Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

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Speed
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by Speed »

Enforcer-J wrote: Kadina is too fast for my liking, its hard to overtake with very little braking so you need to be pretty aggressive on the starts ;)
Yeah I'm not a fan of tracks without braking areas and that also encourage craziness at the starts....although that will happen regardless. :)

Do you have any idea what gearing 125 lights run there? Preferably X30 but RL is close enough......oh and lighter guys. Emjay and I are right on 140kgs with lead on. Thanks. :yes:

I hope the new rule proposed by SA doesn't come in that would have lights at 150kgs. Emjays kart already has nearly 20kg of lead on it and comes in at 90-92 kgs.
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by Enforcer-J »

Ive had no experience with the 125's so wouldnt be able to help you there sorry.

I doubt they would bring a rule in before the titles... although it is Aidka! Just look at it as more ballast options!
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by Speed »

Enforcer-J wrote:Ive had no experience with the 125's so wouldnt be able to help you there sorry.

I doubt they would bring a rule in before the titles... although it is Aidka! Just look at it as more ballast options!
Thanks anyway.

I'm not really worried about them bringing it in before the titles, I don't want the rule to come in at all. :)
Emjays kart would weigh over 100kilos and I'd have to bolt 13 kgs on mine as well. :eyepop:
I bet whoever is asking for the rule change would be the first to cry if they got belted by a 100kg+ kart. :p
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by ysu »

Maybe whoever is asking is 100kg themselves?
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by Speed »

ysu wrote:Maybe whoever is asking is 100kg themselves?
There are different weight classes so anyone who is over 80 kgs can race the next weight class up.

The "light" class that we race doesn't have a maximum kart weight and the minimum combined weight for kart and driver is 140kgs, the "heavies" class has a maximum kart weight of 85 kgs and the combined weight of 165kg.

I'm sure it will all get sorted out alright but I did see a note against the request for a weight change that no one has to put weight on to run lights which is not true.

Our race meetings for this weekend were cancelled due to rain. 5th time this season. I think we were lucky last year with hardly any rain outs.
I did snap a couple of shots of the most professional team here though, Team BCM.
IMG_4537.jpg
IMG_4538.jpg
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

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We just had our last run before we head off next weekend to the nationals in South Oz and then onto the master’s games in Alice the week after.
We’re looking forward to the road trip and the experience, I’m sure we’re going to have a ball.
I really don’t rate our chances at the nationals even though I’ve had a pretty decent run of late. I’ve managed to win 10 of my last 19 race meetings with an average field size of 13 but when the big kids come to play I'm geting caned.
I think that I still have a couple of years of my apprenticeship to serve and after saying that I think I only have very few years of racing left in me anyway due to the fact that I am already an old bastard…so I’ll probably never get there.
I’m finding dirt karting much harder to come to grips with than I found bitumen karting but that may well be also be an age thing. :p


My main area of expertise is in kart prep. and I hope that my missus can keep racing for a few years after I stop because she is a serious talent.
Here is her best race from last weekend, the final from day 2 of our last meeting. I’m in kart #30 and she is catching me fast after she gets past the #6 kart.
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by ysu »

That was a good watch! She is good.
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by pab »

OK, so with the weather improving it looks like they may actually get some racing in tomorrow, I'm hoping to get there tomorrow afternoon, if anyone else will be there tomorrow let me know for a catchup.

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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by pab »

Aaaand, the titles are cancelled :(
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

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They ended up running a two day club run because they couldn't guarantee 5 heats for the championship and they want to reschedule it to run next year.

The club put in a huge effort and I think more than 170 drivers still hung around. It worked out really well for me because with practice rained out my first laps were going to be in my first race and I also got offered a KT to run in Statesman so I ended up with 9 races all up and I'll be coming back for the event re-run. :yes:

125s were a little average for me and I shit a plug in the last race anyway so I wouldn't have been at the pointy end.

