August 23 - 24 race canceled. August 18, 2003
    Due to an expected low turnout, which would cause the club to lose money on the race, the August 23 / 24 race has been canceled. The September 20 / 21 race is expected to go ahead as planned. The decision to cancel the next race was the result of a low turnout at the August 16 / 17 race and a survey of the drivers that 8 of them would not be coming to the next race. The registration for our last race was 17 on Saturday and 20 on Sunday. This is at best 50% of our 40 club drivers that are licensed this year. With the drop of 8 for the next race and not knowing how many of the missing 20 would come on August 23 the executive decided that we could not risk the potential financial loss.
    The plan for the September 20 / 21 race is to go ahead as scheduled. As this will be our last race of the season we will be having a "pot luck" dinner / barbecue at the track Saturday after racing. Everyone is invited to bring your choice of appetizer, salad, main course, or desert, in a quantity that would feed about four times as many people in your group. Let's all get together and have a great event to wrap up the season. If someone from each class were to encourage their class people we can have a good turnout. How about bonus points for the last race? Bring your ideas to the meeting August 26th at Kal Tire.

Rule Change Proposal time.  August 15, 2003
    It's that time of year again. If you think that any rules should be changed for next year, now is the time to make your case. Deadline for submissions to BCKCA is the end of September. Proposals made can be related to the BCKCA rule book and the ASN Canada rules. Please be prepared to present your proposals at our upcoming meetings in August or September.

Photographer info.  August 7, 2003
    Some have asked if I know how to get a hold of the photographer that was taking pictures at our last race. Well it was,
Edge Photography
P.O. Box 772 Vernon, BC  V1T 6M7
email - edgephoto@telus.net   Phone 250-309-2444

New forum created for BC Karters.  July 30, 2003
    Malcolm Radelet, a karter from the lower mainland has just opened a new forum for BC karters. It is independent of the clubs so is open to use by anyone (not that the club forums were restricted to club members only). You can check it out from our Links page.
    Our last club meeting to be held July 22nd in Vernon was canceled due to lack of a quorum. The next meeting will be on  August 26th in Kelowna Westside at Kal Tire. Lets hope for a better turnout. Our next race is just two weeks away, on August 16th. See you there.

Transportation available to the National race. July 4, 2003
    I Have been working with Mosport Kart Club on transporting teams from Western Canada to Mosport for the ASN event in August. I work for Total Transportation Solutions
Inc. We have offices in Vancouver and Calgary. I would be happy to assist any of your members if they are interested in shipping their kart and gear.
    Company web site www.total-transportation.com
    Phone number 888 636 1444

Track preparations for the June 7-8 race. June 4, 2003
    We have been borrowing traffic cones from the City of Vernon, and depending on circumstances we have an inconsistent quantity available. So we would like to get our own supply of cones. We are asking our members to ask around their areas to see if we can get as many cones as possible donated or loaned to the club. In other words "beg, borrow or (not that)" as many cones as you can.
    We would like to thank Woodland Equipment for returning thirteen of our missing corner mats. The Interior Logging Association has agreed to replace our missing corner mats. We believe we lost about 25 mats after the ILA equipment show. We are still looking for a suitable supply of replacement mats, and expect that will be completed next week.
    At the May 27th meeting we decided not to raise race fees and hire crews for track setup. Instead we will have at least two trailers available to move tires, and we will build 2 to 4 trailers to be kept on site for moving and storing tires. These storage trailers should be in place for the August races. We expect that this will make a huge reduction in setup time. All racers are expected out this Saturday at 8:00 am for track setup. If everyone contributes we should have no trouble keeping to the schedule posted on the schedule page.

Knox Mountain Hillclimb fundraiser:May 12, 2003
    As mentioned below, we have taken on the task of supplying and setting up our tire bundles at the Knox Mountain Hillclimb this May long weekend, as a fundraiser for the club. As most of you may know our financial position is very weak, after last seasons limitations on the race classes that we could run and the consequence of low race turnouts. This project is to help get us back on our feet, so-to-speak. We need ten to fifteen volunteers for setup on Thursday, May 15 at 5:30 pm and another ten to fifteen for tear down on Monday, May 19 at 9:00 am. Please call  Peter Higham  (250-769-5890) and volunteer your time to at least one of these sessions.

