2013 KART CLUB GENERAL RULES
Merrittville Speedway Kart Club
General Karting and Competition Regulations for the 2013 Kart Season
The aim of the following rules is to achieve a day/night of entertainment for the competitors, their families and friends. You will notice that these are written on paper and not granite - as situations happen that necessitate change. Your Race Director is on record saying that the objective of the Merrittville Speedway Kart Club is for the karters to enjoy themselves and have fun. Please leave the egos and attitudes at home.
GENERAL
MEMBERSHIP
For insurance purposes and for the
safety of any person entering competition or restricted
area, the signing of a release form is mandatory upon
entering these areas. All competitors under the age of
18 will be required to have a Minor Release form signed at
the beginning of the season by both parents and/or legal
guardians. On nights in which the minor is competing,
he/she will sign the regular competitor form (no minor
release required nightly)
PROOF OF AGE
Any driver ages five (5) through
seventeen (17) must show proof of age if required.
Each time you register for an event you are required to show
your Merrittville Speedway membership. A certified
copy of an original birth certificate or other formal proof
of age will be required to be provided to us for our files
in order to become a member or compete as well.
You
are also required to have a minor release form registered
with the Speedway. You must be of age by May 1, 2013
to be eligible to drive (race) in a Kart class, or in the
case of moving up, be the required age the day of the race.
DRIVER
Driver must
be a minimum of five (5) years of age. In order to
accrue series points, drivers must be licensed (i.e.
Purchase a Merrittville Speedway membership) by the
Speedway. The cost of a Kart Membership is $60.00
(Canadian Dollars, includes taxes). The cost of the
membership also includes 1 (one) ticket to the year end
awards banquet and luncheon. All drivers must
satisfactorily demonstrate driving capability to the
Speedway officials when requested to do so.
KART OWNER
All karts must
have a registered owner.
KNOWLEDGE OF RULES
Members are responsible to know
the official policies, rules and regulations set forth
herein and any that may be added during the season.
Information contained in periodically distributed update
sheets becomes effective immediately upon distribution
unless otherwise noted. Driver and/or kart owner
assumes full responsibility for their kart and the conduct
of their pit crew, and shall be the sole spokesperson
thereof.
ASSUMPTION OF RISK
Members assume full responsibility for any and all injuries
sustained, property damage, and death at any time while on
the race premises or enroute to or from. No
Merrittville Speedway Kart Member will have any claim for
expenses or damage against Merrittville Speedway or its
promoters or officials regardless of negligence. No
insurance on vehicles in pits or infield. The primary
responsibility for the safe condition and operation of a
kart rests with the owner and/or driver.
COMPETITOR ACCIDENT POLICY
All injury reports are to be filed on the date of the
incident with the Speedway. Failure to do so may
result in denial of claim by the Insurance Company.
All injuries are subject to examination by a designated
physician.
PARTICIPATION
Competing karts shall be inspected by the Speedway.
Such inspection does not deem a kart safe and free from
defects. No expressed or implied warranty of safety
shall result from publication of or compliance with these
rules. Anyone may inspect the racecourse. By
participating in the race events you deem the racecourse
acceptable for competition.
INSPECTION
Any kart is
subject to full inspection by a Kart Official at any time
prior to receipt of payoff by that karts owner for the
day’s/evening’s events. Failure to comply will result
in disqualification. Post-race disqualification does
not require inspection of additional karts.
CONDUCT
The following
will be reason for immediate ejection from the Speedway:
- Abusive language, fighting, arguing with race
officials and unsportsmanlike conduct. This includes
EVERYONE. Drivers, pit crews, spectators and family
members; the instigator will be suspended for the remainder
of the year.
- Possession or consumption of an
alcoholic beverage by anyone in the pit area or having a pit
pass;
- Any person on the premises who appears to
be under the influence of alcohol or any other substance;
- Anyone entering the pits without a pit pass will be
ejected from the property for two (2) race events. If
they are part of a pit crew or family member of a driver,
the driver will forfeit all points and be ejected from the
property;
- Anyone approaching the Flagman or
Scorer during a race will be automatically disqualified from
the event. This includes drivers, pit crews, family
members, and spectators. A second offence will result
in ejection for two (2) race events.
