Jan 2021 – Issue – Vintage Karting Association

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December 28. 2020

by Staffin Events, Jan 2021 - Issue

Barnesville Driving Event Summary

By Bob Barthelemy
Photos by Brian Allardice

The Georgia weather was a little nippy Thursday morning with temperatures in the mid 40’s followed by temps over 70 by mid-day. Mother Nature was kind to us Thursday and Friday but on Saturday morning a heavy mist followed by a drizzle and later a downpour resulted in no on-track activity. Thank you to Mike Adkins, GSKA President, and the entire GSKA team for a well-run event! Thank you to all the Vintage Karters (44 entries) for participating at this event, and especially the large group from Saltillo, Mississippi.

After a round of safety tech inspections, the track was opened for practice at 9:15. We started with open practice for all single engine senior drivers with a max of 10 karts on the track at a time. The junior drivers were then allotted a practice session followed by the dual engine drivers taking their separate practice session. We repeated this order throughout the day and closed the track for practice at 5:00 pm. I believe everyone had plenty of practice time.

Friday morning temperatures were in the mid-50’s and rose to the mid-70’s and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. Practice began at 9:00 and went through noon. After the lunch break, we conducted our driver’s meeting including a brief devotional recognizing what God did to save Bill Jackson’s life and to pay respects to my friend, Ronnie Smith, who recently passed away (I conducted the eulogy at his funeral Saturday morning). After a few last-minute corrections to our running order to ensure participants were not driving in back-to-back classes, we were able to get the first Heats started by 1:45 pm. We had 13 classes represented, and by grouping some of the classes together, we were able to run 10 groups. We proceeded with our 1^st and 2^nd round of demonstration Heats. All Heats went smoothly with no substantial incidents on the track.

We all enjoyed a great evening buffet meal (chicken and rice, pork loin, and a wide range of vegetables and salad) prepared and served by Vicki & Glenn Forsyth in the concession/registration pavilion (outside to comply with COVID-19 protocol). “Legends of Karting” awards were presented in recognition to Dicky Wilson and Bill Berry by Bob Barthelemy. A Longest Distanced Traveled award was presented to Romero Llamas from Canton, Ohio. Romero was also presented the coveted traveling “Yankee Award”. He will be able to cherish it for only five months due to the 2021 Barnesville event scheduled for the March 25^th-thru the 27^th weekend, when it will be presented to another honored recipient.

Due to the continuing rain Saturday morning, the vintage karters in attendance voted to call the 3^rd Heat. We then presented the awards for the demonstrations (based on finishing order of the 2^nd Heat) and finished before 12:00 noon.

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December 23. 2020

by Staffin Jan 2021 - Issue, News

VKA News- Jan 2021

International Kart Month

By Rolf Hill

I may have jumped the gun with my initial announcement last month of the International Kart Day, but in my defense, it was necessary. The part I didn’t explain in the December announcement was that the process started in 2019. There is a website that manages/publishes a calendar of “National Days.” They made it clear they get thousands of requests every year. (Keeping in mind we have national pizza day, national lemon meringue pie day, national hot dog day, and even national clean out your refrigerator day [right before Thanksgiving], it is no wonder they get thousands of requests.) They also made it clear they don’t notify applicants until it is approved…. and they didn’t. They also said they would not accept applications from “individuals.” I submitted the request as “Editor, VKA FirsTurn,” but I guess that didn’t carry any weight. Go figure. So, I asked Gary Wlodarsky, VKA President, if he would sign a “Declaration” that established the day. He was agreeable and the VKA Board approved. I re-applied in November.

On Dec. 1 we hosted a zoom meeting and invited Regional Coordinators, track owners, promoters, as well as representatives from other vintage karting organizations. Another meeting is scheduled for December 15. As you might expect there was plenty of discussion and differing points-of-view. All of them needed to be heard.

Kart Day Vs Kart Month

The issues that were raised included the date, primarily the perceived conflict for the inaugural event with the 20^th Anniversary of 9/11; how to include/excite modern karters to celebrate the day; the need for a mission statement that can be taken to national modern event organizations and others; some suggestions for what modern event could include to recognize the heritage we all share. Too much to discuss here, so stay tuned or visit Facebook.*

International Go Kart Month is a time to celebrate the people, the events, the equipment, memories, the innovations…our history, and to make people aware of all of that.

