Arrow, CrG, First KArt And tony KArt vie For title oF best ... - Arrow Karts

Arrow, CRG, First Kart and Tony Kart vie for title of best TAG chassis in the landWords / Photos: KartSport StaffJust like these chassis that are being tested, not allproduct shootouts are built the same. It’s alwaysimportant to keep in mind, exactly what was thegoal of the manufacturer when making this kart? Speedat any cost? Durability? Entry level components?Therefore, the criteria for judging 125 shifter chassis isgoing to be somewhat different than when examining agroup of TAG chassis.No doubt, aspects such as comfort, design, overallquality, availability, dealer support and price are goingto factor into the equation for any type of chassis.But for many karters, a TAG chassis represents theirfirst step into the world of karting. Their outlook isusually a bit different than the hyper-competitive andcost-be-damned attitude of the average shifter kartpilot. For the guy or gal looking to plop down severalthousand on a TAG chassis, these people would like anextension of the TAG engine concept, which at its coreis supposed to promote many low maintenance milesand plenty of big smiles.Ease of tunability and final cost are therefore veryimportant in this category. Yet with all that beingsaid, the most expensive kart in KartSport’s previousTAG chassis test was also the winner: the TonyKart Racer EV. Its track performance and superiorcomponents overcame its high price tag, but will thatbe the same story in 2007? Is there a new championto be found among the challengers, mainly the ArrowAX9-BMAX, the First Kart V-32-100, and the venerableCRG Road Rebel?Or will the Tony Kart keep the power of green on topfor a second straight year? Read on.60 KARTSPORT 61

THE SET UPAs with our 125 Shifter test found elsewhere in thisissue, once again the Homestead Karting facility servedas the backdrop for our TAG chassis shootout. Thegenerosity and good nature of track manager TonySchroeder can’t be over-emphasized here, nor can thecontributions of Kevin Hunley at Bridgestone USA. Asbefore, each chassis would be given three sessions onused tires before ace driver Wes Boswell strapped onfresh skins to turn some flat out laps.Each participating importer was asked to provide aqualified tuner to work with Wes in order to make surethat not only was the chassis dialed in correctly, butalso so that the product being tested received nothingless than the highest level of support. In that regard, allthe participants made sure that their finest tuners wereon hand, and it was clear throughout the test that themechanics and driver were working in close synergy.In alphabetical order, here are the candidates for thetitle of best TAG chassis for 2007:ARROW AX9-BMAXEach year, a chassis line seems to get a certain buzzabout it, an intangible vibe that permeates the industryas the “gotta-have” product of the year. The Arrowis that product for 2007, but is it all hype or welldeservedtime in the spotlight?To find out, Eric Jones Karting was generous enoughto provide an Arrow AX9-BMAX tuned by SpeedTech’sShayne Shipley. From the moment that Boswell cameinto the pits after his first session, he was convincedthat the Arrow was no pretender.“A lot of other chassis make simple changes hardto do. The Arrow isn’t one of them. Like on the rideheight, you just loosen the bolts up, turn that cam, andit changes it. The seat struts are slotted, so you don’thave to drill extra holes in the seat. The seat strut barsare pre-bent, which is a really nice feature as well. Thelist goes on; this kart is very user-friendly.“I didn’t really want to change a thing after the firstsession, that’s how good it felt. From the first momentwe put it on the track, I was very comfortable reachingits limit. I could throw it around, toss it around, it hadgood entrance grip, good exit grip, I was very happywith it. The only difference from the stock set-up wasthat they changed the Ackerman so that it steers just alittle bit more quickly.“But how these karts respond to changes is alsoimportant, so just to play around with it, we made aride height adjustment to see if it gave the desiredresult (too much rear grip). And it did, it was verypredictable.“This kart does take a while for its set up to come in, asour fast time wasn’t until our eighth lap. But you know,with some karts that come in late, they’ll be a piece ofshit to drive in the early laps while you’re waiting forit. The Arrow isn’t like that. It was controllable, it wasdecent on the stopwatch, and then when it came in, itpicked up the pace without any need to change yourdriving style.“The only thing I can knock about the Arrow is that thebodywork and the graphics kit are downright ugly. It’sonly a cosmetic thing and fortunately doesn’t affectlap times!”CRG Road RebelThe addition of the CRG to this year’s chassis test wasan eagerly anticipated arrival. There are few chassison the market that can boast the CRG’s blend ofperformance and mystique; it’s a marque that holdsa certain quiet aura, perhaps a by-product of theunmatched list of drivers who’ve raced under the CRGtent only to go on to greatness in other categories ofmotorsport.PSL Karting out of Quebec were kind enough to prepthe chassis for this test, with tuners Alex Lovet andMichael Ruiz on hand to hone the Road Rebel to Wes’specifications.“The very first thing I noticed about the CRG was thatthe chassis was very soft. It was no surprise, giventhat it’s the same basic package as the shifter version,which is also soft. The Road Rebel absorbs bumpsvery well, you don’t really feel them. This track hasthose big blocks of wood on the curbing and rumble62 KARTSPORT 63

