The organisation of the ROTAX MAX CHALLENGE GRAND FINALS at the Al Ain Raceway in Al Ain / United Arab Emirates 23.– 26.11.2011 arrived at a major milestone – the nomination of chassis manufacturers supporting the event.

This year it is the 12th grand finals enter a new decade with an event that is again bigger and more colourful than ever.

Bigger because of an increased 125 MAX DD2 Master category which grows by another 10 athletes to 48 in total.

In total Al Ain will allow 262 athletes from 60 countries to race for glory – the biggest number in the history of the ROTAX MAX CHALLENGE GRAND FINALS.

This can also be recognized at the list of chassis partners for the grand finals 2011, the first time the grand finals are supported by 4 independent chassis brands, which shows the wide support of the Rotax Max challenge idea amongst the karting industry.

Beside the long term partner CRG as well SODI and HAASE who supporting us again after 2010 we want to especially welcome BIREL who is with us the 1st time.

Chassis partners play a very important role, their top quality products, their professionalism in doing business as well as the experience and knowledge of their employees will support the spirit of the grand finals “fair racing on an even playfield”.

BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co KG proudly presents the chassis manufacturers supporting the event 2011.

The official chassis partners per category are:
Junior class: Birel
DD2 class: CRG
Senior class: Sodi
DD2 Masters class: Haase

The chassis models used during the grand finals will be announced soon.

We are looking forward a great event for everybody involved and a great cooperation with our partners!

Please join us in thanking BIREL, CRG and HAASE and SODI KART for their commitment and contribution.

Best regards,

BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co KG

Rotax has beefed up its DD2 drivetrain.  I’ve seen many troubles with the DD2 axle clamp and complaints about shifting issues over the years, and now finally there has been efforts to fix them.

The new “Dog ring” gear has been updated from 3 teeth to 6 teeth to help spread the power load and to ease the wear and tear on gear changes.  Also the axle clamp has been redesigned from a gear fit to a hexagon shaft to improve the fit.

Check out the full release here.

The  Winter Cup was the perfect occasion. In the first race of the season, Chiesa Corse decided to introduce their brand new coloured frame. No longer the characteristic bright blue used last season, but a wonderful silver grey color that changes depending on the angle from which you look at it: it appears darker in some moments and like a mirror in others. A restyling of the frames mounted on the Zanardi karts that Dino Chiesa, owner of the Italian factory explains: “The change was decided in order to test the reactions of the customers before the new homologation.  We wanted to get some sort of indication on which direction to take in the future …. “

Finally someone has made a remake of a classic game we all grew up playing. This real life Mario Kart video is awesome. All I can say is, I sure could have used those red turtle shells back in the day.

Mario Kart is Back (Rémi GAILLARD)
Uploaded by nqtv. – Click for more funny videos.

With Nyck turning 16 recently, we all know he will move on to car racing with McLaren very soon.  Though he is guaranteed to make this year a busy one.  Nyck has been confirmed to race in the KZ2 gearbox category at this weeks Winter Cup race at South Garda, Italy.

It doesn’t appear that Nyck has dumped his KF2 racing as he claims to have some unfinished business this year with WSK.

Be sure to follow this weekends race here.

GoPro, the already famous camera in sports has raised its bar.  They have added an external/attachable LCD review screen to their HD model camera.  The HD is defintely the most popular and officially sanctioned camera for karting has now gained some features with their recent product release.

Check out what GoPro is now bragging

The LCD BacPac is a detachable LCD screen for your 1080p HD HERO camera. As a removable accessory, the LCD BacPac keeps your camera as small and light as possible, yet provides the convenience of an LCD screen when attached.

Fits current HD HERO & HD Wrist housings when used with included LCD backdoors. See product photos at right.

Enhanced Convenience

• Framing complex scenes; see what you are shooting
• Playback video and photos directly on your HD HERO camera
• Use your HD HERO camera as a powerful everyday camera

LCD BacPac Features

• Attaches to 1080p HD HERO cameras featuring the rear HERO Port
• Simple one button design allows for easy on/off and playback control
• Normal speed, fast forward, and fast reverse video and photo playback
• Integrated speaker with volume control

What’s Included:

• 1 LCD BacPac screen
• 1 Waterproof LCD backdoor for HD HERO housing
• 1 Waterproof LCD backdoor for HD Wrist housing
• 1 Non-waterproof LCD Skeleton backdoor for HD HERO housing
• 1 Non-waterproof LCD Skeleton backdoor for HD Wrist housing
• 1 Year Warranty

Continuing to be a leader in karting data acquisition, AIM has done it again.  This time with magnetic pedal sensors to show data onlookers of when the pedals are being pressed and how hard they are being pressed.  Really useful when working with a driving coach and analysing a drivers footwork.

From AIM’s website @ URL

The new AIM accelerator/brake pedal position sensors represent a key support for kart drivers.
They provide a precise indication of timing and intensity of braking/ acceleration.
Which permits to understand if the driver has accelerated or braked at the right moment and with the correct strength. A very important fact to evaluate driver behavior and improve his performance.

Data can be acquired by MyChron4 connected to MyChron Expansion or toeBox Extreme and analyzed on your PC.

Perhaps I should mark a reminder in my own calendar for January 1 2010.  Check for the new Vega calendar girl.  This way we can maximize our time spent with the current calendar as opposed to waiting until February 2nd, like this year…

This year Vega has upped their efforts and assembled a photo shoot video from YouTube as well.

Enjoy!

Having the nicest kart on the grid, can give you that intimidation factor. It shows you pay attention to detail. Well KartingDecals.com just took the Mychron 4 to a whole new level. Now you can have a custom decal that fits perfectly over the faceplate of the Mychron. The best part is they cost only $6.95.

Visit KartingDecals.com to learn more. And see more pictures of designs created.