Vroom Kart UK #009

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KARTING, EMOTION & PASSION

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PHOTO © C.WALKER – KARTPIX.NET

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MSA BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP CLOSE UP

CADET KART SENSATION OF THE YEAR SYNERGY CHROME IN THE SPOTLIGHT

HENRY EASTHOPE GRABS THE BRITISH

SENIOR CROWN IN A HOTLY CONTESTED FINAL ROUND AT LITTLE RISSINGTON

TALKING TO

Ben

HANLEY

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CONTENTS

www.vroomkart.com

SEPTEMBER 2014 - N. 9

info@vroom.it www.facebook.com/vroomkart twitter.com/vroomkart

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news

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12

MONDOKART - News & Previews

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YOUR TKM GUIDE Caught out cheating

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ROTAX MAX BEGINNERS TIPS Smoking pipe

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BIG BROTHER - 2014 TKM S1 SCHOLARSHIP Hunting down the front runners

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FOCUS Koden Helmets

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CLOSE UP Synergy Kart

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TALKING TO Ben Hanley

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OCTOBER RACING CALENDAR

race

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SUPERONE MSA CHAMPIONSHIP RD.5

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SUPERONE ROTAX CHAMPIONSHIP RD.4

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TVKC KARTMASTERS GRAND PRIX

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MAXXIS TKM FESTIVAL

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CLUB 100 SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP RD.6

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EASYKART UK CHAMPIONSHIP RD.6

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SHENINGTON KRC CHAMPIONSHIP RD.8

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technical side 68

GARAGE - Camber set-up

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SOS KART - Changing tyres

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f

ocus

KODEN HELMETS

Super light helmets THE BRITISH BRAND KODEN MAKES HELMETS FOR CAR AND KART RACING, BOTH IN CARBON FIBRE WITH THE SAME SAFETY SPECS AND HOMOLOGATION NORMS. BY M.VOLTINI

F

or four years now, Koden has been commercializing helmets on the British market, one of the most demanding, but the company has now managed to expand its range of business to several countries all over the world, also backed by years of experience (over thirty) in the field of motor sport of the present American management.

A whole range of products that has been successful thanks to a good value for money, which above all they present a series of helmets made specifically for

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karting. Anyway, let’s take a closer look at the range being offered.

TOP-NOTCH ‘SANS’ FIREPROOF All helmets made by Koden are conform to Snell standard safety norms, the same or better, and helmets for automobile sports guarantee SA/SAH2010 homologation. As for helmets made specifically for karting, the only difference is that they do not have any fireproof material or components (somewhat

unnecessary in Karting), the rest however, is the same. They undergo the same resistance and shock-proof tests. So, the only difference is the homologation always by Snell and marked K2010 - that allows to use them for kart racing.

Taking a closer look at the way they are made, the other real difference in Koden production concerns the shell; made in carbon fibre or fibreglass. Then there are other characteristics such as the shape, which is aerodynamic and very interesting, the 3 mm thick scratch-proof

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C L O S E

U P

S Y N E R G Y

K A R T

CHALLENGING CADET SUPREMACY

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Following Synergy Kart’s recent success in Cadet categories, we take a closer look at the chassis that challenged Zip Kart’s supremacy spanning over two decades.

REPORT S.MURTAS / PHOTOS SYNERGY P.O.

T

he latest MSA homologation session for Cadet chassis has seen a vast array of frames from various different brands meeting the

requirements to compete at national level. Yet only one has been consistently successful in breaking the two-decades dominance of Zip Kart, a supremacy transcending all records of a brand that almost epitomizes the very notion of Cadet category in the general public. That chassis is the Synergy ‘Chrome’.

Made by Stevenage Sheet Metal, and developed and commercialized exclusively by Fusion Motorsport, Synergy has been a major force to be reckoned with already from the start of the season with Teddy Wilson, Jonny Edgar and Zac Robertson having all scored victories at National level.

