u/encomlab

I posted earlier about moving from 206 to shifter this season and the reason why - now that my FZ125 is in and on the kart I thought I'd provide an update.

I was going to just go with a KZ since our club (MCC) runs them in the ProAm series, but Shawn Bayliff mentioned that he is working to start a FZ class and asked if I'd be interested in giving it a try. I put in 5 sessions with the KZ while waiting for the FZ to arrive, and I was unsure how going to the FZ would feel.

Ultimately I'm dead center in the target market for FZ - someone with autocross/motorcycle experience who wants a shifter but may not be ready for the big jump to KZ. After driving the KZ, I don't think it's AS big a jump as people make it out to be; it's still a kart, and if you've had any manual experience shifting makes the kart EASIER to drive than not shifting imho.

That being said, I do think the FZ is a great intermediate step - it's not nearly as "all or nothing" as the KZ; the power delivery is much more linear and there is enough low end grunt to not leave you dead on the track if you are not in the exact gear at that precise moment. You are giving up 10-15hp on the KZ, but to my 206 programmed brain it still feels VERY fast and from what other FZ drivers online are reporting they are only giving up 1-2 seconds to the KZ guys. Yes that's a lot over the course of a race distance, but it's not too big a gap to prevent mixed group racing that is still safe. The maintenance side is FZ all the way - it's ultimately a Yamaha moto motor and the intervals are seasonal, not every weekend.

Ultimately FZ is working to build a full ecosystem where young drivers can start safely with the 60, move to the 80, then move to the 125...with a possible 250 in the works (!). Will update more as the season progresses :)

"Anxiety strives to become fear." - Paul Tillich

This is a base truth of human nature: Fear has an object, and that object can be combated by Courage. People can overcome fear and do super-human things like running into burning buildings, marching into battle, literally risking or giving their life to accomplish what needs to be done.

Anxiety has no object, so our mind is constantly trying to provide one so it can deploy Courage to counter it. It must be heart disease, a tumor, cancer, mental illness; but as each object is taken away that space is just filled back up with doubt and anxiety. So we dig back in even harder in a desperate search for an object, something that can convert the anxiety we cannot be courageous against into something we may fear, but can face.

The only escape from this cycle of fear is acceptance. We all want a better answer than "your amygdala is over-active and for a likely never to be known reason your body is going to react like there is a gun to your head even though you are just relaxing on the couch." As long as you continue to assist Anxiety in it's striving, you will never break that cycle.