engine alike, to create an absolute thoroughbread within the class regulations. Remove one of these elements and you're into the relms of owner-driver corporate karting. The Rotax Max class does attract a lot of drivers - the biggest grids worldwide infact. It manages this because it's cheap. Cheap but ****.

Many people join Rotax Max because they believe that due to the theoretical level playing fields, money can't buy anybody success over them. They forget that money can't buy you any sucess in other classes either, the rules make sure of it, that's part of their purpose. If you just aint got the talent but you've got loadsamoney you're still not going to get anywhere, regardless of the class!

[hmmmm]

out of interest wot class do you race

[Alex Hodgkinson]

ICA and ICC

[hmmmm]

where at?

[Alex Hodgkinson]

I did also race Max once upon a time..

I race only at Strubby this year.. :P but next year I'm strictly Super-4

[hmmmm]

true but the strict rules do restrict cheating where they dont in other classes especially at strubby!!! As you well no!! but at strubby the rules are never inforced anyway as i no for a fact that there are people cheating in "ICA".

[Amonfan]

Some good points Alex, i race Rotax in Australia. I intially was going to race Clubman (Yamaha KT100s) but after being out of the seat for some 9 years, i went the Rotax because it has an electric start, lol. I don't have any young fella's to push me so it easier and saves backs, lol. At 35 i have no aspirations to go much further, apart from do the major meetings aound my State and perhaps some interstate meetings.

[speedy king]

I think it's all down to personal choice. People like me could never afford the re-builds required in JICA or have the technical knowledge for Gearbox but still want to go racing and have fun.

I think the comments made were perhaps a bit over the top though i do see the validity of some of your points

[Alex Hodgkinson]

Strubby, rules :confused! I'm quite a fan of the open fashion in which Strubby runs its classes. Quite simply you can't cheat if there are no rules to break! Anyway..


Amonfan, I think that Rotax Max is a class that should be aimed at and competed in by people who have similar reasons for karting as you. I mean that I dont think Rotax Max should be a class which the up and coming younger drivers should be competing in, relating back to this point:

Karting should be about extracting the absolute maximum from driver, tyres, chassis and engine alike, to create an absolute thoroughbread within the class regulations.

It's an arrive and drive class, not a thoroughbread. It's very much like pro-karting.

I mentioned that I had a Rotax Max one upon a time. That was in 1998/1999 when I first started karting. I was 12 so not old enough to race it, but I just practised on it, got the miles and experiance in. It was really great for that.. but I used it as a springboard to competing in JICA.

JICA is a reasonable class, better by a fair way than Junior Max in my opinion - it's a real class at least. We managed to run our JICA for about £2000 a year, all inclusive. However my dad does do all of the engine work and maintainance.

Junior Gearbox is a bit of a mickey mouse class too. Engines must be as standard I believe, plus they only allow you to run **** engines.

[speedy king]

I'm slightly baffled at how an engine can take away driver skill and the need to use a Chassis and tyres to their optimum....

[Alex Hodgkinson]

No, my point is that karting should be about the driver/chassis/engine, being pushed to their absolute individual limits.

An ICA motor doing 21,000 rpm is an engine at it's limit, a rotax max with a life of around 60hours isn't an engine running at it's limits.

[hmmmm]

I totaly agree with you speedy king. If you went to some decent tracks to see the drivers there you will see that there are very good drivers and are CLEAN. In "ICA" at strubby there people using more than 100cc engines so to me that has to be cheating.

[speedy king]

And a point i made earlier and would like to stress the importance of is that not everyone has large amounts of cash but have the potential to be a very good racer. To be honest, Rotax Max is just about the only thing i can afford to race in. I don't care if it only runs on 18,000RPM, so long as it gets me out on track and im competitive then that keeps me happy.

Alex, your lucky you have a dad who can engineer your engine, i dont have that and i financially couldnt race JICA due to it

[Mackmot]

Thats the point Speedy, Rotax serves a very good purpose to get kids (and adults) out racing and having fun and learning.

But it shouldnt be seen as a top step, too many drivers are coming from Rotax without having the experience they need in ICA or FA and they seem to think that because they have won races in Rotax they are top drivers.

[dubby99]

Sorry Alex but i have to disagree on some of the points you have just highlighted about Rotax Max.

The engine maybe a heap of **** but that does not worry me at all.

Big deal if the engine only runs at around 14000 RPM, it does not worry me at all, i got into karting because i wanted to extract every bit of skill and speed out of my self to further my future in racing.