Season opener is in the book.May 12, 2003
    Thirty racers enjoyed the great weather and racing on our Mothers Day Race to open the 2003 Season. The first race, which was scheduled for Saturday was canceled and changed to a practice session, as track setup and approval took longer than expected. Still we managed to get in four rounds of practice on the new track layout. Now that the track safety margins have been improved it is nice to see the return of all classes to our club race format. The Sunday schedule went much better, with completion of practice and all race heats by 4:30. Now that we have al the requirements for track setup the saturday schedule should be on for the next race weekend, June 7, 8. We have a general consensus from the members at sunday's race that they would rather pay more to race and hire a crew to do track setup. This will be a subject for discussion at the next meeting (May 27th), where we will see if this can be accomplished.

Update on tire bundles. May 4, 2003
    As of Sunday morning at 10:00 am I counted 162 tire bundles plus a bunch of loose tires. Our track layout requires 215 bundles as per the drawing, leaving us still short 53 bundles.
    Many thanks go out to those who have stepped up and delivered their tire bundles already. I could see that many have done so. I hope there are still more to come. If we are short tires for next weekend we will probably have to shorten the course layout somewhat. If you go to deliver tires and find that the gate at the back of the parking lot is locked, as I did, you can get to the pile by going around the end of the Kin Race Track from Alexis Park Road (their gate is not locked).
    Also thanks to Dave Saruk and those that helped him for having the curbs removed and patched. We can now have a proper width track and better safety.
 

How to get your Rule Book. May 4, 2003
    As you know. all racers are required to have a copy of the current rules available to them in their pit. Families with several racers can share one book to comply with this. If you still need the 2003 rules, there are a couple of ways you can get them. The club is selling consolidated rule books for $15 each. Just contact Rob Morris (250-769-4992) to order your copy. We have a small quantity in stock, and beyond that we will order more books only as required. For this reason, if you miss the stock books, there will be about a two week wait to get your book. So plan ahead.
    The other way is to download a copy of the rules directly from the internet and print them off yourself. This way you get them immediately, you just need a bunch of paper and ink. It's about 200 pages in total. You need the SIKA rules from this site, The BCKCA rules from their site, and the ASN Canada rules from their site, in that order.
 

Track layout revised at Vernon Multiplex. March 26, 2003
    A revised track layout for the Vernon Multiplex parking lot is now shown on our "Track" page. No you are not seeing double here. It has changed again. Due to a misunderstanding as to which curbs could be removed at the Multiplex lot we have had a slight change of plans. Note also that our schedule has also been changed to comply with dates that are available to us at the Multiplex. Yes members, we still need the tire bundles as described below. Our fund raising project at the Knox Mountain Hillclimb has also changed. We will now be renting our tire bundles to the hillclimb and providing moving, setup and tear down labour. We will be setting up the tires on May 16 (Friday) and packing up Sunday or Monday (more information to follow). Membership participation is vital to maximize our fund-raising potential.
 

Track layout revised at Vernon Multiplex. March 18, 2003
    A revised track layout for the Vernon Multiplex parking lot is now shown on our "Track" page. The new design will have a little more total length, and more importantly with its longer straightaway and back chutes, should make for better racing with improved passing possibilities. With the removal of some of the curb islands the track will now be wider and safer. We have made application to BCKCA for approval to run all classes on this layout, and at present await their response.
    This layout will require about 90 more tire bundles than we presently have on site. Again we are appealing to all racers to pitch in and supply as many tires assembled into bundles as you can. We expect to set the track up for the first time on Saturday, April 5. If 30 racers bring 3 bundles each we will be OK. We also expect to have our Rookie School and Officials Training that afternoon at the Alpine Centre. All new and current racers and volunteers are encouraged to attend as we will all be able to take advantage of the material that will be presented.

Club rules dealt with at next meeting March 4, 2003
    The club rule book for 2003 will be set at our March 25th meeting in Vernon. Anyone wishing to propose a rule change from last year is asked to bring their proposal forward at that meeting. Also any changes to our club race classes will be decided at this meeting. As in prior years the web master will publish proposals here if members would e-mail them in beforehand. This will give the members a "heads up" for next meeting. Note that the club rules are written as supplements to the ASN Canada and BCKCA rules, and reference to these rules are required to understand the full scope of the club rules. The ASN Canada rules for 2003 have been published on their web site, and we expect that the BCKCA rules will likewise be published shortly.

Club meeting place to change.March 3, 2003
    Starting with the April meeting we will be alternating our meeting location between Vernon and Kelowna, with the April meeting being the first to take place in Kelowna. It was felt that with our membership being spread up and down the valley, this policy would make it more convenient for our members to attend meetings. We hope that meeting attendance will increase as a result. The Kelowna Meetings will be held at Kal Tire Westside (1225 Industrial Road). The March meeting will be in Vernon.