The KT that I borrowed was a freaking missile and I reckon I could well have won the meeting in a field of 16 but they changed my number before the first race and never scored my points for any but that race. I should have started the final on outside pole but Instead, ended up starting from 11. Had an awesome race and finished 5th but as it was a dead man final for that class I didn't make the podium....the only class to have a final. Had a blast though. :)

We're heading up to Alice next week for the masters games
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

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Copy and paste from my FB page.

Finally arrived home last night after heading to S.A. for the Dirt Kart National Championships at Yorke Peninsula and the Master’s Games in Alice Springs N.T.
On the way Neil Morrell’s trailer shit a wheel bearing and he had to limp 800 k's on 3 wheels before getting repairs at Ceduna.
We stopped at Streaky Bay for a couple of days where, on arrival I performed a 5 point turn to park and exited to find Michelle splayed out on the ground behind the bus with a huge gash and lump on her leg and her pants torn to shreds.....I didn't even feel a bump. Turns out she was trying to help guide me and sprinted into Dolby's trailer hitch. She was pretty upset at the time and in lots of pain and worried it might affect her racing.
While we were there a few legends of the sport and some homeless guy thought it would be a great idea to carry Tony Little's kart out in the low tide and get some photos that they knew he would appreciate. :P
Little.jpg
We left Streaky Bay a day early as we heard the reports of the inclement weather coming in........Jeebus they weren't kidding. I had to pull off the road at one stage as I couldn't see 2 metre's in front of me one we had water pouring into the bus from all over the place.
Many thanks to Steve and Sandra Paddick who put us up for the night at their farm in the height of storm, the Luv Bus was rocking all night long and not in a good way.

The Nationals were unfortunately rained out in the worst storms seen in the area in 50 years but the YP Club did a fantastic job salvaging what they could in the conditions, and they held a club day in its place.
Come race day at YP, Craig McIntyre generously offered me his KT to run in Stateos which was just as well because I couldn't get a handle on my 125.
The Stateos were the only class to run a final and although I believe I should have started from P2 or P3 my points were messed up because of a number change and I started from the back. I didn't bother kicking up at the time because it sort of felt like a bit of an anti-climax with the Nationals being cancelled and I thought I should just enjoy the racing. I know I should have cried about it at the time and not now but I regret that I didn't really give myself the opportunity to publicly thank Craig for his generosity for lending me what was the best handling dirt kart I have driven to date. Thanks also to Neil Robertson and Dave Mac for looking after the kart between races.

Onto Alice Springs for the masters games and we hit a snag 40ks out of Coober Pedy when the bus went into limp mode. I couldn’t clear the code and no help could be found locally. We ended up limping all the way, 13 hours, 700ks, approx. 60kph all the way into Alice. I reckon having my left testicle removed would have been more fun.
When we arrived in Alice, Tony Connor booked the bus into Auto Sparky to have it looked at. They scoffed when we suggested that they would probably need the bus for at least a couple of days…they ended up having it for 9.
On my way to pick up the bus I received a text that I had a windfall of $1,250. Yay!! Got the bill for the bus $1,263. Ha-ha, easy come, easy go.
Had a pretty decent Tuesday night at the Masters, qualified quickest and had a win from the front and two 2nds from the back. I was feeling quietly confident/cocky :) starting the final from pole knowing that ex Aussie champ Neil Morrell who was starting out of two was giving me quite a few kilos. We gave each other the thumbs up heading up the back straight on the rolling lap and I chuckled to myself as Neil hit the gas entering the final corner before the start straight. I held back, thinking to myself, I’ll be setting the pace at the start thank you very much.
Green light, WTF!! I gesticulated madly at the starter and called him a bunch of names that your nanna wouldn’t know before getting down to it. Neil already had a decent lead heading into the first corner and it took me 4 laps to close that gap. I followed closely for the final two but Neil didn’t make a mistake and I couldn’t get by. I was almost tempted to *Chodder him but thought better of it.
Exiting my kart and removing my helmet I wondered WTF just happened?
When I calmed down I accepted that I just got out smarted by the cannier driver on the day and I look forward to a rematch in 2 years’ time. A silver medal is pretty decent too!! :)
* Chodder
Verb - Pronounced – Chod Der
A term used in dirt karting to describe a complete disregard for anyone’s safety or even one’s own, to remove any obstacle by any means possible, that may impede one’s progress by even the slightest of margins.
May or may not be coined on the driving style of S.A. young fella Chad Rodder. :nod:

Thanks heaps to Tony and Kathy Connor who put us up for our stay in Alice. Two of the nicest and most generous people you could ever meet.
And thanks to Kevin Rawlings and Jamie De Brenni for the use of a couple of KT karts to help make our awesome trip even more worthwhile.

