Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Formula 100 Karting Series 2013 Round 1 Hits Socal April 14th
The Formula 100 Karting Series is set to begin their 2013 Season on Sunday, April 14th at Apex Kart Track in Perris, CA. After a succesful 2012 season and 2013 preseason warmup race, F100 expects a record turnout for the first official points race of the young 2013 season. Racers have been diligently preparing for the upcoming season, logging many practice laps at the Perris, CA track in anticipation of the start of the season. Series stalwarts, such as Steve Muehler, Ivan and Gregorio Urueta, John Shepherd, David Schall, Jean Michel Crettaz, Bryan Bender, Alex Bacon, Stu Hayner, James Hayner, Tom Ricketts, Kyle Hayner, Kalvin Chen, Tom Denker and Jeremy Specht will prepare for battle in their respective classes as they welcome a drove newcomers including Bryan Walters, Logan Manus, Brad Richardson and many more. As always, the racing on track will be exciting, intense and hotly contested. The Formula 100 Karting Series Season Opener is surely must see racing! The Fast 100 Karting Blog will have a full recap of the event for those unable to make the journey to the California desert. For more information on The Formula 100 Karting Series, please visit their website, F100karters.com.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
More Excellent 100cc Racing! Formula Super A World Championship 1999
Think 100cc karts aren't fast enough? Think again! This is footage from the 1999 Formula Super A World Championship race. The field includes David Fore, Danilo Rossi (now of DR Kart), Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen. Some great racing action. Check it out!
Monday, March 4, 2013
1986 100cc Reed and Rotary Karts at Oxnard
This is a cool video from 1986 showing the old Oxnard kart track and 100cc reed and rotary karts ripping around on it.
Internet research indicates that the Oxnard Kart track was most recently occupied by Jim Hall Kart Racing School, but was closed in 2004 when the area was returned to wetlands. Jim Hall would move to what appeared to be a copy, at least in some ways, of the old Oxnard facility, but that too was closed recently. Quite a shame to lose so many nice tracks. The Oxnard track looks like it would have been a blast to drive on!
Check out the video below:
Internet research indicates that the Oxnard Kart track was most recently occupied by Jim Hall Kart Racing School, but was closed in 2004 when the area was returned to wetlands. Jim Hall would move to what appeared to be a copy, at least in some ways, of the old Oxnard facility, but that too was closed recently. Quite a shame to lose so many nice tracks. The Oxnard track looks like it would have been a blast to drive on!
Check out the video below:
Thursday, February 28, 2013
California State Championships 1989; More Excellent 100cc Racing!
Check out these videos from the 1989 California State Championships held at Adams Motorsports Park (then Adams Kart Track). Some very fast 100cc machines on display, first in the Yamaha KT100 Class and then in the Piston Port class.
KT100
Piston Port
Formula 100 Karting Series 2013 Updated Schedule
Here is the updated schedule for The Formula 100 Karting Series 2013 Season:
Round 1: April 14th, Apex Kart Track
Round 2: May 11th, Willow Springs Kart Track
Round 3: June 8th, Grange Motor Circuit
Round 4: July 27th, Adams Motorsports Park
Round 5: September 22nd, Apex Kart Track
Round 6: October 13th, Willow Springs Kart Track
Round 7: November 30th, Grange Motor Circuit
Notice that the date for Round #2 of The Formula 100 Karting 2013 Season has been changed to May 11th, 2013. Also, the date for Round #6 has changed as well. Round #6 will now take place on October 13th, 2013. Please mark this down on your calendars.
For more information on The Formula 100 Karting Series please visit their website, F100karters.com.
Round 1: April 14th, Apex Kart Track
Round 2: May 11th, Willow Springs Kart Track
Round 3: June 8th, Grange Motor Circuit
Round 4: July 27th, Adams Motorsports Park
Round 5: September 22nd, Apex Kart Track
Round 6: October 13th, Willow Springs Kart Track
Round 7: November 30th, Grange Motor Circuit
Notice that the date for Round #2 of The Formula 100 Karting 2013 Season has been changed to May 11th, 2013. Also, the date for Round #6 has changed as well. Round #6 will now take place on October 13th, 2013. Please mark this down on your calendars.
For more information on The Formula 100 Karting Series please visit their website, F100karters.com.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Formula 100 Karting 2013 Season Warmup Recap
The Formula 100 Karting Series began its 2013 season with the Season Warmup race at Apex Kart Track in Perris, CA. Even though the February 17th event was a non points race, a large number of 100cc racers showed up to compete. With many new faces set to battle series stalwarts, the action on track promised great excitement.