“It all started late last year when we took the chassis testing in Lanzarote, Spain, against Zip, Tony Kart and RK, and we found out that in terms of consistency, drivability and ease of use it came out on top,” says Fusion Motorsport boss Dan Hazlewood. “From then on we worked on developing the chassis, improving performance, making sure our drivers were comfortable with it and that it also worked properly in the UK.” It certainly does, no question about it, so much so that two Synergy equipped Fusion Motorsport drivers, Teddy Wilson and Jonny Edgar, are fighting for the S1 British Cadet Championship crown with one round to go, a real novelty considering Zip Kart have monopolized the championship over the past two decades.

As a further proof of its outstanding performance and consistency, Synergy has won more Little Green Man Rounds than any other manufacturer in 2014 to date, with three different drivers, one of them currently leading the Championship.

And if after a rocking first year of racing success has come almost unexpectedly, the British manufacturer decided to put the kart into general production and to commercialize it for the entire UK market in order to capitalize on Synergy’s brilliant debut season. And if Fusion Motorsport’s core business remains the running of the team independently from any specific kart manufacturer, all Synergy Karts will

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ENGLISH LION

TALKING TO BEN HANLEY

Ben Hanley is the example of Cool, a quiet lad that gets transformed into the most classic English lion once the visor is down. Boasting an impressive on track record, both in Karting and singleseaters, the ART Grand Prix driver is still one of the most dedicated, talented and exciting factory drivers around.

REPORT S.MURTAS / PHOTOS D.PASTANELLA

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Working in symbiosis with ART Grand Prix Team manager Armando Filini already during the Maranello years (2002-2011), the 2000 British JICA champion is as consistent as a top driver can be. Vice World Champion in 2013 (KF), 3rd in the World Championship in 2009 (SKF) and 2003 (FA), and vice European Champion in 2001 (FA), Hanley moved up to single-seaters in 2005 making a strong impression in his debut season (3rd in the F.Renault 2.0 Italy) and grabbing the 2007 F.Renault 3.5 Series runner-up title.

Budget problems forced him to definitely say goodbye to his F1 aspiration in 2009

after an only three races in GP2 series. Back on a go-kart since then, the Brit has proved to be a top driver always to be reckoned with, both at CIK and WSK championships, where he also boasts a runner-up title in 2013 (KZ2) and the KZ crown earlier this year.

You are one of the most experienced drivers out there. Which would you say is the highlight of your career? “Definitely the European FA Championship runner-up title in 2001 after taking the British JICA crown the previous year. Also, winning the Winter Cup and Margutti Trophy in the same year was really great. I believe it was

RACING CAREER

2004, and that back-to-back to win was the beginning of a very good season. I have to say that I’m also proud of my experience in single-seaters, despite not being quite able to make it to my ultimate goal, which was F1.”

Your long-lasting collaboration with Armando Filini seems to be quite an important feature of your racing career…

“True. It really began back in 2002. I was trying to participate in the European FSA championship as a private driver but it wasn’t allowed because teams had to have a minimum of two drivers. So an opportunity

arose with Armando who was Maranello Team manager back then, and that’s how our collaboration really began.”

A collaboration that resumed after your experience in single-seaters… why did you decide to move back to Karting instead of trying something else like GT for instance?

“When I moved to single-seaters I tried not to have anything to do with Karting because I didn’t want it to conflict with the career I’d chosen, and Karting has always been a big passion of mine. So I tried to focus 100% on car racing, and when the financial support ended, I moved straight back to karts to

POB MANCHESTER (GB) DOB 22/01/1985 2014 CIK-FIA European Championship - KZ (P.9 – 28 pts.)

WSK Champions Cup - KZ2 (P.1 – 102 pts.)

Lonato Winter Cup – KZ2 (P.4) 2013 CIK-FIA World Championship - KF (P.2 – 29 pts.)

CIK-FIA World Championship - KZ (P.4) WSK Euro Series - KZ1 (P.2 – 137 pts.)

Lonato Winter Cup - KZ2 (P.2) 2012 CIK-FIA World Karting Championship - KF1 (P.9 – 42 pts.)

WSK Euro Series - KZ1 (P.7 – 57 pts.)

2011 Lonato Winter Cup - KZ2 (P.6) 2010 CIK-FIA World Cup - KZ1 (P.8) CIK-FIA European Championship - KZ1 (P.11 – 19 pts.)

