It certainly looks more BIG BUDGET overseas.
I guess it depends who is paying the bills.
Many years ago the President of the FIA/CIK when he visited here he said we were the hillbilly's of karting...my god he was right - nothing has changed !
We'll never be able to have karting like they do in Europe or America, simply don't have the numbers. Though if you ever get the chance do a race or two over in New Zealand its fantastic! (Its also not as expensive as you may think).
your amature Trav ;)
Yeah well some of our so called hill billies can still manage to hit foreign shores and hand them their own arse back to them. Alot of our guys go overseas and win, we breed very quick hill billies!
Couldnt have said it any better, australia is not only behind but it doesnt seem to be gettting closer.
Even with the introduction of CIK with very low numbers it will never be what Europe is no matter how
much you push CIK which is a shame..
yeah our drivers go over seas and push for wins but it is only the few karters that do in Europe, that have
spent pretty big money and dominated australian racing
Iv been fortunate enough to race overseas and watch other australians there. The best of Australian drivers can match the best of o'seas drivers, there is just more over there that can do the job. Ive seen first hand Troy Hunt qualify 3rd in Formula Super A at the World championships, Ben Horstman lead the Monaco Kart Cup etc.. No problems with the competetors having what it takes, Its the ones here running the show that are lightyears behind..
Adam Graham said:Iv been fortunate enough to race overseas and watch other australians there. The best of Australian drivers can match the best of o'seas drivers, there is just more over there that can do the job. Ive seen first hand Troy Hunt qualify 3rd in Formula Super A at the World championships, Ben Horstman lead the Monaco Kart Cup etc.. No problems with the competetors having what it takes, Its the ones here running the show that are lightyears behind..
I believe that Australia is somewhat unique - for the better I might add. 35 years ago, one of my cousins went over to North America as a professional coach in both tennis and squash, at one of their country clubs. At that time, anyone could walk into the local squash club in Australia, and if there was a court available, get a game - did not even have to book. Not in North America. You needed to be a member of a country club.
Karting today is still much the same. Anyone who wants to go race a go kart can. You don't need $10-20,000 club memberships to be able to do so. I expect that in many of the overseas kart clubs, that may well be the case. If we did that here in Australia, we wouldn't have 6,500 licenced AKA karters. We would have about 500. And we would have about 3 tracks. With that sort of membership fee, and the money those 500 could bring, we would have 3 really flash facilities. And I wouldn't be one of the 500. I would have to settle for the local indoor karts.
On the down side in Australia, we have about 80 bitumen circuits, that by European standards, are fairly primitive. But we do have 6,500 typical Aussies having a ball most weekends.
Perhaps our karters are hill billies, and our tracks are fairly basic, but we can still go to sleep at night knowing that our best are as good as anyone else in the world.
Terry Sheedy
It would be way better if we ran the same classes as them.
If only I had the money :/
Brad Weaire said:It would be way better if we ran the same classes as them.
AG on the ball mate, our competitors give them the right kart and the right set up mate they will be quick and with a shot at winning....our tracks and our standerd of organization isnt as great as europe or something like that....in europe everything runs like clockwork, the tracks are absolutly first class, very very hard to beat and I think Australia has alot of work to do to be at that staanderd but its dooable HOPEFULLY!!
Adam Graham said:Iv been fortunate enough to race overseas and watch other australians there. The best of Australian drivers can match the best of o'seas drivers, there is just more over there that can do the job. Ive seen first hand Troy Hunt qualify 3rd in Formula Super A at the World championships, Ben Horstman lead the Monaco Kart Cup etc.. No problems with the competetors having what it takes, Its the ones here running the show that are lightyears behind..
Comments12
It certainly looks more BIG BUDGET overseas.
I guess it depends who is paying the bills.
Many years ago the President of the FIA/CIK when he visited here he said we were the hillbilly's of karting...my god he was right - nothing has changed !
We'll never be able to have karting like they do in Europe or America, simply don't have the numbers. Though if you ever get the chance do a race or two over in New Zealand its fantastic! (Its also not as expensive as you may think).
your amature Trav ;)
Yeah well some of our so called hill billies can still manage to hit foreign shores and hand them their own arse back to them. Alot of our guys go overseas and win, we breed very quick hill billies!
Couldnt have said it any better, australia is not only behind but it doesnt seem to be gettting closer.
Even with the introduction of CIK with very low numbers it will never be what Europe is no matter how
much you push CIK which is a shame..
yeah our drivers go over seas and push for wins but it is only the few karters that do in Europe, that have
spent pretty big money and dominated australian racing
Iv been fortunate enough to race overseas and watch other australians there. The best of Australian drivers can match the best of o'seas drivers, there is just more over there that can do the job. Ive seen first hand Troy Hunt qualify 3rd in Formula Super A at the World championships, Ben Horstman lead the Monaco Kart Cup etc.. No problems with the competetors having what it takes, Its the ones here running the show that are lightyears behind..
Adam Graham said:Iv been fortunate enough to race overseas and watch other australians there. The best of Australian drivers can match the best of o'seas drivers, there is just more over there that can do the job. Ive seen first hand Troy Hunt qualify 3rd in Formula Super A at the World championships, Ben Horstman lead the Monaco Kart Cup etc.. No problems with the competetors having what it takes, Its the ones here running the show that are lightyears behind..
I believe that Australia is somewhat unique - for the better I might add. 35 years ago, one of my cousins went over to North America as a professional coach in both tennis and squash, at one of their country clubs. At that time, anyone could walk into the local squash club in Australia, and if there was a court available, get a game - did not even have to book. Not in North America. You needed to be a member of a country club.
Karting today is still much the same. Anyone who wants to go race a go kart can. You don't need $10-20,000 club memberships to be able to do so. I expect that in many of the overseas kart clubs, that may well be the case. If we did that here in Australia, we wouldn't have 6,500 licenced AKA karters. We would have about 500. And we would have about 3 tracks. With that sort of membership fee, and the money those 500 could bring, we would have 3 really flash facilities. And I wouldn't be one of the 500. I would have to settle for the local indoor karts.
On the down side in Australia, we have about 80 bitumen circuits, that by European standards, are fairly primitive. But we do have 6,500 typical Aussies having a ball most weekends.
Perhaps our karters are hill billies, and our tracks are fairly basic, but we can still go to sleep at night knowing that our best are as good as anyone else in the world.
Terry Sheedy
It would be way better if we ran the same classes as them.
If only I had the money :/
Brad Weaire said:It would be way better if we ran the same classes as them.
AG on the ball mate, our competitors give them the right kart and the right set up mate they will be quick and with a shot at winning....our tracks and our standerd of organization isnt as great as europe or something like that....in europe everything runs like clockwork, the tracks are absolutly first class, very very hard to beat and I think Australia has alot of work to do to be at that staanderd but its dooable HOPEFULLY!!
Adam Graham said:Iv been fortunate enough to race overseas and watch other australians there. The best of Australian drivers can match the best of o'seas drivers, there is just more over there that can do the job. Ive seen first hand Troy Hunt qualify 3rd in Formula Super A at the World championships, Ben Horstman lead the Monaco Kart Cup etc.. No problems with the competetors having what it takes, Its the ones here running the show that are lightyears behind..