The predecessor of the Rotax classes was 100cc karting. The problems there were threefold :
o Highly stressed and inherently temperamental, unreliable engines. Seizures were commonplace and frustrating when they happened.
o A consequence of the above was significant, unbounded expense as the nature of highly stressed racing engines was they did not come with a warranty.
o Bump starting was a back-breaking chore for parents as karts [and parents themselves] became heavier. When a driver spun off, unless they had the muscle to bump-start themselves, their race was over there and then.
These problems had prevailed for decades. Bombardier Rotax began their involvement in gearbox karting in the late 1970s/early 1980s and soon their motors were the defacto choice in 125cc National and 250cc International - they were simply far faster than anything else. In the mid 1980s they entered the 100cc arena and immediately their engines were far superior to anything else out there. As the competition caught up... they moved the bar further. They were a multinational behemoth whose development capabilities dwarfed the mom-and-pop entities that were involved in karting at the time.
So when they decided to step back and look at the open goal the three fundamental problems I mentioned earlier posed... it was only a matter of time before 100cc karting passed into the history books.
Progression is about making things easier. Rotax made karting easier. I know some people entering karting today find that an odd statement, but believe me its true.
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