Lonato Winter Cup - SKF (P.5) Superleague Formula (P.4 – 653 pts.)

1 win, 3 podiums, 1 pole position, 3 fastest laps 2009 CIK-FIA World Karting Championship – SKF (P.3) Euroseries 3000 (P.6 – 23 pts.)

1 win, 2 podiums, 1 fastest lap 2008 GP2 Series (P.24 – 1 pt.)

GP2 Asia Series (P.14 – 6 pts.)

1 podium 2007 Formula Renault 3.5 Series (P.2 – 102 pts.)

2 wins, 6 podiums, 3 fastest laps 2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Series (P.8 – 55 pts.)

1 win, 2 podiums, 3 fastest laps 2005 Italian Open Masters - FA (P.8 – 29 pts.)

Lonato Winter Cup - FA (P.1) Formula Renault 2.0 UK (P.28 – 21 pts.)

Formula Renault 2.0 Italy (P.3 – 264 pts.)

6 wins, 9 podiums, 2 pole positions, 4 fastest laps 2004 CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Championship - Formula A (P.4) CIK-FIA World Championship - FA (P.6) CIK-FIA European Championship - FA (P.7 – 42 pts.)

Lonato Winter Cup - FA (P.1) Andrea Margutti Trophy - FA (P.1) 2003 CIK-FIA World Championship - FA (P.3) CIK-FIA European Championship – FA (P.4 – 69 pts.)

CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Championship - FA (P.5) 2002 Lonato Winter Cup – FSA (P.8) 2001 CIK-FIA European Championship - FA (P.2 – 93 pts.)

Lonato Winter Cup – FA (P.1) 2000 Super 1 National Championship - JICA (P.1 – 349 pts.)

1999 CIK-FIA European Championship - JICA (P.10) Lonato Winter Cup - JICA (P.7) VROOM UK

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SUPER ONE MSA CHAMPIONSHIP

RACE

RND.5, LITTLE RISSINGTON, 16-17th AUGUST 2014

EASTHOPE TAKES BRITISH SENIOR CROWN Henry Easthope was crowned 2014 MSA British Senior Short Circuit Karting Champion as the KZ1 class concluded their season.

REPORT H.BEAUDETTE / PHOTOS C.WALKER (KARTPIX.NET)

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Super One returned to the classic Cotswold venue of Little Rissington for the first time in many years and enjoyed a superb weekend of racing at the flat but beautiful airbase that was once the home of the world famous Red Arrows display team.

KZ1 Easthope had all but secured the title following the most recent round of the championship at Larkhall and, in theory, didn’t need to participate on the

weekend. However the Taylor International Motorsport Sodi Kart driver chose to race and was rewarded with a second place finish in the last race of the year.

Sam Webster and Scott Allen shared the two victories with Webster doing a sterling job of holding Allen off in final one with Denis Gorman completing the podium.

However Webster’s dreams of taking third place in the final standings turned sour when his kart failed on the rolling lap, leaving pole position empty and Webster’s day over. This gave Easthope’s teammate Jamie Garvie an invitation to snatch the lead from the second row of the

Above, the MSA British KZ1 Championship protagonists at the start. Final 2 winner Scott Allen (25) sided by the new class champion Henry Easthope (3) and final 1 pole sitter Denis Gorman (26). Left, Easthope (3) leading on fellow Sodi driver Jamie Garvie (58) and pole setter Sam Webster (9).

Right, Cadet Libre double winner Max Dodds on the podium.

grid with Allen a close second.

The mechanical attrition wasn’t over as Garvie’s kart faltered on lap four, handing Allen a lead he would not lose. Garvie spent two laps fixing the problem before continuing, by which time Allen, Gorman and Easthope were comfortably ahead.

But the drama wasn’t over as with second place virtually in the bag Gorman coasted to a halt, leaving Allen to take his fifth win of the year and handing Easthope second place on a silver platter. John Pike completed the podium with Will van Es fourth.

Webster’s retirement meant he finished the season just seven points behind van Es in fourth place overall in the championship.

MSA CADET The results of the second final will remain

provisional until the start of the final round at PF International following the conclusion of Teddy Wilson’s appeal against his exclusion.