2003 season just around the corner. March 1, 2003
    Well, it won't be long now! But, there is much to be done in preparation for the new season. We expect to be expanding the length of our track at the Vernon Multiplex, and this will allow us to run all classes, including shifters. In order for this to happen we need a whole bunch more tire walls. So we are asking everybody to get busy now scavenging tires and building tire bundles and delivering them to the pile behind the Multiplex lot. If all members supply six dozen tires bundled we should have enough.
    As a fund raiser for the club we have agreed to work at the Knox Mountain Hillclimb as gate tenders and corner marshals. Members will be contacted and asked to contribute some of their time here to help the club raise some money for our race season expenses. The Hillclimb is on the Victoria Day weekend, May 17 & 18.
    This weekend we will have some members promoting SIKA at the Kelowna Sport and Leisure Show at Sky-Reach Place. They will be answering questions and handing out club brochures. A reminder too that the Kart Racer movie is expected to come out soon, so it would be a good idea if we arrange promotional activities with the area theaters. Our  club brochure can be downloaded from the Links page here.

BC Indoor Karting Championship set for Feb 15-16. December 18, 2002
    So you thought it was going to be a long long winter with no racing - wrong. Wanna try some hot short track oval racing? The Cultus Lake Kart Club is hosting their 2nd annual Indoor Race at the Chilliwack Heritage Park cow palace. Check their web site to download the registration form, and register by January 8th to get the $20 earlybird discount. We (the Greggs) went last year and had a great time. So gather up some old tires, some tire dope, and your lowest gears and head to Chilliwack for the fun. They have classes for 4 cycle and Rotax.

Awards banquet honors SIKA standouts. December 3, 2002
    The annual awards banquet was held November 23rd in Kelowna at the Ruby Restaurant. Beautiful stainless steel club championship trophies, sponsored by Reidco Metal Industries were presented to the class champions. The junior drivers were encouraged to try their hands at public speaking in a brief interview with Bill, our MC. An award was given for the best public speaker. The SIKA Perpetual Awards were also presented as follows.
    Overwaitea Rookie of the Year to Colin Hildebrandt
    Door Doctor Most Improved Driver to Dave Saruk
    Kal Tire Hard Luck Award to James Huber
    Bill Cleve Volunteer of the Year to Bill Cleve
    Interior Kart Centre Sportsman of the Year to Verley Calvert
BCKCA Regional Championship awards were also presented to our members who achieved podium results in the series. The recipients are Christy Gregg - 2nd, and David Savoia and Gary Gregg - both with 3rds. The evening also featured a generous supply of door prizes and raffle prizes.

Cards are being sold with envelope's by donation, with a minimum of $1.50 to cover printing cost's. The "Door Doctor" is contributing $150.00 towards printing costs to maximize proceeds to the club.

To order your cards, mail your donation with your order stating the number of cards you want and your return address, to:
Brittany Langlois
2105 - 11th Street
Vernon, BC V1T 3S1

BCKCA AGM set for Dec 7-8. December 3, 2002
   Our club representatives to BCKCA, Dave Langlois and Bill Cleve will be attending the BCKCA Annual General Meeting this weekend in Chilliwack. They will be conveying the clubs position and proposals for 2003 rules and the 2003 regional championship format as directed at our last club meeting. We wish them good luck and thank them for their time commitment to karting.

2003 noise level revised for CARTBC. December 3, 2002
    CARTBC has revised the noise limit for 2003 that was originally announced in August from 80dba to 82dba. See the CARTBC or BCKCA web page for details.

The intent for these proposed changes is to firstly have them implemented at the National (ASN Canada) level, failing that, implemented at the Regional (BCKCA) level, and failing that, implemented at the Club  level.

Canadian Karting Regulations, Book 1, Sporting Regulations.

3. National Classes.
Drop F100 Senior and replace with Honda Senior Heavy at 380 lb. This is suggested due to national participation levels.

5.2 and 5.3 Regional & Club licence categories.
Replace entirely with BCKCA version where Regional and Club licences are the same.

5.9.c) Electrocardiogram.
Delete "stress related". In our area it seems to be a big deal to get this and is very costly.

5.10 Eyesight.
…..for each eye should be at least 10/10.

10.15 Noise levels.
85 dB/A maximum measured at 1 meter height and 30 meter perpendicular distance from the track center at point of highest output. Measurements preferably to be taken during qualifying sessions.

11.3.c) Transponders.
Specify location. The transponder must be firmly mounted no less than 30 cm rearward of the top of the nearest kingpin as measured longitudinally to the front-most part of the transponder.
 

