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Class Legality

IHRA · ski

Ski Lites

IHRA 2026, O. A closed-list class. The craft must stay stock except where the rules allow otherwise, so anything unlisted is not permitted.

  • 1Not legal
  • 8OEM part required
  • 16Not permitted, not listed in the rules
  • 28Legal, with conditions
  • 8Legal

Read out of the published IHRA rulebook on 2026-09-11, so confirm anything that decides a purchase. The full note is at the foot of the page.

Running the class

Eligible craft
The Kawasaki SX-R 800 two-stroke and the Yamaha SuperJet two-stroke. No model-year list is published.
Displacement limit
850cc and 85 horsepower (O.1). O.2.1 permits the engine to be bored and carries the maximum displacement with it, so the figure is a ceiling on the engine as raced and not only as the factory built it.
Licence or tier
Not stated.
Minimum weight
Not stated.

Read from the same class section as the part answers. The rider side of the sport, tiers, ages, licences and what gets inspected, is set out across the bodies at Racing.

Open questions on this class (2)

Places where the rulebook contradicts itself, or where a figure could not be settled. Nothing in this list is decided, and it sits here rather than in a footnote because it is what you would want before spending money.

  • O.2.6 states a minimum head gasket thickness of 0.75mm and a minimum base gasket of 0.5mm for engines under 780cc. Above 780cc the same rule repeats the contradictory wording found at L.2.6 and N.2.6. Only the sub-780cc figures are safe to quote.
  • The 85 horsepower ceiling at O.1 sits alongside an 850cc ceiling with no stated method of measuring the horsepower and no reference to a manufacturer rating, unlike Runabout Endurance which says manufacturer-rated at W.1.1.

Sections this rulebook does not contain for this class

Confirmed absent by a targeted read rather than merely unnoticed. In a closed-list class an absent article is why a part reads as not permitted; in an open class it is why one reads as open.

  • No hull-substitution rule. The hull article, O.6, covers only ventilation and the hood.
  • No sponson article beyond the general J.16 rule.

What the rules say (61 parts)

8 permitted outright, 28 permitted with stated conditions, 1 refused by a rule we can quote, 8 held to the original part by a rule we can quote and 16 refused by our reading of the class rather than by a quoted rule. Grouped where the same rule gives the same answer, so two "Not legal" groups can sit side by side under different rules.

What each answer below means

Not legal
This comes off. The rules refuse it in this class.
OEM part required
This comes off. Only the part the manufacturer fitted is allowed here.
Not permitted, not listed in the rules
Treat it as coming off. The class requires the craft to stay stock except where the rules allow otherwise, and this part is not on the list, so this is our reading rather than a rule we can quote at you.
Legal, with conditions
Keep it, but measure it: the rules permit this part only inside stated limits.
Legal
Keep it. The rules permit this part in this class.

Read the refusals as a list of work. Anything below marked Not legal, OEM part required, or Not permitted has to come off the machine, or go back to the standard part, before it races in this class.

Not legal1 part

Bolts, nuts and washers may not be substituted with titanium unless originally equipped. Locking mechanisms are allowed. J.7

OEM part required1 part

O.2.5 keeps the whole exhaust system stock, water box included, with only a stinger-diameter insert allowed. O.2.5

OEM part required1 part

The original carburetor body must stay, with only the jets, needle valves and springs replaceable, the choke removable and an aftermarket primer allowed. O.3.1

OEM part required1 part

A ski hull may be repaired, or reinforced against course obstacles, but only within 2 mm (0.08 in) of its original configuration, and no other hull work is listed. J.1, J.13

Not permitted, not listed in the rules16 parts

On a closed list an unlisted modification is not permitted. A.2.2, J.1

Legal, with conditions1 part

Only the jets, needle valves and springs replaceable, the choke removable and an aftermarket primer allowed, and nothing else on the carburetor may be changed. O.3.1

Legal, with conditions1 part

Reed petals may be modified or aftermarket. The reed cage assembly must remain OE. O.3.3

Legal, with conditions1 part

An aftermarket flame arrester is allowed if it meets USCG, UL-1111 or SAE J-1928 Marine standards. O.3.1

Legal, with conditions1 part

Ski Lites admits only the two-stroke SX-R 800 and SuperJet, whose electronic control unit is the CDI box, so O.4.1 lets it be modified or replaced with an aftermarket unit, with no sensor added. O.1, O.4.1

Legal, with conditions1 part

Gauges may be modified or removed provided no hazard is created and any resulting hole is sealed. Section J permits modification and removal and never addresses adding an aftermarket instrument. J.15

Legal, with conditions1 part

J.7, in the general rules for every class, names wiring as replaceable with aftermarket options, which overrides the closed-list default and covers replacement wiring. Connectors are not named on their own, and J.7 does not open added inputs or outputs, a different harness design or an ECU. J.7

