Post by rstevens1 on Jun 18, 2009 19:06:55 GMT -5
We raced our 2003 Easykart 100 last weekend in a double header Saturday and Sunday. We didn't have the fastest kart but we are very reliable and Junior is race savvy. We won both races which makes it 3 out of 4 to date in our first endeavor in this class. In case you don't know Tech at Homestead is as thorough as it gets. We passed tech all weekend and at the end of the final an engine protest was filed with the $250 bond. It is a very long convoluted story involving Easykart Fla. and the Italians, witnessing Homestead Karting measuring, weighing and even sending photos of what looked to be an anomaly to IAME Italy for a ruling. This type of tear down appears to be unprecedented in Easykart America or whatever it is called these days. Everything was in specification with the exception of the clips that hold the wrist pin in the piston. They were Spirolock brand which is not spec. Homestead Karting polled Easykart, The National Rotax Tech Inspector at the event doing tech, and the gentleman who filed the protest. None of the interested parties were in favor of DQ and left the decision to Homestead Karting. The clips clearly were not IAME but certainly no performance advantage. This year after seals were removed I had my engine rebuilt by arguably the top company in the country. No blueprinting, just a piston, seals and main bearings. They build the fastest Leopards in the country and use these clips. Well.......Leopards aren't Easykarts and Easykart isn't Easy anymore. If you go outside of the Easykart community to have an engine done, make sure they know without a shadow of doubt that ALL parts must be IAME or in the case of pistons for sure Easykart. We hold no malice to our good buddy for the protest, its business in the fast lane and his son and Bobby are great friends at the track and school. As for Homestead Karting......they handed down a DQ after this laborious task and rightfully so. They have maintained the integrity of the process. Be vigilant in this new climate! Bob/Bobby EK100 #35