2022 – 2026 KARTING AUSTRALIA COMPETITION TYRES – LECONT FAQs

2022 – 2026 KARTING AUSTRALIA COMPETITION TYRES – FAQs

*The following is adapted from information as released by Karting Australia as at 17th June 2021

 

Following Karting Australia’s recent announcement of the tyres to be used in Karting Australia competition for the period 2022-2026, there have been a number of questions that have been asked by the karting community.

Detailed below is a summary of the most common questions that have been raised. In addition to the information in these FAQ’s, the Australian distributors of the incoming tyres will be able to provide specific information on the tyres that they will be supplying in the coming days as they prepare for 2022.

What wet weather tyres will be used?
LeCont SV1 Wet Weather Tyres will be used.

What were the key characteristics of the tyres that Karting Australia set for the different  groups of tyres in the tyre tender?
The Karting Australia Board set the following criteria for the respective groups of tyres.

 

Tyre Group	Characteristics,  Performance and Durability Targets
Junior Classes and mid-performance Senior classes KA4, KA3, TaG 125 Restricted, Yamaha	Medium Grip 150-200 km durability Minimal drop off up to 150km
Junior high-performance and unrestricted Senior TaG125 engine Classes KA2, Junior Performance, TaG 125	Medium – High Grip 150 km durability Minimal drop off up to 120km
Senior high-performance classes X30, KZ2, Open Performance	High Grip 100 km durability Minimal drop off up to 100km

All the selected tyres exceeded the performance and durability targets set by Karting Australia.

What testing was completed for the tyre tender?
Manufacturer evaluation of tyre suitability for Australian competition across a variety of Australian Circuits.

Independent testing of the tyres on identical karts using factory set-up and tyre pressures as per manufacturers recommendations managed by Karting Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Lee Hanatschek and highly credentialled, independent karting industry member Troy Hunt. Multiple days of on-track testing and validation of the manufacturer test data that involved running the tyres well past the required durability levels.

What did the independent testing involve?
All tenderers were permitted to undertake their own testing under Australian conditions of the tyres that they submitted in the Tender. They were required to supply Karting Australia with the test results obtained from the Australian tracks that they used in their testing.

Karting Australia conducted its own independent testing and evaluation of the tyres during 2020.

Equipment Used:

• New control chassis at factory settings.
• New engines for each Class.
• Tyres were tested at the inflation pressures recommended by each manufacturer.

Measurements:

• Measurements and data recording was done every step of the way.
• Throughout the tests at pre-determined intervals, all tyres – left, right, front and rear tyres, were measured at the inside and outside circumference.
• Tread depth measurements were recorded before testing and at pre-determined intervals throughout the tests.
• All test runs were timed using the MyLaps timing system.
• Visual records of each tyre were made at pre-determined stages of the tests.

Objective Assessment Scores:
At the completion of all the tests, each tyre was given an Objective Performance Score out of ten (10) that was representative of the tyre’s performance in each of the following areas: safety, grip, durability, consistency, longevity, new tyre gain and used tyre drop off.

 

TYRE	Hardness Classification	Objective Performance Score	% of rubber left after 160km	Front Tyre After 150km	Rear Tyre After 150km
LeCont LH03	Hard	55/70	50%

 

 

TYRE	Hardness Classification	Objective Performance Score	% of rubber left after 130km	Front Tyre After 100km	Rear Tyre After 100km
LeCont SVB	Hard	63/70	49%

 

 

TYRE	Hardness Classification	Objective Performance Score	% of rubber left after 75km	Front Tyre After 85km	Rear Tyre After 85km
LeCont SVC	Medium	61/70	38%

 

Will the same tyres be used for all levels of Competition?
Yes. The tyres for all Classes will be the same across all levels of Competition – Club, State and National. It won’t matter if you are racing at a Club Day or an Australian Kart Championship event – you will all be racing on the same tyre regardless of where you live.

What are the recommended retail prices of the tyres?
RRP Prices for LeCont Tyre Sets are:

LH03 AUS – $265

SVB – $275

SVC – $275

SV1 Wet – $302

All prices are RRP including GST and excluding freight.

When will we be able to use the tyres on track?
The current contracted tyres are for use in all Competition until the end of 2021.

We expect that you will be allowed to use the 2022 tyres in practice and social karting after the end of the 2021 competition karting season – in a similar fashion to the previous tender. This will probably be from mid-December onwards. Karting Australia will provide further details later in the year.

The new tyres will not be distributed until they are allowed to be used on our tracks.

Will we still be able to use our current tyres for in 2022?
The current tyres will NOT BE USED in competition karting after 31 December 2021. The current tyres WILL BE eligible to be used in Social Karting throughout 2022.

Will we still be able to purchase from our local dealer, or do we have to purchase direct through the Australian distributor?
Both of our contracted suppliers have their existing supply chain and distribution networks in place that utilise both direct and regional distribution outlets.

There will be no change to the supply network from either distributor.  The consumer can purchase from their local dealer or through the various online outlets that supply the Australian market.

Additional Information
Should you have a genuine question regarding the tyres that is not covered below please email [email protected] and if appropriate it will be included in further information to be distributed over the coming months or we will forward it to individual suppliers for their attention.