I found this class in the AKA manual and decided that this is a brilliant class to race. I am newly back in the sport and so I thought this would be a well established class but there doesn't seem to be much evidence of that. Is it new or just unpopular? As I said in another thread I can only find it mentioned on one club's web site so I'm getting concerned that I won't get much racing.
What's the story folks,
Kobo
PS I like it because it reminds me of the great 'Castrol 6 Hour' bike race where they used stock bikes virtually straight of the showroom floor. So down to driving skill rather than bank account size.
What's the story folks,
Kobo
PS I like it because it reminds me of the great 'Castrol 6 Hour' bike race where they used stock bikes virtually straight of the showroom floor. So down to driving skill rather than bank account size.
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Comments12
John,
This class suffered because of a lack of a 5-10 year plan and how to get there, lack of class controls and vested interests mixing the waters.
Sadly bad timing for the this class as about then the compulsory clutch started being talked about [ and where is that today???] originally it was meant to be ALL TAG that is J and S motors, but the backroom saw to that and it never went anywhere.
With the 125s now being restricted and the market place bringing the 2nd hand prices down to comparable levels to a TAG100 package the product has lost out to the 125s as the 125 offer better economics for the club guy longer rebuilds, good tyres, more competitors to race against, ease of moving onto the open 125 etc etc why would a new guy buy a TAG100 when for same price can get a 125 thats watercooled longer rebuild life more competitors and ease of progression??
It may be you have backed the wrong horse??? this is the problem many new ppl face especially in the country clubs they need to be properly advised which class to start in. TAG100 is a good entry point, but its not if your the ONLY one in your area. there are some pockets where TAG100 is working but not around you it looks like. they offerd the class at the NSW closed titles and it didn'tr get the #s so it tells me NSW is not TAG100 country.
What to do for you? approach your club and see if you can run in normal clubman classes at least at club days. or buy a J if #s are there or a 125 or convince more newbies to buy TAG100s?
In the pockets where it is running it is hugely successful and is hoovering in other classes due to the consistent appearance of large fields. Townsville and Gladstone are two such areas that I am aware of.
The appeal is in the ability to just go buy a motor & run it as is. AND be in the same boat as everyone else. Some of the senior J fleets have moved to this as the performance is similar but the feeling is that the motor is of a better quality than a J and there is less room for golden motors. You can't run it at a major title but that is probably what has helped to keep it so much fun when compared to J's or clubman as if you start to run at the pointy end of the title classes then it gets expensive quick.
If anything it is probably a better J class than J’s as it better meets the requirements of an entry & developmental class, particularly for juniors. But…that’s only a personal opinion and everyone from my engine builder to all the other competitors with big financial investments in J’s would like to take me out the back for a flogging for saying it ;-)
For newcomers and old fellas it is great as it is run on SL1's so it requires a very careful touch and doesn't belt the bod around too much. Given that most of the participants are just in it for the fun of it then operating expenses are low as the SL1's last for ages ( if you are not chasing major titles in J's ) and the motors are getting good lifetimes of 4...5 times a competition clubman engine between rebuilds. The existence of some rather quick old fellas provides some good mentoring for new drivers.
There are some good drivers in the fields that have moved in this direction as they get to still enjoy racing and raise a family as well without too much kart overhead. Some of the old fellas decided that the TAG100 was easier on the bod than over40's clubman so they jumped in too.The consistent thing that we see when we turn up at these clubs is that there is some really entertaining close racing with a large field of drivers having a really good time. Can't ask for more than that.
The R125 option is a Paul suggests becoming very popular however it would be a mistake to think that the two are equal. The TAG100 is more of an entry point than the R125's regardless of many people successfully entering the sport via the latter. At the end of the day the market tends to decide in particular areas based on differing local pressures so it's up to karters to build a field in any given area.
Hi Pete,
the difference is the tyres. TAG100 uses Dunlop SL1's and the Clubby's use MG Reds so it would be hard for the Taggys to keep up.
Further to my post I just went to the AKA site and looked at 'How to get started" and TAG100 is not even mentioned. That SUCKS in my opinion as I believe it would be an excellent entry class to the sport.
