It ain’t #1 global, but I at least made my way back in front of @Bimodal_Rocket at NTK in the X30 
Had some really great splits the other night (35.3xx), but couldn’t piece together a lap. Seemed like tonight was the opposite, where my splits weren’t anything spectacular, but it was much easier to string together consistent sectors. Still find S3 difficult, but was able to find my way through on this lap.
35.580.
Woohoo! Congrats. 
Did you film the lap?
I’m close as well. I’m running very, very fast sectors and the occasional fast lap. I’m struggling with focus, though. I’m also wasting too many good laps being dumb and racing the ghost through the last turn and screwing up. My driving is super sharp, just can’t seem to concentrate.
Thanks! Did not film it. Still not sure how to do that.
Given that I have been driving against your ghost for a while now, here are the differences I’ve noticed:
T1- I carry the throttle deeper into the braking zone, and have a later turn in. Using the brake to rotate the kart is critical, as is using all of the road and being back to power early.
T2- similar concept as the above, though I give up a little bit at the end of the first third in order to let the kart roll and get back to power in a manner that will not unsettle the kart through the remainder of the corner.
T3 (hairpin right)- I charge the braking zone a bit harder than your ghost, but also turn in and rotate via brakes slightly early. Back to power early. Your ghost seems to get unsettled mid corner.
T4-5 Chicane- You’re good through here. Just a matter of getting luck with track limits.
T6 (end of straight)- I brake slightly earlier, and hold more of a constant speed throughout the corner. Your ghost will gain as approaching center, but if I get this right then I’ll come out slightly ahead after the exit.
Last RL sequence- this shit is hard, and I think I hit a decent sector which allowed me to stay ahead. The perfect run through this sequence seems to be about getting the right amount of rotation into the first right, while also braking late enough, hitting the maximum amount of grass allowable, and being patient with making the transition back to the left. Like I said, tricky sequence.
Thanks for the feedback. I have been so focused on KZ, I’ve forgotten what the line feels like in x30. Once I land a .5-6, I’ll take a stab at it. Your notes will help!
I am curious to see how different it is with x30. Most of my corners are different now.
If you use nvidia: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/geforce-experience/download/
This has the recording/streaming ability. AMD has something similar. https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/dh-023
Closer
An interesting lap. 3 solid sectors. Now I just need to land 1 solid 2 exceptional or 3 very good.
I am liking my ability to flow through S3 now. Just need to make it consistent at turn in.
Watched Pavle’s first race. He crushed it.
Made it look like he’s been doing this a long time. Congrats!
I did a few laps in x30 and chased your ghost a bit. It’s really interesting switching to x30 after a month or two.
The x30 and the shifter are completely different. Line is similar.
The first thing I noticed is “slow” when I got into x30. But after a lap or two, the speed isn’t the main difference. Tunrning is.
It seems like the x30 is more planted but also harder to turn quickly. Turns are generally wider and rounder. Where the KZ can and does rotate at will, the x30 requires a more precise intital turn in. And, at apex, it’s a rounder turn.
Looking over your notes, I agree. The braking needs to be harder for x30 in the first 2-3 corners. The chicane requires a different timing. Finally, the closing section appears to be more easily flowed correctly on x30. The lack of power prevents some problems.
I find it amusing that IRL you are a shifter guy but in sim you are x30 and me, vice-versa. How would you characterize the difference between gearbox and non?
Ha, yeah I think my preference for the X30 in the game comes back to its compatibility with the gamepad. Keep in mind that you need to enable “steering assist” or whatever it’s called when playing with the gamepad, otherwise the controller is basically a lightswitch. This puts you at the mercy of the software in terms of how your inputs translate to getting around the track in the game, and as a result the KZ is more difficult to drive. Would love to try it with a wheel setup, as it would be way more fun anyway!
Your observations regarding the differences are pretty spot on vs. real life. The driving line with a gearbox kart is going to be a bit more angular in order to maximize braking into the corner, and power delivery off the corner. Especially in a high-grip scenario, this creates a shorter “moment” of rotation with the gearbox kart vs. single speed. Not to say one shouldn’t be smooth in a shifter, but it isn’t as critical as it is in the single speed categories.
