10-21-2023, 02:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-11-2023, 11:19 PM by Terry Bentley.)
Chapter 144
When we first started out practicing today, the pits were still mostly empty. Since then, they have steadily been filling up. We already moved over several times to make room for more karts close to us. By now we were crammed in like sardines.
I thought being here this morning and selecting our choice pit spot early was be a good idea. But now think having to pit outside the fenced area was not such a bad thing.
We all suited up after taking turns checking over each others karts. Being out in the sun all day makes it easy to overlook things. Chris made mention about Steves chain being a little bit too loose, which it was. He didnt want to be the one blamed if driving Steves kart when it threw the chain.
So this time out, Steve gave Chris a long pep talk before proceeding on to the track. Almost to the point of Chris rolling his eyes. Steve just wanted to make sure his kart would return in the same condition as it left.
As like most times previously, I fired up the other two karts first then made sure they got out on the track before doing to same with mine. This has mostly eliminated problems in case another kart would not start.
Since Steve and Chris swapped karts and planned to run together, it wouldnt work out so well if I was already on the track and either of them had problems in the pits. If one of the karts did not fire right up, then take mine out instead while I would fix the problem.
Since the karts have all proven to be fast and reliable, todays primary focus was now getting Chris up to speed with his driving. Then hopefully if everything is still running come race time, we all get to race tonight.
It took a few laps before Chris and Steve managed to hook up. There was a lot of traffic out there on the track right now. With all of the classes running, You could see a big difference in speed too. It is very distracting when a dual engine kart comes buzzing by you right at the end of the long straight.
The guys running two engines are seriously fast in a straight line. One of them comes by an it feels like the pavement is being sucked up as they pass by. Then for a brief moment you are pulled forward in their draft. This is most noticeable right at the end of the long straight.
Unfortunately some of these guys slam on the brakes and cause us to loose all of the momentum we had going in to that turn. This gets very frustrating. I was surprised at first to find out that many of the faster drivers are not so much quicker in the turns than our slow karts.
We can maintain a lot of speed on the very tight sections, but have nothing on the straights. So we get passed every lap, just to get stuck behind that kart all the way until the long straight. Then they finally get enough distance for us not to catch back up to them.
The dual engine guys were complaining about the bushing engines slowing them down so much. They couldnt put down a good uninterrupted lap time with so many of us all over the track. So after an hour, the Race Director split up practice sessions.
There were enough juniors and some senior bushing class entrants to have a separate practice. So we had a ten minute session, then the other classes combined for a 20 minutes session.
This worked out decently enough. Now we had the opportunity to run against mostly the guys in our own class. We were also running against the faster junior class too, but they did not cause any trouble even with the speed differences.
By the time I made it on to the track, Steve and Chris were running together on the other side. With so much traffic coming and going, I was stuck there. So I took advantage of the moment and pushed my kart for all it was worth.
My focus was more on how many karts I could run down and make a clean pass than paying attention to what class they were entered in. The juniors running Macs in the faster class were easy to spot. The others not so much.
I was surprised the amount of juniors running Macs that were not so fast. Several of them were easy enough to pass without any problems. It was the long straight when they would usually pass my kart. Most of them had great speed in a straight line, but not so impressive on the rest of track.
We spent a lot of time swapping gears around to get the best overall speed. Not always focusing on fastest lap times. A super fast lap time by yourself is not the same as having to deal with traffic. You change that line you found fast and your lap times tanked. So one or two tooth more gear on rear axle slightly slowed down our times, but gaining some benefit if running in a lot of traffic.
This got me to thinking even more about fast lap times. When running in heavy traffic during practice today, I might still not have the right gear for the fastest possible lap with these other karts. So it might be hard to set up just perfect unless I was out on the track with only the guys in my class.
If we were running time trials out here, it would be smart to have a special engine just for that. Then you lay down a super fast lap time. Before the first heat you change engine and gear over to a better setup that will be more suitable in traffic.
