oh tristan, on the very same page as the bandivitus pictures, check the looking ahead section (3rd article) this was what i was trying to describe to you. that is your biggest problem at the moment.

arosa mike, club 100s are 5 secs per lap slower than a proper TKM man!!
club 100 is only 100cc and has hard tyres, solid chassis and limited revs!!

Current weather report for NN11 5NH is looking good. 24 degrees and partly cloudy. I did check at the end of last week and it showed "showers" so it could still change before the day... but here's hoping!

See following link for details:
http://uk.weather.com/weather/ ... nn11&code=5nh&y=9

Not long to go now, so I'm starting to get nervous!

Tim

Current Shopping List:

Jeans
Jumper
Kart Chassis
Kart Engine



I have the option of buying a complete rolling TKM chassis (with wheels, tyres, brakes, seat, fuel tank, etc etc) for £150, which doesn't seem so bad (I don't know how old it is though, but I know it's barely been used).

What about engines though? Obviously I could browse ebay and the various for sale sections of karting.co.uk etc, but I don't really know what I'm looking for, what is considered a good thing, how much spares are (for rebuilds which I'd consider doing myself). Any tips for a newbie?

If (once?) I get a working kart I'd have to use it at the kart track at Beccles and/or Swaffham, but I'm not sure if either track is good/big enough for TKM. The next closest track is around Lincoln, and that's too far to go for regularish practice sessions. Your advice/opinions please!

my mate has some engines for sale, he came 4th in super 1 back in 2001 and is racing in the world champs this year. i bought one off him and its FAST AS!!! need a good carb tho. If u are intrested tristan, PM me.

U can browse karting.co.uk, thats very good for engines, i saw one on there for about £325 i think, it would just need to be made into extreme spec if it isnt already. Ebay isnt advisable to be honest.

your first engine doesnt need to be anything special, because the higher compression, higher revs etc reduces reliability (as u know) get a cheap thing!

atleast me and alan_dovis will be there for u to chat to about it next sat.

hi fellas,
ive just had a text from the guy who runs the track, would it be possible to have the drivers breifing at 12 or 12:30 rather than 1?

i know alot of u are arriving by train, but u would still be there 1 or 2 hours early. If anyone has any problem with this PLEASE let me know straight away.

I've held off making this post as long as I could, 'cos I've been trying to juggle dates, but it's no good, I'm not going to make next weekend.

To be honest that changes nothing, since I wasn't driving anyway, but for the sake of manners I thought it better to announce the fact, especially since somebody was talking about borrowing a bullet cam, and hoping I could provide a miniDV to record its footage.

Unfortunately I'm going to be in London talking to a potential client who is making a very generous offer to have me rip the sort of dvds your mother wouldn't like you watching and convert them to 1 1/2 minute clips for download to 3G mobiles. Not exactly what I had in mind when I graduated but it's daft money for easy if repetitive work, and I'd be daft not to go and talk to him.

Sorry to let folk down at short notice, I mentioned to Will a while ago that I was doubtful I could make it, and I have been trying to re-arrange things, but unfortunately the client although English is based in France, and isn't in the U.K very often.

I'm sure you'll all have a laugh, I'll look forward to seeing the photos.

Quote from t1ger :

Not long to go now, so I'm starting to get nervous!

That make 2 of us then ! Perhaps we'll have to rename the team

Sorry to hear you can't make it Smax, I was looking forward to putting a face to the name.

I'd still quite like to get some in-kart footage using the bullet cam I have, but my video camera has no video in. Does anyone have a cam that we could use for the purpose ?

Neil.

since i am out of the event after the first 10 or 20 mins, i can walk round the track filming and getting some good angles! dunno about the bullet cam sorry.

also, we are having a 2-stroke demo from mickey. which will be nice.

Quote from ayrton senna 87 :

also, we are having a 2-stroke demo from mickey. which will be nice.

