JTSpeedDemon
2019 Build Off Winner!
So out of a total surprise today, my church friends came over today with their race kart(it's actually the bishop and his son LOL). They technically broke the local shelter in place order, but oh well.
They mostly brought it over so I could help them fix a major gas leak. What had happened was that the rather janky throttle cable had CUT the fuel line, so we just clipped it off and reattached it. Then we oiled the throttle cable a bunch, then we got to ride!
This Predator 212 had a common problem of always wanting choke to run, but we rode the karts anyways, and naturally, we had to race!
So here's the shakedown of what went down in the neighborhood!
The Competitors:
Emmick(?) Race Kart with a mostly stock, governed Predator 212. Equipped with a header and a muffler.
My Bird Engineering Starbird, a.k.a the Hothead. Raptor style mods, with an unmuffled racing header, governor removal, Raptor connecting rod, high compression head from the factory, racing Magnetron coil.
The Racing!!
We did some casual street racing, generally just going and kind of egging each other on by stomping on the gas, and the Hothead of course pulled away easily with higher max RPM and probably more available power.
Then we went to a place I found out is a great drag strip, with a wide, long, flat road. I got him off the line, and stayed far ahead the whole way.
His low ground clearance, being a race kart, actually made it so we had to go the long way to the drag strip to avoid a hill he couldn't climb.
The Summary:
In the end, my yard kart outperformed the race kart on every premise, except maybe braking, but the race kart also has pricey hydraulic disc brakes. And I could drift, when the race kart's huge slicks wouldn't let it.
The Hothead also could outhandle the race kart, with lighter steering, and a much tighter turning circle. My engine also didn't die as badly, and was easier to start.
Aaand then there's the price. I have about $300 in my kart total, including the initial $60 cost.
They paid $3,000 for their kart!!!!! I don't know the details of the transaction, but they got RIPPED OFF!
Oh well, evidently Bishop could afford it.
Overall, it was an awesome day, with racing and fixing, and a bit of trash talk of course.
The neighbors got a good look at us going by, and when we parked. One kid going by said he wanted a go kart, so that was fun.
And when we came back to the house, the ONE thing I could say was:
"Domestic beats import every time!!"
Sorry I don't have more pictures, I lost some.
They mostly brought it over so I could help them fix a major gas leak. What had happened was that the rather janky throttle cable had CUT the fuel line, so we just clipped it off and reattached it. Then we oiled the throttle cable a bunch, then we got to ride!
This Predator 212 had a common problem of always wanting choke to run, but we rode the karts anyways, and naturally, we had to race!
So here's the shakedown of what went down in the neighborhood!
The Competitors:
Emmick(?) Race Kart with a mostly stock, governed Predator 212. Equipped with a header and a muffler.
My Bird Engineering Starbird, a.k.a the Hothead. Raptor style mods, with an unmuffled racing header, governor removal, Raptor connecting rod, high compression head from the factory, racing Magnetron coil.
The Racing!!
We did some casual street racing, generally just going and kind of egging each other on by stomping on the gas, and the Hothead of course pulled away easily with higher max RPM and probably more available power.
Then we went to a place I found out is a great drag strip, with a wide, long, flat road. I got him off the line, and stayed far ahead the whole way.
His low ground clearance, being a race kart, actually made it so we had to go the long way to the drag strip to avoid a hill he couldn't climb.
The Summary:
In the end, my yard kart outperformed the race kart on every premise, except maybe braking, but the race kart also has pricey hydraulic disc brakes. And I could drift, when the race kart's huge slicks wouldn't let it.
The Hothead also could outhandle the race kart, with lighter steering, and a much tighter turning circle. My engine also didn't die as badly, and was easier to start.
Aaand then there's the price. I have about $300 in my kart total, including the initial $60 cost.
They paid $3,000 for their kart!!!!! I don't know the details of the transaction, but they got RIPPED OFF!
Oh well, evidently Bishop could afford it.
Overall, it was an awesome day, with racing and fixing, and a bit of trash talk of course.
The neighbors got a good look at us going by, and when we parked. One kid going by said he wanted a go kart, so that was fun.
And when we came back to the house, the ONE thing I could say was:
"Domestic beats import every time!!"
Sorry I don't have more pictures, I lost some.