Canadian Karting Regulations, Book 2, Technical Regulations.

8.26,f) and 12.2 Clutches (4 cycle).
Add the words “drum type” in the second sentence as; The clutch must be an engine-mounted, centrifugal drum type clutch, of the “dry” type, protected with an engine clutch guard.

This change is to disallow disc type clutches in the Honda Four-Cycle classes. Disk clutches may have a real or perceived performance advantage over drum clutches, but at a much higher cost. From my experience, the drum clutch is quite a reliable low maintenance piece and the added cost of the disk type could be a deterrent to new karters.
 

12.1.4 Air filter adapter for 4 cycle.
No portion of the adapter may extend beyond the face of the flanged mounting portion into the carburetor or adapter gasket opening. I have seen adapters made that extend into the gasket. They are more expensive to manufacture (pocket mill) and therefore should not be permitted.
Better still a "spec" filter adapter should be required similar to what was used in BCKCA up to 2000. We have wasted a lot of money in the last couple of years experimenting with different designs, looking for the edge. These classes should be kept simpler than this.

Respectfully submitted, John Gregg
 

Rules proposals deadline coming faster than expected. October 17, 2002
    In an e-mail from Jim Pelk, just in, we are advised that the deadling for rules submissions is to have them in to Terry Pritchard by October 21st. via the club represetatives. As this is before our next meeting it presents a bit of a problem. As of today I have not recieved any submissions for posting. I would suggest that if you have any submissions that you send them along quickly and that we will forward them as individual requests, rather than "club endorsed" requests, as we will not have an opportunity for club debate before the deadline. Again, I will post whatever is recieved, so that all club members will have an opportunity to review the submissions. In  your submissions please site the rule number or catagory number that you propose to change.

Time to make rule change proposals for next year September 26, 2002
    It's that time of year again, our version of the silly season. If you have proposals for rule changes, class structure, and suggestions for the BCKCA Regional Series format for next year, now is the time to present them to the club. The deadline for submissions will be at or before our next meeting, October 22nd. If you e-mail your proposals to me before next meeting, I will post them on the web site so that members can have a chance to discuss and consider their position before next meeting. Your proposals may be related to all levels of the rule book (ASN, BCKCA, and Club). The proposals approved at the next meeting will be forwarded to BCKCA and thus on to ASN Canada for their respective consideration. This is the beginning of the process. Club rules will not be set at this time, but rather early next year when ASN and BCKCA have issued their rules for 2003.

Going to the BCKCA Regional #3 at CARTBC? September 10, 2002
    Linked here are the Supplementary rules and the Race Weekend Schedule for the last Regional race of the year, Sept 20 - 23. Click on the links to download and print your copy of the files.

Class restrictions imposed at Vernon Multiplex Track August 28, 2002
    Due to the confined nature of the track and to the proximity of curbed islands BCKCA has approved the track only for the lower horsepower classes. This means that Formula 80 and all 125 shifters are not permitted to be run at this facility, and that the Club 100 reed class can only be run if it is restricted so that performance is comparable to Formula Piston Port (Yamaha). Rotax Max, if run, would also have to comply with the same requirements as Club 100. We expect to run Club 100 at the next race and monitor its performance to determine if the restrictor size will have to be reduced further.
    We continue to be in need of more tire walls. At last nights meeting it was asked that all drivers bring one tire bundle each before the next race (Sept 7th).
    In order to get the number of races for our 2002 season up, it was decided to make the remaining race weekends double race. So there will be points races on both Saturday and Sunday.

Reminder to bring tires this weekend August 21, 2002
    Any club members that have not brought their tire bundles for the new track are reminded that they are still required for this weekend. We are currently short about 30 bundles for the shortened version of the track, so it is important that we get more tires this weekend.

CART BC lowers the boom. August 19, 2002
    CART BC announced that the noise limit for their track will be lowered to 80 dba from the current 85 dba for any activity at the track after November 4, 2002. The current standard for BCKCA is 87 dba or as mandated by the individual track or club, whichever is less. Noise from motorsports is as always an ongoing issue with surrounding neibourhoods. This change is seen as a positive step by a karting organization to make karting more attractive to the community at large. Currently some classes of karts will comply with the 80 dba limit, however there are several classes that are currently over 80 dba up to 87 dba. This new limit only applies to CART BC however it may be a sign of what is to come. BCKCA and ASN Canada have not announced any changes to limits for next year, but it should not be a surprise if they also are lowered from their current levels. The CART BC or CLKC web sites are expected to post results of the noise level testing done at the last race.