- Unauthorized
entry into the pit area is not permitted. This
includes other people’s pit areas as well. For your
safety and the safety of others:
- Stay in your
designated pit area.
If there is a problem,
the outsider will be blamed and ejected per above rules;
Any unauthorized use of the Speedway is strictly prohibited.
Anyone using the Speedway without written permission from
the current management will be prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law.
ALL
DRIVERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR PIT CREWS
Drugs & Alcohol
Mandatory
revocation of membership for driver using drugs at any time
and/or intoxicating beverages before entering the race
premises or while in attendance before these beverages are
allowed in the pits. No alcoholic beverages to be
consumed in restricted areas until the conclusion of all
racing events. Any driver, owner, or pit crew
violating this rule will cause disqualification of the kart
and loss of purse and points for the program.
Decisions
All decisions
concerning scorekeeping, suspension, disqualification, fines
and interpretation of rules by the Race Director are final
and subject to change at the Race Director’s discretion.
Questions regarding race procedure or other decisions will
not be discussed while the race program is in progress.
Anyone not adhering to this rule will be penalized at the
Race Director’s discretion, which may include but not be
limited to ejection, suspension, or forfeiture of points.
Protests
Any protest
must be submitted in writing to the Race Director, Head Tech
Official, General Manager or Head Scorer within 15 minutes
following the completion of your division’s race.
Protest fees for engines is $100.00. Money will be
refunded to the protester if the motor is found to be
illegal. If legal, motor owner & head tech inspector
will each receive $50.00 of the protest fee. Driver
with illegal motor will receive no payoff and loss of points
for that event. If 2nd offence; loss of payoff and all
points accumulated up to and including that event will occur
with possible expulsion from future competition.
Protest fee for scoring race procedure or driver conduct is
$25.00. Money will be refunded to the protester if the
protest is upheld, otherwise the protest is disallowed; the
protestor shall forfeit the protest fee. Karters will
have six (6) days only to protest any finishes. Once
the next regular scheduled race starts, no previous night’s
races will be reviewed. On some race days, the issue
may be resolved forthwith.
Disposal
Absolutely no oil or tires are to be
left on Speedway Property. You must bring your own oil
disposal container, and it must leave the Speedway Property
with YOU.
FEES AND
PAYOFF
Entry Fees (Canadian Dollars) &
Registration (subject to change at anytime)
Novice
Divisions……$15 Member or $20 Non-Member
Junior
Divisions…….$20 Member or $25 Non-Member
Senior
Divisions……$25 Member or $30 Non-Member
Senior Fun
Class….$15 (no membership required)
Registration
begins when the gates open at 5:00pm. Registration
ends 15 minutes before the scheduled time of the event.
* Any driver not registered by the official registration
completion time – hot laps at 6:20 – will start scratch in
ANY and ALL qualifying events. Entry fees and start
times for special events may differ.
Racing Program
A normal
racing program will consist of 2 qualifying events and 1
feature event per class. The Novice 1 and 2 divisions will
run 2 seven lap heats and an 8 lap feature. The Junior
classes will run 8 lap heats and 15 lap features.
Senior classes will run 10 lap heats and 20 lap features.
Specific events may differ and will be posted.
Pit Area
No vehicles
other than karts, tow vehicles or emergency vehicles allowed
to drive on the track. No driving of karts while under
power in the pit area. You must stop in the exit area
and turn kart off.
Payoff
Procedure
Payoff will be at the completion of the
last event. Only driver or designated agent with
membership of driver is permitted to receive payoff.
No payoff distribution will occur until tech inspections are
completed and all protests resolved.
Year End Awards
In order
to receive year-end awards and points in a class or series,
the participants MUST be current Merrittville Speedway Kart
Club members. If you do not have a membership by the
end of June 2013, you will not qualify for the banquet
elimination draws.
Rainouts
An event will be considered rained-out if all qualifying
heats have not been run. Rain checks will be honored
at the next regular show. You must keep your
wristband, and present it when you sign in. There will
be no exceptions.
TECH
ITEMS
Engine
All engines will be teched per World Karting Association
(WKA) rules if said rules exist for the current season.
Management reserves the right to tech at their own
discretion. Please see the current year WKA Technical
Manual for engine tech regulations for all classes including
updates. Any karter wishing to run an IKF engine MUST
declare such to the Race Director EVERY time raced.