The first main event of the day would feature the F100 Senior Novice and F100 Senior Intermediate classes. The Novice class would take the green flag sans two racers, as both Rich Johnson and Ben Ward were unable to start the main event. As the green flag waived, it was Danny Young getting the jump down the straight and into turn one, followed by Rose, Michael Heron Sr, Bryan Walters and Isabella Busalacchi. As the race progressed, the Novice field would spread out, with Young and Rose proving their speed. Walters and Heron Sr would race closely for most of the race, only a short ways behind the leaders. Busalacchi would mount a hard charge to the front as she moved through the field, eventually passing Young en route to the victory. Young, who put in an excellent drive, would finish only a few feet behind Busalacchi on track. However, Busalacchi would cross the scales underweight after the main event, giving Young the victory. Congratulations to all the Novice class racers on their excellent performances. If 2013 is anything like 2012, the F100 Senior Novice class should prove to be an exciting and highly competitive class, with continual driver development and excellent racing action.
On track with the Novice class was the F100 Senior Intermediate class. As usual, the Intermediate class was extremely competitive. Starting from the second position, Alex Bacon would get the jump on polesitter Steve Muehler, rocketing into first place down the straight and into turn one. David Schall would follow Bacon up the outside to pass Tom Denker for third position heading into turn one. Denker, in his first Intermediate class race after racing in the Novice class in 2012, more than proved his driving abilities with a 3rd place qualifying position and excellent racing all day. Mike Heron, John Shepherd, Frank Bain, Timmy Fritch, Pak Ho Wong and Gregorio Urueta would follow the leaders into and through turn one. The first lap would progress mostly without incident until Wong and Urueta would come together right before the entrance to the pits. Wong would be able to continue on relatively quickly, while Urueta would continue on but after some delay, effectively putting him out of the race. Urueta, who also moved up from the Novice class, has proven his racing ability many times during his F100 career. While the contact knocked Urueta from contention at the Season Warmup race, Urueta will be one to watch in 2013.
Back at the front, Bacon and Muehler had developed a sizable advantage over the rest of the field. Right behind the leaders the action was heating up. Coming into turn one of lap two, Tom Denker would make a solid pass on David Schall. Schall would hold his line but would be pushed to the very edge of the track. Schall's momentum would slow enough to allow Heron and Shepherd to get past. Denker was now in third, with Heron close behind him, followed by John Shepherd. Unfortunately, Shepherd would pull off the track a few laps later with mechanical troubles. The Tony Kart driver raced well all day but was not able to attain the results he had hoped for. Like Urueta, Shepherd will also be a strong challenger in the Intermediate class in 2013.
The racing would remain extremely close for the next few laps, with Bain and Wong, who had clawed his way back into contention after a the lap one incident, both moving up in the order. By lap six, the leaders, Bacon and Muehler, had caught up to some of the Novice class drivers. Muehler, who had already closed some of the gap to the leader Bacon, benefitted from the traffic and would pull up right behind Bacon's rear bumper. Coming into the right hand sweeper near the pits, Muehler went for a pass up the inside. The move would result in Muehler's kart jumping on the back bumper and exhaust pipe of Bacon, knocking Bacon's pipe off the kart and the kart off the track. An unfortunate end to the day for Bacon. Muehler would continue on but the contact slowed him enough to allow most of the field to pass him by.
With the former leaders now either out or well back in the pack, the bunched up field would continue on, racing closely for the remaining laps of the race. When the checkered waived, after a hard fought battle, it was Frank Bain who emerged victorious, followed in second by Pak Ho Wong, who had stormed through the field after early race contact, and David Schall. Wong, however, would be disqualified in post race tech, an unfortunate result for the young racer, giving Schall the second place position and bumping Mike Heron onto the podium. Congratulations to the winner and podium finishers in the Intermediate class on their excellent drives.
The Advanced class was next on the track. With a large field, the heats had proven ultra competitive. Stu Hayner had earned the pole position for his work throughout the day. Hayner would lead the field to the green flag and down into turn one. Matt Jones, starting in the third position would get the jump and follow Hayner into turn one. Tom Ricketts, starting from the outside pole, would slide into p3. Logan Manus would move up one spot, passing Kalvin Chen heading into turn one. Sebastian Bacon, Ivan Urueta, Martin Harnois, Kyle Hayner and James Hayner would follow the leaders through the first corner.
Bumper to bumper and nose to tail the group would go through the first lap. Jones would move past Hayner and into first place heading down the front straight to complete lap one. This would be the last that any racer would see of Jones on track. As the rest of the field engaged in a fierce battle, Jones would take advantage of excellent kart setup and driving skill to cruise to victory by a solid margin.
Behind Jones, however, the action was fast and furious. The drivers in this group would stay in a tight pack for the remainder of the race. Heading into turn one on lap two, Urueta and Harnois would collect each other, effectively ending each others races early on. An unfortunate result for the two drivers who had aspirations of podium finishes. There were very few incidents to report, only a few minor contacts that unfortunately would have a large impact on the results of the race. Kyle Hayner, Logan Manus, Stu Hayner and Sebastian Bacon would all fall victim to the consequences of incidental contact. All three had the speed to challenge for a podium finish, but in racing sometimes speed is not enough, as all three would end the day shy of their goal.
