Hierarchy:

Track and Kart Rules and regulations will be governed by the five Dirt Squirt Kart Club Founding Five members: Jeff Conklin, Alan Gary, Shane Lewis, Shawn Krause (Cooter), and Shawn Brown.  All questions and concerns should be directed to one of these five and they will be addressed properly.  The hope is that we will not have any need to discipline or remove drivers, and that when it is time to race, we do it with a common level of respect and self-governing that will dictate a fun and fair race day.  With that said, the founding five reserve the right to refuse anyone to race if violations support that.

 

Dates:

The 2023 season will be comprised of 8 points races, starting in late April 2023.  Race dates, locations, and times will be released on or before March 1^st. 

Races will start promptly at their scheduled time, late entries will be accepted on a case-to-case basis, anyone that misses the drivers meeting will start from the rear of the field in Heat 2.

The track will be open for Hot Laps at a reasonable time before the races start, if you’re unfamiliar with the track it is recommended that you get to the track early enough to run some practice laps.

 

Club Dues:

Each driver is responsible to pay $40 in club dues for each season.  This is to cover the purchase of season T-shirts and to cover the cost of our end of year banquet.

Club dues are due prior to waiver signing which will take place prior to the start of the first race of the season.  Please plan to pay them at our practice session or at the first race.  Do not make us chase you down for club dues.

 

Race:

Disclaimer - Our ultimate goal is for everyone to be at the track by no later than 1 hour before the first heat race, there is a lot of track prep and setup that needs to happen.  However, we have seen that sometimes things happen and with the growing number of drivers, we have to have rules in place for such occurrences.  The decision was made to never have more than 11 karts on the track racing at one time, doing the math we came up with the rules for determining lineups and order of operations. 

This will be a living portion of the document that may be changed if we find that things are not working as we planned.  Any changes made will be done with ample notification and utilize extensive input from drivers.

 

 

Order of Operations

 

When racing at any of the Dirt Squirts home tracks:

With at least 11 drivers present at the drivers meeting, the race weekend will consist of two Heat races and two Features.  If there are only 10 Karts ready and able to race prior to the beginning of the B Main, then there will only be one Feature race and the starting order will be determined by having the finishing order from the first heat make up the inside line and the finishing order from the second heat make up the outside row. 

When racing at any other tracks, we will follow the order of operations dictated by said track.

*Heat Races - The starting grid will be determined by the lap times recorded during Hot Laps.  The first Heat will be made up of the odd speeds from fastest to slowest, the second Heat will be made up of the even speeds from fastest to slowest, this will split the field in half with a larger group in the first race to allow for any late arrivals.  Any late drivers would start at the back of the field of the second heat.  If we have 20 drivers at the drivers meeting, then all the spots will be filled and we will have two heats with fields of 10 karts each.

*Feature Races – We will have an A Main and a B Main, A Main will be considered the Feature Race and will consist of the top half of the field from both heats, while the B Main will be made up of the bottom finishes of the heats.  If the count is uneven, there will be more karts transferred to the A Main than B Main.  For example, with 13 karts, if there are 7 drivers in the first heat, the top 4 will move on to the A Main and start on what would be the inside line, while the 3 lowest finishes will compete in the B Main starting on the inside line.  The top half of the second heat will do the same as the first heat, competing in the A Main, but they will start on what would be the outside line, while the bottom half of the second heat will compete in the B Main starting on the outside line.  The winner of the B Main will receive the transfer spot into the Feature race along with a 2 point bonus for the win.

When the races begin, you are to slowly drive your Kart to the starting position on the track, this will be painted on the track just prior to the Start/Finish line.  If you’re having trouble getting your Kart started, the flagman will wait approximately 2 minutes from when the first kart makes it to their starting position before he starts the race.  Once the Flagman waves the yellow flag, the drivers are to begin rolling at caution speed, maintaining position for one lap around the oval, as long as there are no issues, the Flagman will wave the Green Flag when the leader reaches the cone between the last turn and the Start/Finish line.

The race will begin as soon as the racing surface is clear and the karts in in the proper starting position. 

