My 1st day and new dilema

sdminus · Post by **sdminus** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 8:31 pm

After my first day on the track with my Kart i have some serious thinking to do.........

Track was the PFI. It an international track and one of the countrys best

After 2 20 min sessions in the damp morning i was running between 1'05 to 1'10 on the damp surface.
In the afternoon on a mostly dry surface i dropped my times to 52'23 and a constant 55 second lap.

This was in a badly setup car with poor/old tires and the incorrect gearin for the circuit. ( i was topping the gearing out half way down the striaght with a 84 tooth rear sprocket )

I am told i needed a 70 ish rear sprocket ( loads more top speed )

The top guys were running with pro mechanics and the correct settings and gearing. they were in the 50-53 second bracket.

I have never driven anything so demanding but so much fun, by the end of the day i ached and was so tired. My driving is 200 % better for it as well.

To drive laps and get the times come up in the car was like a real life computer game.

I fully loved it and cant wait to go back with the correct gearing etc.

So..... Now........ WTF to do with the rx7. I am really tempted to sell it now !
I am not the kind of person to half do something. I have to give it 100 % all the time.

Scott

duncan · Post by **duncan** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 8:35 pm

you obviously have natural talent to be able to drive it that well first outing.... well done, it must have felt great.

Cant answer the question for you - you know the answer already

ps - Will the gearing change not slow you down on other parts of the track ?

sdminus · Post by **sdminus** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 8:38 pm

Yeah it will but the track is fast and i am miss firing on the 2 straights. My line is as good in the bends tho.

Pavlo · Post by **Pavlo** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:01 pm

I started kart racing when I was 15 and did it for over 10 years before marraige and children put a stop to it. My dad is still heavily involved with Forest Edge Kart club so I am kind of aware of what's going on.

I would say that you can do club racing on a reasonable budget, but you need to spend some sensible money to be competitive at club level. PFI will be very competitive, but it's quite a boring track, very flat, smooth and lots of constant radius bends. You may get more enjoyment from racing at other venues too.

Rotax classes are probably the best to get started in as they offer cheap running over the year, good levels of grip but good tyre life, and classes are well subscribed. You should be able to pickup a copy of "Karting" magazine (Lodgemark press) from smiths, and they always have good classifieds sections. Additionally I would recommend that you try and find a reputable trader to help you. A good Karting specialist will be able to offer you advice, and if you buy a used kart from them, good tips of setting up your chassis.

In the class I used to race in, we were doing mid 40s around PFI in the dry on a championship weekend! But to give you an idea, we would go into the first corner with virtually no braking, and turning in too sharply would lift both inside wheels!

sdminus · Post by **sdminus** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:05 pm

Cool.

I have a kart which i am currently happy with. I paln to visit as many tracks as possible.

I was hitting corner 1 at WOT with no braking only a little throttle lift near apex.

I might rig the LM-1 upto it and mess with the jetting a bit ( it seems a bit rich to me )

Scott

duncan · Post by **duncan** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:06 pm

do the others hit rev limit on that straight Scott ? - if they dont, it may be worth going for something like a 74 or 76 (if there is such a thing) to make sure you still get the punch out of the bends and the accelaration benefits.

Is this the only track that you will be driving or will you have different set ups for each track?

PFI looks a nice track with fast straights - I presume that others will vary in nature. Having said that PFI looks a similar layout to Buckmore or at least what Buckmore looked like when i used to drive there before the track extension except without the gradients

sdminus · Post by **sdminus** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:10 pm

I dont think they were. I will have to confer with my friend who also drove.

I was maxing out less than half way down.

I will get a selection of gears and chains so i can swap etc

Scott

Pavlo · Post by **Pavlo** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:14 pm

Leave your LM-1 in the car

What type of kart do you have?

sdminus wrote:Cool.

I have a kart which i am currently happy with. I paln to visit as many tracks as possible.

I was hitting corner 1 at WOT with no braking only a little throttle lift near apex.

I might rig the LM-1 upto it and mess with the jetting a bit ( it seems a bit rich to me )

Scott

sdminus · Post by **sdminus** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:16 pm

Its a Mari MK. Its nice and easy to drive.

I didnt really want to over science it lol its just a habbit. i never seem to go anywhere with out a LM-1 and a lap top these days.

Sprockets are from 96-63 teeth

Scott

Miniwilliams · Post by **Miniwilliams** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:19 pm

well done Mate, glade you had a good one, don't you dare sell your car, wait a while at lease to make sure!