We held our collective breath all the way home praying that the bus would make it and we were very relieved when we eventually did.
Currently waiting on a quote from Toyota to replace the full wiring harness which seems to have gone brittle through being driven on corrugated roads in its previous life.

Now to prep the karts for the “States” next weekend.
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by ysu »

Thanks for the write-up, quite an adventure it seems :)

That bus seems to add to the adventury-ness (is that a word?) of your travels quite a bit. :/
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by Speed »

Thanks. Ha-ha. the bus is being a bastard for sure but persistence will win win out eventually and we will have replaced everything soon. :)
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by Speed »

20988376_1563836267016669_2976805007157180004_o.jpg
My latest toy.
I'm having some trouble getting the bugs sorted but it is much fun.
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by ysu »

You should remove the front tyres to save weight, you clearly don't use them :D

Cool new toy!
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

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Well the 2018 season has come to an end.
I have had a cracker year, one that I have to say will be hard for me to ever top. I was lucky enough to have won the Ken & Ces Memorial and the N.T. Titles, 2nd in the S.A. Titles and 3rd at DTKC’s Last Hurrah.

I feel privileged and honoured to have won the last ever race at the DTKC in its current form and I also got to celebrate in style with some half decent donuts, making up for my horrible effort at the Ken & Ces earlier in the year. I did still end up stalling the engine prematurely…my number one “expert” (LOL), donut tip...nail it and don’t let off, not even for a fraction of a second.

It was both a happy and sad moment at the track’s closing ceremony
Great to see Colin Youd circulating in Ken Senior’s vintage twin and to see Kylie, Grant, Josh and Danielle circulating as well.
Sad to see the closing of an iconic venue that has been the introduction to motorsport for many famous and successful motor racers for the last 27 years.
Thank you to the hardworking committee and volunteers of DTKC and Ditchfield/Thompson families.

Thank you to my sponsors – Asteel Powdercoaters and Craig McIntyre Race Engines.
Also thanks to my great mate Jeremy Devene who is always there to help me with fabrication and repairs of the stuff that I break, and to Ben Brown for taking the time to do a welding job at the State Championships….I was hoping to get onto the podium to thank him but as we all know….I sucked arse.

2019 is going to be a quiet year of racing for me with shoulder surgery and recovery which will put me out of action until probably around August. I have ruptured and torn tendons in both shoulders. Not really sure when or how that happened, I’ve just always had sore shoulders. Probably caused by a mix of speedway crashes and unintelligent exercise when I was a young bloke.

We will be super disappointed to not do our regular road trips but hopefully I will still have enough of my faculties to be competitive in 2020.
While I will be having some downtime Craig Mac will be developing and building me a fancy new Apache Outlaw for my return to the track. For anyone interested, I won’t be selling the Benson until I’m confident in the new kart. :D
There are a bazillion Outlaws with amazing pilots about to hit the track so competition is going to be insane.

The last 4 years since we started Dirt Karting have been amongst the best years of my life, we have made some awesome mates here and all over Oz.
There is just nothing better in life than racing with your mates and then having a drink and talking shit with them afterwards.

We have been most fortunate to have done 7 trips over the Nullarbor in the last 2.5 years since we bought “The Love Bus” and have visited and raced in Alice Springs, Roxby Downs, Yorke Peninsula, Port Pirie, Lucindale, Blanchetown, Renmark and Loxton.
Adelaide, Angus, Morgan and Tatiara are still on our to do list.
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Re: Any Dirt Track Kart Drivers among us?

Post by Speed »

Another mate sent me the footage of just the skids, for those who don't wish to sit through 2 laps of karts basically circulating by themselves. :)


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