Any driver/team who purposely try to hold up the start of the race will be signaled by the flagman and start from the rear of the field.

All races will have double file starts and single file restarts.  All starts and restarts will take place at a consistent speed. Front row karts are responsible for an even and clean start.

Starts and restarts will be at the exit of turn 3. The Flagman signal the start of the race when leader reaches start cone by waving the Green Flag.

Passing for the full field is allowed as soon as the leader crosses the Start/Finish line.

Absolutely no one except the flagman is supposed to walk on the track during an event, this can result in serious injury and possible penalties if considered flagrant .  Even the flagman needs to use their best judgment and only enter the track to remove debris or in an emergency, if you get hit by a Go-kart on the track, it’s your own fault!

Auxiliary flagmen may be posted around the course with Yellow & Red flags and radios to communicate with the Main Flagman.  Auxiliary flaggers are only allowed to help drivers in danger or to move Karts off track, then return immediately to your post.

If your Kart is broke down or stopped on the track, DO NOT exit the kart until it is clearly safe.  Once safe, your first priority needs to be moving your Kart off the track.  Anyone trying to repair or restart their Kart manually on the track will be sent to the rear of the field.  If you feel your Kart break, your natural reaction should be to steer it towards the shoulder and out of harms way.

Laps Run Under Caution Count Towards The Overall Lap Count.

When the caution flag is displayed on any oval track, the leader needs to slow down to a reduced speed while the rest of the field files in their position single file.  As soon as the track is clear and the Karts are lined up properly, the flagman will resume the race by waving the green flag at the Start/Finish line.

Road course tracks will not have full course cautions unless there is a dangerous situation, this will be indicated by the main flagman waving the yellow, this will indicate a full course caution.  All other situations will be handled with localized cautions.  When a driver sees a caution flag on the road course, they are to proceed with extreme caution until they have made it safely past the hazard.  Do not attempt to make a pass while in a localized caution zone.

If the caution comes out during the final laps of the race, the field will line up for one attempt at a Green-White-Checkered finish.

Out of bounds will be indicated by brightly painted lines, covered tires or barrels, hay bales, or orange cones on the inside of the track or turn.  This will be self-governed and any driver who intentionally and/or repeatedly crosses the line will not receive points for the race.  DON’T CHEAT!!!

DO NOT under any circumstance attempt pit maneuvers, brake checks and try to avoid tire contact as much as possible.  These Karts are going to hit one another, but everyone has invested a lot of time and money into their Karts, so it is expected that any contact outside the guidelines is unintentional.

Blocking is only legal between Karts on the same lap, you can block in an attempt to stay on the lead lap, but it is illegal to block anyone that has lapped your Kart.  If you have been lapped by the entire field you should not run the ideal line, at that point you should be on the outside of track and out of the way.

If you break down on the same lap as another Kart, the Kart furthest on the track takes the position, if you break down on a caution lap, whatever lap you finished last will be your finishing position, if you cannot make it to the starting grid before the 2 minute cutoff, you can enter the race at any time as long as you do so safely.  If you cannot get your Kart going prior to the White Flag, your Kart finishing position will be considered last place for that race.

Once the Checkered Flag has waved, all drivers must take one full cool down lap to allow the rest of the field to finish the race.  Leader should wait to do victory lap until last kart has finished cool down lap.

All track rules must be followed, this pertains especially to non-club tracks.  Drive extremely slowly through pit areas.  No alcohol is permitted in the pits at the non-club tracks.  It is expected that all drivers will respect the rules of these tracks and represent the club in a positive way.

 

Contact:

Intentional contact is illegal, penalties will be issued by the uninvolved founding five for any contact deemed intentional.

Intentional contact – When two Karts come together due to an intentional act by one of the drivers.

Incidental contact – When two Karts come together through a racing incident, that is, neither diver intentionally drove into another kart and/or neither driver feels that the contact was intentional or harmful.

A driver who feels contact is intentional can submit their complaint in writing to any one of the founding five, the complaint will be reviewed by founding five not involved and any penalties will be considered retroactive for the race the incident happened.

If the founding five deem the incident as intentional, they will then issue a penalty based on the criteria below.