Hopefully, the official announcement will be made in the home-state of karting at the Adams Kart Track in Riverside, CA, at the first 2021 VKA event February 5. 2021. Throughout the year, we hope all VKA events will honor the inaugural event by holding a 5-minute session where all the karts parade the track with a small American flag. Also, modern karting events will be encouraged to include Parade Laps to recognize the history their karts share with Art Ingles’ creation. On September 11, 2021, join the fun at Oreville, PA, for a special event, on this special day.

Check out the Facebook page (International Go Kart Month – September) too. It will be updated as this concept takes shape.

Rolf Hill, Executive Director
International Go Kart Month

REMINDER!!! Procedure & Rules Updates for 2021

As you can see The VKA Board is upgrading its operations for 2021 with a new website and a digital version of FirsTurn. The primary goal is for you, the VKA member to have a better experience as a participant at VKA events, and as a vintage karting enthusiast in general. To make this happen, we need your help. Simply put, without information on you and your karts, we cannot do any meaningful event coverage. We need to be able to identify your kart by either a number panel when on the track or a show entry card with a visible number on it. Then we need a corresponding race or show entry form with as much info as possible about the kart and yourself, like where you live. Without this we can only run random photos with no captions that have no relevance.

Changes:

Karts will NOT be allowed on track at any time without number panels
Only event photos with captions will be considered for FirsTurn publication
PLEASE fill out both the show or race entry form with as much information as possible including the best way to contact you. The FirsTurn editor may be contacting you for more information or photos of your kart.
You must be a VKA member in good standing to participate in the driving or show portions of the events
Helmets will be checked for Snell Approval dates. Only Snell 2015 and later helmets are acceptable
Hoosier R60 compound tires are no longer on the modern kart tire list. They have been replaced by the Hoosier R70s
Vintage 4-Strokes have been added into the Classic class structure

Hopefully, we will close out the Covid 19 pandemic in 2021. Until that is a reality, let’s protect each other and our ability to hold events with common sense protective measures.

Wanted

Rolf Hill here… I’m fried. Stick a fork in me … I’m done. Len Emanuelson is taking over as Editor, but he’s doing the electronic version. For those of you who still want a paper copy, we’ve heard you and you will still be getting paper until your membership runs out or I run out of gas … and my tank is nearly empty. I’m only good for a few more issues, but that’s it.

We’ve had some people who have helped with writing event summaries and some technical articles along the way, and even had an editor for a year. I’ve appreciated all the help. So now VKA needs a Print Editor for those who still want paper.

There were 134 who sent in the post card and requested paper. I’m still not sure how many of those are 36-month members, but my tank is going to run out well before those memberships do. So, if anyone wants to be the guy (or gal) who puts together the print version, now is the time to step up. The alternative may be to offer pro-rated refunds, but that’s up to the Board, not me. (Better to get Print Editor. Send me an email: KartNumber4@yahoo.com)

Len and I have a plan … I think. Anything I get, I will send to him. He will put it into the e-FirsTurn. In the interim, I will continue to put together the event summary tables of demo and show winners for both versions. All other input including pix needs to go to Len effective with Jacksonville and Riverside … and beyond.

Jacksonville Event Flyer

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14th Annual Southern Vintage Kart Classic

December 20. 2020

by Staffin Events, Jan 2021 - Issue

14th Annual Southern Vintage Kart Classic

By Dick Charest
Photos by Alan Lidke

The 14^th Annual Southern Vintage Kart Classic was held at Roebling Road Raceway on October 17-18, 2020. The track is located near Bloomingdale, GA. It is 2.02 miles long with nine turns. The facility features a 60-acre paddock with paved access roads.

Each year in March the Southern Kart Club (SKC) hosts the 2^nd race of the World Karting Association National Road Racing Series. However, in October the SKC holds a club race at Roebling Road with special emphasis on vintage karts. The vintage karts run four exhibition races over the 2-day weekend. There are two, 15-minute vintage exhibition races on Saturday and two more 15-minute vintage exhibition races on Sunday. Both vintage lay-down enduro karts and vintage sprint karts are welcome to participate.

The weather was beautiful on both Saturday and Sunday. It was sunny and cool in the morning but warmed up nicely as the day progressed. The turnout was more than expected and registration on Saturday morning extended throughout the 1^st practice session. To help those who missed the 1^st practice session, a short 3^rd practice session was run before the races started.