First race date set for Vernon Multiplex. August 9, 2002
    We have now established that the first race date for the Vernon Multiplex facility will be set for August 24th and 25th weekend. This will be a two day format event with track setup taking place on or before Saturday with practice on Saturday and Sunday morning followed by races and track tear down on Sunday. Once we know the time required for track set up and tear down a more accurate weekend schedule can be published. As stated below the tire bundle moving work party is still set for this Sunday, August 11, at 9:00 am. Our Schedule page has been revised and shows some proposed dates for the remainder of our season. The dates for the remaining races will be posted once the schedule has been cleared with the Vernon Multiplex.

Members to build tire barriers. July 24, 2002
    At our regular meeting last night, it was decided that all racing members will be required to make up three tire barriers consisting of 12 tires each, and bring them to the Vernon Multiplex on or before August 11th. Also on Sunday Aug. 11 we will move our tire barriers from Sun Valley Speedway to the Multiplex. All members are asked to meet at the Vernon Multiplex at 9:00 am to move tires. We expect to have a truck and trailer available, but additional trailers and pickups will also be helpful. We want to be prepared for a tentetive first race date of August 17-18. The tire bundles are to be bolted together 4 tires along and 3 tires high. We have used 3/8" x 1-3/4" bolts and nylock nuts with 3/8" fender washers to bolt the tires together. Use at least a 1/2" drill for the bolt holes. Tires can be up to 15" size or 16" passenger tires, but no 16" truck tires please (they are too heavy). Please mark your name on your bundles so we can see who will be able to race at future events. The tire barriers will be stored during the racing season behind the Multiplex parking lot on the overflow wasteland out there.

Good news, we can race again.July 15, 2002
    Our bid to race at the Vernon Multiplex parking lot has been approved by the Greater Vernon Services Commission, the political body responsible for this facility. The club now needs to get in high gear with all the preparations needed to create a track at this venue. We will have to move our tire walls from Sun Valley to the Multiplex parking lot as well as gather a whole bunch more tires that will be needed at this location. The track layout will also have to be approved by BCKCA. It is being proposed that all voting members will be required to collect 36 tires, bolt them together in bundles of 12 and deliver them to the site. This would produce about 100 additional bundles of tires. We will be able to resume our 2002 race season as soon as we can get the track preparations done. We will be ironing out many of the details at our next meeting in Summerland on July 23rd.

Kal Tire lends a hand.  July 15, 2002
    Kal Tire has graciously agreed to donate a retired van trailer to our club for transport and storage of our tire walls. This will be a great asset to us. Please support them and acknowledge their generosity whenever you have the opportunity.

Race site alternative sought. June 3, 2002
    The May 28th general meeting was totally consumed with our dilemma of finding a place to race. Firstly we believe that if Spallumcheen and Sun Valley can resolve their differences, we would have an opportunity to re-apply to Spallumcheen to race at Sun Valley. This would be our favored option as we are all set up to race there. Reports from Sun Valley and Spallumcheen are that, although Sun Valley feels that they have resolved many of the outstanding issues, Spallumcheen reports that there is certainly not a full compliance to their demands as yet. In the meantime we are making application to the North Okanagan Regional District for permission to hold races at the new Multiplex Center parking lot. We expect our application to be heard at the NORD council meeting on June 12th. If we get this permission and if we can get a track layout approved by BCKCA/ASN then we hope to save at least the latter part of this season's races.
    Further to working on our immediate needs, it was decided that we would pursue the longer range plan of building a club owned track. So far, the executive has been out to look over some possible land sites where a kart track could be built. At the moment we have identified two sites with good potential, an abandoned gravel pit at 15km up Silver Star Road and the abandoned oval track site at Thunder Mountain Motorsport Park. The club is making a formal application to NORD for their endorsement and assistance in gaining a Crown Land Lease for the Silver Star Road site. This will also be presented at the June 12th meeting. At this point we are not locked to any site and are still looking at all feasible possibilities.

Bad news. Track use permit is denied. May 7, 2002
    The Spallumcheen council met last night to decide our fate with regard to our permit application to race at Sun Valley Motor Speedway. After hearing submissions regarding our application and issues related to the operations of SVMS the council convened to an "in camera" meeting to decide the issue. We were advised this morning that our application is refused and that no further use permits would be considered for activities at SVMS as long as there remain irregularities with the completion of certain elements of the tracks construction. Primary among these is the lack of noise abatement landscaping which was to be included in the initial construction. We believe that the reason for denial was not due to a nuisance on our behalf. In fact, following our test race on April 21st, the comments were that we were not a noticeable noise source in the surrounding neighborhoods. At this point our race schedule is on hold, pending finding an alternative race site. The focus of our club has now shifted. We hope that our membership will not give up, but rather re-double their efforts to support the club in the quest to establishing a racing venue.

