I have to agree with dstevens on the sealed motor program. I have come out of the jr rotax sealed engine program with my son and I can say a couple of things about it;
1. In theory a great idea
2. Sealed doesn't mean no cheating. Being an "authorized" sealing shop doesn't guarantee integrity. And sometimes because the engine is sealed, there is an assumption that it is legal so no need to check it. Very easy to re-seal an engine outside of an authorized shop. And most "authorized shops have shop drivers. Hardly unbiased and neutral. Those shop drivers will always receive parts on the preferred side of tolerances. This is racing.
3. Sealing doesn't mean no tech and no tear down. First time I was called to tech with a sealed engine, I watched as they cut the seals and made us remove the piston. Then handed back the engine in parts in a box. I naively asked if they were going to reseal it for me now that they verified it. They laughed and said I had to send it back to the sealing shop and pay to have it re sealed.
4. Sealing doesn't control costs. Watched kids and their crazy parents spend 1/4 million dollars on a karting program for jr. They would buy 5 motors just to blueprint one.
I also agree with dstevens in that if you are going to do this sport, either build some mechanical aptitude, or be prepared to pay for a wrench. I am my sons wrench. I had only a little bit of experience before getting into this with my son but nothing like what is required to be competitive either in cars or karts.. And wrenching is only half of it. Learning set up is a big learning curve, as well as trying to coach the sometimes unappreciative kid. In my opinion if you do not want to learn and do these things, I wonder why you are racing in the first place. They have track days for guys that just want to go drive and have fun. Nothing prevents you from having fun competition on an open track day with your buddies or from running AutoX.
Don't get me wrong, I don't like having to spend my after race time tearing down a kart/car for the scrutineers. But I do accept that is sometimes necessary. Just like anything that is rewarding, there are aspects that probably suck. Right now I spend every free minute after work in the garage trying to get a car built in time to take the grid in May. I miss my wife, a warm couch, a TV and my money. But every bit of it is worth it when I am watching my son drive and becoming a man.
A quick side note: if you are not tearing your car apart to some degree after every race, you probably aren't running up front. This sport requires constant maintenance and inspection or you will have a disproportionate number of DNFs compared to the rest of the field. A clean ride is a happy ride is what I tell my son. And I tell him that by cleaning and maintaining, this is how you spot problems before they happen on the track.
One more side note
: All this being said, I am a relative newbie. That is why I ask for so much help here and depend on all the good people here to help me. This is a wonderful aspect to our sport. Everyone seems very willing to help out and teach people that will ultimately become their competitor. Thank you all for the help you have given us to get this car ready.
J.