A day before the controversy began, O Plate winner Jonny Edgar claimed pole position for the heats, outpacing Wilson, Zachary Robertson, Tom Wood and Brandon Martland in qualifying. Wilson won heat one by two tenths of a second from Edgar but Edgar struck back in heat two, edging out Robertson by a wheel-length with Wilson some way back in third.

Wilson and Edgar broke away from the rest in Sunday’s first final with Edgar pushing his teammate all the way. Wood tried to break away from a furious multi kart scrap for third but couldn’t quite catch the leaders and as the race reached its conclusion Wilson

was able to pull out a small gap on Edgar to take the victory.

Wilson led away again in the second final as Robertson snatched second from Edgar.

As Edgar dropped back into

the pack Robertson and Wilson powered away at the front and Wilson continued to lead until the start of the final lap when Robertson dived to the inside going into turn one.

Wilson fought back at Top

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SUPER ONE ROTAX SERIES

RACE

RND.4 GLAN Y GORS, 9-10th AUGUST 2014

WOODER AND BARTHOLOMEW DOUBLE AT GYG After a month’s break the SSM Super

One Series visited north Wales for the picturesque circuit of Glan y Gors.

REPORT G.SMITH / PHOTOS C.WALKER

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Left, Dave Wooder (O) monopolized the weekend in Junior Max after dominating the opening round. Right, rookie Stewart Middleton (75) grabbed a very convincing 2nd place in final 1 ahead of Tom Gamble (below) who took 2nd in final 2. Below right, with a 2nd and a win in the two Mini Max finals, Dean MacDonald extended his lead in the championship.

Following a dry day on Saturday for the heats, Sunday was punctuated by showers courtesy of the remnants of Hurricane Bertha. Dean MacDonald took the second MiniMax final after the first winner Alex Quinn fell back and took a penalty. Tom Canning took the first of the Honda Cadet wins as Kiern Jewiss went off, he stormed back to win the second. In Junior and Senior Max Dave Wooder and Jack Bartholomew enjoyed double victories.

JUNIOR MAX In the largest class

with 40 entries, William Tregurtha, tenth in the points, was having a great run through the heats for the first final pole, although Jack McCarthy had been fastest in the time trials. Unfortunately after Dave Wooder had grabbed the first final lead, Tregurtha had an incident dropping him well back, to finish 11th. Wooder pulled 3.7s on Stuart Middleton, with Tom Gamble a further 9s in arrears for third. Wooder had to battle a lot harder in the second final, having to overcome initial leader Sandy Mitchell then Jonathan Paylor

and briefly Josh Skelton before they clashed. Tom Gamble had a poor start, falling to 10th so he did well to come back to second.

Coming from the repechage last chance race and nonfinishing the first final, Hugo Ellis reached 3rd but had to settle for 6th behind Paylor, Zak Fulk and Jack McCarthy after Gamble had established himself as nearest challenger to Wooder. Harrison Thomas had reached fifth from a lowly grid position but had an off on the penultimate lap and fell to 12th.

MINIMAX Jonathan Hoggard was quickest in timed qualifying and although Alex Quinn won both heats, Hoggard lined up alongside for the first final.

Dean MacDonald sprung into the lead of that at the start but was soon put back down by Quinn and Adam Smalley. Jonathan Hoggard leapfrogged past Thomas Turner. McDonald had battled back to the lead but Quinn pipped him on the last lap to win by 0.09s. MacDonald then took command of the second final, Quinn falling back first to fourth which gave MacDonald a break, VROOM UK

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MSA KARTMASTERS GRAND PRIX

RACE

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19th MSA KARTMASTERS GRAND PRIX, PF INTERNATIONAL, 1-3rd AUGUST 2014

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GRAND RACES AND PRIZES AT THE TVKC KARTMASTERS For the 19th running of the TVKC Kartmasters there was a glittering array of trophies and prizes, the event sponsored by Vroom magazine.

