The Formula 100 Karting Series has released a few rule
updates prior to their opening round on February 17th.
Tire rules have been decided upon for the 2013 season. In
order to help make kart racing more accessible for new, part time and budget
racers, the Formula 100 Karting Series will once again institute its approved
“SL” compound tire rule for its Novice, Sportsman and Intermediate classes.
Most tires are eligible to be run under this rule, which means that no matter
what tires you currently have, or what your budget is for new tires, you will
be able to find and use whichever tires you choose to race with F100. This
competition between manufacturers helps save the racer money, as the racer is
now free to find the best deal on tires possible or to use leftovers from
another series. This rule is not designed so that competitors will go out and
test between all the different legal tire brands and types to find the fastest
one for the specific track conditions. This rule applies to racers who race in
Intermediate or Novice level classes, where tire compound should not be the
ultimate deciding factor in a race. While some of the approved tires may be
slightly faster than others, by allowing many different brands and types, F100 is
helping to make racing more accessible and affordable for the racer.
For the Advanced class, there will be 3 spec tires. The
Bridgestone YLC will continue as one of the spec tires. In addition to the YLC,
the Burris B44 and Burris B55 tire have been added to the list. The Burris
tires have proven to have excellent grip and longevity. The Burris tires are
also much more affordable than the YLC tires, making them an excellent choice
for Advanced class racers. Unlike the Intermediate level classes, where tires
have a smaller chance of being the deciding factor between a win and a loss,
the Advanced class will continue to utilize spec tires in order to combat this
much more likely possibility. With racers often separated by less than a tenth,
competitors would be right to test all the available tire brands to find an
edge on the track. For this reason, the spec tire is the right choice for the
Advanced class, and by allowing multiple spec tires the Formula 100 Karting
Series continues to give the kart racer money saving options by furthering a
competitive marketplace while also helping to keep costs at an acceptable level
by not overwhelming the racer with too many tire options.
The Formula 100 Karting Series has also made changes to its
Senior Open class. Due to concerns over potential expense from a base weight
open engine class, where it would behove the racer to make as much horsepower
as possible, F100 has decided to implement a weight to power ratio to determine
the appropriate weight for driver and kart, with weight minimums implemented
for each engine type. Reed and Rotary valve engines will operate with an 11.61
lbs per horsepower ratio, with a 360 lb minimum weight, while Piston Ports and
McCullochs will operate with a 12.6 lbs per horsepower ratio, with a 315 lb
mimimum weight. The Senior Open class was never designed to be a spending
frenzy, but was instead designed to give all powerful 100cc engine packages
that did not fit into the other F100 classes a place to run. By implementing an
open ruleset, F100 saves racers money. No longer are racers handcuffed by spec
rules, which limit competition in the marketplace, both from a manufacturer and
retailer standpoint. This rule allows racers to use parts that would otherwise
not be legal for their engines under spec class rules, and also to run engines
that would not be legal were a spec class to be implemented. The open nature
allows racers to choose what powerplant to run, how they will make their power,
how much power they would like to make, and what replacement parts they would
like to use. It is this freedom that will save the racer money. F100 also
understands that a truly open class is detrimental to cost saving, and thus the
weight to power ratio calculation is put in place to make monetary outlay in
the search of horsepower less beneficial to the racer than it would be under a
traditional open class structure. All drivers wishing to participate in the
F100 Senior Open class must have their engines dyno tested at the approved F100
engine dyno testing center, and must bring their dyno sheets with them to the
race in order to be allowed to compete. An engine horsepower protest has also
been put in place should a racer feel the need to protest another competitor’s
engine and weight combination.
For more information on The Formula 100 Karting Series and
the rule updates please visit www.F100karters.com.