[speedy king]

And i strongly believe that as a RACER not a qulaifier but a racer Rotax can make you in to one of the very best. The grids are huge and the racing is hard, very hard as i'm sure many people will agree and for that reason if you can come from the back, middle or leave the front of the grid and win then that is one huge achievment.

I understand what is being said but all its saying is that FA etc. will make you a better driver in a F1 qulaifying session by a tiny margin perhaps, however i still stand by that Rotax will make you in to a very good race driver when it comes to competing against 27 other racers

[Alex Hodgkinson]

But it shouldnt be seen as a top step, too many drivers are coming from Rotax without having the experience they need in ICA or FA and they seem to think that because they have won races in Rotax they are top drivers.

^ exactly!




There seem to be some conflicting messages coming though here: You're kind of telling me that Rotax Max is a class which has made karting available to more people (therefore any Tom, Dick or Harry could be runing a rotax.) I can see through this conversation, and also as a spectator, that although the grids are big, they're mainly comprised of also-rans.

You're also telling me that the racing's bloody hard.. Well, it is karting, that's the way it is. I remember racing ICA at PF once in a grid of 24 for the final. At the end of the 14 laps there were 6 seconds seperating the 18 finishers and a 0.2 second standard deviation of each driver's best laptime!

I dont think that the size of any grids can have a major impact on your race-driver learning curve, especially, like I said, if you're up against Sunday drivers.


Rotax Max is a class, which yes, is getting people out racing, but it's killing the other classes

[hmmmm]

Bit big grids is what racing is all about correct me if i am wrong but in a race you should overtake. At strubby there is 6to8 karts in "ICA" which to me is so boring as the same person generally wins. Which doesn't make him go any quicker as you don't need to this not extracting the best from anything. Where as in a max grid there is very rearly the same winner all day so you have to keep pushing everything to squeeze every last half a tenth. And if you go to PF on sunday i will all most guarntee you that it will be as close as that in lap times.

[speedy king]

Plus, even though the race at P.F mentioned was probably very close, i doubt that if you can get 18 karts with 6 seconds of each other there can have been much chance for overtaking if they were all that closely matched? Just a procession? Which is the point i'm trying to make, racing is about overtaking and defending, seeing chances and taking them, not RPM

[speedy king]

Originally posted by Alex Hodgkinson
[BRotax Max is a class, which yes, is getting people out racing, but it's killing the other classes [/B]

But why are they decreasing? Where are the people who were racing in the other classes going? Rotax max. What does that then say?

If Rotax max was so average then the grids in the other Formulas wouldnt be decreasing as alot more people would have your view point? See what i'm saying?

[Karting_jenny]

Rotax Max is a class, which yes, is getting people out racing, but it's killing the other classes [/B]

Alex where are you seeing this affect?:confused:

At my club (HKRC/Kimbolton) all the classes are healthy and fine, so i can see how Rotax Max is killing other classes.

[Alex Hodgkinson]

Well.. At PFI, Fulbeck, Three Sisters and Rowrah, just to name a few, the premier 100cc club classes of ICA and 100Nat are really in decline. Look at their respective websites if you're doubtful.

But why are they decreasing? Where are the people who were racing in the other classes going? Rotax max. What does that then say?

Yup people are moving to Max, but the reason is a lack of money as opposed to Max being a better class. After all, who in their right mind would turn down an ICA drive against 20+ top drivers in favor of armchair karting hrug

I personally blame inflation, and the fact that a lot of karting has been done with loans, which is now a lot harder, because things generally have become more expensive, and interest rates are on the increase. Therefore people have had to budget.. and do bugdet karting as opposed to real karting.

Speedy King I assure you that the race was most definatly not a procession! Due to the close lap times there was an abundance of close racing - which Im sure you'll be glad to hear as it's a quality you seem to have in high regard.

[hmmmm]

you seem to be very single track minded. karting moves on. I dont think anyone would disagree that FA and ICA are the premier classes in the UK. But you have just as good drivers in max with close racing. If you take the time to look in the results then you will see that there are quite a few top drivers from these classes that race in max in the winter as there are poor grids else where but are unable to win as there are just as good drivers in max. I have raced and won at Struby in 'ICA' but race max at PF, Clay, Fulbeck and everywhere else and find max just as enjoyable if not more. And find i have to drive better in my max.

[speedy king]

Gary Turkington. Races Formula Renault and Rotax Max, and in the 2002 O plate a Formula Ford racer took part and didn't even make it to the A final

[dubby99]

What does armchair karting mean anyway?