8/5/05
F200 CLASS EXPERIENCING HUGE GROWTH IN 2005
Huntington Beach, California — “A new beginning for 4-cyclers”-- is what a driver new to the F200 class said about the class at Indianapolis Raceway Park. And this feeling seems to be shared by drivers on dirt, speedways, and sprint tracks nationwide! For F200, the 2005 season has seen larger than expected growth in every form of karting.
“We added F200 sprint classes in Indiana this April, and now some guys from California are building engines to start an F200 Sprint class there next season,” states Mike Burris.
F200’s ran an exhibition for the King Taco Open hosted by the Tri C Karters at the California Speedway in Fontana, CA. F200 lap times were 3 to 4 seconds a lap quicker than the Briggs World Formulas (and about 1 second quicker than the KT100 “Super Box” Yamaha’s) and drew a lot of interest. Tri C President Don Morbitzer was very impressed by the F200’s and invited them to run at one of their upcoming club race at Moran Raceway.
Along with the variety of engine setups, Sprint F200 drivers have shown the diversity of the class through a variety of domestic and foreign chassis choices. “It’s nice to see Margays and Coyotes racing side-by-side with the Italian made 4cycle chassis. Add in the different engine concepts, and probably no two drivers are doing anything alike,” continues Burris.
“We’ve even converted some 2-cycle guys! The power is in between that of a KT100 Superbox or Pipe, and the reliability and longevity is much better than the other 4 cycle OHV classes.”
Along with the steady growth in sprint F200 classes, BNSS tracks on both dirt and asphalt ovals have also experienced strong growth, especially in the Southeast. Florida and southern Georgia have the Florida Karting Assoc headed by Jimmy Sims spearheading the F200 move down there and every race they have more karts.
There are many reasons Burris and F200 karters believe the class is experiencing strong growth: the variety of engines, power and reliability of OHV engines, and the ‘do it yourself’ potential of engine kits such as the Yamaha YF200-R1. “4-cyclers are engine guys, they love to tinker with different engine setups, F200 is perfect for that,” continues Burris. “There are some guys I’m sure who have spent a pile of money on their engines, but those engines are NOT noticeably stronger than the YF200 kit engines, usually chassis setup determines the winner anyway.”
“F200 is presenting an alternative and an opportunity to 4-cycle karters and engine builders to put the fun and challenge back in karting,” concludes Burris. “The class has had exceptional rules stability. Guys can learn how to build a competitive engine on their own, and even the Junior engines are powerful enough for the kids to truly learn to drive. It’s just a fun class to drive too!”
The F200 class was the concept of, among others, of long-time karting legend and pioneer Mike Burris. F200 is based on overhead valve, 200cc 4-cycle engines, and a simple easy-to-follow rulebook. The F200s run on pump gasoline, and require much less maintenance than a flathead 4-cycle class engine. Approved F200 class engines include: the Yamaha YF200 R1, Briggs Animal, Kohler C6 XKE, Tecumseh OHH 5.5 and Honda GX200.
For more information on adding an F200 class to your club, go to www.speedway-karting.com . For information on the Yamaha YF200R1 contact Burris Racing at yf200r1@burrisracing.com .
