At the November 2001 meeting of the Karting Industry Council (KIC), held in Las Vegas, Nevada, KIC proposed establishing a national tech committee to address uniformity in engine and chassis specifications. Uniformity in specifications would make it possible for racers to move from one organization to another without being disqualified. The objective is that the same engine/chassis would be subject to the same tech inspection wherever it was raced. KIC Board member Tom Fehring emphasized that the committee would be dealing with technical specifications (bore, stroke, etc.) and not rules for classes, weights, etc. There was a general discussion on the magnitude of the problem, how the differences would be identified and how the common specifications would be identified and agreed to.

Some attendees expressed concern that the common specifications might not be in the best interest of their individual organizations. Bob White, KIC Executive Director, who will chair the tech committee, indicated that it is his intent that the committee will develop a set of specifications and present to the participating organizations for review and approval. None of the participants objected to proceeding on this basis.

The National Tech Committee representatives are listed below.

In April, 2002, the National Tech Committee (NTC) was formally established; all candidates (as listed above) accepted their nomination with a positive and enthusiastic outlook, each stating “this will be beneficial to all associations, manufacturers, dealers, engine builders and especially the competitors.” The KIC and NTC thanked each association (IKF, IRA, KART, Stars of Tomorrow, SKUSA and WKA) for getting each committee member a copy of their current technical manual.

The ultimate goal of this committee is to develop a set of standard specifications for engines and chassis so the competitors will be scrutinized the same regardless where they race. All NTC members recognize the complexity and time that will be involved to put this together. The committee is always open to suggestions and ideas.