As the race crossed the half way mark, Kalvin Chen and Tom Ricketts were locked in an intense battle for the second position. After several laps, Chen was able to make a pass stick, eventually developing a solid margin over the number 22 Birel pilot Ricketts en route to a second place finish. Ricketts would hold off the hard charging duo of Manus and Bacon to hold onto a third place finish. As mentioned earlier, Matt Jones put in an excellent drive and would cross the line a healthy margin ahead the rest of the field to earn a well deserved victory. Congratulations to all the podium finishers in the Advanced class.
The Season Warmup proved to be an exciting debut for The Formula 100 Karting Series in 2013. For more information on The Formula 100 Karting Series check out their website, F100karters.com. Be sure to check out photos from the event at the follow link. Videos of the main events are included below as well.
Photos: http://www.f100karters.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=14525649
The first main event of the day would feature the F100 Senior Novice and F100 Senior Intermediate classes. The Novice class would take the green flag sans two racers, as both Rich Johnson and Ben Ward were unable to start the main event. As the green flag waived, it was Danny Young getting the jump down the straight and into turn one, followed by Rose, Michael Heron Sr, Bryan Walters and Isabella Busalacchi. As the race progressed, the Novice field would spread out, with Young and Rose proving their speed. Walters and Heron Sr would race closely for most of the race, only a short ways behind the leaders. Busalacchi would mount a hard charge to the front as she moved through the field, eventually passing Young en route to the victory. Young, who put in an excellent drive, would finish only a few feet behind Busalacchi on track. However, Busalacchi would cross the scales underweight after the main event, giving Young the victory. Congratulations to all the Novice class racers on their excellent performances. If 2013 is anything like 2012, the F100 Senior Novice class should prove to be an exciting and highly competitive class, with continual driver development and excellent racing action.
On track with the Novice class was the F100 Senior Intermediate class. As usual, the Intermediate class was extremely competitive. Starting from the second position, Alex Bacon would get the jump on polesitter Steve Muehler, rocketing into first place down the straight and into turn one. David Schall would follow Bacon up the outside to pass Tom Denker for third position heading into turn one. Denker, in his first Intermediate class race after racing in the Novice class in 2012, more than proved his driving abilities with a 3rd place qualifying position and excellent racing all day. Mike Heron, John Shepherd, Frank Bain, Timmy Fritch, Pak Ho Wong and Gregorio Urueta would follow the leaders into and through turn one. The first lap would progress mostly without incident until Wong and Urueta would come together right before the entrance to the pits. Wong would be able to continue on relatively quickly, while Urueta would continue on but after some delay, effectively putting him out of the race. Urueta, who also moved up from the Novice class, has proven his racing ability many times during his F100 career. While the contact knocked Urueta from contention at the Season Warmup race, Urueta will be one to watch in 2013.
Back at the front, Bacon and Muehler had developed a sizable advantage over the rest of the field. Right behind the leaders the action was heating up. Coming into turn one of lap two, Tom Denker would make a solid pass on David Schall. Schall would hold his line but would be pushed to the very edge of the track. Schall's momentum would slow enough to allow Heron and Shepherd to get past. Denker was now in third, with Heron close behind him, followed by John Shepherd. Unfortunately, Shepherd would pull off the track a few laps later with mechanical troubles. The Tony Kart driver raced well all day but was not able to attain the results he had hoped for. Like Urueta, Shepherd will also be a strong challenger in the Intermediate class in 2013.
The racing would remain extremely close for the next few laps, with Bain and Wong, who had clawed his way back into contention after a the lap one incident, both moving up in the order. By lap six, the leaders, Bacon and Muehler, had caught up to some of the Novice class drivers. Muehler, who had already closed some of the gap to the leader Bacon, benefitted from the traffic and would pull up right behind Bacon's rear bumper. Coming into the right hand sweeper near the pits, Muehler went for a pass up the inside. The move would result in Muehler's kart jumping on the back bumper and exhaust pipe of Bacon, knocking Bacon's pipe off the kart and the kart off the track. An unfortunate end to the day for Bacon. Muehler would continue on but the contact slowed him enough to allow most of the field to pass him by.
With the former leaders now either out or well back in the pack, the bunched up field would continue on, racing closely for the remaining laps of the race. When the checkered waived, after a hard fought battle, it was Frank Bain who emerged victorious, followed in second by Pak Ho Wong, who had stormed through the field after early race contact, and David Schall. Wong, however, would be disqualified in post race tech, an unfortunate result for the young racer, giving Schall the second place position and bumping Mike Heron onto the podium. Congratulations to the winner and podium finishers in the Intermediate class on their excellent drives.
