KartPulse KartKraft Throwdown Season 1

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

Hello Pavle! Nice to hear from you and welcome back.

Thank you for your kind words and thoughtful feedback.

@Stacker

It was very interesting watching you improve each time.

Yes, it was for me as well l. I have been somehow continuing to keep finding new little slices of speed. It’s been more or less constant progression, with new lines with new braking approaches and timing changes constantly.

I feel like I have been trying to learn all the possible variations and have been editing them down, over time.

@Stacker

Looking at first attempt and the last one, you really nailed it.

That 10.13 s2, blew my mind. I have seen 10.1x before but it was always “dirty”. Did not think less than .2 clean was possible. I asked but so far haven’t heard if any of the other more serious TT guys have done a time similar or lower.

@Stacker

It is fascinating to me how much effort you put in these laps, how patient you are. Every lap looks better.

It’s how I learn. I believe that in order for me to drive to my full potential I need to achieve “mastery” of the track I am on. When I arrive at the state where I can shut off brain and just let my instincts and expectations take over, magic happens. But to get there, I have to earn it.
Each time I find a different and better way to do a thing, it gets repeated ad nauseum until it is written into my subconscious. I do not have the self-confidence or talent to do this any other way. Perhaps in a few years time I will be able to draw upon my well of experience and be quicker to arriving at a state of confidence.

@Stacker

Did you consider turning off the ghost?

Bug at NTK. Face off only.
Yes this makes it harder. I have gotten better abiut trying to not “race” the ghost. Hard, tho.

It has been an incredible time. NTK is fascinating to me because I got quick much faster here than in previous efforts. This means I’m learning!

Looking forwards to seeing what you got for us in the coming year. You are gonna have explosive learning growth this coming year after your TT accomplishment, I bet.

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

@Stacker

I am not sure are you still doing PFI but I think you can get somewhere around 55.2-3s. Not kidding,

Tanguy and Zycos both have optimals down in the .2 area. Tanguy landed a .4x I believe.
I stepped away from PFI after I got significantly sub 56. That was my goal.

However, one of the mods challenged me to try to beat Tanguy at PFI for charity and I’m doing a matching $ amount and opened it up to a couple other guys who have a better chance of doing it.

I’ll get back there when I take US-1 back at NTK. It is possible. 9.7 + 10.13 + 15.65. (These are completed sectors).

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

After messing about with set-up, making some headway…

Nothing standout here. All “good” but not “great sectors”. On the way to much lower.

I heard of the passing of Neil Peart. Reflecting on his music which was so HUGE in the 80s when I was a teen… We shall miss you.

The 50 Greatest Rush Songs Ever

Moving on up! But server down so time not recorded

This is good for USA 2 and Global 4. Getting close to @Muskabeatz

That S2 is quick. I think that is the fastest clean one I have done. I think it is 2/10 faster than anyone else on board.

S1: 9.807
S2: 10.107 (Hrnnnng!)
S3: 15.782

I think I am good for a 35.4X, assuming I nail all 3 sectors dead to rights @Muskabeatz

[Muskabeatz (Evan Batt)]

Yeah, the Neil Peart news is a massive bummer…

That S2 time you laid down is madness! I seem to be seeing more laps where I’m dipping into the 10.1xx’s, but haven’t gone quite that low. My latest inconsistencies seem to fall in sector 3. Having a tough time nailing that to string together a quicker lap. I know I can get into the 5’s with time, but just need to pound some laps to work on consistency.

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

@Muskabeatz

That S2 time you laid down is madness!

If you havent figured it out yet, its a slight lift to rotate the kart as you turn in, followed by full throttle as you complete the orientation of the kart. You accelerate through with a very early throttle, almost straight line, kinda.

The other way is smaller lift, turn, smaller lift, turn. That’s not as powerful, as the throttle modulates where it could be building.

But, the ideal is when the first one I described meets the 2nd. That’s where you get the lightning quick 10.2 and lower. Even in the point and shoot version, there’s still some of that “swing” that needs to happen.

@Muskabeatz

My latest inconsistencies seem to fall in sector 3. Having a tough time nailing that to string together a quicker lap.

Tell me about it. I Landed a 15.590 yet still do utter crap exits. I do not yet understand why some hook up so powerfully, where most do not.

I have found, just now, that S3 is best when you don’t overpower the tires at all going into that first, quick turn, to set up the exit. Finding the right shape of the “S” is a PITA. The odd defect on the exit of the turn complicates the “S” further.

When it hooks up though…

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

When I got home tonight and started lapping, it was immediately clear that the new fast lap I set earlier had “took”. My driving felt special. Everything was easy and fluid. A new line out of 1 started to emerge, even.

This lap got interesting exiting turn 3. It’s very fast from this point. I dirty it stupidly, not in a cut, but in an avoidable way. Grr. Sectors 2 and 3 are smoking. Put a halfway decent S1 on it and its a .5, or world record territory.

Again, its so bizarre to see how our minds and bodies react to doing a new personal best. It makes no sense how now somehow “it’s OK” to do more easily what was hard before.

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

Evan,

I just got done lapping and had a thought about what you were saying about inconsistency in S3.

It seems to me that a repeatable way to approach this turn involves thinking about how we throttle out from this part and from where we do that. We know that once we begin to accelerate, we cannot allow any revs to drop, all the way to the finish line.

You’ve run this corner enough times to intuitively know how to get out of it, you probably, like me, just get a bit “stuck” sometimes. Usually I push too hard, but, often I overslow.

