Australian Karting Forum
AKA license system. Good or Bad?
Hello,
Just recently it has come to my attention that in order to race a dd2 kart, or even practice in it on your own on AKA tracks you must have at least a B grade licence(or is it A?). In my opinion I think that this is rubbish and that the fact someone cant race their $10k gearbox kart because they haven't done a million races in another class is ridiculous. If any of you are familiar with car racing, the CAMS licence system allows you to jump straight into an F3 and race it, provided you have satisfied several officials in your OLT. Unlike the, in my opinion, pointless OLT's in karting. Has anyone ever failed one in the history of karting?
So what do you guys think, does having the OLT determine whether or not you race in the faster class seem much better than the AKA's current system? I think so.
Cheers
Ryan
Views: 1098
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ryan Eedens on -
front page.
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Permalink Reply by Anthony Burke on -
Ryan, you CAN practice withpout a B grade licence.
Go to page 79 of the current rule book.
13.15 1. (b) E grade practice licence holders are only allowed to to practice in equipment that they, at their age, would be eligible to race.
The rule says nothing about having the necessary experience eg. B grade licence etc. If you are OLD ENOUGH, you can do it. Maybe the intention of the rule isn't how it reads, but that is the exact wording they've chosen.
Secondly, you only need to do six meets after getting off your P's to be eligible for an upgrade to B status.
Everyone craps on about "not being allowed to practice without a restrictor" (for example) yet there' is NO rule that says you can't - it is simply a perception of the rules.
I'm not suggesting that I agree/disagree with any of it.
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Permalink Reply by David Arnold on -
Actually it is not even what you will be told if you ask thoes that should know, but as Anthony has said, that is the wording that is in the rule book, therefore the AGE is the clinching factor of what you can practice with.
Racing, yes you need a B grade but that is not that hard, wether you agree with it or not, it is also in the rule book.
Persionaly I think a lot of people involved in karting keep the cotton wook makers in business, but they will use the excuse of insurance.
Anthony Burke said:Ryan, you CAN practice withpout a B grade licence.
Go to page 79 of the current rule book.
13.15 1. (b) E grade practice licence holders are only allowed to to practice in equipment that they, at their age, would be eligible to race.
The rule says nothing about having the necessary experience eg. B grade licence etc. If you are OLD ENOUGH, you can do it. Maybe the intention of the rule isn't how it reads, but that is the exact wording they've chosen.
Secondly, you only need to do six meets after getting off your P's to be eligible for an upgrade to B status.
Everyone craps on about "not being allowed to practice without a restrictor" (for example) yet there' is NO rule that says you can't - it is simply a perception of the rules.
I'm not suggesting that I agree/disagree with any of it.
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Permalink Reply by Mal Crosher on -
Ryan,
yea look it's stupid. Was a period there when practice with a gearbox kart was not on but single event race licence were being issued so go figure.
As for going through the hole process of buying a clubman etc and getting B grade just to recreational kart is beyond stupid.
Depends which State your in cause many are finding the AKA will not even issue the E grade rec lic.
Chances are if you buy a new DD2 off the right shop you will be given one no problems.
Some clubs will tell you to say you have a clubman so you do not have to buy a restrictor for no reason.
But your right is dumb. We are about the only karting country in the world that puts restrictions like this in place. You can run a 250 superkart from day 1 under CAMS.
But some of the politics are a joke. For Eg: if a senior official at your club makes his $$ off clubmans and TaG engines, do not expect any favours.
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Permalink Reply by Pierre La-Nabore on
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I am going to take the opposite view here...
From some of my experience with the practice only drivers I must wonder why we allow them to drive such high powered karts when they will never race them. No idea what they are doing and being downright dangerous to the other drivers on the racetrack. Some of the accidents that I have seen it isn't any wonder that insurance isn't an issue. I doubt you would be covered if someone in a dd2 with no previous karting experience hit someone in a clubman or J and caused a significant injury.
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Permalink Reply by Robert Brown on
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Mitchell , sorry Pierre,
We have seen you drive, people in glass houses should not throw stones.
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Permalink Reply by David Arnold on
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This is the issue right here. There is nothing wrong with the rules, just the idiot behind the wheel. Officials and club members or who ever is in charge needs to do their job and confront poor/dangerious drivers, explain what they are doing is not going to be tolarated and why. If it continues, they are ejected from the track.
You will never protect an idiot from them selves or any one from an idiot with more rules, you need to do it on an indervidual basis and remove the idiot from the equasion.
Pierre La-Nabore said:I am going to take the opposite view here...
From some of my experience with the practice only drivers I must wonder why we allow them to drive such high powered karts when they will never race them. No idea what they are doing and being downright dangerous to the other drivers on the racetrack. Some of the accidents that I have seen it isn't any wonder that insurance isn't an issue. I doubt you would be covered if someone in a dd2 with no previous karting experience hit someone in a clubman or J and caused a significant injury.
