Rotax Racing Club: the Arrive and Race format ready to be applied worldwide

What's the recipe of the Club100 success?
«Isolating the recipe for the success of Club100 isn't easy, even for those who invented this type of racing. Its current success, which has been consistent over the past 30 years, is likely the result of a blend of factors that form the foundation of karting's widespread popularity as a sport and its enormous potential among 'ordinary' people: the desire for equal competition and machinery, the variety of circuits, racing performance without the extreme personal commitment and anxiety that comes with owning your own kart. If I had to single out a few factors, I'd mention at least a couple: A fleet dedicated to the Championships. A very clear and detailed set of rules and above all, the strict adherence—by us and the drivers—to the regulations.»

John Vigor, founder of Club100

What kind of racers does it attract?
«Here, you find all sorts of people: from complete beginners who, after enjoying indoor rental karting, want to take a step toward something more competitive, to active racers who come to train for their races, to former ‘owner driver’ kart racers who have started a family and now work full-time, no longer having their entire weekends free to indulge in their passion. Want something even more surprising? Former F1 World Champions. That’s right: a few years ago, Damon Hill competed for an entire season with us, and it wasn’t easy for him—if I recall correctly, he only won one race all year. And you should have seen how happy he was at the end! Club100 isn’t a walk in the park for anyone, but everyone can have a blast and take home some real satisfaction.»

What brought you to pick Rotax MAX (and not a 4cycle, for example) as the core of the Club100?
«First and foremost, two-stroke engines are simply sexier, end of story. Have you heard them running in the pit lane with the exhausts we use here? Jokes aside, when it comes to Rotax engines specifically, it's undeniable that they are by far the best clutch engine on the market. Ours is a Junior version with restriction in the carburetor and exhaust. Our philosophy is that prevention is better than cure, and this kind of setup not only helps level the playing field, in line with the spirit of our Championship, but also ensures consistently high reliability. For example, we replace clutches before they start causing problems, and the same goes for tires, brake pads etc.This is something the drivers really appreciate. At the end of each season—considering the complete lifespan of our karts is three years—the engines undergoes a full re-build ready for the next season.»

Pick one: is karting a kids sport or an adults sport as it was at the very beginning?
«Let’s be clear: where there are kids racing, there’s money—and a lot of it. I understand that teams aspire to that and that’s why, in general, the karting world is focused on young racers. We ourselves have created a Cadet & Junior category that allows kids to have fun and, for those who can afford it, to see if it’s worth pursuing higher-level karting to eventually become a professional driver in other categories when they’re older. However, true karting, the original form, was practiced by adults, and that’s the demographic where Club100 began. We also recognize that people’s lives today are not like they were when karting began, and maybe it’s no longer feasible for the average person to manage such a demanding hobby. That’s why we pioneered and promote the "arrive and drive" format, although we prefer to call it "arrive and race." This approach allows drivers to focus on the fun part of karting—the challenge on the track, against themselves and others—while we, as organizers, handle all the logistics and management that they no longer have the time or resources to deal with.»

Looking at countries around UK and especially in Europe: which countries do you think the format of the Club100 could be a success and why?
«We believe this format has the potential to be a success anywhere. This is why we have teamed up with Rotax to introduce the Club100 concept to promotors both in Europe and across the world. In a global world, people's lifestyles are quite similar across different regions: everything is made easier by technology, and we live at a faster pace than ever before. Today, I’m racing here, tonight I have a dinner in central London, and tomorrow morning I’m catching an early flight for a business meeting in Germany. Many no longer have the luxury of spending Friday loading up the van, then spending Saturday and Sunday at the track, getting home at 2 a.m. on Monday—especially if you have to go to work the next day. It used to be fun, for sure, but many things have changed. Some championships demand your time even before Friday, involving both drivers and their families. Countries like Germany, Italy, and Spain, which also enjoy much milder climates than ours, are places where the "Arrive and Race" format could bring, or rather bring back, thousands of drivers to the track. We also see the USA as a fantastic opportunity and have already received strong interest from a number of promotors.»

Back to what happens on track: do you see happy faces when leaving the track?
«The only ones I see upset are those who lost a position on the final corner of the race. Our goal as organizers is to provide drivers with the best possible experience and create an environment that gives them a true motorsport atmosphere.»

Any complaint during the years about kart performances?
«That’s why we have a well-established system. In addition to the regular and preventive maintenance we perform on the karts, we also, per the rules, give drivers the option to swap out a kart they’re not satisfied with. At that point, one of our appointed kart testers will takes the kart out with a lap timing system and begins running laps. If that kart proves to be within a tolerance of 3/10ths, the kart is put back in line as good to race. If the kart has a technical issue it is taken to the mechanics to make the necessary adjustments before being tested again for performance. Our kart testers are highly experienced current or ex-racers with championship titles to their name.»

Appointed kart testers check that karts are in ideal conditions for the race

Why a promoter should choose to work with Rotax Racing Club rather than launching a brand new series on their own?
«We have thirty two years of experience and have learnt so much about how to make this business work across all areas. A promoter who chooses to work with the Rotax Racing Club will benefit from all of that knowledge. This includes the kart specification, kart setup, the custom restriction we run, kart maintenance, suggested service intervals, marketing advice including access to our media library for promotional materials, event format advice, business planning, how to setup a university championship, advice on how to work with your ASN and also all of the customer relationship software that Alpha Timing have developed specifically for Club100 that enables us to run the business with the highest efficiency. And most importantly they will become officially part of the Rotax brand, which we have big plans for going forward.»