Just for fun, I have been running time trials in kart kraft. I managed to put up top 10s in 2/3 tracks and have a top 15 in the other. For this track, I currently hold 57.85 as fastest lap, which is 8th USA. So, decent time.
The most challenging bit of the various tracks has to be the closing complex at PFI.
This is a funny series of turns that requires some lift induced rotation at a couple points. Also, to take the final complex well and fast, you have to enter powerfully into turn 8 to set up the entire closing sector.
Anyways, here’s my crib notes for that turn complex. And a so-so example:https://youtu.be/-CDmuo_mT_U
Allrighty Edit time:
I’ve been at it a while now and gotten down to around 57.5. It’s a solid lap time, I think, so I thought I’d revisit with more experienced eyes. I think there’s a few ways to do this part of PFI, but they all work towards the end goal of putting yourself in a good position at the top of the complex.
If you want to break 58s on this track, you HAVE to bomb the exit. In order to bomb the exit, you HAVE to be positioned such that you can powerfully and precisely dive down into the final turn.
Nik’s method of staying close to the inside kerb and using friction to decelerate is sensible, repeatable and fast. I just set my new best of 57.556 using his way, so thumbs up! But, I’ve also set comparable lap times driving in a bit deeper and using some trail. I’ve also seen ghosts run a very wide line and be fast. The key is, none of them over slow.
You have to carry some speed so that you can rotate the kart quickly back to the left after this apex. Likelihood is that you will be very carefully getting back onto throttle as you begin to turn into the right hand apex.
Generally, the speed you are going as you turn into the bottom right apex pretty much dictates what angle upwards you will be taking. Too fast will prevent you from being able to get the kart left quick enough and you will end up taking a very steep angle upwards. There’s an ideal middle ground that you have to find.
Exception time: Mini-lifts. If you want to blast through here, use mini lifts at the points I show on the map B and C. These forced rotations allow you to take steeper lines. Is it faster? Not really, no. But its how you are gonna learn to get around here, most likely.
Eventually, you will learn patience and stop trying to rush through here. Your need to lift and rotate will diminish as you learn to swing round the bottom apex a bit slower to hold the kart right just a touch longer. This allows you to stay on throttle as you complete the bottom section and transition into the final stages of the turn. Since you have a nice long round arc, you can then ride throttle all the way to the final turn. Done right, its a thing of beauty!
The final part takes some getting used to. Assuming you have beautifully looped up and over, you now find yourself halfway on the kerbing outside of the final turn. You now need to lift, turn, and go. Getting the timing right takes practice. Eventually you learn how to squeeze the throttle a bit differently through here depending upon how brilliant your turn in was. But, there is a flow to it, when done right. Get it wrong and you’ll bind up on the run-out. Getting deep on the exit is an interesting risk/reward proposition, at least in Sim. IRL this seems sketchy as heck.
Anyways, feel free to chime in with any suggested edits, observations etc. Also, please don’t take drawn lines too literally. I don’t have GPS or anything so I’m drawing my best guess as to what it feels like.
Decent once piece: https://youtu.be/JUTAb4rGoVY
And one with slo-mo as well: https://youtu.be/HAbUwiE1lV0
