For sure around 4:30 Spencer is a bit wide of the apex. However, at the exit of the turn he is actually gaining on the guy in front of him (to the point that he gives him a little nudge); so maybe ‘wrong’ technique, but ‘right’ result.
There are many things to consider when searching out an optimal line/approach to a turn. For example, how much energy is it going to cost to get the kart all the way down to ‘the proper apex’ (by either having to give the speed away in the braking/entry phase of the turn or by scrubbing speed by forcing the kart where it doesn’t want to go). That is, a particular kart/setup can have an optimal (or harmonious) arc it likes depending on the corner/track (surface, elevation and especially camber). In some cases, forcing the kart out of it’s comfort zone in order to be exactly on the theoretically right line can be counter-productive.
@Spenny, I think your driving is looking good! If I could offer two areas in which to work on exploring deeper sensitivity in you driving I would say:
Use all of the available track (especially at turn-in)… unless there is a compelling reason to not do so. Try to feel how small adjustments in initial kart positioning influence the entry phase of the turn and the final rotation of the kart at apex.
Play with exercising more deliberate influence over the building or rotational energy in the kart from turn-in to apex. At 4:40, your choice of kart placement has a big influence on entry phase rotation. At 4:30, it’s hard to see if you used all of the track on entry (but it look very close if not all), but you seem to turn-in a fraction late and abruptly. Again, this may be harmonious for that kart/turn combination, but you could play with ‘rounder’ corner entries, or pre-turned entries: (you approach your turn-in point 1/2 to 1 kart width from the edge of the track, then turn out to your turn in point, and immediately back in to execute the turn-in for the corner). This technique, gets rotational energy going - the wrong direction- and then accelerates that energy in the correct direction to induce more rotational energy for the entry phase of the turn.
Thank you! @Spenny don’t think I was feeling like your driving wasn’t looking good, it is. There’s some oddness associated with the karts like you say, and it comes through in terms of how you are hoofing them. Which, according to Warren who knows of what he speaks, is going well!
At this point I’m not sure. There was one left with apron that you were consistently avoiding the apex of by 6’ to a foot. It had a large right bailout/apron which you’d use. You commented once that you were using all the width there.
You got it right, I was defending at 4:38 taking a bit of a defensive line. It is very common for people to send it up the inside that corner if they get a run on you. I had someone on my bumper and decided to take that a bit shallower because I know it does not give up too much speed if you can get on the gas early between T1 and T2. I know that the outright fastest line enters that corner much wider which is what I do when I am trying to close down the gap mid race (and qualy, etc).
Ah okay yeah, that is the final turn before the front straight. That corner is tricky because right at the apex, the track actually dips down a bit. I find that if you hit the proper apex right on, you can upset the balance of the kart on the exit.
I will however pay more attention to that corner tonight!
No you probably aren’t. Just a fun thought tho. Does anyone ever take it?
I’m assuming there’s some moment of reduced throttle you could mount the kerb with.
Working on the video but just wanted to give an update on last nights results! I had a terrible kart in qualifying that had absolutely awful acceleration out of every corner. Qualified 10th (>4 seconds off my pb lap time). In the heat race, I got another terrible kart which also had no acceleration. It had okay top end once it rev’d up but I was losing so much time out of every corner. Fell back to 14th. I finally got a solid kart in the final race. Managed to chase down 11 drivers throughout the race and finish P3 on the podium!
Going into this race, I was P2 in the championship points. Because of this P3 finish and a late-in-the-race pass of the guy in P3 in the points, I managed to keep 2nd place overall in the championship for the Open Class to wrap up the season!
My wife had another solid race to be proud of in the Rookie Class! She qualified P8 (out of 22) and ended up finishing P10 in the final. For her first season racing positionally, running the entire season as the only woman in the field and facing some blatantly sexist rhetoric from other drivers, she stuck it out and proved she absolutely deserved to be there and is a respectable driver! I am so very proud of her!
I’ll have the videos put together as soon as I can but that might be a few weeks to be honest!
Also timely because @Bimodal_Rocket and I were talking about how the forums are a sausage fest. It’s something I think everyone here would like to change.
Please extend her my apologies on behalf of 99% of karters.
Congrats on the strong finish! That must have been an emotional roller coaster of a day. Getting the dog of the fleet is such a punch in the gut, I can relate. It must have been a wonderful moment pulling out for the points race, realizing you’ve got a good one, and you made the most of it, it would seem.
Congrats to your spouse for being a badass and kicking some butt as well.
Thanks man, we appreciate it! Unfortunately there is a lot of “you got beat by a girl?!?” or “just as long as I don’t get beaten by a girl!” comments that come up…even directly in front of her. Yet she finished 6th in the championship for the Rookie class which had 25+ drivers so…a lot of people got beat by a girl every week :).
Thankfully, we have never experienced anything remotely like that in our actual sprint karting club racing! In fact, we were (and are) continually impressed by how many girls are out there and celebrated from cadets all the way up to seniors!
I would say a good 10% of the racers at my local track were Female. Awesome to see! Most are junior or Sr but there was at least one driver that was running in the Heavy class with mucho lead.
I pretty much expect to be beaten by the ladies. Why this should be emasculating, I don’t know. They are usually lighter. Don’t get me started on the kids. How can you beat that weight differential?
Ahh. I would imagine that the camera would take some hits. Seems like it would be an interesting angle while it works, though. I can’t imagine any race director allowing front bumper mount tho.
