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The End of CIK In OZ ?
The re-introduction of CIK in 2008 lacks the necessary support to get
off the ground and its only cost karters $160,000 to find out. Ironically, thats
about the same amount of money the AKA wasted on noise measuring, ironically again, after
failing to listen to some sound advice. (pun intended)
In August
2007, the National Karting Council directed that a minimum 25 karts had to be on the grid to justify the AKA buying the engines. There was, but it waned and the advice given to
the NKC on the 16th January by the experts was the series was no longer viable and an
alternative suggestion was made.
This was covered up, then completely ignored by the NKC and the Secretariat when it was
uncovered, and has now come full circle . The
karters who wear the cost of this are now simply saying, why didnt they just listen
to the experts they appointed for that very purpose ? Instead, they handed over to their front
men who were going to fix it all
and who have completely destroyed what should have been a great thing . So they can pay
for it.!
Its typical of
this organisation - someone comes up with a good plan, gets good experienced people to
join a team who then draft in the people with the skills to run the show and create,
market and sell it as a product. Its called best management practice but then theres the odd self styled genius
or popularity covet outside of this expert group who jumps to the industry tune and wants
to make demands and control the experts who, of
course, just walk away to help some other body who understand major events need major
planners.
Or some other champion of the industry complains that someone who was trying to undermine
the show got caught out lying badly. Um, youre
upset because in the proposed control CIK, you wont make money from the karters on
engine sales, engine maintenance and tyres, so dont want to play ? OK, but go away and leave us who want to play get
on with it. But no, the industry tail wags
the karting dog, so call on the big men at the front to push the barrow that everyone
is being treated badly. No worry that you profit from the sport so you must be right,
never mind that without the sport, you wouldnt exist.
Its gotta stop. If you appoint a team
with the skills to cover all aspects of a project and they do it professionally, when they
say stop regroup - move to plan B, dont
you need a really good reason not to take the advice ?
Like a $160,000 reason ?
But it gets
worse ignoring the advice and going ahead without authority to make a $160K
purchase to ensure CIK must happen because product has been purchased just puts more
pressure on an already weak decision making body, (and after their January effort, you cant
argue they arent weak) and this was exploited when they were steamrolled again on
18th February, instead of going back to their own experts advice and pulling the
pin. After the president proceeded to remove the hold placed on the engines in early
December, without NKC consent, he exceeded his
authority, but the NKC did nothing except to say well get the front
men on it, and then dilute the required threshold to 11
teams. Why didnt they cancel the order then ? They
should have shelved it until after 30th April when numbers were known.
As the old saying goes, the captain goes down with the ship but in this case, the bosun, coxswain and the rest of bridge must go with him.
Each delegate to the NKC from each state and all of the Secretariat must resign or
be removed for this $160,000 disaster caused simply by ignoring a pretty credentialed
committee, purpose built to give the NKC specialist advice and who advised the NKC the
series wasnt viable in 2008 back in January when the AKA werent liable to pay
for the engines. President Erdmann withheld that advice from the NKC and blustered
through the January NKC meeting ducking the IKC truth here and weaving around the IKC
advice there. He had the NKC direct the IKC to meet the teams but the IKC already
had the answer because from early on, the IKC had a member directly appointed as teams
liasion. The IKC met on 28 December and accepted his advice and his reasoning, but to be
sure, then polled the teams. Same result. Not good enough for some though who
started telling the IKC what to do. The
President and his offsiders met the teams, including RV Engines/Birel. He made it sound as
if it was going to be alright if they just carried on. But they still couldnt get 12
over the line yet they sold that to the NKC contrary to advice from experts.
But the fact is, with all the rope the NKC have given, he
and his offsiders have come up with what I believe is 5 at best and the show is over.
He and his mates took over from a dedicated IKC and they right royally stuffed up
as they bumbled along without a plan. They changed dates and places, they ignored
completely the 23rd June 2007 NKC direction to follow the plan the previous IKC team put up to use the series as a marketing tool,
and promote the sport where youre most likely to get new customers: non metro
clubs. The president and his front men dismantled
entirely the necessity to get races styled as community events etc. so the media and
community interest was never even begun, hence the comments of a number of formerly
interested teams that the contracts were all one sided. They even told others they had 10
signed contracts. It was all Nonsense.
Where did the link to international karting go ? Where had pitching this class as
the ultimate domestic class gone ? It was supposed to drag other classes up to it
and then they went to bury it in a state title meeting or two which was the very opposite.
Where were the BAM releases,? the team updates,? the system to roll out the
marketing and promotion plan and get the teams and their drivers into community faces ?
Removing front brakes did its own damage; some people want it proper CIK rules
or why bother, it was clearly explained that CIK rules were to be in place , again their
industry mates wanted something else and they cow tailed to them, but having done
so, they proved the resistance to front brakes was bullshit , because no one else
clambered back on board - matter of fact more left as a result.
The matter of purchasing 160K of equipment without authority requires action being taken ,
but if the NKC can be conned into believing something else then they wont have the courage
to do anything about this either . And that means all of them must go too. They ignored
their own experts, they ignored their own directions, they allowed the bar to be dropped
and they failed to halt the engine order on 18 Feb until the minimum numbers criteria had
been satisfied. No one on the NKC has any idea of what the top level is about and they dont
understand why after 100 competitors were prepared to shell out at least $30,000 a year in
2000, then nosedived to a handful in just 5
years because the status, promotion and links to international kartng and other motorsport
were removed. Our leaders have stuffed CIK
further, karting with it, and prejudiced enormously the chances of anyone resurrecting CIK
in the near future and proved beyond doubt their inability to direct the AKA.
Once theyre gone, lets get moving again. We
have 40 CIK engines. We know theres not enough seniors who want to attempt the step
up so lets see how many aspiring Courtneys, Whincups, Winterbottoms etc. who all cut their teeth in junior CIK, are out
there just champing at the bit for the opportunity to become an international karter and
motor racer.

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