Dunlop said that after the refit, his super kart was running 20kmh slower down the straight, which still meant he was clocking an impressive 197kmh ''with [my] bum an inch from the ground''.
The super karts are so powerful and light they lap faster than most cars and only run on motorsport circuits, not the shorter kart tracks, Dunlop said.
Although the underperforming engine held him up in the overall international class results, where he finished fifth, Dunlop was able to produce a third in the stand-alone Grand Prix race, finishing behind Aucklanders Andrew Hall and winner Ryan Urban.
''Not bad considering it was a sick engine,'' he said.
Dunlop, who is the co-director of W and J Dunlop Garage in Clydevale, near Balclutha, said the super kart races were predominantly held in the North Island, so to ''keep my hand in'' he raced regularly with a motorcycle club at Invercargill's Teretonga Raceway.
A SuperKart Drivers Club of New Zealand member, he acknowledges there are motorsport stalwarts still competing successfully in their 70s, meaning he has ''got a wee way to go'' with super kart racing, which he believes is a great lifestyle choice.
''It's either do this [super karting] or go to the pub, so it's better to do this,'' he said with a laugh.
