Original Article by Cody Schindel, Canadian Karting News
1. Big grids and exciting racing guaranteed
As the only program in Canada growing over the past couple of years, the grids are the strongest across the country with Briggs & Stratton Senior the only class needing a last chance race at the Canadian National Championships in 2014 and all three Briggs classes being in the top-4 for entries at the event.
2. From the Box, to the Kart, to the Podium, it’s Simple
One of the most appealing aspects of the Briggs LO206 engine platform is it’s ease of entry to get on the track and racing. Most Briggs dealers sell a complete and race ready Briggs LO206 engine right out of the box. Bolt it on, run a quick break-in, and you are ready to roll.
3. New or old, Briggs Lo206 Engines are fast
Back-to-back Canadian National Briggs Senior Champion Jean-Francois Lafontaine scored his first Canadian title on a brand new engine that him and his father opened at the event in 2013. A year later the pair were still running with the same engine and utilized it to score his second title is as many years.
The same can be said for this years Briggs Masters Champion David Patrick. After arriving late, Patrick bolted on a new engine, broke it in and within a few sessions placed himself on the provisional pole-position at the countries biggest event. Three days later Patrick stood on the top of the podium following one of the most exciting and emotional races of the weekend.
4. Strong support from coast to coast
From British Columbia to New Brunswick to Ontario and Quebec, more and more Briggs LO206 engines are being bolted onto karts and joining the competition for beginners and experts.
Almost every kart club in the country offers a class for the Briggs platform for Novice all the way to Masters, and the grids are growing almost every week.
5. All chassis’ work
Any brand of chassis will work for Briggs & Stratton competition with more focus on the driver being smooth, consistent and keeping mistakes a minimum. Major brands like Birel, CRG, Intrepid and OTK are equally comparable to smaller brands like K&K Karts, Margay and Maranello with all of them having success in the category.
6. No need for a special tuner, Mom and Dad can turn the wrenches
The simplicity of the Briggs LO206 platform means that Mom and Dad shouldn’t have any issues performing the maintenance and simple fixes an engine will need over time. There is no need to hire a special tuner, instead that money could be put towards some driver coaching or extra track time.
7. Low cost racing
While the speed isn’t quite comparable to two-cycle racing, the cost isn’t either. Briggs & Stratton racing is very cost effective and helps draw new drivers to the sport. A new engine is less than $1000 and specialty stuff like data acquisition systems aren’t necessary to be fast. Keep it simple and go fast.
8. It’s wicked fun!
There is no argument that 4-cycle racing has played a part in almost every successful Canadian kart racer, whether it was how they got their start as a kid, or a class they have jumped into for extra seat time in a one-off event.
9. You told your family you would take them on vacation, and now you can afford to!
Lets be honest, karting is expensive and for the most part family summer vacations usually end up at a go-kart track. With the low cost of a Briggs & Stratton LO206, some leftover money could now be put towards a family vacation away from the kart track. Or it could also be spent on more karting stuff, because who doesn’t love karting stuff?
10. Because any fuel leftover from the weekend can help you get home
Since Briggs engines only require regular gasoline and no mixing, the gas left in your tank or fuel jug can simply be poured into your vehicles tank (pending you don’t drive a diesel). That’s added fuel mileage.