i will mention, the larger you get on that rear sprocket, the closer that sprocket gets to the track. i personally don’t like to run much anything bigger than 63 on the back. sprocket guard helps, but i still like to stay away from the pavement, so i try and work it out that i use 61 or lower.
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If grand masters is a heavier class that will affect gearing choice and speed as well. Our masters class guys are at 380 and are probably best with an extra tooth on the rear sprocket to help pull the weight out of the corner compared to 360 for senior.
I’d also be curious if the other driver was at weight. I’ll have juniors throw a black slide in to a 320 pound kart for giggles and they can run 2-3 teeth lower than a black slide at 360.
All things to consider.
Best part is that drivers and sprockets are cheap so it makes for some good fun at practice days - make changes, log data and play engineer for a day! 
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What is the rationale here? Trying to get my head around gearing for race day…
Drop a tooth on the driver for rain for more acceleration because you will not reach the same top speed as dry anyway?
Go longer for more top speed/passing in the races?
Go shorter for green track for the same reason as you would do on a wet track?
Go in between for qualifying?
It depends on the track and situation.
For rain you need to go to a larger ratio because you don’t have the same corner speed, so you need more low-end grunt to pull out of the corner.
If the track’s passing zones are mainly on the straights, you might gear lower to sacrifice in the places where you can’t pass anyway, and emphasize the straight line speed.
For quali, if your kart is set up good and the track is good, you might be able to drop teeth for the extra grip of the new tires allowing you to come off the corner faster. If the track isn’t as good or your kart setup is poor for quali, you might end up needing more teeth to overcome the grip of the new tire if the kart is too stuck to the track. Not as big of an issue these days on the harder tires we are running now.
At least here at GoPro/Trackhouse, drafting is HUGE during a race. While I have only practiced so far, I have noticed times can drop by a second or so when drafting the full lap. This can influence your gearing strategy: drafting=higher top speed needs. With qualifying, drafting doesn’t seem as prevalent, so speeds can be lower, so you can gear more for torque than top speed. At my current gearing, I spend 200’ on the limiter, so if I was drafting, I’d probably have to drop another tooth or two to keep in the draft.
Here’s some on-board from Trackhouse where I was geared a few teeth lower than most people, totally giving up my acceleration off the hairpin, but blowing people away on the straights. Perfect example of gearing for specific characteristics of a track.
Another thing that could be considered is usually in qualifying you are by yourself so sometimes on a faster track I like to add a tooth or two compared to the race where you need the extra top end if you’re in draft.
Is trackhouse a new name for Gopro?
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Yes it is.
I think changing driver is dramatic especially in 206. If you’re only running mostly a single track. Find a driver that lands you in the middle of your sprockets. That way you can just do rear sprocket changes.
What happened?
Pitbull to name next album trackhouse? Wtf is going on at Gopro?
"Along with the rebrand, becoming a division of Trackhouse Entertainment Group will help us reach new audiences across motorsports and continue to drive innovation in the kart racing experience, said Dan Breuer, president of Trackhouse Motorplex. “We’re a community destination where residents and visitors alike can experience the best of kart racing, and we encourage folks to stay tuned for what’s next as we continue to build our vision.”
Specific examples of how rebrand will help reach new audiences? What’s El Plan?
My guess, and it is a total guess, is that this is a smart move for Justin Marks. He owns both the motorplex and part of trackhouse, so he is essentially using one business to sponsor the other. Effectively, it creates free marketing for both at once.
Ah so he owns both. Well that makes sense. Maybe he can figure out how to lifestyle market the sport.
Would be cool to have a kart race in a music festival or something.
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Pretty much all of the above. A one tooth driver change is the same as a 3.5 (more or less - check your ratio for the exact answer) tooth rear gear change. It’s a lot faster and easier than a 2 piece sprocket change and is just about perfect for getting you off the corners in the wet without just crushing the limiter on the straights at most tracks.
As for the dry changes, yes in the morning the track is green/cool/less rubber. Being higher on gear will help you get to the right rpm easier, particularly on a short qualifying session.
As the day goes on and the track retains more heat and rubber you can peel teeth off one at a time. The smaller the rear sprocket, the better you need to be able to roll mid corner speed and get back to throttle early though. If you struggle with those areas a little, it’s best to stay up a tooth.
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Listen to the most recent Dinner with Racers with Justin Marks and it’ll really paint a good picture of where his mind is. I’ve been a fan for awhile (since his first dinner with racers episode - lol) but he’s completely won me over now. Justin comes from a lot of money clearly but he is 100% his own man when it comes to racing and his affiliated businesses. Easily one of the smartest guys in the business at the moment.
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I will give it a listen, thanks!
Trackhouse has been a pretty successful Nascar team for a couple of years. They are legit as far as I know.
I’m sure it’s all sensible! It just came at me from outta nowhere and I Google it and I see Pitbull on site as opposed to karting. Moment of panik.
Speaking of which… came across an email from Marco’s Gearup seties. He’s doing a race with a band. A race-party?
The Matt Hatter Band will also perform live during our 2022 F-Series Awards Giving Ceremony, nice way to celebrate those hard fought championship achievements. Of course all are welcome!
This is the first time I’ve seen a race with music act.