Birel Chasis for Junior Driver

[tdavison]

We are making the jump from a Cadet chasis to a junior chasis and I need some advice. We plan to run HP-2 next year and I need some advice on which chasis is working in this class. My son is about 110 pounds and growing fast. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We have done well in our Birel and want to stick with a winning chasis.

[Marc Miller]

Hi there,

Thanks for the great question. The AR28Z would be the logical next step for a couple seasons. This is the chassis that Sage Karam and Austin Self have used to several WKA wins. We also likely have AM29's still in stock, which was used before the arrival of the new AR28Z. We still feel it is a competitive chassis however the AR28Z has proven itself as a winner on a regular basis.

Email us and we can help you locate your nearest dealer.

[tdavison]

Marc,

Thanks for advice. I see a lot of used chasis out there that say AR28, is this something different from the AR28Z? I am also seeing some R30 chasis out there, what is the different in the AR28Z and the AR30?

[Chris Lobaugh]

First let me re-answer your original question regarding a Jr. chassis. I assume that you will be running in WKA or some version of the WKA regional events? A 30mm chassis would be better than the 28 if you plan on doing any sort of national event due to the amount of rubber that goes down on the track. The AR28Z would be okay for local and most of the regional events (except for the summer months). There are two different versions of the R30. One is called R30CY and one is called RX30SE. There are many differences between the two and virtually only one similarity and that is that they are both in 30mmn (with the exception of the very front bar). The R30CY has less adjustments, but, for someone just moving up into the next category it is definitley easier to set up. I prefer the RX30SE because it has more adjustments...however, it is easy to get lost in the set up if you are new to making chassis adjustments. Let me know if you need more specifics...

Now onto your second questions; the AR28 has had many different versions. The most popular are AR28C-X, AR28CY, and AR28Z. The first two are identical except for the C-X is the oldest version which takes the CIK99 bodywork (breadbox) while the CY takes the CIK03/08 bodywork which is the current bodywork. The AR28Z is a chassis that was designed to take a driver from Cadet through JR. Sportsman without all of the hassles of mounting pedal blocks and secondary two piece seat struts in order to get the seat far enough forward and the driver close enough to the pedals. The chassis is very close to the front end of a cadet with the rear end of a full size kart. It has a three position wheelbase and is 103 at it's longest which is only 1 cm shorter than a full size kart. The bar under the front of the seat is 3cm further forward than a full size kart which allows the seat to go further forward than a standard full size AR28CY.

The AR30C-X is very close to the R30Cy with the exception of the main side rails at the rear of the kart are 58cm apart instead of 62cm apart (does that make sense?) and again the C-X has old style bodywork. There is also another version of the AR30 which is designated AR30F-M which does have the current bodywork, however, this kart was designed to compete in the World Formula category (4 stroke engine) and has a 30mm front bar istead of a 32, the bar behind the seat is straight and further forward, and the right side seat stay is constructed so as to easily mount the engine without interference with the clutch. Let me know if I have left anything out...

[Marc Miller]

Great follow up Chris - thank you for the information.

[tdavison]

Chris,

I agree with Marc, great follow-up to my questions. Hopefully, one final question about your response. What happens to the AR28Z during the summer months, I noticed you purposely mentioned this in your answer.