To try to avoid these mid exit screw ups, what I was imagining, is that the point that matters most is the tip of curbing and grass of the first turn. I want the front of the kart to go over the grass there, somehow, each time.

The spot on the grass is where the previous cycle (deceleration) is at its end point, and the direction changes, whilst simultaneously beginning the next cycle (long, uninterrupted, acceleration out.)

It’s the moment of polar inerta around which we create a powerful exit, I think. Put your kart there each time and then consciously use your right foot to begin the next part. There’s a tempo to it, if you give yourself the task of putting your foot down exactly there each time.

Anyways, identifying that point where you want to begin that push out is a thought. Maybe thinking about it like this can help you too.

Here

To be clear, it does not have to be 100% initial throttle out. If the approach is one that requires soft throttle that builds, that’s fine too. You just can’t ever fully lift and let the RPMs drop.

Your foot coming down here is coincidental with the power coming in. In my case, the foot begins going down as I come off the trail. It’s earlier (foot coming down), but the power comes on where I indicated.

[Stacker (Pavle Smiljanić)]

I was about to mention the same turn you just did Dom. Out of entire track, this one looks like the place where I think you were losing time. I can´t really help much since I have never driven this, but simply by looking at it, looks like you got to much steering input on the right hander. Consider less turning and carrying more speed. Also, try to cut the last turn a bit more to compensate for more speed, if the game allows you to.

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

This turn is fricking baffling. I can run 15.6x out of here but I just spent a ton of laps struggling to break 16.

I will try reducing steering in the right handed. I need to be able to have this reliable. Yesterday it was good, today not. I’ll also try rolling more speed.

[Stacker (Pavle Smiljanić)]

Yeah. Just a sign that you are not really getting it yet. More practice and a thing or two to fix and it should be alright.

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

It is bizarre. I am .40 off today. I cannot get S3. Ugh. I’ll keep plugging…

Thanks, Pavle, Crisis averted. Back to normal. I listened to your advice. I am not sure what I did technically but I did let it roll and flow. I found the power I was missing and managed to hook up the exit. 15.67, 15.601…

Then, I got my crap together and took back 1 with a lap that I am happier with on the board. 15.8 something.

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

A little more respectable, but still a ways to go.

S1: 9.907
S2: 10.098
S3: 15.732

Been battling with S3 all day, but in the process, really sweetened my turn 3 exit and got all 3 sectors very low. In typical fashion, here’s 2/3 good sectors! A .60 is in the cards, just need to nail all 3. #1 for now, but it’s not strong enough of a lap to stick, nor would I want it to.

---

Pushing: Best of Evening Session

I am finding more speed in S1. The way I am driving the banks is more careful and I am looking for 9.79 or better now. I am being deliberately careful with throttle application and wheel angle. I am finding that I can get a very balanced exit from turn 3. If I do this well, S2 and the chicane are usually a “go”. No complaints, as I am running sub 10.10 for S2. My braking into the big turn is pretty darn good, too, mostly.

S3 is S3. It’s my bete noir. But, I am much improved here. Principally from slowing down in the braking bit to set up the exit sequence. Like you said, @Stacker gentle and roll more speed. Got down into the 15.6’s here today.

Finally, in order to post a world record, I need to have greater confidence and consistency in S3. While I can, in theory, land the fast laps, I am throwing them away, currently, by failing S3 far more frequently than any other turn.

But, tonight was a good start.

And, final session within .006 of my current best.

[Muskabeatz (Evan Batt)]

When did you start running wider front track width, and do you prefer vs. the stock setting?

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

So my setup is now caster 13 and the scrub radius maxed at 1.

I tried widening back and did not like.

I run “low” settings and 40% torsion bar. Everything else is stock.

I switched to this before setting the .68 that I landed to take #2 pre-wipe. There was a thread. But yeah, much better imho.

[Muskabeatz (Evan Batt)]

Thanks for the info! I’ll try giving this a go. Generally I’ve found that I prefer a wider front due to playing with a game pad, but haven’t made any setup changes other than gearing for quite some time.

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

It’s probably not necessary but it feels better to me with all the scrub radius. I was also wondering on the gearing we are using. I am bouncing off the limiter before turning into the cutback after chicane. I might try going up a tooth to see.

[Muskabeatz (Evan Batt)]

You mean down a tooth (taller ratio)? I’ve ran one tooth less and liked it, but figured I’d take the little extra boost out of the tight stuff.

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

Doh, yes. 65 instead of 66 or whatever we are in. Pretty sure you are correct on teeth but I’ll try.

[Bimodal_Rocket (Dom Callan)]

@Stacker

looks like you got to much steering input on the right hander. Consider less turning

That was a very helpful observation. I rotate the kart into the right-hander. I tried letting the rotation point the kart correctly, try to keep wheel straight, to not overturn.

This, coupled with retraining my eyes to be looking in the right places, as opposed to the scary turn, worked wonders. I got more consistent in S3. I landed a lot more sub 36 laps simply because I was screwing up S3 less.

Anyways, thank you very much! While I didn’t get sub 35.7 tonight, I did get a bit closer and shaved off a few hundredths.

35.759 NTK X30 GLB 2

S1: 9.858
S2: 10.211
S3: 15.690

Good but not spectacular S1 and S2, Very good S3.

[Stacker (Pavle Smiljanić)]

Great, it looks more natural now! With a little bit of practice, you could carry even more speed in and out of the corner it looks like.