Oof. That was a solid one.
Looks like really clean racing. I would be worried on that last move that the driver wouldnt notice me and turn into me. Nice job. @tjkoyen does going a little to the inside of the track than taking the space back up right before a turn to transfer weight help a lot?
It can. Typically this is what people are doing when they are “flicking” the kart. It’s like a Scandinavian flick in a car. Karts are very sensitive though, so the negative side would be going over the traction limit of the tire easily and oversteering. It can be used in a valid way if you are have some finesse and are controlled enough to keep the kart relatively stable when doing it.
The KA race was interesting. It looked like you had the pace to challenge leader. Or, rather, it looked like you had the pace for half the lap and the other guy, the other half. Was close until it wasnt.
I got the impression you were feeling the track out, a bit. Have you raced there before?
what kind of turns/situations is it useful for? hairpins? sweepers? I could try that for turn 2 which is where I think I lose the most time, and the last left hander kind of does it automatically
I got a whole topic on this for you:
Generally, a faster corner = faster hands. Seems obvious enough, but easy to overthink.
In a quick 90 degree corner for example, you need the kart to rotate immediately. You are not going to be turning the wheel enough to unload the inside rear mechanically through caster or frame flex. In a corner like this, a little flick can help the kart change direction faster.
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oh boy… cant wait to go down this rabbit hole…
Thanks for finding that topic
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no this was my first time at the track.and at the end of the winier of the race had only the 3rd fastest lap so if are pack understood what it means to push each other towards the winer i had a chance at wining.i was disappointed with my ka race cuz in the prefinal me and the leader had equal pace but in the final i decided to change the tire pressure and it didn’t work.
are you talking about the leader on the first lap if so he wasn’t using a fast line he was instead defending for some reason.
Well, good job considering it was a new track to you!
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Good memories from Charlotte. The track looks great, looks like they did a great job refreshing it all.
There used to be a big jump on the start/finish line that made late overtakes into turn 1 really exciting.
it was my first time there and i absolutely loved definitely in my top 3 favorite tracks.
I raced Rotax Nationals on the newly replaced Charlotte track last year. It was my first outdoor track I ever drove back in 2010. The memories of how bumpy it was are vivid, including that one before the start finish that TJ mentioned. But now it is silky smooth and generates lots of grip. It’s amazing how flowey it is and finding a rhythm on this track is very rewarding. Hope to be able to race again there soon.
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It was definitely one of my favorite tracks we used to go to. Very flowing and fun. I think '08 was the last time I was there.
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I went to OVRP to test/tune with Daniel (works at OVRP). We moved some stuff around a bit and the kart felt better to me. It’s still a bit squirrelly, but that’s probably driver, mostly.
These are starting to look like laps. I am adjusting to the need to take the corner entry differently. There’s less front end, so you need to be a lot more careful about turn in and throttle out.
Daniel was trying to get me to release brake a bit earlier and turn in a bit earlier, in general. There’s a couple corners that I need to figure out, such as corkscrew and chicane.
Corkscrew you can see me trying to get kart around properly so I can point down straight and avoid the outside kerbing. I do it correctly on the last lap of the video.
The chicane requires an earlier turn in. And earlier brake release. Sorta lift, huck it in, profit. I go wide a few times here as I attempt that but mostly revert to habit.
I think there is a possibility I can figure this out. It seems that you have to back it up, in general, with LO. Corner entry cannot be rushed or you will be wide.
Anyways, glad to hear any thotts from others.
Lo206 doesn’t feel slow when you are driving. The engine makes happy noises and is responsive. It feels fine. It’s not until the 10 year old in the cadet kart passes you, that you realize how slow it is. That, and bouncing off the limiter for 5 seconds on straight. 
I don’t know what to make of the 
James. That bad huh? 
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Nah I just couldn’t find the 
I agree, the 206 is slow on the straights… but it still hauls a$$ around the turns like a kart should and you can just pull the cord and go.
You get lots of time to plan your lines and so on. Vs in a shifter I always feel like I’m “driving on the nose”. Which is fun don’t get me wrong.
It really is more of a driving on the tail thing isn’t it? The nose is what you need to worry about. It does not seem that back end grip or oversteer is much of an issue.
The lawnmower start feels correct. As it should be. It is fun trying to pull start while sitting. Challenging.
here’s a decant prefinal from Saturday at go pro finished in in p4 out of 21 drivers with the 2nd fastest lap which was a 51.2
Here’s a couple clips from our 6 hr race at OVRP on Saturday. We got great weather and had a terrific race! 3rd in class, 6th overall.
Nick drove very nicely considering he gets in a kart maybe 3 times a year now. I guess karting is like riding a bike, he says.
I felt much more comfortable in my trusty rental karts and drove fine. I was about .5 off the fastest at my best, which I am content with. I felt like me out there, again.
@tankyx and Matt were on fastest pace, Tanguy especially. Mr. Consistency. When the rain started falling, his childhood of karting in Brittany paid off and he was dominant while the track was slippery.
The OVRP Gang of Tim, Daniel, @jd896, and ? won overall and ran very nice laps. They also were very fashionable in matching suits!
There was a group of masters guys that were very quick as well who took second overall. Did not catch their names but the were fast with no drama.
Team 88 ended up providing much of my amusement as they were quick and aggressive and always ready to play hide the bumper.
We got a new Tri-State member out there as well, Grant, and he rocked. I also got to battle with some of the tri-state guys along the way.
Really good race and we will try to be back again in July for round 2. Tanguy is thinking of mounting an assault on P1 for July. He has another buddy at Manhattan Classic Car Club who is fast like Matt. I will have to back out of team cos I can’t split with Nick, obvs. Maybe I will try to gather some of the newer guys and go have some fun.
Oh, Tanguy rented a margay lo206 like I got and ran the club race next day. He won with fastest lap .5 faster whilst 20lbs overweight. He described the kart as requiring early gentle turn in but with early throttle to rotate kart. Says it won’t turn well otherwise. “You cannot carry any speed with it because it won’t allow for yaw angle on the brakes/free wheel”. Looks like I have work to do.