REPORT G.SMITH / PHOTOS C.WALKER (KARTPIX.NET)

Above, the two Coles Racing driver Sam Pooley and Alex Quinn, huge rivals in Mini Max. Right, Pooley and teammate Collard pose for the camera…

For the last few years the principal classes have enjoyed the honour of competing for the MSA short circuit GP titles. This year for the first time there were healthy grids of the new IAME X30 classes, superbly promoted by importer John Mills with parts vouchers and free entries to the IAME International Final to aim for plus new Kartmasters Trophies, although not eligible for the MSA GP titles.

There was a total of seven classes and 228 drivers and a good crowd of spectators.

MINIMAX Samuel Pooley was the man on form after he topped the heat scores although having to give best to O Plate Luke Wooder in the PreFinal, he went onto win the final despite dropping back at the start. Wooder had a bad heat and came from 6th on the pre-final grid but his final went sour after losing a few places from

his initial lead he found himself in the barriers. He admitted he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The lead had been taken up briefly by Jonathan Hoggard in his first Kartmasters but soon Sam Kirkpatrick took over, then Alex Quinn before Pooley recovered to lead.

He had a lucky break when Hoggard was forced wide onto the grass, letting Quinn into second and managing to defend to the flag. “I was lining it up to get Sam but was hit from behind and that left Sam with a gap,” he said.

Kirkpatrick was third on the road but penalised 5s for the incident with Hoggard, elevating Hoggard, Sean Butcher and Tyler Sullivan. “I didn’t think I could win after dropping to sixth but worked my way up,” said Pooley.

HONDA CADET The final was rather bizarre with two very unhappy front runners but before that there had been a tremendous prefinal with Harry Thompson and Tom Canning finally making a break, Kiern Jewiss

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17th TKM FESTIVAL

RACE

17th TKM FESTIVAL, KIMBOLTON, 9-10th AUGUST 2014

HURRICANE BERTHA RIPS INTO TKM FESTIVAL The 17th running of the Maxxis TKM Festival will be one never to be forgotten thanks to the attack from Hurricane Bertha, which transformed Kimbolton from race track to more water sports facility.

REPORT G.BUTTERWORTH / PHOTOS PIXELERO

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The first taste of what was in store came during Friday testing when a freak violent thunderstorm brought flood drama. Large parts of the circuit and paddock were under 4� of water requiring water pumps and many brooms to help get things back on course.

With Bertha scheduled to hit on Sunday the Hunts Kart Club team took the decision to run all the heats on Saturday – and what a wise

decision that turned out to be with torrential rain delaying a start on Sunday and almost bringing the entire event to a halt.

A fantastic effort by all the marshals, officials and competitors just managed to make the Pre finals and finals possible but created odd conditions for the finals with a largely dry track apart from two or three rivers running across the circuit.

Above, Extreme Elite podium with Ogden sided by Waring (left) and Sproat.

Left, Hurricane Bertha brought floods at Kimbolton, but the event ran smoothly.

RESULTS Junior Festival 1) Taylor (Tony Kart); 2) Wadley (Tal-Ko); 3) Burgess (Jade); 4) Zielinski (Tal-Ko); 5) Whittaker (Jade); 6) D’Alessandro (Tal-Ko); 7) Guest (Tal-Ko); 8) Dunmore (Tony Kart); 9) Proietti (Jade); 10) Fowler (Jade) Junior Elite 1) Lee (Tony Kart); 2) Mills (Jade); 3) Robinson (MS Kart); 4) Taylor (Tony Kart); 5) Pearce (Tony Kart); 6) Holmes (Tony Kart); 7) Forward (Tony Kart); 8) Ireland (Tony Kart); 9) Grantham (SP1); 10) McCann (Tal-Ko9 (1st 4-stroke) Extreme Festival 1) Forsdyke (Tal-Ko); 2) Speight (Jade); 3) Barrow (Tony Kart); 4) Drinkall (Tony Kart); 5) M’peace-Derry (Kosmic); 6) Edmunds

So an event of two halves really – Saturday quali and heats dry as a bone, and then Sunday very wet pre finals and half-half finals… recipe for some interesting racing.

Oh and full marks go to the retro kart drivers who turned up to display their machines in action on the track just at a time of pouring rain. Well done guys!

In the large Junior and Senior categories, as ever the Festival used its own unique format of everyone in a class racing against each other after timed qualifying.