Loss of 1 position – If the offender has no history and the result of the collision made no significant changes in the race.

Finish in last place – The contact was obviously intentional, the offender has a history of collisions or minor damage was inflicted to either Kart.

No points awarded – The race was significantly affected, either Kart suffered serious damage or the incident happened during caution.

Forcing someone off the track, even without physical contact, is grounds for a black flag.  This is up to the Founding Five’s discretion.  Leaving the track to avoid contact does not count as being forced off the track.

Contact penalties will not be initiated, governed or enforced by the Founding Five without a formal complaint being filed.  Any contact unaddressed will be simply referred to as a “Racing Incident”.

Karts/Safety:

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY OF YOU AND YOUR KART.

Motor restrictions (Big Block Series):

            No 2 Stroke motors.

            All motors must be carbureted and naturally aspirated, no fuel injection.

            No overhead cams.

            440cc Honda Clone Engines:

Limited to Stage 1 Mods only (exhaust, intake, and carb jet), governor may be removed.

            420cc Honda Clone Engines:

Limited to Stage 3 Mods maximum (Stage 1, Stage 2, and Racing cam shaft, billeted fly wheel, and billeted piston rod).

All motors above 230cc must be Honda or Honda clone (Predator, Lifan, and Duromax are examples).

            Any motor under 230cc has no limits or restrictions, other than listed here.

Motor restrictions (Small Block Series):

            Must utilize a predator 212 motor, no other engine is permitted.

            Motor must be naturally aspirated.

            Stage 1 Mod with governor removed is all that is acceptable.

            No carburetor restrictions.

Seatbelts are Required, 3 point admissible, 4 point or better preferred.

Helmets are required including face shield or goggles. 

*Action Park East, Champion Speedway, and Penn Can all require a full-face helmet, pants, and durable jacket.

Neck brace must be worn at all times when on the track.

Kill switch must be located on steering wheel or dash area and function properly.

Karts are required to have roll bar or brush guard that would keep your kart from laying on top of you in the case of a roll over, and proper protection against bodily injury if there are accidents.

Karts require a live rear axle, independent rear suspension is illegal.

Karts are required to have working brakes, if you cannot stop at your position line prior to the race, you will be Black Flagged.

Karts are required to have no more than a 3 digit number displayed where score keeper can see it, and your transponder must be securely mounted on the nose of your kart, unobstructed from overhead.

If you have Kart troubles and have to leave the race track, do so in the safest way possible utilizing pit road entry and exits properly.  If you return to the track after repairs, enter in the designated area when it is clear that you won’t impede the race, and get up to speed as fast as possible.

The points go to the Kart number, so back up Karts, or relief drivers is legal.  However, the Driver/Kart combination cannot change between the Green Flag and the Checkered Flag of an individual race.  The points will be awarded to the kart assigned to the transponder that is mounted to the nose of the kart as long as the kart has entered the race legitimately.

During each event, founding five reserves the right to choose 2 kart numbers at random and a thorough inspection will be done to ensure the kart passes safety inspection.

 

 

Public Relations:

The Facebook page and the website dirtsquirtskartclub.com is for fun, such as adding pictures and videos, updating information and communications, but it can also be used for potentially adding racers, obtaining a permanent flagman transponder and spectators.  Please refer any questions or concerns from the public to the founding five so that we can ensure that only accurate and consistent information is given.

 

Score Keeping:

The starting position for the Heat races will be determined by lap times recorded during Hot Laps prior to the drivers meeting.  If you win the pole position for either race, you’re responsible for running flags in the opposite race, this does not mean you have to do it yourself, only that you’re responsible for making sure the job is covered, your backup is the driver that starts fourth behind you.  If you qualify 2^nd or 3^rd, you’re responsible for keeping score, this works the same as flagman responsibility with the back up being the 5^th and 6^th place drivers.  This will work the same way for the feature races, your starting position determines your responsibility when you’re not racing.  Obviously, any dedicated Flagmen or Scorekeepers would dismiss this responsibility.

