KartPulse KartKraft Throwdown Season 1

Other Motorsports Incl Sim Racing
489

Alan’s point about Sennas throttle clipping. He says senna was a bit different in that he would be immediately to throttle upon brake release.
Anecdotally, I have the objective of immediate (partial) throttle as I release brake. No coast.

Alan discusses the idea that he did this because the car was “heavy” and he’s power rotating. He disagrees that this is the reason.

I would agree that it’s not due to weight. I submit that the throttle stabs are very much related to rotation (or avoiding it). The puffs of throttle send energy in the direction I am choosing, negating the karts desire to rotate (opposite wave) or enhancing it. Just thinking out loud.

Who knew that debating Alan’s thoughts could be so fun!

490

This is completely correct. Thinking about the turn… approach involves a firm brake to initiate rotation. Turn and brake are almost simultaneous. Normally this would spin you out. However, the turn in is simultaneous with the lifting of the brake and the application of throttle. Thus, rotation. Which is then controlled with throttle and steering angle.

The yawing is arrested with throttle as we put energy back down the middle of the kart. But, everything is still evolving. As we attempt to get to second apex, we want to accelerate through there as much as possible but we ain’t done turning yet. We have to keep testing the limit and pushing against it as we prepare to rotate again to the left, this time.

All of that flappy flap is rotation related grip searching. I’m searching for efficiency, actually. I’m trying to express throttle where I can “feel” I can add a bit and avoid “bleeding” off useful load or speed. Throttle reductions here are similar to lifts. They are rotational aids as well in that the reduction of throttle or lift allows for rapid direction changes. Everything in this stage is about sending myself down and into the intital part of the turn powerfully loaded and then trying to keep the kart as loaded as possible while needing to get back up and then over again to the left.

491

Another 9/1000th. I’ll take it.


S1: 13.795
S2: 18.548
S3: 05.136

There’s some interesting turns here. I am really getting ahold of the rubber and hurling myself around with it. At 20s, the entry into 5 is super gripped up, in a way that gets me sideways, almost, with no slide. Very odd feeling, but effective.

In general, this session was bonkers. The average speed has plummeted overnight. I was consistently landing 37.6x laps. This was a once a night kind of thing, before. I just ran multiple back to back 37.6’s and did more of them this one session than all previous sessions combined.

I think what’s happening is I am now fully confident that I have the fast line in all but turn 2. I think I might need to change the entry, there. I need to land S1 in 13.6X seconds. I can and have done this many times, but, I need it to be an every-time kind of thing, now.

Overall though, I think I am getting really close to being able to claim the next rung.

7/28: I learned something new today. Last night I mentioned that I might need to redo my line into 2. I feel so dumb for not seeing it before, but I get it now. Simply, I was too wide mid-2. Trying to roll momentum through here carries you outwards. If you add some braking into the equation, things change.

Also, something changed, unexpectedly, in S2. I just landed a very fast S2, about a tenth faster than my previous best. This now drops me into the 37.2 optimal range, which means it’s likely I will achieve GLB 2 ranking. I am not sure what changed in S2 to make it almost a tenth faster.

7/30: Ben Demosthene @StrikerClone appears and takes a position! This is one of the fellas I race against so this is exciting:

Ben
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492

Blockquote So you say, so you say. But, talk is cheap. :yum:

So, what’d you think of the track? How was the event for your team?

493

I really had a ball! It was my first time to OVRP and what a special way to experience it. It’s a lovely facility, nestled up in the hills of the Delaware water gap. It is homey and feels like a great place to race in general. I really like unpretentious facilities.

The track was surprising to me in that Ive watched so many Adam Rylance vids from there, I wasn’t expecting the elevation changes. Looks flat in video.

Overall we drove well, I think. We made a boatload of dumb operational mistakes which put us back a ways, alas. Despite this we ran good laps for our first time there. I’m guessing next year we will be less n00bish! I take comfort in the fact that we had the best pace as a group, I think.

After the fact, I realized a couple places I could do better. I think 52s would have been more frequent if I had a slightly different line through 5-6 double apex. Oh and let’s just pretend the turn into straight didn’t happen. I think I got that truly correct only once or twice a session.

The driving overall was decent but there was some bs to contend with. Other than that, no complaints. Lotta fun having 22 karts on track. That was also new to me. So much passing.