I missed the 1^st practice session and during the 2^nd practice session my engine did not run well, the clutch under slipped, and I could not get the CHT up to the desired range even though I leaned out the carb HS needle. By the 2^nd lap the spark plug was getting badly fouled so I came into the pits. After practice I installed a new spark plug and turned in each of the clutch adjusters to increase clutch slip. During the short 3^rd practice session, the engine ran better but I still had an ignition problem and the clutch still under-slipped. I figured that the clutch under-slipping prevented the engine from getting into its power band and the bogging at low RPMs caused the spark plug to foul. After practice I turned in each of the clutch adjusters again to increase clutch slip and installed a new spark plug for race #1.

Vintage Exhibition Race #1 on Saturday

Tony Ellison’s kart (#13) next to Harry Foskey’s kart (#18) on the starting grid

When the green flag dropped, Tony Ellison got a good start and took the lead of the race. I was gridded last of the 11 karts that were in the vintage race. I got a good start and started passing karts. The engine ran well but still at low temperature. The clutch worked better but by the 3^rd lap the ignition problem returned. I ran another lap, but the ignition problem got worse, so I came into the pits rather than getting stranded out on the track. Tony Ellison set fast time for the Vintage 1 race and won the race with his K-35 completing 10 laps. Arthur McKenny was 2^nd with his Yamaha, Chris Foskey finished 3^rd with his Yamaha, and Terry Armstrong finished 4^th with his DAP T-62. Arthur, Chris, and Terry all completed 9 laps. All 11 karts that started completed at least one lap. Five entries in the Vintage race did not make the grid.

Since my ignition problem occurred only after the engine electrical system got warm even with a new spark plug, I suspected that the coil had gone bad. After the race I installed a good spare coil and test ran the engine in the pits. It started up easily and ran well so I tried it again in Vintage race #2.

Vintage Exhibition Race #2 on Saturday

As in race #1, when the green flag dropped, Tony Ellison got a good start and took the lead of the race. I was gridded 9^th of the 10 karts that started the race, but I got a good start and started passing karts. Although the engine ran well, the clutch under-slipped and that hurt my lap times in the curves on the backside of the track. I had a difficult time getting the engine up into its power band. However, I drove on and completed the race. Tony Ellison set fast time for Vintage 2 race and won the race with his K-35 completing 10 laps.

Arthur McKenny was 2^nd with his Yamaha, Chris Foskey finished 3^rd with his Yamaha, and I finished 4^th. Arthur, Chris, Scott Orr and I all completed nine laps. Bill Anderson, Bennett Armstrong, and Harry Foskey all completed eight laps. They were followed by Terry Armstrong and Trevor Armstrong. Six entries in the Vintage race did not make the grid.

After the race I changed engine and adjusted the clutch for Sunday’s Vintage 3 race.

I ran a short practice on Sunday morning to verify everything was OK with the engine. Although the engine ran well, the clutch over slipped badly so I came into the pits after one lap. I backed out the clutch adjusters to the setting I came to the track with. Since there was no more practice, I tested the clutch engagement in the pits, and it seemed to be OK for the race.

Vintage Exhibition Race #3 on Sunday

Tony Severino on track with his McCulloch powered Hegar kart (#62)

I got a great start and passed everyone before entering turn one to take the lead of the race. Chris Foskey, Terry Armstrong, and Tony Ellison were fairly close behind. Tony dropped out on lap one due to a stripped drive belt. Terry Armstrong and Bill Anderson dropped out on lap three. Chris was quicker than me on the back side of the track because my clutch under slipped which slowed me down on that portion of the track. However, I consistently pulled away from him on the straight. He drafted me to stay in contact, but he could not overtake me. The engine ran well, and I maintained the lead of the race to the end. I set fast time for Vintage 3 and won the race by only 3.119 seconds. Chris Foskey finished 2^nd, Bennett Armstrong finished 3^rd, Scott Orr finished 4^th followed by Alan Lidke, Harry Foskey, Tony Severino, and Trevor Armstrong. Three vintage karts did not make it to the starting grid for race 3.

After the race I adjusted the clutch to get more slip and prepared the kart for Vintage race #4.