If he get's tired I'll take over from him :P What 2 stroke his he running btw? If it's a Rotax and he'll take money for a couple of laps I'll be prepared to pay a reasonable amount. I've yet to drive a Rotax and I hear their pretty mind blowing

Quote from Decibel :

That make 2 of us then ! Perhaps we'll have to rename the team

Sorry to hear you can't make it Smax, I was looking forward to putting a face to the name.

I'd still quite like to get some in-kart footage using the bullet cam I have, but my video camera has no video in. Does anyone have a cam that we could use for the purpose ?

Neil.

Sorry, I hadn't realised that it was you who had offered the bullet cam, I agree that it would have been nice to meet, especially since I have spent so much time following your brake lights recently

Oh well, that's life, I've just come off the phone from arranging to help some lads from Derby's product design Bsc set up for the New Designer's fair in London next week, so it looks as though I'm going to be in London for most of next week now.

The reason I'm posting all of this waffle is that I'm still prepared to author a DVD if people want me to, but that will mean posting me the tapes [which I will return] so that I can rip them to my hard disk.

I'll leave it with ya, make a decision after the event depending on what footage gets taken.

nah hes driving a TKM

someone MIGHT be there with an FA, and THEY are mindblowing, but a well driven TKM is just as fast as the average max driver.

for example when im there with my TKM, i usually pass the MAX drivers, and occasinally i get passed by a super1 MAX runner or something.

Micky isnt the best driver in the world, but he could do a few tristancliffe style drifts

his seat is a tillett small, so really only he will fit in it LOL
i was gunna take my JKH but my ribs are bust so...


ArosaMike, if u get into karting proper, DONT do rotax, its easy, rubbish, expensive and the driving standards are shocking. not to mention hard to maintain, with stupid carb.... lol

Current forecast - thunderstorms on Sunday. Let's hope they don't arrive a day early.

What is the plan in event of rain? Is there a limit before the event would be put on hold/cancelled? Or are they like ameteur rugby players and play whatever the weather?

race whatever the weather. on slicks.

Chris's train is arriving in Northampton at 10:22, and I'm meeting him there, so the early start is no problem for us two. Assuming people are going to get there a bit early to find each other and have a gossip then it won't be a problem. I just hope no one was planning on arriving there just in the nick of time.

The demo will be fun to watch, so I hope he puts on a good show. A few 'tristancliffe' drifts would be fun, but as mine were purely from a self preservation point of view I can't imagine he will manage it. Maybe if we break his chassis a bit he'll succeed.

I'll edit the first post so that people know to get there a bit earlier...

LOL...not I fan then I guess Alan :P TBH, I'd just like to try something else other than Club100 TKMs. I've driven what is fundamentally a decent race chassis in the form of the RedBull fleet of World Formula karts....just a shame they didn't have much power. Still impressive for a 4stroke, but trying an ICA or and ICC would be fun.

In all honesty I'm at the age now where I'm looking at going into proper racing. In the next couple of years I'll buy a Caterham and do the Academy then probably take it from there. In the meantime I'll continue with the BUKC. For £300 a year I get to race against people like James 'Jiggy' Gornall who was the youngest Formula TKM champ in 2001 and have team mates like Simon Pullan (Caterhams, British GT for Noble, Spa 24hrs TVR and '06 LeMans 24hrs for Pilbeam in LMP2) and Alex Morgan who was Welsh ICA vice champ and is now doing Formula Renault. IMO, it's actually better than Super1 as we're all on an even playingfield. I'm proud to say I've beaten Jiggy a couple of times now :P It also makes you realise how crap some of the guys are in certain race series'. There's a Formula BMW bloke who races from time to time and he's terrible! He's slow..and he crashes into everyone including himself! LOL Never has the expression 'All the gear and no idea' been more applicable!

I loved Max, theres no TKMs up my way anymore. They get put onto the back of the Max grid and end up lapped a few times by the end :P

Over the year I spent less on my Max than the TKM and was a lot more competitive. Didn't notice a lack of driving standards up here, had some great battles with the Scottish Champion that year and others.