Were you running with the guys wearing the Doty suits? The young guy was very consistent. I think we were 3 laps down or something. Your guy I mentioned did pass me once and he looked sharp. I’m assuming it went well for you all?

494

Guess you’ll have to come back and race Masters now.

I was not running with the Doty kids, but I was hanging out with them. I started the race for my team and was the one in #2 pushing the Doty team around during the first stint until I had to go on the defense from #33, which I think was your team. Everything was smooth operationally, no major mistakes, but we got a pretty dreadful kart after the first fuel stop, so we lost the lead and struggled to make it up. Still finished P4 overall, P2 in class, which wasn’t bad considering my entire team was randomly put together.

Glad you liked our track. Hope you’ll come back soon!

495

Oh for sure. It really is a special place. I kinda thought it would be very far from central NJ but it’s only about a half hour more than NJMP and a much, much prettier drive.

So, you ever tried the jumps in the infield? In a kart? I’m guessing at some point someone has attempted this.

Yah 33 was us. We had decent karts I think. One did 46 EOS which was the slow one. The other kart could do 48 eos which was better. As compared to the NJMP rental karts, these were like sportscars: lighter, faster and with brakes!

Your defense was successful. Matt’s subsequent falling off the pit lane tarmac and getting stuck behind the cones was a fitting way to celebrate our stupidity.

496

Been under the weather and havent really driven much at all. I did build this, which still needs plates for the shakers:

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The stiffness is really nice. Everything comes through the wheel and nothing is lost to flex. Feels great. Can’t wait to see how it feels with shakers. These 80/20 rigs are pretty cool. It’s very Lego / erector set like fun.

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497

Having this thing mostly setup now a couple thoughts:

If you go the route of buying something that requires a seat, consider this carefully.

I went cheap on seat and regret it. I think for a sim rig, you really want a seat that is reclinable.

Also, you want to be able to tilt the chair. This appears to be the domain of the part that connects the sliders to the seat. The piece that bolts the chair in needs to have a variety of mounting options for attatching the seat.

I think I’ll go to a junkyard and try a regular old car seat, someday soon. This can be done for very little cash and will likely give me more adjustability.

If money was no object, Recaro etc make drop dead gorgeous car seats for luxury cars. Look at this beauty…
image

https://www.recaro-automotive.com/us/comfort/recaro-expert-houndstooth

Too bad this costs 1600 bucks.

498

Ford to the rescue! Found a Fiesta RS seat at a local junkyard.
I have to say, while bucket seats look cool, the cheap one I bought could double as a torture device.

This car seat is what I should have done from the start. That or spending higher $ on a better seat initially.

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Also, we got to have some fun cutting metal. As a generally non-handy guy, I enjoy these brief moments of being able to make something work.
Bonus sparks for the effort:

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499

.06


S1: 13.693
S2: 18.586
S3: 5.146
I have been slogging away at GVKC, trying to get down into the .2’s. Progress is slow, but it feels good. I seem to be getting much faster at the slower end of things, while tantalizingly close to landing an actual fast(er) lap.

In any case, this feels like the light at the end of the (very long) tunnel. I lost a kart width on exit of 5. My inside left gets held by the kerb slightly, costing me a kart length. 5 is a beautiful turn, when you catch the apex and throttle just so. Not this time, alas.

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500

It’s crazy how well throwing it in seems to work in KK.

501

KK is all about hooking up in the rubber. You can do absurd things, sometimes. It’s definitely not “real” but it feels correct, in its own way. It’s a different, but similar thing.

502

Long time coming


S1: 13.752
S2: 18.503
S3: 05.109

I’d have thought that for this lap, I’d need to post ideal sectors, but I managed to claim the spot with a relatively weak S1.

This is again the culmination of exactly the same experience as all the other times I make a jump. It’s a done deal when it happens, and always a bit of a let down, in a sense. The let down is that by the time I land the actual new record lap, I have already moved on, skill-wise. It’s no longer representative of my potential. The lap itself is often slightly flawed (as this one is in t1).

Don’t get me wrong, I am very thrilled. It took me over a month to make a real dent in my laptime and I worked hard for this lap. I may have even shouted when I landed this.

Onwards and upwards.

503

Did I ever yell you about the “power lines” in KK?

Part of the power lines is how it feels. There is a perfectly on boil feeling you get when the kart is driven on the edge, but perfectly balanced, in the rubber. It’s very reminiscent of “planing” on a windsurfer, the moment when the board comes alive. You become lifted off the surface it seems, skimming along, agile and quick. On rails, but highly manoeuvrable.

