Last weekend we quizzed Kart Key's head of technology, Doug Sharp, at the Stars Regional Race at Infineon Raceway at Sears Point, CA.

Doug, what's your background?

"I've be in karting and racing all my life. My dad raised my brother Steve and I in karting. He was very demanding and insisted on perfection. We worked on our own karts and engines. I have notes that go back 40 years of all the early kart engines and carburetors that my dad, brother and I compiled. (Doug's brother Steve is Director of Karting for Russell Racing at Infineon.) We've worked on just about everything. I've also worked with several auto racing teams."

What's your main interest?

Carburetors. I'm obsessed with them. The carb is the most important piece of equipment on the engine. There's an art to blueprinting them. They have to be legal but there's a lot of little things that make a big difference. Currently, I work mostly on Puma's and Parilla's for Kart Key. The carbs are the key. If they're set up right the engine is fast. If not, they'll hardly run. Most people have no idea how important it is to properly maintain a carb and make sure it's set up correctly to match that particular engines. Carbs are like cylinder's; some just run better than others. I'm constantly fixing customer's carbs, which is something I really enjoy because the benefits are so obvious and immediate."

What's your position at Kart Key?

"I'm their tech guy, building and blueprinting engines. I do a lot of research and testing of various karting components. Lately, we've been testing and working with ceramic bearings for both engines and chassis. I also race prep chassis which can be quite an undertaking for the higher horsepower classes like Parilla and Ica. It can take 4 or 5 hours to get a chassis prepared for a major race. The effort can pay big dividends. For example, at the IKF Nationals at Moran this year, Jess Peterson ran 3 chassis in 4 classes: Tag, HPV 3 & 4, and Formula Y. He won 2 Duffy's and had a 3rd and 4rth. I prepped all the chassis and we didn't have one single breakdown or mechanical problem, never even throwing a chain through 5 days of practice and 3 days of racing."

Who taught you about Carburetors?

E. C. Burt and experience.

We'll get back to Doug this weekend for more comments.

Kart Keys Director of Technology Doug Sharp puts the final adjustments on the Alpha Works chassis at the Stars race at Infineon in Sept. 2005. We've found that it takes a very skilled mechanic to keep Jess’s kart running in high horsepower classes like ICA.