Track set-up Saturday April 20th, first race Sunday April 21st.  April 15, 2002
    In order to make maximum use of our race day on April 21st, we will be setting up the track on Saturday. We ask that all members turn out to assist with the track set up work. Set up will start at 10:00 am on Saturday the 20th. Saturday will also be an opportunity to pre-register for the race and submit drivers license applications and membership renewals. We now have some stock of log books and rule books available at $10.00 each for those that need them. Also note that all drivers must apply for a BCKCA 2002 license in order to race at club or regional races. All junior licenses are $10.00, while senior licenses are $30.00 except for "A" licenses which are $60.00. The "A" licenses are required for 125cc shifter classes only. Getting the track set-up and paperwork done on Saturday will give us a smoother Sunday of racing with more practice time.

Rookie School set for Saturday April 13thApril 9, 2002
    The pre-season rookie school will be held in Vernon at the Unit 32 in the Alpine Center this Saturday at 10:00 am. This will be a classroom session where racers will be briefed on safety, rules, proceedures, race format, and tech requirements. It will also be an opportunity for all members (rookie or veteran) to come out and get copies of this years rules, submit license applications and medical forms, order log books, and renew memberships. As our first race is April 21st, we would like to see all members come out and get their paperwork business done before the race to streamline proceedings at the race. We expect the school will run about four hours.

Spallumcheen Council allows a trial race to be observed before deciding on Permit for this season. April 3, 2002
    Our application for a Special Use Permit to race at SVMS this year was heard at last night's council meeting. No final decision was reached. The council has allowed us to run our first race only at this time. This race is to be well advertised especially to the interested residents in the area and council is to be invited to see and hear first hand what our races are all about. Following this first race council will, at a following meeting, review or permit application. This first race will be held Sunday April 21st. The Test & Tune days that were scheduled for April 14th and April 20th will not be held. The remainder of this seasons schedule is up in the air, pending the outcome of Council's decision.

By-law nixes karting at SVMS Mar 27, 2002
    The by-law that governs operation of Sun Valley Motor Speedway limits the number of days of operation to 18. As the Saturday night stock car schedule uses all of the available 18 days, this leaves no room for Sunday racing by our club or the autocross people. Gary Hammond of SVMS and Dan Williams of Autocross attended our meeting last night and the situation was reviewed along with the possibilities for a solution to the problem. We understand that the Township of Spallumcheen will consider an application for a special use permit for the use of the track. Such a permit, if granted, would be for a one year duration for specific dates, times and uses. The Autocross club has already made their application. Our club decided to do likewise, and our application is to be submitted today. We expect that the application will be heard at the Tuesday, April 2nd council meeting in Spallumcheen. If the application is passed, our schedule should be able to proceed as posted. However the issue could be put over to a second council meeting for a second public reading or it could be dismissed. If this is the case, we will have to adjust or cancel our schedule as necessary. Because of the possibility of rejection, the club is looking into the possibility of holding races at another venue, if this becomes necessary. We will try to keep you up to date on the proceedings as they develop. Remember that council meetings are open to the public.
    On another note, the club rules and classes were set at last night's meeting, and will be posted here on the rules page as soon as I can get them typed up. A discussion on the large number of classes we run for the size of our club ensued. The primary concern here was to be able to guide new members into a smaller variety of classes so that the individual class kart counts would grow. As everyone involved is passionate about their class, it was virtually impossible to get agreement on what the preferred classes should be. It was agreed that new karters should take the time to research carefully their options here. It is recommended that they talk to kart shops, as many as possible, and check out some races (even at other clubs) before making their choice. We will be revising our "Getting Started" page shortly, and will post some statistics on class participation levels in our area.
Stay tuned.

Club rules and classes set at next meeting. Mar 2, 2002
    The primary focus of the March 26th general meeting will be to set the club rule book and competition classes for 2002. The meeting will be held in Vernon at the Alpine Centre and all members are encouraged to participate in the important process.
    Proposals for changes or additions / deletions to our club rules and class structure are invited  from all members. As announced at our last meeting, all proposals must be recieved by March 19th, in advance of the next meeting, so that they can be posted here on the web page. This will give everyone a chance to preview the proposals and prepare themselves to decide the issues at the meeting. Please E-mail your proposals to John Gregg and Bill Cleve or mail them to John Gregg at RR-1, S-31B, C-13, Summerland, V0H 1Z0.