At the end of the heats the top 34 then went into the Elite section with the remainder

into the Festival. Each then having a pre final and final.

JUNIORS Lewis Taylor should have been on pole by 1/100 from Bradley White but was found to be slightly underweight and sent to the back along with a number of others caught out by the change of conditions and kart/suit weight. Ryan Edwards, Alex Forward, Dino Lee and Chris Whitton were all up front – the latter only just into the class and using a Veloce kart for the first time.

The six dry heats were great races with White, Forward, Lee and Whitton always battling and each taking a

win. Fighting from the back each time Lewis Taylor even managed a 5th place along with a 9th and 12th, looking strong for the finals. The Elite Pre-final in very wet conditions saw Alex Forward take a secure victory from a chasing Bradley White. Whitton struggled in the wet to finish 8th and Taylor powered through to 11th. Come the Elite final Forward pulled a clear lead while those behind battled, but then tripped over a backmarker at Derek’s Corner leaving the door open for Lee. He made no mistakes heading to the flag. Arran Mills came through from row three to second, while Bradley

(Tony Kart); 7) Taylor (Tony Kart); 8) Milner (FA Kart) (1st Novice); 9) Stevens (Tony Kart); 10) Davies (Tony Kart) Extreme Elite 1) Ogden (Tony Kart); 2) Waring (Tal-Ko); 3) Sproat (Tony Kart); 4) Wallace (Tony Kart); 5) Partridge (Tony Kart); 6) Wilson (Tony Kart); 7) Monks (Tony Kart); 8) Stockford (MS Kart); 9) Campbell-Mills (Tony Kart); 10) Vercoe (Tal-Ko) Clubman 1) Longfield (Jade); 2) Macauley (Intrepid); 3) Johnson (ARC); 4) Ogden (ARC); 5) Morris (ARC); 6) Willacy (Jade); 7) Brickley (Jade); 8) Sheppard (Jade); 9) McDonald (Tony Kart); 10) Marot (Jade)

White was excluded for being underweight and lost third sport to Saul Robinson who had passed 23 karts on his way through the field. In the Festival Final Sam Fowler used his pole position to good effect but in the battle for the lead got taken out leaving Joe Taylor to take victory from Harrison Smith. But with Smith excluded for an illegal engine it was Lewis Wadley who took second from Neil Burgess – who also got the novice award.

SENIOR EXTREME Having not sat in a kart for a year or so Joe Porter was back to see if he could make it three VROOM UK

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garage SET UP - CAMBER

THOSE STRANGE TILTS

Among the various geometries concerning the set up of any four-wheeled vehicle, there is one that is often mentioned: camber. Let’s see what it is exactly and how it affects kart REPORT M. VOLTINI - PHOTO A. CINTI behavior.

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S.O.S. KART INSTRUCTIONS F THIS MONTH WE ARE GOING TO DEAL WITH TYRES AND HOW TO CHANGE THEM

Technology and inventive have made great progress and now we can have all sorts of tools and utensils to be able to carry out an operation that may seem like a personal battle to many…

In fact, changing tyres looks like an impossible task at first, if you don’t have the right technical know how.

I have really seen some weird scenes on the track and I myself, despite having acquired experience, still have difficulty with mounting some tyres by hand.

The most difficult ones, the ones that require, strength 74

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and not just the right technique are the ones with a stiff shoulder... and if you should mount them when external temperature is very low, make sure that there is no one around to hear your swearing…

Let’s start by taking off the old wheels off the rims.

The first thing to do is remove the screws that keep tyre in, if there are any, from the rims: loosen them a bit instead of removing them, if you take them out, you risk bending them during the heeling and the risk damaging the rims too.

When you have taken them off, take the opportunity to check and see in what conditions the sealing O-ring on there are: if thee are any scratches, cuts or cracks change them, it doesn’t cost much and you can find them at any iron mongers or shops where they sell technical industrial articles.

Once you have taken out all the screws put the wheels on the bead breaker, being very careful to centre the rims on the rings correctly and let the tyres bead (see picture 1).

The operation, depending on the bead breaker that we

have, can be more or less difficult.

