Sorry for the heavy amount of videos here, but I’ve been putting myself through a rough 24 hours. I’m not sure if I’m overthinking or if I’m actually going nowhere. I just completed two days with KartClass at Homestead and felt like I made a major stride forward, but compared some laps from Tuesday to some laps from when I first started last year and… the stopwatch doesn’t lie! I don’t know, maybe I’m being too harsh on myself (not surprisingly) or getting a bad case of Impostor Syndrome, so maybe y’all can tell me if I’m crazy. I’ll post a few comparison videos and my thoughts below.
Homestead CCW, January 2023 (47.70):
June 2024 (47.90):
My only justification/coping here is that it rained on/off the day before, plus we had been clockwise for all of day 1 and beginning of day 2. This one really bothers me the most.
Homestead CW, Feb 2024 (47.58):
June 2024 (47.86):
I was definitely overdriving in the black suit video, I had been stuck in the 48’s most of the day with the aforementioned rain being problematic. The red suit video was also right before SKUSA, so lots more karts and lots more rubber.
OVRP, Oct 2023 (38.62):
June 2024 (38.34):
New tires in the June race, consistency was a lot better for sure. Threw this in here cause I raced here two days before the Homestead clips.
First off, yay! Another AMR guy. Secondly, I’m sure there IS improvement after you’ve taken this class. But it’s likely minor. You’ll see trends and improvements when you compare data from the mychron.
Disclaimer! I’m a mountain bike coach so questions are best directed towards a kart coach but I’ll try my best to solve your dilemma.
The most amount of improvement you will see will be months after the class if you keep reflecting on what you’ve learned and constantly applying it to your technique.
Right after a lesson you have a little “Oh I get it now” moment which gives you a firmer grasp of a concept and aids in the execution of that skill, but as you build on that knowledge (and improve on said skill) you will take seconds off your lap times as you build consistency.
You’ll later realize the improvement you’ve made on that skill, the difference in execution between then and now, and then how it affects the dynamics of the kart as it becomes second natural.
So yes, your driving probably did improve some, but the real change comes later. More coaching sessions to work on other skills may be necessary to see improvement.
Another good thing would be to compare your times with other guys that run shifters, discuss line choice and kart setup with some of the guys there.
Out of curiosity what did you work on in your coaching sessions?
The one thing that stands out for me is you’re not comparing like for like, for example Jan 23 to June 24 is like comparing apples to oranges. I can got to my local track tonight and again a month from now and find a difference anything up to 4 seconds purely because of different temperature and humidity conditions.
If you want to make comparison to how you’re driving has or has not improved, all other factors need to be the same
Temperature air and track
Humidity
Kart set up
Tyres age in laps and months both
And more.
I don’t know about you but I can barely remember what I had for breakfast never mind how the weather was 18 months ago. I’m sure you’ve improved. As the saying goes there’s no substitute for seat time.
I will weigh in. I am not an official coach but I have coached some folks through the years in shifters.
First, nice driving! You are quick! 47’s on the short course at Orlando is moving! The differences I see in all the videos looks more like the kart being subjected to various grip conditions more than anything else. I see your “issue” in pretty much all the driving, and it is inconsistency and jerkiness in the transition from braking to mid-corner. That said, you are doing it much less in the latest videos so I would say your driving is improving for sure.
Comparing times from different days/months/years with differing amounts of tire wear is not going to yield anything particularly useful. For example, I practiced at Orlando the other morning with a buddy, we were both on worn tires and the track was super green. We were running in the low 50’s. I was running low 47’s on the same layout a few weeks ago with some fresh tires and a little rubber down.
Focus on what you were told by your instructors, and on race strategy. If you do both of those well, the results will follow.
Yes, but also… The improvements could be over the course of each run. Admittedly that’s even harder to measure by comparison, but something to think of.
Comparing lap times from two separate years isn’t going to really be useful in determining what has changed. Hell, Badger can vary up to a 1 second during the week until Sunday. Track conditions can change a lot just day to day and if it rained the day before it’s a complete crapshoot.
This might also be a hot take, but your side quest of racing in all 50 states with different karts, different tracks, different everything might be a hinderance to your progress as a driver. My opinion is that sticking to one class/kart/everything helps the driver become “one with the kart” better and builds comfort and confidence faster. Jumping around kart to kart and track to track and always being unfamiliar with your situation is always a tough ask.
And of course, if you’re finding you are plateauing or not progressing as fast as you’d like, maybe step back down to TaG or KA to focus in on all the fundamentals.
I agree with Rob that there is a fair bit of jerkiness in both hand movement and pedal work in all the clips you posted.
Are you able to compare data from these clips and see what your corner speeds, braking traces, etc. look like so you can see if you’re doing anything different or where the delta is coming from?
@jd896 can you give details about your experience with KartClass for those of us who have never paid for lessons with them? Private lesson? Lead and follow? Specific cues or skills or drills they worked with you? Chassis adjustments? Pricing? Track time?
at a track like 61 Kartway where i race the track is very sensitive to the amount of kart that have been running on track. and recent rain. unless its a raceday i have a hard time determining if my pace is where i want it because the track can gain 1.5 to 2s throughout the day on raceday. not to mention the 1s it gains on a practice day. before the race. racing with compatition or having a couple guys that run with you on a practice day always helps me determine where im at. you need some kinda of bench mark each day. someone thats going to tune or push you to go faster or show what pace the track has or desont have even. when riding solo just be as smooth as possible adjust to what you feel and ignore the laptime in my opinion. just my two cents! -comng from a briggs guy
never mind how the weather was 18 months ago. I’m sure you’ve improved. As the saying goes there’s no substitute for seat time.