You have to remember a Max needs a lot less rebuilds, gives you good warning of bad jetting and doesn't need someone to help you bump start it :P Push the button and away you go.

Quote from Alan Dove :

'You have to remember a Max needs a lot less rebuilds, gives you good warning of bad jetting and doesn't need someone to help you bump start it :P Push the button and away you go.'

A MAX is a lot more expensive to buy, and needs to be rebuilt as often as a TKM to remain competitive. A set of tyres a race aswell!!!!!

A MAX may give you a warning a bad jetting, but you have to wait to the end of your ruined race to fix the problem. You can change the jetting in a TKM while you are driving! Oh, and the TaG thing, ALOT MORE TO GO WRONG, and takes away alot from the driving experience. I HATE HAVING A CLUTCH INTEFER!

Karts are supposed to be simple light and fun. A MAX just adds weight, and compication and takes the essence of what karting is away!.

And don't get more started on the power valve. The power delivery is so dull on a MAX!

I am not saying the TKM is great, but the MAX is a drisgrace to karting, and shouldn't be allowed on our race tracks. lol

It wasn't even designed for race usage! It's a leisure engine!

I have witnessed the rise of MAX, and nothing fills me more of dread than that engine! Its sounds like a fart to be frank aswell!

I cry because once Rotax actually made fantastic kart engines, but now they follow the ££££

Well maybe thats your opinion but considering I had a TKM engine go bang with no warning, turned out to be a faulty component not long after a rebuild. Cost me roughly £230-50 to rebuild. I can't remember the exact figure it cost me to rebuild the Max but it was a lot lot cheaper.

I'm just saying I did less racing with my TKM after the `big bang` and my season in Max turned out cheaper with a lot less problems. This is taking into consideration the cost of the engine, chassis etc.

I got off with using sets of tyres for many meetings and on a high wear circuit. Most of us did, only one person would race with a brand new set of tyres every race meeting and it didn't help him much.

I didn't have a power valve so can't comment Power delivery was pretty good in the Jnr although I used more fuel up than my Dad did in his Snr the season before

Maybe my experience of TKM was hampered by the engine blow up and not so great chassis but I can safely say I'd pick a Max over a TKM any day. No choice up here anyway, TKM is dead up my way unless you want to try keep up at the back of a bunch of Maxs

Keiran

u had an engine blow up once and u gave up?

Train ticket booked, next day delivery with an open return ticket. Now I'm excited.

Guys what should I wear underneath the racing suit?

Pants (or knickers depending on your preference).

Some people wear jeans and (t-)shirt, others wear as little as possible. It all depends on how cold the day is, how immune to the cold you are, and how sweaty you get driving a kart. Personally I'll probably wear some thin trousers and a t-shirt but I'm using my own race suit (it's only cheap), and maybe Whiltons suits are thinner/full of holes.

whiltons suits are a pretty good quality to be honest. very good infact. superb even.

Quote from ayrton senna 87 :

u had an engine blow up once and u gave up?

I didn't give up because of an engine blow up but it put a big hole in my budget that year As I said anyway TKM is dead up here So there must be a reason that everyones jumped ship to Max.

Last race up here there was no Snr TKMs and only one Jnr who was put onto the back of the Mini Max grid :P

Keiran

I just wear a pair of thin trousers under the suit and up until recently a T-shirt. Got a Sparco Coolmax long sleeve T-shirt now which is a high evaporation material and it works great. Just make sure you wear a decent pair of trainers. Don't anyone go turning up in boots or fashion shoes :P LOL

I'll be wearing my race boots, although my feet tend to slide off the smooth pedals with them... the price to pay for humungous feet

I'll now be leaving an hour earlier so I get there in plenty of time. My mate is thinking of bringing his bird, lol, should prove interesting. Anyone else bringing their other halves?