They MUST also run the class with an extra 15 lbs.
If an engine (or component of said engine) or carburetor is
found to be illegal, tech officials reserve the right to
identify (mark) and re-tech the item before allowing it back
in competition.
Restrictor
Plates
If a restrictor plate or slide is found to
be illegal, it will be confiscated by Merrittville Speedway
Kart official and will be destroyed. A blatant
restrictor plate or slide infraction will deem further
suspension by direction of the Kart Director.
Tires
Junior 1: Burris
SS11 with the option of Burris SS22 on the right rear.
Junior 2 and Junior
Restricted: Burris SS11/SS22
can be used anywhere on the kart
Novice: strictly Burris
SS11 only.
Seniors: Burris – any compound.
All classes:
Compound number (e.g. SS11) must not be ground or
unreadable.
In all cases the karts must be equal to
or under the WKA maximum width requirements from outside
tire to outside tire. The use of tire warmers at
regular club race events is NOT PERMITTED. Heat guns
used to remove tire build-up are allowed.
Oil & Fuel
Oil and fuel
may be teched at any time during race day. No
flammable or dangerous additives of any kind are allowed in
the crankcase. Any means of testing may be used
including smell and appearance. A competitor may be
disqualified if his fuel does not smell the same as a clean
fuel sample supplied by the track. Three track
officials must perform the ‘smell’ test and all three must
agree that the sample in question is different from the
track sample.
Pump around will be used for features
at the Race Director’s option.
*** Anyone
disqualified for oil or fuel infractions will forfeit
all
points for the event plus an 25 additional points***
Karts
All bolts must be
safety wired or secured with lock nuts. Brakes must be
fully operational. Add-on weight must be bolted
securely and colored white – MANDATORY. No more than 7
lbs weight per weight tab; please refer to WKA Rule 401.10.
Transponder
Transponders can either be purchased or rented from the
track. They must be returned to the scale area
immediately following the feature events. Mounting
location is Left Side Crasher on the front upright hoop.
Location is checked during safety inspection.
SAFETY EQUIPMENT
Karts
will be safety checked at the beginning of the season, and
could be re-teched for safety on a random basis throughout
the year.
Head Gear
Full coverage (full face) helmets designed for
competitive motorsport use and complying at minimum with
Snell Foundation 2005 specifications are mandatory.
Helmet must be in good condition and is subject to pre-tech
inspection. It is recommended that participant label
or letter rear area of helmet with blood type and any
special medical information such as specific drug allergies.
Eye Protection
Eye
protection is mandatory, whether goggles designed for
motorsport use or of a full visor integral with helmet.
Neck Brace
Collar type, unaltered neck braces designed for motorsport
use is mandatory in all classes.
Driver Apparel
Drivers
are required to wear jackets of leather, vinyl or abrasive
resistant nylon or equivalent with full-length jeans or
protective race pants to prevent or minimize abrasions.
High top sneakers, racing shoes, socks and gloves are
mandatory.
* Important Note – If hair extends
appreciably from beneath helmet level it is mandatory that
the participant wears a ‘balaclava’
or head-sock
retaining hair from extending outside the helmet.
In
addition, no apparel items such as bandanas, sweater hoods,
loose belts, etc. will be permitted *
Safety Tech
All driver
personal safety equipment is subject to a pre-tech
inspection. There will be a safety inspection required
each week for ALL KARTS before being allowed to enter the
racing area of the track. Any kart not passing safety
tech will not be allowed on the track.
Steering Wheels
Steering
wheels may be completely circular, minimum of 10-inch
diameter and minimum of three spoke designs or may be
butterfly style with 10-inch minimum diameter, four spoke
designs with minimum of 5-inch grip length on opposing
sides.
Side Panels
No metallic side panels will be allowed on any kart – if you
have them, you will not be able to compete until they are
removed or replaced. Side panels with sharp or pointed
edges must be radiused or rounded off before being allowed
to compete. Side nerf bars, if used, must be bullnosed
or bent round to side panel.
All Junior Division
karts except Jr. Restricted must run a full double hoop rear
bumper. Bumper must not extend past midpoint of either
tire. Maximum width – 34”, minimum width – 30”.
