PKRA has selected Hoosier tires for PKRA Club Races beginning May 1, 2020
see the announcement at https://www.pkra.com/hoosier-tire-selection/

Questions and Answers Regarding the Hoosier Tire Selection for PKRA Club Races

Does this apply to all PKRA Club Race Classes?
Yes. As with the other tire contracts, the distributor will provide tires and other items for the banquet, and in return we require their tires for PKRA club races.

Which Compounds will we use for each Class?
The compounds we will be using were decided at the Mar 9 meeting:
Kid Kart:                 R60B  4.5/4.5
LO206 Junior 1:    R70     4.5/4.5
LO206 Junior 2:   R70      4.5/6.0
LO206 Senior:      R70      4.5/6.0
LO206 Masters:   R70      4.5/6.0
Tag100 Junior:    R60B    4.5/7.1
Tag100 Senior:    R60B    4.5/7.1
Tag125:                   R60A    4.5/7.1
Shifters:                 R60A   4.5/7.1

Why was the decision made in closed session?
(1) One of the vendors we spoke with was very upset that a past proposal was given directly to the competition, and we can’t let that happen.
(2) We’ve heard a great deal of input from individuals and feel all the relevant issues have been brought up many, many times over. All the same past issues apply from two years ago, except that tire wear has become a much greater issue.
(3) In past open meetings, certain individuals monopolized the conversation, and this isn’t about who shouts the loudest or rants the longest.

Is Innovative Karting the only Dealer for Hoosier tires?
No.  There are other Hoosier Kart Tire dealers in Phoenix (e.g. AZ Kartwerx and Team AZ, plus others likely inactive), and one in Tucson. Granted, the others have chosen not to be active with PKRA in recent history, but availability of Hoosier tires is not exclusive to Innovative Karting.   PKRA has no input in RLV decisions of who will be a dealer or on what terms.  The board believes other vendors (e.g. Phoenix Kart Rentals – PKR) have viable options in purchasing tires regardless of whether the distributor chooses them as a dealer, and PKR has since confirmed that they do.

Who tested the tires?
The primary testers were JD Huntington, Karson Porter, and Toby Longenecker.

Will Tag 100 drivers be able to realistically and competitively run multiple races on a set of tires?
We didn’t have enough testing to confirm, but we are not counting on it. Some drivers have run races on used Evinco blues as it is, but with a disadvantage for at least qualifying.  There is noticeable wear on the outside front similar to Evincos.

How did the tire offers compare?
The two short listed tires were Evinco and Hoosier. The Evinco offer provided for more giveaways (e.g. tires to give away at races) than Hoosier, but the board felt the durability and expected lower price outweighed that. Note that neither of the proposals for 4 or less years submitted to the board guaranteed races at PKRA.  [Note:  Tom did submit a revised proposal just beyond the deadline requested for a revised proposal.  Under this proposal, two races were specified, only an IKF GN  guaranteed, and then only under a 5 year contract.  The first IKF GN was specifically designated for Oct 2020.  The board has looked into the financials for IKF Grand Nationals over the last several years, and sees very little profit potential in them, particularly when diluted over a 5 year period.]

Does Evinco offer a more durable tire as well?
No. there has been some talk of Evinco offering a more durable tire than the Blue, but they don’t currently offer one. They initially sent a prototype of more durable tires to PKRA for testing, but subsequently asked for them back as they would not be available in production [per Chris England at open board meeting September 2019].  [Paul Hendricks subsequently reiterated the desire for a more durable tire to Tom in person].

Are these the same tires used at the November 2019 Showdown?
Yes, they are the same brand, but the R60A compound used at the Showdown is the softest compound which we would use only on the Shifter and Tag125 classes.

What specific tire compounds will be used for each class?
We plan to decide at the March 9 open board meeting.  The proposed compounds are listed at https://www.pkra.com/mar-9-meetings/  Feel free to provide input.