Legal, with conditions1 part

Must retain port timing, compression ratio, dome profile, skirt length and shape, material type. Non-conforming pistons need written permission. Limits: weight tolerance 25 per cent, max port chamfer 1 mm, max chamfer angle 30 degrees. O.2.1

Legal, with conditions1 part

No non-ferrous metals, stroke and rod length unchanged, counterweights resembling the original, and assembly weight within 5 per cent. O.2.2

Legal, with conditions1 part

Replacement connecting rods may go into a crank rebuild, ferrous only, with rod length unchanged and the assembly within 5 per cent of original weight. O.2.2

Legal, with conditions1 part

Above 780cc the rulebook's stated tolerance is unreliable. Limits: sub 780cc min thickness 0.75 mm. O.2.6

Legal, with conditions1 part

May be modified or replaced with an aftermarket part. The original diameter must be maintained in Stock class, and the rulebook never defines which classes that is. J.18.2

Legal, with conditions1 part

May be replaced within OEM specifications. J.18.3

Legal, with conditions1 part

Yamaha SuperJet: nozzle angle modification. Kawasaki 800: OEM nozzle may be bored. O.5.1

Legal, with conditions1 part

Aftermarket or modified, full-length type with at least one bar parallel to the driveshaft, dropping no more than 12.00mm (0.47 in) below the flat plane of the pump intake. J.18.1

Legal, with conditions1 part

Aftermarket or modified. An extension may not exceed the width of the original plate, and on a ski may not extend more than 100 mm (3.94 in). J.18.1

Legal, with conditions1 part

Replacement trim plates may be used provided they mimic the handling characteristics of the stock plates. J.18.2

Legal, with conditions1 part

Ventilation tubes may be altered, aftermarket, repositioned on the original ducting or removed, but inlet and outlet openings keep stock size, and vents may be covered or sealed with no other hood change, cover or cowling. O.6.1

Legal, with conditions1 part

Aftermarket, modified, repositioned or removed. Up to two, each no longer than 36 in (91.45 cm), protruding no more than 3.94 in (100 mm) horizontally, at least 6 mm thick with radiused leading edges, and not attached to a planing surface. J.16

Legal, with conditions1 part

Mat kits and padding are allowed in every class by the general rules (J.14), which overrides the closed-list default. Footholds and foot straps are not named there, so they stay not permitted. J.14

Legal, with conditions1 part

The handle pole assembly and mounting brackets may be modified or replaced provided original functionality is retained. Length may be altered and the attaching point reinforced. J.17.2

Legal, with conditions1 part

Replacement bumpers and side rails may be used provided they create no hazard. A permanently affixed nose bumper remains required. J.13, I.17

Legal, with conditions1 part

May be added to adjust handling. Constant mass only, and no other part may be modified to carry it. J.19

Legal1 part

The one exhaust change this class permits: an insert in the stinger to reduce its diameter, with cooling lines allowed on the insert. O.2.5

Legal1 part

J.7 names spark plugs, wiring, hoses and clamps as replaceable with aftermarket options outright, which overrides the closed-list default. The general J.7 allowance is recorded on the spark plugs, wiring, hoses and clamps row; this row exists separately for the fittings. J.7

Legal1 part

May be replaced, as may starters and oil injection systems, with the oil injection system removable or disconnectable. J.8

Legal1 part

Grips, throttle and cables may be modified or aftermarket. The bar must be padded at the mounting bracket or the crossbar padded. J.17.1

Legal1 part

Steering shaft, holder, handlebar holder and cables may be aftermarket, and quick-turn modifications are allowed. J.17.2

Legal1 part

The bilge pump may be modified or disconnected and aftermarket bilge draining systems are permitted, provided they create no hazard. J.10

IHRA 2026, O, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-11. Read the rule yourself. Every IHRA class · where the rulebooks differ · how this site reads a rulebook.

This is one class. Every part below also has a page of its own showing where it stands across every class this body runs, and legality by part is the index of them.

What we corrected here, and when

  • Footholds, foot straps and tray mats. Corrected 2026-09-21: this row had read the closed-list default, which would have refused a mat kit the general rules allow. Corrected 2026-10-02: J.14 names mats and padding, not footholds or foot straps, so this row now says so.
  • High-pressure fuel line and fittings. Corrected 2026-09-21: this row had read the closed-list default, against a general rule that names these parts outright.
Cite this page

“Ski Lites, IHRA class rules”, BaddJet archive, https://baddjetarchive.com/legality/ihra/ski-lites/

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61 parts read · 8 permitted, 28 with conditions · 2026 rulebook

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