For clarification, see Slack Performance or Bicknell Racing
Products depending on kart make.
Fire Extinguishers
are recommended in every pit - Please keep them visible
&
easily accessible not only for yourself, but for others not
familiar with your pit.
OTHER ITEMS
Anything not covered in the rules will
be up to the discretion of the tech inspector and/or Race
Director without recourse from any owner, driver, crew
member, or spectator. Anything not covered by the
rules will be acted upon by the track officials as
situations arise and will be added to the rules. The
rules and regulations set forth and contained herein are
designed to provide for the orderly and SAFE conduction of
racing events and to establish minimum acceptable standards
and requirements for said events.
HOT PIT
Only driver, kart
and one (1) person to start the kart will be allowed in the
Hot Pit Area. Any unauthorized persons found in this
area may be ejected from the pit area. If you are late
to the hot pit area please send a member of your team to the
hot pit area and speak with an official.
FLAG DESCRIPTIONS AND RACE
PROCEDURES
There will be seven colored flags used
by the flagman to control the races. They are: green,
yellow, red, white, blue/yellow, checkered, and black.
It is the flagman’s job to relay information regarding the
status of the race to the drivers by waving the various
flags. It is the responsibility of the drivers to
observe the flagman’s motions each time he/she passes by
during the race.
Green Flag – Begin racing. When it has been
determined that all karts are lined up in the proper
position and the track is clear, the flagman will wave the
green flag when the karts pass by the start/finish line.
On caution lap restarts, the race will resume immediately
when the green flag is waved.
Yellow Flag – Caution on the
track – slow down and HOLD your position. The yellow
flag is also known as the caution flag. The caution
flag will not be thrown unless there is a dangerous
situation on the track usually resulting from a disabled
kart or multi-kart collision. On a caution, karters
are to get into single file position as soon as safely
possible. If a karter persists in trying to grab/fight
for a spot, he/she will be put TAIL. The scorers will
refer back to the last completed lap by all karters in order
to set the line-up for restarts. The track officials
will then indicate where karters should start.
Red Flag – Signifies
automatic halting of the race. Karters must come to a
complete stop in a safe and orderly manner. The race
is scored according to the last complete lap under green.
White Flag –
Signifies 1 lap remaining in the race or 1 lap remaining in
caution laps before ‘going green’ again.
Blue/Yellow Flag -
Signifies competitor is about to be lapped. Karts
about to be lapped MUST MOVE TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE TRACK.
During features, karters not responding will be black
flagged on their third lap.
Checkered Flag – End of the
race. The checkered flag is waved when the person
leading the race crosses the start/finish line at the
completion of the last lap. The first person to
complete the designated number of laps for the race is
declared the winner.
Black
Flag – Pull off the track immediately in a safe and
cautious manner. If the flagman waves the black flag
ad points to you while you are racing, you must slow down
using caution as to not interfere with other racers and exit
the track in a safe manner. Reasons to be
black-flagged could be – an unsafe situation has developed
with your kart while racing; your speed is off pace to the
point where it is a danger to other drivers; reckless
driving; unsafe or unsportsmanlike conduct.
Track Officials
All
practice and competition activity on the track are under the
immediate control of the Race Director, Starter, Pit
Steward, Flagmen, and Scorers. All competitors shall
adhere to their direction.
LINE-UP PROCEDURE
The
pole sitter will set the pace for the start of the race
under the direction of the track officials. The
flagman will control the start of the race at the
start/finish line.
Caution
Flags – The caution flag will not be thrown unless a
DANGEROUS SITUATION is created. In cases of multi-kart
collision causing a caution flag, racers who stall or lose
chains will be permitted, in a timely manner to restart at
the tail end of the field. After the field is reformed
and any kart not ready to race will be given two (2) laps to
join the field. If you are not ready, move to a safe
location and let the race resume. You will be scored
appropriately based on the number of karts remaining in the
race.
Stalled or disabled karts not under caution
(become disabled while the race is underway) will not be
permitted to restart the race unless there is another
caution. Scoring stops at the point kart became
disabled. If you spin out and are still under power,
and capable of continuing, the caution flag will not be
thrown. Single kart spins where kart is ruled NOT to
be in a dangerous position WILL NOT cause a caution to be
thrown. Anyone charged with three (3) cautions in any
race can be black-flagged.