SIKA takes 2nd in junior parade entries. Feb 21, 2002 A group of our junior racers entered the Vernon Winter Carnival parade on Saturday Feb. 2nd. With the help of their families they were given the second place award for junior entries.
 

Report from the BCKCA 2002 AGMFeb 6, 2002
The BCKCA held phase 2 of their 2002 annual general meeting in Kamloops this last weekend (Feb. 2,3). The primary issue dealt with was for licensing for 2002. I understand that some of the rules were also re-visited from the last meeting. In order to bring an issue back to the table that was decided at the last meeting a 100% approval was required from all delegates at the meeting. Bill Cleve represented our club at this meeting and his summary report is attached here in Adobe format so that you can save or print it off if you wish (recommended). Click here for Bill's report.  If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader to open Bill's report, you can use this link to  http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html  , where a free download is available.

Also of note, ASN has now posted the 2002 National Sporting and Technical Regulations on their web site.

As our February meeting will deal with Club Rules and Classes, it will be helpful if members are knowledgeable in the ASN and BCKCA rules so that decisions can be made relevant to these rules.

2002 AGM highlights Jan 24, 2002
A good turn out attended our first meeting of the year on Tuesday, and included four new families joining the ranks this year. Your new executive was elected and acclimated and is now listed on the executive page.
The club will be entering a float in the Vernon Winter Carnival parade on Feb. 2nd. Dave Langlois and Butch Calvert having a float decorating party on Friday Feb. 1st. I'm sure they would welcome your help with the Project.
A list of club jobs was passed around with a request for volunteers. It was gratifying to get a positive response from everyone and fill all of the positions. Job assignments will be disscussed by the executive and appropriate patronage appointments will be made. Those who did not attend the meeting need not despair, as I am sure we can come up with even more jobs for you to take on.
The issue of purchasing our own kart scales was discussed, and it was decided that all final proposals or offers must be submitted at the next meeting, and the best offer will be acted on.
Dave Langlois reported that the greeting  cards produced by Brittany sold well and produced a nice contribution to the club. Our thanks go out to Brittany Langlois for her efforts.
Dan Hildebrandt has offered to produce some cool stainless steel logo key fobs at low cost that we can sell for $5 and raise money for the club. Our "Good News Bear" was won by the Vernon Arabian Horse Club. They have contacted us and offered to return Phas Teddy to us for a nominal donation to their club. We have agreed to this and will be auctioning him off to our members. Get your raffle tickets at the next meeting.
Gary and Christy Gregg will be publishing our new news letter, the SIKA Report. they will produce eight issues per year and fund the project with advertising sales. Where possible issues will be e-mailed to members and mailed or hand delivered to those not wired. If you wish more information on advertising rates etc. contact Gary or Christy.
Review of club rules and class structure was postponed to next meeting when we hope to be able to refer to 2002 National and Provincial rules.
The february meeting will be in Kelowna at a new place, 2419 Hwy 97 North, upstairs. See you there.

Canadian Nationals set for Calgary, August 7th to 11th Jan 7, 2002
The ASN web site has posted the 2002 National Karting Championships to be held in Calgary at Race City on August 9, 10, & 11 with practice on Aug 7th & 8th. Our schedule page shows a proposed schedule for SIKA club races at Sun Valley. These dates are available at the track and can be disscussed at our January 22nd meeting. The BCKCA Regional race series dates have not been set as yet but should be, at the BCKCA meeting January 26 - 27 in Kamloops.

Kacic Motorsports opens Web Site Jan 3, 2002
Kacic Motorsports has just launched their web site for karting products. They are located in Kelowna and are focussed on serving the Southern Interior area. Main products featured are CRG chassis, Rotax, SGM, and Maxter engines, and Sparco race wear. Their web site, www.kacicmotorsports.com, will remain as a link available from our Sources page.

Cards are being sold with envelope's by donation, with a mininum of $1.25 to cover printing cost's. The "Door Doctor" is contributing $150.00 towards printing costs to maximize proceeds to the club.

