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Are the kids getting a little bigger? Is that Kitty Cat just not fast enough for your son or daughter?
Probably time to move up to 120 Class racing with your progeny, but at what cost?
Well, walking around Hay Days we came up with one sweet, simple way to be competitive and not invest like you’re Team Penske.
We ran into David Klaus and Bob Vehring who put us onto the Briggs & Stratton 206 sealed crate engine. David works for Briggs and Bob runs 4 Cycle Central with his son Regan in Milwaukee.
The Briggs 206 is easy to use because it fits into any manufacturer’s youth sled, just pull out the old engine and drop this one in. This motor was designed to fit perfectly in the engine well. It also is built to exactly meet all 120 Semi-Pro and Pro Class rules from the various race associations, including ISR, USSA, MMSRA and KC Pro West, and is hand-built in Briggs’ main plant in Wauwatosa, Wis.
Pro class has open clutching and gearing allowed, while semi-pro requires a stock clutch and defined gear ratio. These new classes are expected to be a part of this year’s 50th Anniversary Eagle River Derby weekend races and also will be featured at ISOC events.
Before we run through the engine’s other benefits, here’s the real lowdown. Its pricing keeps this an affordable way to go racing with kids.
Keeping the costs down for dads
The 206cc Briggs engine sells for $505 and if you’d happen to blow a motor over time, a new bottom end costs $285 and the head is $121. Briggs designed this to be modular so it’s easy to pull one segment and replace it with new parts.
Remember, Briggs has been making lawnmower and go-cart engines for decades.
The engine itself creates 10+ ft.-lbs. of torque and revs are limited to 6,100 rpm. Top horsepower is 8.8 and you can start it as low as 3.3 horses and adjust upward as your young rider gets used to its power compared with the standard youth sled motor.
There are other advantages too, when you set up your race sled for your youngster you can be assured you’re racing on a level playing field, that you’ll have the same power as other racers in the Semi-Pro and Pro classes.
That means sled setup and your rider’s talents are what will determine the race outcome, not just which dad spends the most money.
“This makes racing more accessible to people,” says Bob, who has been involved in snowmobile and go-kart racing for years.
“There’s no cheating with these engines because they’re sealed,” David adds. “So mom and dad can just have fun with their kids.”
How reliable are the motors?
They were based on Briggs’ Animal racing engine platform that has run for 12 years on the go-carting circuit. In carts, the engines run more hours each season than in snowmobiling. David estimates that carting requires at least 40 hours of running each season, and these engines are sturdy enough to go 2-3 years in a cart with nothing more than oil changes and other minor upkeep. So for sleds, he estimates most kids will outgrow the engine before it needs any major work.
David says more than 40,000 of the Animal engines have been made and used in carting over the past dozen years. He sees youth snowmobile racing as a natural extension for the engine.
“This is for new youth racers and current youth racers and provides a simpler approach to racing,” David says.
More info:
www.Briggsracing.com or
www.4cyclecentral.com