Image: Supplied.

Konsky Motorsport Group (KMG) team owner Yarrive Konsky has raised questions over Stark Future’s advantage at altitude in Calgary’s World Supercross season-opener, concerned over parity across both the SX1 and SX2 categories.

With elevation a factor at McMahon Stadium – 1045 meters above sea level – traditional combustion-powered engines appeared at a power deficit due to the reduced oxygen on offer – something that wasn’t the case for the electric drivetrain powering the Stark Vargs.

“I was opposed to Stark Racing entering the championship because my concern was never about electric motorcycles – I actually think the technology has a place in racing,” explained Konsky. “My concern was always parity.

“If you are going to put two fundamentally different powertrains into the same championship, you have to understand how the conditions affect each of them and have a system in place to make sure neither technology is given an uncontrolled advantage.

“Altitude was a major factor in Calgary. A naturally aspirated combustion engine is fundamentally affected by reduced air density because there is less oxygen available for combustion. An electric motorcycle doesn’t have that same dependency on atmospheric oxygen.”

Konsky – whose KMG organization operates the US-based Quad Lock Honda team – flagged the FIM’s apparent oversight, given the extensive range of variables that could influence the performance differential between the two different types of machinery and, in turn, jeopardize the parity in WSX.

“We were told by the FIM official that altitude had not been considered in the parity assessment – for me, that is a significant concern,” Konsky continued. “If we’re going to have different technologies competing for the same championship, the governing body has to be ahead of these variables, not discovering them once we’re at the race.

“I don’t have an issue with electric motorcycles racing. I have an issue with putting different technologies on the same start line without properly establishing and controlling parity. That is about protecting the integrity of the championship for every manufacturer, every team and every rider.”

Stark displayed significant improvement in Canada compared to last year’s WSX series – claiming convincing holeshots in all but one of the evening’s races – with US revelation Michael Hicks claiming second overall in the SX2 category while teammate Brian Hsu also featured strongly throughout the round.

High-profile American Vince Friese finished fourth in SX1, while Spanish teammate Jorge Zaragoza captured sixth overall after claiming P2 in the second sprint. Series organizers have since moved to release an editorial explainer on the official World Supercross Championship website.