Every corner in KK has some sort of power line: the rubber is generous, and, always the same. Within that rubber, there is a specific line/input combo that literally “lifts” the kart off the track and, if you let it happen, just sort of takes you.

A few caveats:
It’s up to you to recognize the beginning of being “in” the power line and make sure that you don’t kill it with an ill timed input. Also, once you are on, you can fall off. While the kart feels very agile and on rails, it’s basically surfing slip angle. Past that, you’ve fallen off.

But any ways it feels pretty cartoonish, almost like the turn goes “Boing!” and teleports you in real time to the track out. It feels absolutely right, though.

While these power lines are wonderful when you stumble upon them, I wouldn’t try to TT around hunting them down. First off, it’s hard to get on the magic carpet; angle and speed have to be just so.
Secondly, for me, it is usually accidental, the result of something a little different at turn in. To initiate this in T1 at GVKC, for example, I have to brake earlier, lighter/quicker release than normal.while turning in earlier.

In, short, it’s unreliable as heck and is usually somewhat accidental.

But, I think what the power lines represents is that point of perfect interlock between the tire and the rubber on the track, at the exact sweet spot of where the thickest rubber and the ideal line overlap. If you enter this line at the correct speed/angle, its like that planing I described. Like stepping onto a moving carpet, sorta.

Maybe that’s why the throwing it in in KK seems to work so well. The rubber is idealized and allows for strange grip. I’ve often wondered if the perfect lap in KK is nailing the power line of each turn. I wonder if a computer could just simulate what the perfect lap is for us.

504

Have you ever confirmed with Zach or the developers if there really is a rubbered in line in the corners?

I know you feel that, but I always thought it was just the kart loading up to it’s max, in the game physics’ idealized slip angle, not an actual line of grip in the track.

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505

Yes. They say the rubber is laid down for x30. KZ apparently doesn’t have its own line, uses x30 rubber.

I may be imagining all this. I don’t think so. It’s very distinctive when you catch it just right. Maybe that’s just me doing the turn correctly occasionally, lol! :joy_cat:

Maybe it’s something to do with FFB and shakers creating an unusual sensation as the kart loads up and begins to fly on the rubber. All sorts of wierd stuff happens under the googles.

Here’s an odd one: I was playing once and the game seemed to Fast-forward really quickly mid lap for a couple seconds. That was fun trying to keep up with the turns! I’m still not sure if it was some sort of vertigo or wether the game actually did speed up (similar to a lag spike).

It might not be the actual line. It appears that as in real life, there are multiple ways to skin the cat. This way just sort of “steers” itself assuming you “set” it correctly.

506

A lil’ bit faster yet


S1: 13.708
S2: 18.571
S3: 05.071

Fun lap! It looked like me and Sausagematt’s ghost were in sync here for most of the lap. I am going to guess we are identically geared, from how the back straight sounded.

I got a bit too aggressive going round the 7-8 bit, which slightly narrowed me into 9, which means my run to 10 was ever so slightly off. I felt I had to slow going into 9, which means I pushed too hard. I’m baffled by the sector times though. It appears like I am slow in S1 and fast in S3, but it felt and looks opposite.

In any case, I think I got this.

Be back soon, hopefully.

507

Local Pilot Makes (unusual) News:

Ms. Chambers used to race f-series (but I think is racing cars now). In any case, she made news for setting a slalom record. Did not know that was a thing, according to Guiness it is. Chloe also was a guest on Letterman’s show regarding her kart racing in 2018.

https://ekartingnews.com/2019/07/16/chloe-chambers-my-next-guest-needs-no-introduction/

As a marketing piece, very interesting. Production slalom record is, to say the least, obscure. Dunno whose idea this was, Porsche’s or Chloe’s. Either way, I find this really cool. Thinking outside the box to make a piece to promote their car and presumably driver in an accessible way. I don’t think this was made with “us” in mind. 167k views. That’s a lot of eyeballs.

@DavinRS as one of our resident marketing pros IRL, what’s your thoughts on this as a promotion/marketing idea?

@KartingIsLife spilt topic if worthy

508

Little late on this reply… once the tracks reopened I haven’t touched the sim once. We did race Stars in the spring. I saw you did pretty well.

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