Does anyone do many track breakdown videos of kart tracks?
Basically, nobody cared about this video when I did it, but it still really helped me get a better understanding of what was my home track at the time, because I basically took my driver notes and recorded them.
It was also kind of long, because I had recorded this with a headcold (and was honestly just killing time one afternoon), and I muted the kart audio only because I wanted to do a track overview, not really analyze my driving.
Virtual track walk is a really cool idea. If we had a huge database of things like this, it would be a massively helpful resource.
I think Karting1 had quite a few of these at one time.
I thought about doing the other local tracks in the area. If anything, just for the voiceover practice.
I love this idea! I know Chris at Endurance Karting does this for some of the tracks they go to. Johan did the same thing back when he owned EK. Unfortunately, the karts they race are much slower and heavier with very different handling characteristics in comparison to race karts. The concept was great though and I was able to use them to great effect prior to arriving at the 24 Hours of America each year, especially considering I never got a track walk during those events, and often had to learn the track at night.
I personally like videos like these. Especially when I travel to a new track because there can be some details of the track that I wouldn’t recognize until I physically get onto the track (like a inch sized gap due to broken concrete which can throw off the kart under braking). I think these are great guides for beginners and newcomers to tracks, but does this take away from online coaches?
Not if the coach is any good 
This is interesting, as I’ve actually found that looking at videos of others at a track really doesn’t help me. I’ve watched TJ’s videos before from when he raced Yamaha and I really didn’t feel like it helped at all. Although I’ve actually thought about writing up rally-style pacenotes to see if that would do anything.
I sort of agree. There are certain things you can learn from watching an on-board on Youtube, like where the actual track goes, but until you get in a kart and feel it, it’s hard to relate it.
However, we specifically used some of me and Tommy Andersen’s past on-board where we were totally killing it in a specific corner at the last race, and we were able to point out some specific points that were visible on the on-board that helped the drivers. If you have someone to narrate and show you what you should be looking for, I think that helps a lot.
I know I will be making my drivers watch some of my New Castle videos for this weekend.
That’s probably part of the help, is if someone is pointing out the key features on a track too. Me watching a video on my own doesn’t help as much
Sort of in the same spirit, I made these for me and my son. I’m an amateur and a novice so all my conclusions are probably wrong.
I had so much fun making these that I am now planning to make an ideal line video, using a hot shoe to provide the driving. The way I envision it would be a combination of on board and aerial footage that demonstrates the line and throttle.
This could just be a convenient excuse to buy a quadcopter GoPro drone, though.
I think for a new track and/or new kart, they can be helpful in providing a baseline when it comes to breaking points, turn-in points, etc. I hadn’t been in a 2-stroke in about 5 years, so before I took my KA up to GoPro, I took a look at one of Ashley Rogero’s onboards. Definitely helped me get a baseline, and then I could adjust by feel from there, instead of wasting half the day “getting comfortable with everything.” Onboards and track preview videos may not show you all the little nuances of a track, but if you’ve never been there before, they can help with picking out a couple reference points here and there to at least give you a baseline from which to adjust once you get on track.