Red Flags – No family members, crews or any other
attendees are permitted to enter the track surface until
approved by the officials. The competitors need to
come to a complete stop before anyone is allowed to assist
the karters involved.
Black
Flags – If you are black-flagged for any reason you
MUST leave the track within two (2) laps. You will be
scored in last place based on the number of karts starting
the race.
If you do not leave the track in specified
time, you WILL NOT be scored and will forfeit all points for
the event. Any unsportsmanlike actions resulting from
this situation could also result in suspension.
Restarts – Restarts are
under control of the flagman. There will be no passing
until the green flag is waved. Anyone charged with
‘jumping’ the start two (2) times in the same race (not
necessarily in the same start) may be disqualified from that
race.
RACE PROCEDURE
Practice
Practice session begins 20 minutes before race time unless
otherwise scheduled. No practice will occur without
ambulance, starter and flagman present. Length of
practice is determined by available time NOT by number of
practices per class.
Heats
Heats are set up according to the draw at the pit gate.
It is the driver’s responsibility to make sure that he/she
draws. The second heat will be lined up in reverse
order from the first. That is, if you start on the
pole in the first heat, you will start last in the second
heat. In the event of ties from the heats, the karter
with the fastest heat time will start ahead of the other.
AGAIN MAKE SURE YOU DRAW.
Line Up
Line up is based upon the number drawn by
the driver at the time of registration at the pit gate.
Any entry not in lineup chute when previous race has ended
is subject to start scratch for the race. Once white
flag is shown, no entry will be permitted on track.
This rule subject to Race Director’s discretion.
Start
All karts must stay
in line and maintain pace. No acceleration until
reaching the designated starting line (double orange cones
coming out of turn 4). On initial start; no passing or
pulling out of line until after the double orange cones.
All karts attempting to pass before this point or driving to
the outside of cones will be black-flagged and put back for
jumping spots. Inside pole kart sets the pace.
Before completion of 1 lap, original position is assumed;
however the instigator kart may require starting in the rear
of the field at the official’s discretion. If
virtually the whole field is involved in the incident, a
complete restart with original positions will occur. A
single file restart may be signaled at the Race Director’s
discretion. In the event that a karter does not start
any race, they will be scored with last place position for
that heat. It is the karter’s responsibility to be
ready to start his/her heat.
If a karter scratches
on the hot pit grid, we will cross-over the positions.
If a karter pulls off the track and the field has not taken
the green, that line only moves up. If a kart pulls
off the track for any reason (during heat or feature) that
kart will go TAIL. This does not include a stoppage
on/off track for a civil discussion with officials, or the
Race Director indicating he should check your kart on safety
issues.
A karter stopping on track for a red flag,
or during a caution MUST stay seated. You stand up –
you go tail. Common sense is to be used (e.g. getting
out assisting in an accident).
Restart After One or more laps
complete
Line-up is in the order in which the
karts were scored on the last completed green flag lap.
If sufficient laps have been completed, the race may be
called with points and payout according to the position to
be held for restart. After 1 lap, restart is single
file.
If the leader has crossed the finish
line to complete lap 1 (ex. mid to late pack karts spin in
turn 3 & 4) and a yellow flag condition occurs; it is the
official’s discretion to count this lap and karts involved
will be tail for the restart.
Incident
Any kart causing
a caution or stopping due to mishap and not driven
immediately in the caution lap or to the starting line will
be considered involved in the incident.
Repairs
No kart may be
attended to on the track. Only the driver may attend
to his/her kart in the infield. If repairs are
necessary and the yellow or red flag is displayed, a kart
will be permitted to pull into the pit area. They will
have 2 caution laps during features only to fix/repair kart
and return to the race. All entries returning to the
track shall start in the rear in the order of return to the
track. Once the white flag is shown signifying
one lap before restarting, no entry will be allowed back on
the track (refer to line up rule).
* Only authorized
personnel shall be in the infield or on the track at anytime
during the race program *
Any participant, driver,
pit person or other individual going onto the track
uninvited will cause the kart they are associated with to
automatically go tail whether it is a heat or feature.
