The List: 11 Reasons to Race Briggs & Stratton in 2015

Who doesn’t love a great list? While the snow continues to fall across most of Canada and withhold many of us from hitting the track, we have a few fun lists planned for the coming months on CKN to keep you going.

To start, we look at 11 reasons to race Briggs & Stratton in 2015.

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.

Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN

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.

Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN

8. It’s wicked fun!

When we were out in Chilliwack, BC last summer, it was amazing to see the smiles and excitement that was brought on by the Briggs LO206 class at the Rotax CAN-AM Karting Challenge. Karting veterans like Steve Rickman, Danny Kacic, Blake Choquer and all found old karts laying around, bolted on a Briggs LO206 and then had a blast racing all weekend long alongside those who compete week in, week out.

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). Thats added fuel milage.

11. David Klaus

The face beside the name. David Klaus is the Director for Briggs & Stratton Racing, and while he is a very busy guy attending races across the continent all season long, he ensures to make at least one trip to Canada each year to check in with LO206 platform. A friendly guy willing to chat it up with any racer, Klaus is a die-hard just like the rest of us and he loves to see the excitement a good Briggs race gives to a crowd on hand.

He is a big reason for the strong support Canada gets from Briggs & Stratton (including the excellent prizes at the Canadian Championships each year) and that earns him the final spot on our list.

We are anticipating another great season of Briggs & Stratton racing across the country. Why not join in on the fun? Contact your local dealer today to get setup on a LO206 package today!