I have to admit I know very little about Mini Sprints. I recently purchased one and I'm in the market for a competitive engine (Top 10). As a rookie I don't expect to win any races even if I had the hottest engine, but I also don't want to get to the point where HP alone is keeping me from better finishes. I also don't want to rebuild it in the middle of the season. Will a factory sealed '08ish 1000cc be competitive and last a season? Thanks

Basically everyone is running yamaha's (r1) or suzuki's (gsxr1000). You will probably notice a more abundance of parts and support for these two... But In my opinion all of the later model Japanese sport bike engines are a good. It's hard to knock the power these engines make and their reliability. As far as longevity it will always vary some, most engines come from wrecked bikes that are hopefully lower miles and were maintained and of coarse you have to maintain them to.

Taylor

The engine is but one small part of being competitive. Chassis design>>Shock choices>>Tires>>and seat time play a much bigger role than the choice of engines. The big 3 cycle makers are about equal in power. These things left the factory in such a state of fine tune that it is pretty useless looking for more horsepower. To run in the top 10 will require some work because that is where everybody is shooting for. This is intended to be a fun class. Work on having fun and improving your set up and driving abilities. Have some one clock you and race yourself always trying to better your lap times. Have fun>>don't get discouraged and them top 10's and wins will just fall into place.

Honest Dad himself

Thanks for the advice! I'm trying to balance cost and power, and I know the fast guys at my track have 5-6k in their engines (I don't want to spend that much). I'm assuming the majority of the field are running sealed engines though. I want to spend this year finding out if I'm good enough to compete, and if so I'll crack open the checkbook for the following season.

Taylor

$5 or 6 Thousand dollars in their engines? Reminds me old Mini Pearl, she always left the price tag on her hats whenever she wore them. I guess if you figured in an Engler injection system and a late model motor you could get there? Really there is not much you can do to these things to get much more power out of them. When you do they usually blow up pretty quick. Kawasaki reached the point where they could not find more power so they supercharged their H2's. Apparently that make a lot more power!!!!

Being new to the sport don't buy into the motor thing. The guys in the high dollar motor cars are also the better driver and set up racers also. They can win in anything.

Honest Dad himself

Glad to hear I can spend the money elsewhere. Thanks!

Taylor

Tires and shocks go a long way>>>>But before that Seat time>>> Seat time>>> Seat time>>>. A new tire goes a long way in making you faster that is why we have Midget take offs with only one race on them. They may look good but to the serious racer they have already lost their edge. Old torsion may bounce just fine but they also lose their response and serious racers change them regularly. Good rebuildable shocks like Our " ARS" Shocks should go back at least once a year for rebuilds and updates.


Honest Dad himself

Excellent info, thanks. I know it will take a few (or more) races to get comfortable with the car. I fully expect to spend a lot of the first season making laps and getting out of the way! I have a relative who works at Penske Shocks that is getting me a good deal. I plan on using a new selection of torsion bars. I suppose serious racers use new ones at least every season?