This person’s demeanor will determine if they and/or the
karter is suspended for at least that race.
Competitor Performance
Continual ill handling or rough riding will result in
disqualification. Any kart that leaves the racecourse
must return in a safe manner only. Any kart leaving
the race surface starts in the rear if caution is thrown.
If no caution, karter will be black flagged if not fully
under control while re-entering the race surface. For
drivers entering their first season of karting, you will be
placed in the novice division for the first three events.
You will then be placed in your respective age group, unless
the Race Director feels you are not competitively ready to
compete in that division.
POINT AND HANDICAP SYSTEM
Points
Points are
awarded for feature races based on the DIRTCar Points System
(i.e. 60 points to win, 56, 52, 50, 48…). No points
awarded for heat races.
At the end of the season the
track statistician will drop the lowest 2 points race or
‘no-shows’ from all competitors’ points totals to determine
the official final point standing. DISQUALIFICATION
FOR UNSPORTSMAN-LIKE CONDUCT WILL NOT COUNT AS A DROPPED
RACE. In all cases of season ending ties, ties will be
broken by using the greatest number of 1st place finishes in
events counting toward that position. If a tie still
exists, the 2nd’s, 3rd’s, etc. will be considered until the
tie is broken. Points count each week except for noted
non-points events.
Point
Allocation
All points are awarded to the principal
driver registered upon entering the pit area. Any
driver changes must be registered prior to the beginning of
the race. If any change is made during a race, the new
driver will start scratch in all remaining races.
Points and purse will go to the original driver ONLY if the
original driver has taken the green flag in at least 1
qualifying race, otherwise points will go to relief driver.
Points are awarded in all divisions, except Novice 1 and
Novice 2.
Handicap
All heat races are lined up according to the draw number
order. First heat – straight up; second heat – reverse
draw order except for straight up Championship races.
New drivers and/or rookie drivers or a driver disqualified,
may be asked, at the Race Director’s discretion, to start
scratch in each race of the first complete program in which
the driver participates.
Starting Position
Feature starting positions will
be determined by the finishing position in the two
qualifying heats with best finishing positions starting in
the front. Heat qualification ties will be broken
using the AMB Timing and Scoring system times from the heat
races. The driver with the fastest time in either heat
will start further ahead. The driver qualifies, not the
kart. Driver must drive last kart qualified if
operational. Use of a backup kart MUST BE PRE-APPROVED
by the Race Director. If backup kart is used, driver
will start scratch in his/her next scheduled race.
Registered number must be used. Dividing heats into
slow and fast karts at discretion of Race Director.
Novice features are lined up by best finishing positions
starting in the front from qualifying heats; a tie is broken
by pill draw lowest number since we are not using
transponders for this class.
Feature Qualification
A
pre-determined number of karts qualify through heats for the
feature. Drivers not qualified will start scratch or
qualify through a consolation race if necessary. The
number of karts qualifying will be determined by the size of
the field and the number or heats. The balance of the
field (if any) will be lined up straight up according to
handicap rules with non-qualifiers in the rear.
Scales
The TOP 3 and TOP
5 finishers in heats and features respectively must go
directly to the scale and stay with their kart in line until
weighed. No crew members are allowed in the scale area
during scaling. If kart and driver are deemed light or
forget to scale (leaving hot pit area) they will be
disqualified and lose all payout and points for that night.
In a heat you will receive last place points for feature
line up procedures.
Any disqualifications can not be
used as drops for the overall championship.
MERRITTVILLE SPEEDWAY KART CLUB RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADD, DELETE, AND/OR COMBINE CLASSES AT ANY TIMEIF KART COUNTS DICTATE SUCH ACTION. FURTHER PROCEDURAL AND TECHNICAL RULES CAN BE FOUND IN THE 2013 WORLD KARTING ASSOCIATION MANUAL. THE RACE DIRECTOR MAY, IF THE OCCASION WARRANTS, DISCUSS ANY DECISION WITH THE TRACK OFFICIALS AND CONVEY RESULTS TO THOSE INVOLVED. ANY CALL MADE BY THE CHIEF FLAGGER IS AUTOMATICALLY CONDONED. THE RACE DIRECTOR IS A COMMITTEE OF ONE AND HIS DECISIONS ARE FINAL
