11/29/2024
Hello Everyone. Flat run speedway posted this and Don Gordner from AKRA who I respect very much and work with him throughout the season on rules and concerns has posted this on bobs 4 cycle. I take no credit for this. But it is worth the read. Please take a.minute to read this as I have predicted this will happen at some point and also know the concerns as a builder.
(Copied from Bobâs 4-cycle)
A Note From Your AKRA Dirt Director
As many of you know, we are going through a time in the sport where changes are taking place. I think the one change that is taking place is a good thing. And that good thing is the porting of the head with the NKA. My guess is that WKA is going to follow in that direction. With everyone wanting parity among the rules for the sport in order for the sport to grow I have decided to give those of you who donât know much about AKRA a little bit of a history lesson. This will be somewhat lengthy, but I think youâll find it a very interesting read. I can only give you information that I know from the time I got involved with AKRA. The information that Iâm going to give you is solely based on my âLOYALTYâ to the karting program and all the people involved, whether it be a tech inspector, a new karter, or a track promoter. In short, I received a phone call only a few nights ago from a predator person who couldnât get the engine running on his fishing boat. I took the time to talk him and walk him through the process of repairing it and he was elated that I helped him solve his problem. That is who I am ladies and gentlemen, and that is who I always will be for this sport. So what is this article about? Itâs very simple. By the time you get done reading this, Iâm hoping that you have a full understanding of the value of the AKRA program that exists today and understand that there are other groups looking to take those values that I am about to share with you away.
For those of you who donât know I am 72 soon to be 73 years young! In my beginning with the sport, it was called box stock project. I wanted to become involved as a tech inspector because I noticed so many differences in the way tech inspectors were interpreting the rules that were written. Believe it or not I have a copy of the very first set of rules that box stock project came out with. if you read them today, you just shake your head at how much cheating or should I say foul play was taking place in the sport. I was a WKA tech inspector back in the day. When the flat head faded out and the clone became the engine of choice so to speak I watched it for two years. I started seeing issues with tech. Box stock project, as it was called early on, put me on board as one of their tech inspectors. I was honored. One year later, there was a seminar in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and I decided to attend. Long story short, they wanted a phenomenal amount of money to recertify my certification at that seminar and I walked out. Someone grabbed me by the shoulder and asked me where I was going. I wonât say who that was. I told him that the amount of money they wanted to recertify was absolutely ridiculous and I had no interest in it so I kept going. The following day I got a phone call from president, Bill McCutcheon he wanted to know if he could talk to me about the Carlisle incident. I said certainly. The first thing out of his mouth was I thought you were a team player. I asked him why he thought that. He said because of all the posts that you make in a positive manner on the website Bobs 4 cycle. I said I do that because I want to help people understand the engine a little better. I explained to him my thoughts about the cost of certification, he agreed with me and I got my very first change in the sport for tech inspectors to not have to pay as much money to get recertified certified. I had no idea at that point in time how far this âbeing a team playerâ was going to take me. I will say that I became a very very personal close friend with Bill McCutcheon. He relied on me and I relied on him and together he and I grew the engine to where itâs at today.
I became the voice of AKRA on Bobs 4 cycle. It wasnât long before tech inspectors in the field, and other people began to contact me about changing or putting specs on some parts in order to keep the engine fair. I then connected my self with a gentleman named Jerry Dover. You guys know him as Dover Power. Jerry invited me to travel with him to the seminars across the country that he would set his show up at and I would teach engine tech for the AKRA program. Soon i would be changing rules in the book because of different reasons. Builders would work the grey areas and parts would come across different than others. It was time for someone to fix the problem. With assistance from builders and others AKRA was able to make the necessary changes so as to keep a fair playing field. Somewhat ironic that every time early on in my tenure with AKRA that when AKRA would make a rule change or place a size on a part that there was another organization who would make that same change in their rules.
By the way, AKRA was the first organization to design the engine rules for karting for the clone as it is today. I will leave it up to you to figure out how the other organizations âfoundâ there rules.
For the longest time, and as far as I am aware of, today AKRA certified tech inspectors were also used to tech the other organization. There was no other tech program in the country other than AKRA. For a few years AKRA techs continued to tech the other organization. It wasnât long before I started receiving phone calls from techs at the other organizations to discuss field situations. Calls came in at 2 am from some techs. I didnât care because when I certify my techs I tell them to call me. I donât care what time it is because I donât want them to go home and regret a call they made the night before. I actually feel honored when I get the call so we can solve the problem. I donât think there is anyone in the country that does that.
Now that you know just what AKRA and myself has done for you and the sport who do you think has been the leader all these years and who do you think has been the followers. The followers are trying to take all that away from you.
When Bill went to his Lord I needed to make a decision. Was I going to continue in the sport or just continue my building business and forget about staying on top of the rules.
Not knowing what direction AKRA was going I was in a waiting period. During that period I was being recruited by two other organizations. I informed them my â LOYALTIES â were with AKRA and if AKRA wasnât picked up by someone I felt comfortable with I would consider the other offers. Notice I capitalized LOYALTIES. That is because that is who I am.
When new owner and president Van Gilder contacted me and discussed me remaining on board with AKRA I knew at the end of the conversation we were going to be good together for AKRA and the sport.
So, where are we right now? There is a movement taking place to take members from AKRA to join the other organization. The movement is all about another organization once again implementing an engine change that AKRA implemented 4 years ago. Porting of the head. The problem is that organization has a cam that could very well cause damage to the engine over a period of time due to increase in rpm. That cam will also force increased rebuilds. IT only makes sense the more rpm turned the sooner parts wear out. The sooner parts wear out the sooner it needs refreshed. This is great for the engine builder. Donât get me wrong, I know plenty of builders that have the same feelings that we at AKRA do. They donât want it either!!! But there are others smiling with their hand out.
AKRA is going to sit back and observe. Sorta like field testing if you will. We donât want to add an extra cost to our clientele unless absolutely necessary. Oh, by the way, that cam is not going to help a plate engine at all. Donât be fooled by those who are advertising that the AKRA engine must have this cam to compete. It hasnât had an opportunity to be proven as of this posting.
In the event the AKRA karters feel the need for this cam we will put a program in effect for its usage.
I for the life of me do not understand why the other organizations just donât use the rules we have put in place. AKRA has informed them we are ok with them using our rules. Just use them and go race the WKA, NKA, and AKRA events.
So in review, someone is trying to take something away from you that AKRA has spent much time developing for you. I am more than willing to be the person for all the organizations. I have no problem being the go to person for all. I would be honored!!!
I leave you with this. There will be Keyboard warriors that will accuse me of patting myself on the back. I just wanted you to know how much AKRA and myself has accomplished for the karter from the beginning and how others have taken it and run.
Yours in LOYALTY.
Dyno Don Gordner
