KARTING fans will have their appetites satisfied when the Jamaica Karting Association (JKA) holds the second meet of the year at Palisadoes International Raceway, Kingston, on Sunday.

The meet starts at 10:30 am.

Starting meet this meet, all competitors will be required to run the same brand tyres.

“It’s going to be a different ball game,” said JKA President Neil Williams.

The meet, which was scheduled for April 21, had been delayed by the arrival of tyres from Maxxis via local supplier Chad-Ad Distributors Ltd.

Williams hopes that the lower entry costs, on top of keeping current teams going, will also draw inactive members of the JKA back to the fold.

“Tyre costs are one of the biggest barriers to our sport. Chad-Ad was able to source them for us at a third of the price of what a competitor would have to pay,” he said.

He also believes the move will bode well for the sport’s competitiveness.

“The single tyre also means a more level playing field,” Williams said.

Williams revealed over 100 tyres had been sold to teams trying to understand the new rubbers ahead of Sunday’s race day.

“Competitors will have to find the right suspension set up that works for the new tyres,” said Williams.

Peter Rae of Rae Racing, who has several drivers under his umbrella including international rising star Thomas Issa, backs up Williams comment.

“The Maxxis tyre is unknown territory for us all with only a few days to test before race day,” Rae told Auto.

According to Rae, he will have to revisit the settings on several karts as the new tyre will affect gear ratios and the suspension will have to be optimised to deal with the as-yet-to-be experienced grip characteristics. This will all play a huge factor in what Williams expects to be an exciting day of racing for spectators.