“This kart came with a good standard set-upand felt well-balanced from the get go. Thatsays a lot, when you can take a chassis out ofthe box and it’s got a good neutral set up rightaway. After the first session, we had a veryslight push in the middle of the corner, so Cliffand David changed to a stiffer front bar andwidened the front by 5mm. That immediatelyaddressed the issue. Even though we hadsome extra sessions if we’d wanted them, theTony only took two to get it dialed in.“The footstops on the EVX deserve a specialmention. They aren’t just for keeping your footin place. This system was designed by DavideFore, it’s really more of a foot bar. It allowsyou to physically push down on the front ofthe frame with your feet and increase the frontend grip. This system works even better onthe shifter kart, but it’s still very good on thischassis. They’re very adjustable too, you canflip it over or use the shims to move it to yourfavored position.”THE OUTCOMEPicking a winner among the four karts provedto be quite a chore for our test driver. Asanyone who knows him can attest, WesBoswell is a very meticulous individual wholeaves no stone unturned in his search foranswers. He proved supremely popular withall the tuners, who knew well his skill andcommitment. Boswell’s professionalism andendurance (he turned 130 laps in one day)were all huge assets to these tests.It was only after a ten hour day at the track,comparing all the test notes from throughoutthe sessions, talking about it over dinner, andthen discussing it further for another hour anda half that he was ready to make his choice.“I think the issue of durability should bementioned here. From stiffest to softest, I’drank them in this order: the First Kart, theArrow, the Tony Kart, and the CRG. While asoft chassis is good for speed, it might be lessdesirable for some because a soft ride oftenwears out faster, especially if you’re on stickytires which strain the chassis a bit more. Thestiffness of the First Kart and the Arrow couldimply that a racer will get a bit more use out ofthem, and that’s definitely worth something.“There were things to like about each oneof these chassis. I really liked the front barsystem on the First Kart, I was the mostcomfortable in the CRG, the Arrow had a nearperfectbaseline set up straight out of the box,and the Tony Kart is a forgiving package thatdoesn’t punish you for making slight mistakes.Each one definitely had its own personality.“But after driving all four of them throughoutthe day, the one that stands out just a littlebit more is the Arrow AX9-BMAX. Just aboutany well-known chassis on the market can bemade to work, but the Arrow has so many littletouches that make it easier for the averageguy to work on. And for a TAG chassis, that’sextremely important.“I’ve always kept an eye on the Arrow in thepast, checking out its componentry and thelike. Since then, they’ve clearly done someR&D work and made some pretty nice featuresfor this chassis, which come stock with thismodel. The ride height adjustment, the seatstrut system which includes pre-bent struts,the ease of conversion to a shifter kart, theexcellent mounting system for the Rotaxpipe, all of it. Somebody put a lot of thoughtinto how to make this kart as user-friendly aspossible.“And it was just so good right out of thegate. I wanted to come in and find somethingto complain about, but there really wasn’tanything that needed changing. The Arrow is alittle bit stiffer than the Tony Kart or the CRG,but the balance on the Arrow is still very good,from turn-in to exit. And it’s very controllableunder hard braking.“When all those things are added up, theArrow AX9- BMAX is my pick of the lot.”With the Arrow getting Boswell’s choice as thecream of this crop, a final look at the financialsprovided no solace for its competitors. Thebad news for the three Italians in this groupis that the Arrow is imported from Australia,where the US dollar is much stronger thanagainst the Euro.The result is a huge price advantage for theArrow, which comes in at $3295. That’s $300less than the First Kart, which at $3595 is verywell priced for a highly competitive Italianbredchassis. The CRG and the Tony Kartare identically priced at $3960, where racingheritage and lineage don’t come cheap.Price. Performance. User-friendliness. TheArrow AX9-BMAX delivers on all counts, whichmakes it the hands-down winner of our 2007TAG chassis shoot out. KS66 KARTSPORT 67