I believe, from what I have read, that these engines don't need to be rebuilt very often so they would not be too expensive to run. You may have to buy more tyres per season than the Nationals but it would not be prohibitive.
Kobo
The guys that run TAG100 don't tend to change tyres as often as in nationals because they aren't chasing sheepstations, its more about cost-effective fun... Including the gentleman's agreement at most meets that no-one uses wets.
The KT100 used in TAG100 has a lower power output than a normal clubby engine but a bit more than a J. At club days the J's are often run at the back of the TAG fleet. Because of this de-rating the re-build lifetime is much longer than a normal KT100S. A TAG100 engine may be moved into clubman by a change of bits. On this one I am not certain and someone in the know may be able to clarify the matter. Is it the head?
As Paul Hewitt says I may have backed the wrong horse...But it is a horse that I like so I am going to build
that kart anyway. I have found that I can pay a minimal fee to certain tracks for private practice days and
I will do that as well as race in the class at Manning Valley which seems to be building a good following.
Further to that I will try to promote it myself at my club, Tamworth, and I will ask the other clubs in my
district to let me know whenever they include it in their meets. I am also happy to make the odd long trip
to race. I look at it as fun to visit new tracks and not a chore.
Anyway, Thanks to you all for your input and I will add to this thread whenever I hear anything about
TAG100,
Kobo
nnett on October 15, 2010 at 20:30
The engines are the same as clubby but with onboard starter and you can't get them blueprinted. You can put an extension on the low speed jet on the carby and that's as far as you can go. They are eligible for clubby but you'd need to get them blueprinted. There are a bunch of other restrictions too, like you have to use the standard header pipe, you must use edwards alloy rims, and you can't use any probes or sensors on the engine (head temp, exhaust temp, lambda etc). Most guys around gladstone seem to get new tyres every 4 meetings or so (keep in mind the track surface is shit), and you could easily go a full season without pulling your engine apart. I'm gonna be racing this class next season, should be fun racing a decent size field regularly apart from lifting my kart on and off the trolly (I weigh 54 kg, minimum weight is 160 kg). Also, they seem to do similar times as JNL.
Don, I couldn't help thinking about your statement that the KT100SEC is less powerful than the KT100S. I don't believe that Yamaha would bother to make them any different except for the fitting of the clutch and electric start. A blueprinted clubby would be more powerful but not a standard one.
Don Ingram said:The guys that run TAG100 don't tend to change tyres as often as in nationals because they aren't chasing sheepstations, its more about cost-effective fun... Including the gentleman's agreement at most meets that no-one uses wets.
The KT100 used in TAG100 has a lower power output than a normal clubby engine but a bit more than a J. At club days the J's are often run at the back of the TAG fleet. Because of this de-rating the re-build lifetime is much longer than a normal KT100S. A TAG100 engine may be moved into clubman by a change of bits. On this one I am not certain and someone in the know may be able to clarify the matter. Is it the head?
nnett on October 16, 2010 at 1:46
I think he means blueprinted.
Not having run one, I have no data, but is it the general opinion that these motors are all virtually identical?
Or is it 'identical' like J's and S's are meant to be?
it is an un-written rule at our club, that the TAG100 blokes only use one set of rubber per year (larger meetings are exempt)
Don Ingram said:The guys that run TAG100 don't tend to change tyres as often as in nationals because they aren't chasing sheepstations, its more about cost-effective fun... Including the gentleman's agreement at most meets that no-one uses wets.
The KT100 used in TAG100 has a lower power output than a normal clubby engine but a bit more than a J. At club days the J's are often run at the back of the TAG fleet. Because of this de-rating the re-build lifetime is much longer than a normal KT100S. A TAG100 engine may be moved into clubman by a change of bits. On this one I am not certain and someone in the know may be able to clarify the matter. Is it the head?
nnett on October 18, 2010 at 14:45
Well, they are S's, so yeah, like the J's and S's are meant to be. They do all seem to be pretty even though, it's under braking and in corner speed where the fast guys get most of their time.
Please refer to http://kartbook.ning.com/forum/topics/rationalisation-of-classes , Maybe it's an opening for more karters . . .