Green Flag: When the green flag is displayed the track is open for racing. The Green flag signifies the start of each race. Passing is not permitted before the green flag is displayed at the designated point.

Yellow Flag: CAUTION. When the Yellow flag comes out SLOW DOWN!  We DO NOT race back to the start/finish line. Stay in single file formation. If you do not cooperate you will be put to the rear of the field.

Red Flag: Stop as soon as safely possible but remain in your kart unless there is an unsafe condition.  An example would be fire or someone in another kart that needs immediate attention.

Black Flag: If you go by the flagman and he is pointing the Black Flag at you, you’re doing something wrong!  The Black Flag will be shown to anyone who is illegally blocking, going out of bounds repeatedly or has any unsafe condition with them or their Kart.  If you see the flagman pointing the Black Flag at you in a closed fist, do your best to remedy the situation.  After being warned for no more than 2 laps, the flagman will wave the Black Flag towards you and your laps will no longer be counted.

White Flag: One more lap to the finish.

Green/White Cross, in a closed fist: Half way point in the race

Green/White Side by Side, in a closed fist: Two laps left

Checkered Flag: The race is officially complete.

If the flagman is holding the flag with the flag bunched up in a closed fist, this is not an active flag, this can be used to point drivers in the right direction, warn them of a possible infraction, or indicate lap numbers in the race.

 

Points:

The points will be awarded in the Feature Race from the first-place finisher to the final spot in the A Main Feature Race, this can go up to 11^th in points.  The B Main will pick up from the next available position and go through the finishing order to as far down as 20^th.  The B Main winner will forfeit the B main points and start in the transfer position with 2 Bonus Points. 

 

Points based on finishing order:

 

1st Place	100 Points		8th Place	76 Points		15th Place	62 Points
2nd Place	95 Points		9th Place	74 Points		16th Place	60 Points
3rd Place	90 Points		10th Place	72 Points		17th Place	58 Points
4th Place	86 Points		11th Place	70 Points		18th Place	56 Points
5th Place	83 Points		12th Place	68 Points		19th Place	54 Points
6th Place	80 Points		13th Place	66 Points		20th Place	52 Points
7th Place	78 Points		14th Place	64 Points

 

 

 

The points are assigned to the number, so drivers who cannot make it to a race are allowed to have a fill in in driver drive a Kart with the points going to whatever number is assigned to the Kart. 

 

If you’re unable to find a fill in driver, each point awarded driver/number combination will be allowed 1 wash race for the season.  This means you can miss one full race for the season and this will be simply washed from your total, driver/number combinations who compete in all 8 races in 2023 will be able to wash their lowest scoring race from their season total.  Every Kart number that receives points for all 8 races will be required to wash 1 race from their total, this means the total points for every Kart number will be comprised of 7 races, the 8^th race will be washed away, including all bonus points.  Tie Breaker will go to the most feature wins followed by highest feature finish and so on.

 

There will be an 8 point bonus for any driver that makes it to every race in the 2023 season.  You do not need to compete in every race, but you do need to be a part of the race day activities, e.g. scorekeeper, flagman, etc.  If a driver cannot make a race but their kart is there with a fill in driver this still counts toward the attendance bonus.

 

If the founding five decided that only a single heat will be ran on a race day then both the first and second place finishers for the heat race will receive Heat race win bonus.  This includes when a single heat is run at non-club tracks.

 

If a driver shows up to a race with their kart and is unable to race in their heat then they would automatically start last place for their feature.  If they are unable to start their feature race then they will receive last place points for the day.  If that driver chooses to leave the track then a -10 point DNS penalty will be applied to the last place points the would be awarded for the day.

 

Any driver that does not show up or shows up without their kart on a scheduled race day will receive 0 points for that day.  However showing up without a kart will still count toward attendance bonus.

 

10 bonus points will be awarded for a Heat race win.

 

2 bonus points will be awarded for a B Feature win.

 

8 bonus points will be awarded for perfect attendance.

 

 

****Founding Five reserves the right to make decisions on race day that are in conflict with this rule package as necessary to fit unforeseen circumstances.  All decisions like this will be voted upon and discussed openly to provide transparency for all drivers present.****