I have seen people beading tyres with their bare hands, but, in this case you also had a big body mass to the brutal force required…

Bead the tyres; go on to the next phase which is the major font of swearing, but also of satisfaction if it does work at the first go: taking the rim out of the tyre.

We must always bear in mind that inside the tyre, besides the carcass made up of criss-crossed burlaps and other things, there are

FOR USE ... AND MUCH MORE!

BY REV

Picture 1. Before putting the tyre onto the bead breaker take out the anti-bead breaking screws, or you will certainly risk bending them and damaging the rim.

two rings made of a steel plait: these rings have a diameter which is less than the external boarder of the rims and the only way to let them go in or come out from the rims is tilt it at about 45° compared to the rim axis and then make the most of the elasticity (see picture 2).

Once you have pressed the shoulder of the tyre down like in picture 2, you can start: take the wheel like in picture 3, with your thumb push the border that we have just pressed down inside the rim canal: doing this we can see that the lips of the tyre has already come away from the rim from the opposite side and its position is suitable for taking it out.

With the other hand to help you as in picture 4, try to

pull the tyre lip, as much as possible towards the external part of the rim and then, holding on tight to it, turn the tyre upside down and rest it on the round (picture 5) so as to be able to load our weight of the tyre lip that is outside the rim (if we haven’t let go of it during the rotation manouvre…).

With the other hand, from the other side, keep the rim still as we load our weight onto the tyre, try to press with our wrist (obviously you must hold the tyre firmly with you hand during this operation) turning towards the external, outward (see picture 6 and 7).

The tyre will slip out more or less easily depending on the hardness of the shoulder (see picture 8). At this point one of the two tyre heels will

be outside the rim: a quarter of the work has been done!

To complete this operation take the tyre as in picture 9 and hold it still with one hand, with the other press down and lever on the rim loading all our weight and at the same time turn it until the rim slips out of the tyre heel. If it is difficult because of no or lack of elasticity of the tyre shoulder, you can try lubricating the rim and tyre heel with specific soap for tyres or with multiuse Xeramic spray.

You can use the same product also for removing the residues of rubber from the rim (see picture 10).

At this point we must start thinking about the tyres to be mounted: if they are new, they must just be mounted in the right direction and so

Picture 2, 3, 4 and 5. To take the tyre off you must squash the shoulder from the side facing the inside of the kart, until it deforms and looks like that in picture 2.

The operation can be a bit difficult if you are dealing with tyres with very stiff shoulders.

If you push the tyre bead till the bottom of the rim cavity (pic.3), you can immediately see, from the opposite side, how it is in a favourable position to take it out.

While you hold the bead inside the rim canal with one hand, with the other lever up trying to take it out of the rim as much as possible.

While holding the external bead on the edge of the rim, turn the wheel upside down, then load your weight onto your hand that is holding the tyre and keep the rim still with the other.

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VROOM POINTS

Here’s were you find your copy of Vroom UK

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DARTFORD KARTING – OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTOR

www.kartstore.co.uk contact Maria at sales@kartstore.co.uk BAYFORD MEADOWS KC www.bmkr.co.uk contact Ian at info@bmkr.co.uk

SHENINGTON KC www.sheningtonkrc.co.uk contact Graham at Graham@sheningtonkrc.co.uk

BUCKMORE PARK – DARTFORD KARTING www.kartstore.co.uk contact Maria at sales@kartstore.co.uk

TRENT VALLEY KC www.tvkc.co.uk contact Clare at clare@tvkc.co.uk

CUMBRIA KC www.cumbriakrc.co.uk contact Malcolm at malcolmfell@yahoo.com

WHILTON MILL KC www.whiltonmill.co.uk contact Debbie at debbie@whiltonmill.co.uk

FOREST EDGE KC www.fekc.co.uk contact Colin at carolyne.wright@btconnect.com

ZIP KART www.zipkart.com contact Dan at dan@zipkart.com

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LLANDOW KC www.llandowkartclub.co.uk contact Colin at llandowcompsec@hotmail.co.uk 6

AND IF YOU ATTEND THE SUPER ONE SERIES, FIND IT AT THE S1 INFO CENTRE

VROOM UK

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