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Permalink Reply by Martin Villari on -
Good or bad? Bad:
Currently I require an A grade to race CIK. The only way for me to get this would be top 3 in a state or national event in a senior class (true??)
Well I'm sorry to say it, But if I win state titles in senior J, it is NOT AN INDICATION of how well I drive a CIK Kart.
The solution: Prove that you can lap within 107% of a pole lap from the previous year, and your good to race with the best.
Example. A pole lap at Eastern Creek is 39.9. I would need to prove to someone I can at least do a 42.6. This is the maximum available grid span.
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Permalink Reply by Mal Crosher on
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That is just elitist rubbish. A club member is a club member regardless of what level they race at or what level they choose to race at all. Racing top tier is a prevlidge not a right. Racing J your whole life in an association with a questionable grading system does not give you instant authority to deem who can handle what. Again, no other karting assoc places locally or internationally put this cotton wool around it's members.
Chances are the recreational karter with a gearbox etc like myself prefer to go to local clubs in a less than busy times simply because of problems you raised. Ever used a public golf course, skateboard park or public tennis club ? Communication and my head up aint my arse attitude show everyone can win.
Pierre La-Nabore said:I am going to take the opposite view here...
From some of my experience with the practice only drivers I must wonder why we allow them to drive such high powered karts when they will never race them. No idea what they are doing and being downright dangerous to the other drivers on the racetrack. Some of the accidents that I have seen it isn't any wonder that insurance isn't an issue. I doubt you would be covered if someone in a dd2 with no previous karting experience hit someone in a clubman or J and caused a significant injury.
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Permalink Reply by Neville Scullion on -
Far from elitist, when you have 9 year old kids turn up and start running around a circuit in a gearbox kart or a Rotax. Down right dangerous. Don't think it happens, I've seen it twice now with one kid slamming into the back of another kart in front entering a turn on his first lap at the end of the straight.
Mal Crosher said:That is just elitist rubbish. A club member is a club member regardless of what level they race at or what level they choose to race at all. Racing top tier is a prevlidge not a right. Racing J your whole life in an association with a questionable grading system does not give you instant authority to deem who can handle what. Again, no other karting assoc places locally or internationally put this cotton wool around it's members.
Chances are the recreational karter with a gearbox etc like myself prefer to go to local clubs in a less than busy times simply because of problems you raised. Ever used a public golf course, skateboard park or public tennis club ? Communication and my head up aint my arse attitude show everyone can win.
Pierre La-Nabore said:I am going to take the opposite view here...
From some of my experience with the practice only drivers I must wonder why we allow them to drive such high powered karts when they will never race them. No idea what they are doing and being downright dangerous to the other drivers on the racetrack. Some of the accidents that I have seen it isn't any wonder that insurance isn't an issue. I doubt you would be covered if someone in a dd2 with no previous karting experience hit someone in a clubman or J and caused a significant injury.
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Permalink Reply by Pierre La-Nabore on
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Perhaps we would like to turn to rules 1.10, 13.15.1, 13.18. Kind of says that this kind of thing isn't allowed. That is the short and curly of it.
So this isn't an elitist attitude just an application of the rulebook. Mal I thought that you would be a bit better than that. Have you ever seen a free for all and out comes the guy with his hot little toy for the periodical burn? I'm not singling any person out there just judging from experience these people cannot drive a kart SAFELY.
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Permalink Reply by Mal Crosher on
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Neville,
we are not talking juniors here, as in original post " If any of you are familiar with car racing, the CAMS licence system allows you to jump straight into an F3 and race it, provided you have satisfied several officials in your OLT.".
Pierre,
It is an elitist attitude, who says all practice drivers have no idea what they are doing and are down right dangerous ? So what if they never intend to race the class ? Does that automatically make them unable to competently pass an OLT ?
I used to run superkarts on open circuits. I have seen a bloke with no racing experience at all win club championship in his first year with a 250 national kart (yz250 in a 15 year old ZiP), 2nd year he qualified 4th @ Phillip Isle Australian Nationals in same kart whilst winning the clubs 250 Inter title (GP TZ 250 twin in a Eliminator). You want this bloke to go run a J just so he can recreational kart with mates also in shifterkarts on a weekend when no one else is around ? I can tell you now before these C grade restrictions were enforced he was doing right next to me and a few others with no incident ever. If by chance another member came down to the club for a practice we'd just take a break . It's not that hard.
When KZ got back up, some of the questions I was asked by some AKA B grade karters about to step into the class your mind would boggle whilst at the same time I had a 14yo who could full rebuild a KX80 shifter engine he had put in his kart within a day .
I can't believe AKA make people require a B grade for the various Open Performance classes then wish to stick them on the track to race at the same time. That is far more dangerous regardless of how much they have raced in that class previously or not. Give me a choice I'd much rather be out on track with a recreational karter with some idea in a shifter than a B grader in another Open Performance class kart with no idea and a life of experience only racing J's.
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