MCX, THE NEW 60 CC ENGINE BY VORTEX

Max Bernardi

31 January 2020

TYPE
A 2-stroke engine, like the vast majority of the kart’s engines. The 4 T is a small niche

60 cc

DISPLACEMENT
60 cc. It is the displacement which provides power to the chassis used in the Minikart

ELECTRIC

START
Integrated electric starter

SINGLE SPEED

TRANSMISSION
There are two of the large categories for kart’s engines: the single-speed and the shifter one. The 60 cc is a single-speed

CIK-FIA 2020

HOMOLOGATION
It is part of the 2020 homologation session, the first one dedicated to the new Mini CIK-FIA international class

For the first homologation dedicated to the 60 Mini, with which CIK-FIA wanted to unify every technical aspect of the category under a single regulation, Vortex Engines offers the MXC, a totally new engine compared to the previous MR3. The Vortex technicians worked to decrease the size and weight of the engine and to improve cooling, thanks to additional air flow.

Differently than in the past, each component is specifically designed and manufactured for the 60 cc engine, without being derived from higher category engines. The first objective was to have a good starting point for development, an important point to make the most of the potential of a brand-new engine.
The MCX is 2 kilograms lighter than the previous MR3, an already remarkable factor, which is even more important if we consider that we are talking about a 2-stroke engine with only a 60 cc displacement. The greater lightness allows, with equal weight of the driver and chassis, to manage the weight distribution in an optimal way, thus improving the kart’s setup. Furthermore, making another comparison with the previous MR3, the mass reduction has reduced the thermal capacity of the new engine, which means a faster reaction to the increase or decrease in the engine’s temperature.

MCX, the name of the new engine by Vortex Engines for the 60 Mini category

The crankcases are tapered to the max. The shape is designed to avoid deformations

The new MCX immediately is very compact: each component is tapered and reduced in size compared to the previous version. By observing the two open crankcases, one understands how the objective of the Vortex technicians was to concentrate the mass in the necessary areas, reducing all the points where possible. The distribution of the crankcase thicknesses is designed to avoid deformations and contractions both during the casting phase and during the engine’s operation, trying to make the structure as balanced as possible.