J90 M.Y. 2022, THE DR RACING KART CHASSIS FOR THE SHIFTER AND DIRECT DRIVE CLASSES

Giacomo Mantovani

18 May 2023 • 20 min. read

CIK-FIA 2022-2023

HOMOLOGATION

The J90 model is a chassis registered with the approval number 002-CH-28, starting from the 2022 season. The new FIA Karting regulation, introduced in 2018, stipulates that the new versions will last indefinitely, provided that an annual fee is paid. (To learn more, read “Special | FIA Approvals: What they are, What they are for, How long they last… The Ultimate Guide!”).

SHIFTER/DIRECT DRIVE

CONFIGURATION The chassis is approved for both Direct Drive and Shifter use, without geometric distinctions. The only difference is found in the thickness of the tubes of the frame, which is available in both 2 mm (more rigid and more suitable for the Shifter category) and 1.8 mm (more flexible and more suitable for the stresses of the Direct Drive category).

30 mm / 32 mm

TUBES DIAMETER
Chassis are generally manufactured with 30 or 32 mm tubes. The DR Racing Kart J90, on the other hand, features a chassis with a mix of tubes of both diameters.

MANUAL

WELDING There are two schools of thought that distinguish the welding of a kart chassis: by hand or automated robotic welding. The DR Racing Kart J90 is manually welded by experienced technicians using a continuous arc MIG welding process. The production is implemented by CRG.

ERGAL AND MAGNESIUM

ACCESSORIES The standard accessories are made of magnesium or 7075 aluminum alloy, depending on the type of application of the component. These are alloys that we can define as more “refined” than classic aluminum and which attest to the highest level of quality offered by the chassis by DR Racing Kart.

Like all the chassis in the DR Racing Kart range, the J90 too tells, albeit only in its name (which summarizes “Jesolo 1990”), a piece of the sporting history of the Italian company’s founder: Danilo Rossi, a 5-time World Kart Champion (the first time in 1990 on the Italian circuit of Jesolo. To learn more, read "Special | Top Kart Drivers of the 80's and 90's"). However, the links with the past end here. As a matter of fact, the new J90, CIK-FIA approval 0025-CH-28 since 2022, represents a vast evolution from the first chassis in the line launched in 2008. The new frame, in fact, while echoing in its shape some of the features of the previous versions, is characterized by its mixed diameter tubes (both 30 and 32 mm) and has been designed to respond optimally to both types of classes: Shifter and Direct Drive.

We went to Arce (about 100 km from Rome), at the DR Racing Kart headquarters, to analyze in detail the J90. Like all the other DR Racing Kart branded chassis, it is the result of the collaboration between Danilo Rossi’s company and CRG, historic and prestigious manufacturer of kart chassis and components for over thirty years. The Italian company is responsible for the entire production process and the part relating to testing and approvals for DR Racing Kart’s chassis. It is interesting to highlight how the launch of this new chassis brings with it several functional features: first and foremost, a less-than-traditional geometry, which is the same for both the Direct Drive and Shifter categories. The differentiation between a frame intended for gearbox categories rather than single-speed categories lies in the thickness of the tubes: 1.8 mm – hence more flexibility – for Direct Drive frames and 2.0 mm for the Shifter ones.

Both frames of the DR J90 (the one with 1.8 mm thick tubes and the 2.0 mm one) can be used in either Shifter or Direct Drive configuration. In fact, they are both prepared for the installation of the kart’s gearbox component.