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Thanks Doug, Greg, and Jeff. I came away with even more good pointers than I expected. With luck, the rest of the white stuff will melt and I can put this info to good use. Already looking forward to the engine seminar.
The trouble is, now I need an avatar where I’m not leaning my head into the corner! Blame 20 years of racing bicycles. D’oh. 😳
@Greg Welch wrote:
…I like [the Phoenix] because it also has padding up and over your shoulders …
Ditto for my Sparco vest ($100), plus it’s got a big honkin’ sternum protector to let me fill out my driving suit better (tough when you’re 6′-1″ and 160 lbs sopping wet).
In the end, make sure you try on what you’re going to get, ideally while wearing your driving suit and sitting in your own seat (take both to the shop with you).
@Road Runner wrote:
(little bro’s basket ball game :bang :bang :bang )
Well, does he ever come to the track with you? He could lift the kart instead of your mom… :rotate: Sounds like he owes you one.
@Uber Wagon wrote:
As another newbie I find the following things have helped me learn the most…
Be sure you get a MyChron or similar data acquisition package that you can upload to a PC. Having real-time feedback of lap times is great, and looking at your RPM traces later (comparing max/min RPM from one lap to the next at various points on the track) really helps you see where you’re gaining or losing time. The latter is a little like listening to baseball on the radio, but I find it helps me visualize what to try differently, plus it’s amusing to go back and look at what you were doing in your first few sessions once your comfort level increases… :loony:
As far as the publications go, Bondurant’s book is good because it focuses on the driver. A Memo Gidley book is next on my list. Books on equipment tend to try to be all things to all people, and aren’t a huge help IMHO. Better to learn about the classes that are supported in your area by going to tracks and kart shops.
Pickup truck-mounted cranes? Harbor Freight, baby! :dance:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37555
I use a furniture dolly (carpeted wood platform with 4 casters) under the rear end, then I lift the front end to get it started on the trailer. I then pick up the back end and walk it onto the trailer. Unloading is the reverse, using a foot to position the dolly before dropping the rear end onto it.
The next step would be to find a way to get the kart on and off the stand (without buying an electric lift). I’ve contemplated mounting some sturdy hooks at the right height on the garage wall (it’s bare studs). If I took off the front bumper, I could lift the front end of the chassis, hang it on the wall, lift the rear end, get the stand under the kart, and unhook the front end. Again, the dolly would be used to support the back end while it’s down. Hmmm… Maybe the block and tackle route makes more sense. :rotate:
At the track, of course, there’s always someone to help with raising/lowering.
Thankfully, my wife has been a good sport (so far) about lifting the kart. Just be sure your wife always lifts the front end. 🙂
You can try Oakley shoes on at their store in Cherry Creek Mall (I don’t recall if any kart shops here carry them). Definitely get them snug because they’ll stretch. I have the Oakley low-tops, and the toes are a little too pointy for me. I got them 1/2 size too big and they feel like clown shoes! If anyone in town still has Shift shoes, take a look.
@Rick Schmidt wrote:
Garrick, Where you there? You better not have been there and not come hang with us!
LOL… I was in Vegas on business on Wednesday (day trip… the miracle of air travel). By the time I figured out where to park, I realized I didn’t have enough time to get inside the track and spend any meaningful amount of time there, so I watched/shot photos from outside the fence at the east end of the track for maybe 30 minutes before I had to bug out for the airport. Man, those SuperPros were fast. 😯
Supernats is waaaaay out of my league, but it’s been a blast even just watching practice. At least this year I got comfortable with my kart, and I’m not as scared about running in traffic, so I’m more likely to come out to TTAC when there’s actually a crowd there. Every time I go, I meet someone else I “know” from this site.
Cheers,
Two more found on YouTube… Helmetcam from Rotax Senior.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyZdVNOdXC4&feature=related
SuperPro finals.
@fuzzy wrote:
ok all this is good but no one has answered my question……who makes this 4 stroke and are they in a class currently at the club level here locally. Are these motors electric start…………come on some one tell us something.
Look here: http://engines4racing.com/ has plenty of photos and specs. The 3 engines at the top of the graphic (Oral, Vampire, Biland) are what you’re looking at. All are made in Europe and share little with what has traditionally been called “4-cycle racing” (Briggs & Stratton) aside from the combustion cycle. Of these, the Vampire is what I’ve seen/heard the most about here. I thought the Biland factory was closing down or changing hands; someone else will have to speak to its future. Brad Linkus at IMI up north of town is importing the Oral, Vampire, and Biland, hence the oft-repeated “talk to Brad” comments.
The tone of the information you’ll get on the 4-strokes depends on who you ask and in what basket he’s putting his eggs. Here’s the take of a guy who’s had a kart for a year and is just happy to go to the track and putz around, but who wants to have a package that will last a while. Yes, they’re electric start (TAG = Touch and Go) and have a centrifugal clutch, so no push-starts and you can get going again on your own after a spin. Benefits cited for the 4-strokes over 2-strokes like my Rotax are ungodly low-end torque, more horsepower, loooooong rebuild interval (1000 hours vs. 20-50?) [EDIT: lolz!], no mixing of fuel, and they sound quite different (reminiscent of the Buick stock blocks at Indy in the late 80’s compared to the Cosworth turbos).
Yes, they run at the club level in the IMI/The Track club series, and probably elsewhere. Depending on the number of karts showing up, they may (normally do?) run concurrently with other classes. It’s still a small class, but growing, and those who back it do so with fervor.
Off to the gym to work off all that turkey… 🙂
@Rick Schmidt wrote:
Garrick, they use 219 chains. We change every 2 race weekends, but I do the same with a Rotax or Tag. If you do not adjust your tension properly or trail brake excessively, it will clean the gears right off. We have not had a chain or gear failure in the 1st year. Come out and ride it. They have amazing engine brake power and balls deluxe on the bottom.
Yeah, after I posted I went to the engines4racing site and saw the specs. Was also interested to see the Oral and Vampire are outboard drive, so looks like concerns about fitting the engine are less than I thought.
Interesting stuff for when I get bored with the Rotax. I still need to learn to drive what I have first! 😀
@fuzzy wrote:
So someone tell me about the tag 4 stroke class…
…And do they use 219 chains? How are the chains holding up with all that power, or are they turning at enough lower RPM that it’s not a big issue?
Just remember:
rapido (RAH-pee-doh) = fast
lento (LEN-toh) = slow
izquierda (eez-KYER-dah) = left
derecha (deh-RAY-cha) = right
dale gas (DAH-lay GAS) = pedal to the metal, baby! 8)Is it because the common perception is that Masters are (a) doing it for fun, and (b) can afford their equipment, and therefore don’t value prizes as much?
That’s how I remember it being in bicycle racing… The Masters were in it “for fun,” although it was widely acknowledged that the 35+ race was one of the hardest-fought. Cycling also went through the proliferation of “old new guys” in the sport… Once Lance Armstrong started doing his thing in France, lots of older guys discovered the sport. Suddenly, there was an influx of rookies into what was once the domain of guys who started racing as teenagers, but who were now raising families. Suddenly, there was a huge demand for an “old guy beginner race” at each event.
In the end, it ended up being a case of the older racers subsidizing the younger ones with reduced (or zero) entry fees, prizes, etc. Would that fly in the karting community? I’m not the one to answer.
