Well not sure how much karting grids are actually declining, forgetting all the rumours and guess work. But non MSA karting definitely does seem to be flourishing, and with clubs such as Rye House re opening entries for 100cc karts, it does make you wonder what was so wrong in the first place with the old karts that drove everyone to the piece of junk rotax!
Of course going back to the 100cc days of old isn't a solution, there was a reason that it died out after all. It's great fun currently running in it's small capacity, because the competition isn't there, meaning we can enjoy these awesome motors cheaply and for pure fun. But as soon as it got more competitive, it would just go back to being massively expensive. I guess the solution people are looking for is somewhere in between 100cc and Rotax, with engines that look and sound good and simple but are limited in some capacity to stop tuning and costs getting out of control.
I'd say it's easier to start karting than ever before, and it's probably more publicised than ever before. But even rocking up to the smallest of club meetings your faced with so many 'pretty' karts and grids and grids of painted lids, team overalls, iridium visors and cut throat driving. It all puts me off, let alone newcomers. It's just all too complicated. When I first started karting we rocked up with a 10 year old chassis, an even older engine that we had no idea about, wearing overalls too small for me, and a helmet that I had to grow into because we couldnt afford to buy another one any-time soon! It was brilliant, and if it wasn't for the other people we met at the track we wouldn't have been able to continue. It was daunting back then, but I can't even imagine what it's like now to start out as a complete newcomer, it must be terrifying. Just as in so many sports, the constant craving to become more professional has killed the average club competitor, and IMO that is the reason numbers are falling!
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