I did a bunch of evaluation when our small non scca related club allowed
karts 3 years ago. www.cumberlandmotorclub.com
All of the roundy round based kart organizations use methanol, it give about
10% more power but is consumed at a higher rate. 40-50% higher? It has a
lower flash point so its safer when the karts can get together and carbs get
ripped off etc... All of them stated that they only sanctioned events and
most tracks has local rules classes allowing gas too. The SCCA rules allow
either gas or methanol with a slight weight penalty for the methanol.
The problems are that for autocross you need to have large volumes of water
located strategically around a large course when small kart tracks can
easily accommodate the water. If a kart crashes, you need to rapidly douse
it with water as you can't see the methanol burn.
Most of our competitors use gas because its easier and you don't have the
corrosive issues of the methanol. With methanol you need to flush out the
system after each use and diaphragms get dissolved by the fuel.
Dan Morency
Kart Chair, Cumberland Motor Club
|