Forum Replies Created
- Posts
Maybe Bridgestone could do something for us:
http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/070203123256.shtml
Charles
Jim,
I have to agree with the points Tom is making.
At the meeting last night, it sounded like there will only be four slots for the GN for each Rotax class (except Mini Max and DD2). That means that anyone trying to qualify for the GN will have to use the fastest tire, which is the MG Yellow. That’s unfortunate because, as Doug says, it will take experience to get the best out of the Mojos, and Colorado Rotax racers aren’t going to get that experience if they have to run MGs.
Charles
Brad,
Sorry about the break-in attempt. But are you sure those dents in the building weren’t already there from one of Jansen’s off-course excursions?
Charles
I think that we’d be better off if front brakes weren’t allowed in either TaG or Rotax – they’re just more money we’ll all pay just to stay even with each other. However, since Rotax does allow front brakes and TaG USA is apparently allowing them now, I think the CSC should allow them so that one kart can be competitive and legal in both series.
I don’t think that front brakes are really much, if any, of an advantage in lap speeds – nobody running up front at the Grand Nationals was using them. I do think they will give an advantage when passing a non-front brake kart.
Another concern is that when everyone has front brakes passing will be even more difficult than it is now. The braking zones will be even shorter and there will be less distance to make a pass. Even though I like the MG Yellows, I think they’ve had the same effect. We’ve got too much grip for good racing.
I guess this is a schizophrenic post, but I allowing front brakes will be an advantage for anybody running both Rotax and TaG.
Charles
Jim,
I’m glad to see that there will be at least one fast turn in the Grand National track this year. I think a national championship race should have a mixture of turns and should definitely have some really fast stuff.
Neither Willow Springs or Road America had any really quick turns and not even very many medium speed turns.Charles
Don’t forget that karts don’t have roll bars. Even if the HANS device could work without belts, I don’t think that having your head held stationary and upright if the kart flips over would be a good thing.
Charles
Peak hp is not the only indicator of an engine’s performance. On the dyno sheets I saw, the Rotax was the peakiest of the TaG engines. The Rotax may have the highest peak hp, but only over a relatively short rpm range. The other TaG motors have much flatter power curves, so they are stronger at lower rpm ranges.
The maximum rpm that an engine can turn also affects performance. Some of the other TaG motors turn more rpm than the Rotax, so on a track with a wide range of speeds shorter gearing can be run on those motors for the slow corners and they still won’t run out of revs on the straight.
Finally, on track results are a real performance indicator. We saw several different types of engines running up front this year. If the Rotax was dominant everybody would be switching to it, and that certainly wasn’t the case.
Charles
There was a new Mojo spec tire for the Grand Regional and Grand National this year. I thought it was a pretty good tire. By “good” I mean that it had balanced handling characteristics, good grip (not quite as much as MG Yellows, but better than Bridgestone YHCs), excellent tire life, and was very consistent with little performance dropoff.
Charles
I like the Speed Secrets series of books by Ross Bentley. They’re not specifically about kart driving, but offer a very pragmatic approach to race driving. There’s some technique described but I think his approach to the mental aspects of driving is unique and very helpful.
Charles
I’d like to see at least one of the temp circuit races make it onto the CSC schedule.
I agree with Rick about Steamboat being a great way to end the season, for technical and recreational reasons. I really enjoy racing on permanent circuits, but the temp circuits represent a different kind of challenge that I really liked and looked forward to the last couple of years. I know they can be fun races without counting for CSC points, but counting for points adds extra excitement, at least for me.
Charles
Would it make sense for CSC to contact this group who is promoting karting in Canada as an alternative to street racing?
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/karting/33721/
It would be interesting to find out what results they’re getting and how their program is set up. They are also producing a video on karting to go with the program.
Maybe putting programs like this in place at colleges or high schools might be a way to generate interest and get people to the tracks. I have no idea if anything like this has been tried before in Colorado.
Just a thought,
CharlesCraig,
I can’t add much to what’s already been said. I’ve really enjoyed participating with you in on- and off-track events.
Best of luck to you and your family and I hope to see you at the races again sometime.
Charles
I showed my kart at the race car show in Loveland today. It was held in a shopping mall parking lot. There were quite a few cars there, mostly oval track cars but also a few vintage, quarter migets, and mini-cup cars. I was the only kart. There was a pretty good crowd.
There was an old (probably early 50s) open wheel front-engined roadster that was used for the Pikes Peak hillclimb. It was powered by a Lincoln V8 – an unusual engine choice.
Anyway, there were quite a few people who came by and talked to me about my kart, including a couple who sounded serious about getting their kids starting in karting.
There was a TV crew there and as I was leaving they asked me to wait and tape an 1-minute interview on karting. It wasn’t too painful as the interviewer was a blonde who was a Pam Anderson lookalike. It’s supposed to air during Thanksgiving week on the Altitude channel. So maybe I’ll get on TV if I’m not edited out. 8)
Charles
