New to karting...need help with chassis choice

[Adam Shingler]

I am new to karting. Basically I know nothing. I will be doing club racing only for now. I live in Georgia and will be racing the local tracks around here. I am 5'"10 180 lbs. I will be racing in TAG and will probably get an 09 PRD. I think the tires I have to use are mojo, but I am not sure. If I can use any tires it will probably be some that last longer. I will be keeping the chassis for a few years so although I know nothing now I still want a chassis that I can tune. I have heard so many different things about what chassis to get. PLEASE HELP!!!

[Raceway Motorsports]

Adam, I would like to take this time and welcome you to karting. We are the Birel dealer in Georgia and if you would like information please contact us at atlantakarting.com. To pass along a little help now, we can help you with the PRD engine as we are a dealer for them, you do not need to use the mojo tires, they are only required in the Rotax series here in Georgia. If you have not really set you mind on TaG, we can also help you with a Rotax, as we are Georgia's Rotax Service Center. Right now we are offering some sweet deals on new and used FR125 engines Do yourself a big favor and contact us before making too many new karter mistakes. Let our 35 years of karting be of assistance to you.
Good luck with your karting career.
RS

[Marc Miller]

Adam- Take Rick up on the Rotax experience... it is a great program - engines are much more equal than TaG and they last forever... My engine is from 2001 and is competitive - won the Rotax Masters GN's this year.

Welcome to karting and to our forums!

[Adam Shingler]

I am not sure were I will be doing most of my racing. The one track that has a lot of rotaxes is farther away than a track that has no rotaxes. I also don't like that I can't do any of my own engine work, and have to pay someone to do anything. Does anyone have any suggestions on a chassis?

[Raceway Motorsports]

Adam, What track will you be racing at? Is it a tight or wide open track? What tire will you be using? What weight class will you be racing? These are just a few questions that need to be answered before a chassis suggestion can be given. No one can just throw out a chassis choice without knowing the application. Also, on the Rotax front, don't be mislead about not being able to do any of the engine work yourself, there is plenty of maintenance the karter can do on this engine, and usually the work that has to be accomplished by a RSC the average karter can't do anyway, due to the tooling required or experience building race engines. Besides you can still race a rotax in a tag class, to me you get the best of both worlds.
RS

[Adam Shingler]

Rick...I will give you a call and hopefully you can answer all my questions and put me on the right track.

[Jeff Stamper]

Rick... I have a brand new PRD that was mounted on the kart but never started. I am wanting to get a Rotax instead. Do you know anyone who might want this in trade for a good Rotax so I can run in both classes ? What does a new rotax cost anyway ?

[Marc Miller]

Jeff,

Are you located in Georgia? If not, we can put you in contact with several dealers who might be interested in getting you together with a Rotax.

[Raceway Motorsports]

Rick... I have a brand new PRD that was mounted on the kart but never started. I am wanting to get a Rotax instead. Do you know anyone who might want this in trade for a good Rotax so I can run in both classes ? What does a new rotax cost anyway ?
Jeff, I wish you would have posted before now, I sold our 2008 shop engine.
And, I had a customer wanting a TaG, but put him on a rotax monday.
Contact me on a new rotax, I have some specials going on right now.
RS

[Jeff Stamper]

I am in Illinois. I have been out of karting for a long time (26 yrs) and now that I am getting back, I have made a few minor mistakes. I didnt know when I bought this PRD that the Rotax could run in TAG also. But enough of that. I have never even started this engine, so the only way you can tell its not BOX new is because the hoses are already cut to length. I am in the process of buying a Q31 roller chassis right now. Is that thing any good for TAG or Rotax?

[Marc Miller]

Jeff-

Thanks for the reply. We suggest running at either Michiana Raceway Park (Norht Liberty, IN) or Concept Haulers Speedway near Joliet. Both have good shops on site.

As far as your motor, contact Steve Miller at 269-756-9133 or Garry Lobaugh and they might be able to work something out for you regarding the engine. I know we have a large stock of Rotax engines and parts.

The Q31 will be a fine chassis for TaG/Rotax. We have several that still run. A friend of mine came out of retirement in one of our races this year with a rented Q31 and a box stock Rotax and was very competitive at our track against some stiff competition. Besides that - we still offer good part support for that chassis.

Let me know if you have any additional questions. Since you are local to us, it is always good to support your local tracks and service centers.

[Raceway Motorsports]

Jeff-
Absoulutely follow Marc's advice, wish you were in Georgia I would be more than happy to help out.
Nobody can take care of you better than the folks at MRP.

Hope you can get something worked out.

RS