The Advanced class was next on the track. With a large field, the heats had proven ultra competitive. Stu Hayner had earned the pole position for his work throughout the day. Hayner would lead the field to the green flag and down into turn one. Matt Jones, starting in the third position would get the jump and follow Hayner into turn one. Tom Ricketts, starting from the outside pole, would slide into p3. Logan Manus would move up one spot, passing Kalvin Chen heading into turn one. Sebastian Bacon, Ivan Urueta, Martin Harnois, Kyle Hayner and James Hayner would follow the leaders through the first corner.
Bumper to bumper and nose to tail the group would go through the first lap. Jones would move past Hayner and into first place heading down the front straight to complete lap one. This would be the last that any racer would see of Jones on track. As the rest of the field engaged in a fierce battle, Jones would take advantage of excellent kart setup and driving skill to cruise to victory by a solid margin.
Behind Jones, however, the action was fast and furious. The drivers in this group would stay in a tight pack for the remainder of the race. Heading into turn one on lap two, Urueta and Harnois would collect each other, effectively ending each others races early on. An unfortunate result for the two drivers who had aspirations of podium finishes. There were very few incidents to report, only a few minor contacts that unfortunately would have a large impact on the results of the race. Kyle Hayner, Logan Manus, Stu Hayner and Sebastian Bacon would all fall victim to the consequences of incidental contact. All three had the speed to challenge for a podium finish, but in racing sometimes speed is not enough, as all three would end the day shy of their goal.
As the race crossed the half way mark, Kalvin Chen and Tom Ricketts were locked in an intense battle for the second position. After several laps, Chen was able to make a pass stick, eventually developing a solid margin over the number 22 Birel pilot Ricketts en route to a second place finish. Ricketts would hold off the hard charging duo of Manus and Bacon to hold onto a third place finish. As mentioned earlier, Matt Jones put in an excellent drive and would cross the line a healthy margin ahead the rest of the field to earn a well deserved victory. Congratulations to all the podium finishers in the Advanced class.
The Season Warmup proved to be an exciting debut for The Formula 100 Karting Series in 2013. For more information on The Formula 100 Karting Series check out their website, F100karters.com. Be sure to check out photos from the event at the follow link. Videos of the main events are included below as well.
Photos: http://www.f100karters.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=14525649
Novice/Intermediate Main Event
Advanced Main Event
Friday, February 22, 2013
Excellent 100cc Racing from New Zealand!
Here are videos of some excellent 100cc racing from New Zealand. These videos are from the Yamaha Light Class at the CIK Trophy of New Zealand and The New Zealand Sprint Champs.
The Yamaha Light class utilizes 100cc Yamaha KT-100 engines with tuned exhaust pipes delivering very similar output to what an HPV-3 or KT-100 3 pipe engine delivers.
The racing is fast, clean and close. Very little contact is made between drivers. Drivers make clean passes and give their competitors plenty of room.
Once again 100cc racing proves that while it may not have the most horsepower or highest straight line speed, the racing action that 100cc engines provide is intense and unrivaled. Check out the videos below:
The Yamaha Light class utilizes 100cc Yamaha KT-100 engines with tuned exhaust pipes delivering very similar output to what an HPV-3 or KT-100 3 pipe engine delivers.
The racing is fast, clean and close. Very little contact is made between drivers. Drivers make clean passes and give their competitors plenty of room.
Once again 100cc racing proves that while it may not have the most horsepower or highest straight line speed, the racing action that 100cc engines provide is intense and unrivaled. Check out the videos below:
Friday, January 25, 2013
Formula 100 Karting Rules Update
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.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Formula 100 Karting Series 2013 Schedule
After a successful first season that saw tremendous growth
and incredible racing, The Formula 100 Karting Series has released their complete
schedule for the 2013 season. The southern California based 100cc specific kart
racing series will hold 7 official points races throughout the year. The
Formula 100 Karting Series will visit some amazing tracks including Apex Kart
Track, Willow Springs Kart Track, Grange Motor Circuit, and the world famous
Adams Motorsports Park. The complete 2013 schedule is included below.
The Formula 100 Karting Series offers classes for almost all
100cc engines. Please visit the following link to download the 2013 Formula 100
Karting Series Rules and Class Structure: http://www.f100karters.com/rules-and-classes.
For more information on the Formula 100 Karting Series please visit their
website, F100karters.com.
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Date
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Location
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April 14th
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Apex Kart Track
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May 18th
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Willow Springs Kart Track
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June 8th
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Grange Motor Circuit
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July 27th
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Adams Motorsports Park
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September 22nd
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Willow Springs Kart Track
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October 20th
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Apex Kart Track
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November 30th
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The Thanksgiving Dash for Cash
in the Desert, Grange Motor Circuit
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