ROTAX CHALLENGE OF THE AMERICAS BULLETIN: 2013 RULES UPDATE

CotALogoWhiteSeries supplemental rules, tire update and Mini Max Rev Limiter highlight standards for upcoming season

ORANGE, CA (December 18, 2012) – Just weeks away is the start of the 2013 Rotax Challenge of the Americas program. Entries from all over the west coast are streaming in prior to the opening round set for the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, Arizona on the January 11-13 weekend. Series officials are also putting in the final touches on the standards by which the series will conduct itself, with four tickets to the Rotax Grand Finals scheduled for the first time on United States soil, at the NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, Louisiana to be awarded to four championship drivers in 2013.

2013 Rules:

The Rotax Challenge of the Americas standards for the 2013 season is soon to be published on the series website, including the series supplemental rules. The order in which the series conducts its rule structure is the following: COTA supplemental rulebook and then the 2012 Rotax Max Challenge International Sporting and Technical Regulations. Any particular ruling not covered in the COTA supplemental rulebook defers to the 2012 International regulations.

2013 Tire Requirements:

For the 2013 season, the Junior Max, Mini Max and Micro Max categories will utilize the Mojo D1 tires. The Mojo D2 tire is reserved for the Senior Max and Masters Max divisions while the spec tire for DD2 and DD2 Masters is the Mojo D3. All competitors are required to compete on the slick tires purchased through the Rotax Challenge of the Americas entry form. Mini Max and Micro Max drivers are limited to one set of slick tires for the weekend, while all other classes will receive one new set for each race day. In the event of rain, the Mojo W2 is the spec rain tire. It is the responsibility of the competitors to be prepared with rain tires should they be needed, as COTA will not be providing tires for purchase.

Mini Max Rev Limiter Project:

In an effort to eliminate higher speeds and the “Turbo” effect in the Mini Max category, the MAXSpeed Group has helped to develop a Rev Limiter for the category. The Mini Max engine power amplifies dramatically once it passes over the 12,600 RPM mark, with speeds increasing from 60mph to 70mph in a matter of seconds. This new Mini Max Rev Limiter is designed to allow the engine to reach the 12,550 RPM mark, and then allow the ignition to fire just enough to keep the engine running without advancing to a high RPM. Testing sessions have been done on a dyno along with on-track testing at three different U.S. Rotax Max Challenge local events recently, with positive feedback. With the guidance of the MAXSpeed Group, the Rotax Challenge of the Americas will mandate the Mini Max Rev Limiter for all competitors in the category for the 2013 season.

Within the COTA supplemental rules regarding the Mini Max Rev Limiter, they will be made available at each event starting on the Wednesday prior to official practice opening on Friday. Rotax Challenge of the Americas will be providing every Mini Max Rev Limiter free of charge and must be returned at the completion of the event.

Andy Seesemann, promoter of the Rotax Challenge of the Americas added his thoughts to the 2013 rule package, “I’m pleased with the addition of the Mini Max Rev Limiter as it should eliminate some of the issues we have seen come up in the category over the past few seasons. I’d like to thank MAXSpeed, the Florida Winter Tour and everyone involved for their cooperation as to implementing this new device, along with providing consistency across the board by following the 2012 Rotax Max Challenge international rules for our programs. This only further exemplifies our commitment to providing the best series possible for our customers.”

The Rotax Challenge of the Americas schedule has three race weekends, counting toward six rounds of competition. After the series kicks off in Tucson, Arizona, the program travels to the PKRA Formula K Raceway north of Phoenix on February 8-10. The 2013 Rotax COTA champions will be crowned at the CalSpeed Karting circuit outside the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on March 8-10. All seven Rotax Max Challenge categories will be offered for the 2013 season, with champions in the Masters Max, Mini Max and Micro Max earning a qualifying spot to their home country Rotax Grand Nationals. DD2, Senior Max, DD2 Masters and Junior Max will battle over the three months for the Rotax Grand Finals tickets. Each champion must be properly qualified by the Rotax Max Challenge rules of their home country to accept these prizes. All events will be broadcasted live through the eKartingNews.com Trackside Live program.

For more information and to follow updates as the season draws closer, bookmark www.rotaxchallenge.com and click to the following link (registration.rotaxchallenge.com) to submit your registration form for the upcoming Rotax Challenge of Americas events.