Another big difference is the power delivery. With so much more torque at your disposal (especially with a motor like the 175 SSE), it absolutely requires the driver to be patient with throttle application.
I’ve had one drive (two sessions) in a single speed kart (excluding concessions karts) in the last ~3 years, so I’d be really curious to hop in an X30 and see how I stack up. Single speed definitely prepares you for gearbox driving, but I’m curious if I’ve developed habits over the last few years that may hinder my ability to do well right out of the gate if I were to race an X30 these days…who knows.
Thanks for sharing. I think you’d find that you’d do well but you’d need to adjust for about 10 laps. The key difference is turn in. The x30 needs a wide round turn (like 2 for example). The shifter, not so much. I find myself “playing” more with kart orientation with shifter. With x30, I feel like you get one input, that’s it. And then it turns slowly, relative to shifter.
I think it’s the power of the shifter allows you to use the underlying rubber more effectively. You can “hook” into the rubber with the shifter in a way you can’t with x30. Main difference seems to be the ability to have the tires release and engage the track rubber at will.
Edit: FYI I find that since I have taken up the insanity of shifter in sim, when I get into my pokey rental karts, they feel safe, slow and easy.
I’ll give the shifter another go. Do you mind sharing your setup? Anything you can share would be appreciated, especially gearing, and brake bias.
Thanks, Dom! Was able to run a few laps and get to National #2 at NTK, but I’ve got a long way to go before I’m on your level!
Nice. I can imagine that its gonna be hard with steering assist. Auto clutch would be nice for controller. Sacrilege, I am sure.
im gonna be streaming on YT for a bit
KartKraft
Harry, I’ll watch the playback if I missed the live.
Here’s my streaming attempt since it’s a quiet morning. Enjoy.
And here’s some results from the session:
I ran very fast S2 today. Here’s two sub 34’s with 9.530 and 9.540 S2. These are quick. I also included a probably dirty 9.497. My S3 failed me in the final corner on the lap where I was ahead. Gotta stop paying attention to Eric’s ghost.
Sunday:
@Bimodal_Rocket- how about running some laps at GKCV in the X30? I don’t see you on the leader board there?
Sure! But I’m so close to Eric.
I will attempt to dual-focus and try your challenge.
Also, I am waiting for my new base as my old one died a day ago… When I went upstairs and said to my spouse,“Well crap, my base died.” Before I was done with the sentence she said “Order one now. You will be impossible to live with otherwise”.
For today, I am attempting to learn how to drive with controller. Here’s my rig temporarily. Monitor is where wheel is usually and the shakers work. I am using controller to steer and my normal pedals to drive (not using Xbox triggers).
I managed to get into the 41s so far at GKVC with the controller. This is a very different way of driving in that the steering requires a different technique. It appears that the kart and controller want to be straight. But, the game appears to smooth out turn inputs a bit. It takes a while but eventually you start learning to “hold” the angle and be very round. There’s something about the way the game countersteers that makes it possible.
Using separate pedals makes this very, very fun. You drive with your feet since you have so much control over your pedals as compared to the Xbox stick.
The lack of ffb info from the controller as opposed to the fanatec wheel is night and day. With my steering wheel setup, I can feel the kart beneath me. With controller, I don’t have any sense of the back end.
3/25: OK new base arrived. Time to chase @Muskabeatz
Ah, well, living in semi lockdown situation, I went ahead & threw down. I’ll only be using a controller for now, so will see how well I can steer with it, but I can adjust the analogue sensitivity, so maybe it’ll do for the time being. I guess this means I’m going to have to get a Fanatec wheel & DD unit now. Whoa is me…
If you are gonna try KartKraft, its actually pretty fun with the controller. Moreso than Forza, which I could never control.
Looking forward to getting into it. I can get plenty of enjoyment just from chasing lap times.