To order your cards, mail your donation with your order stating the number of cards you want and your return address, to:
Brittany Langlois
2105 - 11th Street
Vernon, BC V1T 3S1 Click on the picture for an actual size view (5 1/2" x 4 1/4")

Perpetual Award winners honored at banquet November 17th (Pictures on Photos page)
    The innaugural SIKA awards banquet was held in Kelowna at Bunches Bistro last night. Guests of honor, Gary and Liz Hammond, were recognized for their great contribution to our clubs first race season at Sun Valley. Perpetual award plaques were given it the following categories,
    Rookie of the Year - Cale Choboter
    Volunteer of the Year - Dana Cave
    Most Improoved Driver of the Year - Cole Langlois
    Sportsman of the Year - John Gregg
    Hard Luck Award - Steve Hammond

    Club Championship trophies were awarded as per the points standings on our points page. We also awarded the BCKCA Regional Championship Cup to Blair Gautschi for Formula 80. Unfortunately due to a mix-up between BCKCA and us, Pete Sweeny was not recognized for his Third Place in the Regional Series in F100-Light. This will be corrected at our next club meeting. Sorry Pete.

Gobble 500 supports CHBC Good News BearsNovember 17th
    The "Gobble 500" is a mini endurance race held for fun on the Thanksgiving weekend. The Junior race featured two driver per kart teams with driver from 8 to 15 years old. While the Senior race had four driver per kart teams. Okanagan businesses donated prizes for all of the drivers while drivers entry fees were used to provide a teddy bear to the CHBC Television, Good News Bears project.
    This project raises funds for area Food Banks by soliciting Food Bank donations and entering the donators in a draw for the Teddy Bears. About 140 Bears will be donated and drawn for, while an estimated $150,000 is raised for Okanagan Food Banks. The SIKA Bear is outfitted in kart racing attire while packing a 1st place trophie. He's adorned with SIKA logos on his suit and his name (Phas Teddy) accross his shoulders.
    The format of the Gobble 500 consists of a "LeMans" start where the drivers run accross the track to their karts, which they must start before leaving. At the pit stops for driver changes the exiting driver must throw a kart tire 12 feet into a milk crate target before the next driver can run to and restart their kart for the next leg of the race. At the end of the race each team takes a "pea pick" which is added to their race position for a final score and pick position at the prize table.
    We thank all the sponsors who donated prizes and made this event possible.

2001 Race season wind-up Oct 6 & 7.October 5th
   The final two races of the year take place on Saturday (Race 6) and Sunday (Race 7), October 6th & 7th. After the race on Saturday there will be a barbeque hosted by SRW Systems. All racers, their families and volunteers are welcome.
   Sunday will feature the Gobble 500 fun race at the end of the day. The Gobble 500 will consist of Junior and Senior divisions run seperately. Teams of drivers, 2 Junior, or 3 Senior, will race 4 cycle karts for fun and prizes. The race will require pit stops with driver changes and tests of skill and luck. Proceeds from the Gobble 500 entries will be donated to charity. More on that later.
   Arrangements are being made for the Year End Awards Dinner. It is scheduled for November 16th at the Laurel in Kelona. More details to follow.
   The BCKCA is requesting that all clubs submit their requests for 2002 rule changes by Oct 15th. They are also asking for suggestions for next years Regional Series at the same time. All members that wish to have input in these matters should provide their proposals to the Executive by Sunday Oct 7th.

Rules Proposals August 22nd.
This is the time of year to think about any rules changes for next year. If any club members wish to make any rules proposal, they should present the proposals to the club at the next meeting, August 28th. The proposals may affect national, regional or SIKA Club rules. If the proposals affect national or regional rules they must be approved by the club before being proposed on to the BCKCA. Proposals should be submitted in writing and supported by the reasons for the proposal and pertinent background information. Also, where possible refer to the existing rule being changed.

Volunteers make it happen August 3rd.
We can't acknowledge the contributions made by our volunteers on race days enough. Without their efforts we might as well all stay home. There wouldn't be a race. We thank Bev, Rhonda, Terri, Mike, Dana, Dan, Bill, David, Al, and the others whose names I have missed, for their help registering, scoring, flagging and marshaling our races.

SRW Systems sponsors race 3, the SRW Grand Prix, July 2. June 18th
Trophy sponsor for SIKA race 3, the SRW Grand Prix, will be SRW Systems of Kelowna. SRW specializes in the supply and erection of all types of modular interlocking retaining walls.

SIKA reaches milestone hosting first club Race May 24, 2001
On May 20, 2001, only 3-1/2 years since the inception of or club, we held our first race at Sun Valley Motor Speedway in Vernon. It was a beautiful day with 34 entries, several of which came form the Lower Mainland and as far away as Prince George. The support from the out-of -town racers was greatly appreciated and helped us with a great kick-off to our season. Race results are posted on the Points Standings page. We would especially like to thank all those that volunteered their time to help us with the event and to Gary and Liz Hammond and their family for staffing the track facilities for us. We look forward to our next race on June 3rd when we expect a few more local entries.