Vintage Exhibition Race #4 on Sunday

As in Vintage race 3, I got a great start and took the lead before getting into turn 1. After one lap I got a high CHT warning light so I richened the carb HS needle. However, the high CHT warning light persisted so I richened the carb HS needle again. Then I noticed that the CHT was reading 485°F then 520°F while the engine continued to run well. I realized that the CHT reading was erroneous, so I returned the carb HS needle setting to about where it was originally and continued throughout the race with the high CHT warning light on. Tony Ellison and Chris Foskey were close but on lap three, Tony Ellison dropped out. His engine mount had come loose, and the engine tipped over in a turn. Terry Armstrong had engine problems early in the race and dropped out. While lapping a couple of back markers I got enough of a lead on Chris Foskey that he was not able to draft me. I pulled away from the field and won the race by 1 minute and 21.673 seconds over Scott Orr. Bill Anderson (173) finished 3^rd followed by Chris Foskey and Harry Foskey. I set fast time for the Vintage 4 race.

This event wrapped-up the vintage enduro season for 2020. The next road racing event with a vintage class is the WKA event at Daytona International Speedway between Christmas and New Years. That will be the first event of the 2021 racing season.

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December 20. 2020

by Staffin Jan 2021 - Issue, Tech

How To Set Pop-Off Pressure

By Len Emanuelson

First, let me start by stating that I’m no 2-stroke carburetor expert. However, I’ve been forced to learn certain things about how to setup and service my carbs as part of my race prep. One of those procedures is checking and setting pop-off pressure — the pressure required to unseat the inlet needle and seat, or in some cases, the carburetor’s gross jet. What this affects is the carburetor’s calibration (rich or lean) especially in the lower rpm ranges. There are as many target pop-off pressure settings as there are opinions and engine combinations, but the generally accepted settings are 8.5-10.5psi for gas and 5-7.5psi for methanol. You can’t go wrong picking a mid-point in those ranges as a starting point.

There are a couple of other factors that affect low-rpm mixture control. The most important is the fulcrum lever height. A good starting point is with the top of the arm adjusted (bent) so that it is flush with the adjacent “flats” on the carburetor. If you bend the arm up, you richen the mixture. Typical settings for raised fulcrum arms (at least on my carbs), is .030” for methanol carbs and .060” for my gas carbs. Another consideration is the type of inlet valve, needle and seat or gross jet. My Buller methanol carbs run dual-ball gross jets that flow more fuel (even at smaller openings) than needles and seats. My gas carbs use needles and seats that run cleaner on the bottom end and seem to give snappier response.

The way you check pop-off pressure on a typical Mikuni or Tillotson pumper carburetor is to remove the pump “stack” breaking the carb down to the carb body with it’s inlet valve, fulcrum arm and spring. Next, you pour some type of liquid in the inlet valve well. Kermit Buller recommends and sets his carbs up with Marvel Mystery oil, but gas, solvent, WD40 or most lubricants will work. Then you take your pop-off gauge and insert it in the passage that leads to the chamber below the inlet valve (see photo), and slowly pump pressure into this chamber. Keep watching the fluid around the inlet valve for bubbles if the gauge doesn’t seem to be holding pressure as you pump it up. Dirt or a bad gasket or surface under the inlet valve often leads to leaking here (you will see bubbles around the inlet valve).

When you get to the set pop-off pressure the inlet valve will open releasing pressure (usually spraying oil all over). If you are using a needle and seat, it should be an audible “pop”, initial pressure release and then the gauge stabilizing at a “holding” pressure. If you are using a gross jet, the pressure will simply release at the pop-off number and then stabilize at a lower number. As Buller’s info sheets describe it, the gross jet acts more like a fuel regulator.

To change pop-off pressure you need to adjust that very tiny coil spring under the fulcrum arm. It’s good to have a large supply of pop-off springs as they have a nasty habit of launching, never to be found. For a given spring wire diameter etc., the length determines the pop-off pressure. I purchase my springs from Comet Kart Sales, but they are available from others such as E.C. Birt. As they come from Comet they are approximately .750”-long and produce a needle and seat pressure of 9.5psi in a Mikuni carb. That is nearly ideal for many gas foreign motors. By compressing the spring (squeezing it several times to coil bind between my fingers) to .570”, the result was 6.5psi in my gross jet methanol carb. It’s strictly a time-consuming trial and error operation. However, after you establish the correct length spring for your application, you can usually hit the pop-off number in just a couple of tries.

The photos here (iPhone7 camera) show me checking the pop-off pressure on an eBay carburetor I purchased (atomized methanol Mikuni) and also setting the pop-off pressure on an existing Buller atomized Mikuni I have been racing with that was too lean causing engine damage. It’s not a bad idea to check your carburetor’s pop-off pressure whenever you are installing a fresh diaphragm kit.