There is another thing to consider when running time trials. If fastest kart always starts in front, then a gear change might not be such a good strategy. You stick with the fastest lap time gear and hope you dont get stuck behind another driver.
When we first started practicing, I kept dropping down on teeth from how Mr Cates had my kart originally set up. We ended up going four teeth lower. This gave us decent lap times and still remaining strong in traffic. One less tooth could make for a better lap time, but seriously hurt us in the race.
Another thing I still have not factored in is that tuned exhaust my kart had on it originally. It didnt sound nearly quiet like a muffler. But so far I have not seen other karts equipped with anything like it. This is just one other thing we need to test out here one day. But just getting this far and finally being able to race has taken so much time already.
With the extra modifications done just on my engine, I needed to add one tooth more than Chris and Steve to make it really fast. Adding one more tooth on either of their karts just makes the engine run harder. Not even helping so much in heavy traffic. So they have the best gear choice.
I enjoyed this practice session running mostly with the junior drivers in other classes. My kart is not slow at all, even compared to some of the faster classes. But not all of those drivers are fast either. Plenty of juniors passing me and run away. But so far they were only running McCullochs.
Knowing this took all the fun out of passing any of the Mac powered karts. These karts would not be running anywhere near the front of their class. So far I have not seen the two brothers running Westbends. No idea of how we compare against them yet.
After our session was over, Steve and Chris had already pulled in and sitting there talking. I had just pushed up to our pits seeing Chris with a smile on his face. Hey Terry, I felt a lot better out there this time. Forget what I said about not racing tonight. I was not thinking straight.
Chris went on describing what he had figured out after driving Steves kart. When Chris was in front he didnt get to copy how Steve was driving on any part of the track. He was also following other drivers with different lines that didnt work so well for him.
But on Steves kart he figured out the problem. Chris copied Steve exactly. Meaning when Chris was following, would turn exactly the same time as when Steve did. Except Chris was behind Steve, so actually turning in or braking too soon.
Chris also realized when out front on Steves kart, he could almost close his eyes and copy Steves actions in his mind. The kart responded like it should because he was steering or braking where Steve had been doing instead of where he was following behind.
Chris was now more excited about taking his kart out there and just making laps following different drivers. He would try not to copy the guy ahead exactly the same way he had been doing. Then try to find that happy spot he was comfortable with on his kart.
After the explanation from him, Chris stopped speaking for a moment while catching up on his breathing. Does any of this even make sense?
Sure Chris it makes a lot of sense in a very confusing sort of way. So why dont you get ready to go out. The other practice session will be over shortly. Get your kart filled up with gas and look everything over really well. The closer to race time it gets the more distracted we are going to be since helping with the races tonight.
The next session, both me and Steve decided to sit tight for now. Chris showed a lot more confidence. He jumped out there and made laps the full session. His driving at first was very jerky. Then after about the third lap, he settled down and was looking more like his old self running deeper into the turns and driving out of them a lot faster.
On the last practice session for the juniors and senior bushing, we all went out together for a few laps then calling it quits until race time. So far the engines have been very reliable and no major issues along the way. We keep checking over the karts every time after running. This eliminates any chance of overlooking something before it turns into a big problem.
After we finished the few laps out there together, the karts were checked over again, topped off with gas and covered up. We had work to do before the races started. Chris would remain on the grid helping Paul with lining up each class and preparing the next one to follow. Paul was the Race Director. But would also be overseeing Chris as acting grid steward tonight.
Me and Steve were relegated to acting corner marshals. We get swapped out with others who would also be racing tonight. We were relieved one race before ours. But soon as we come off the track, then had to run back out to a designated corner.
Tonight is going to be very busy for us. Trying to race while helping out will not leave any free time to do anything else. I hope there is no problems with the karts or could be a disaster for one or all of us.
One concession is we did get our entry fees and pit passes waved. But this also includes all of the work we did this morning. There are several corner marshals that are only filling in so the three of us can race tonight. They will get a voucher for a free soda during intermission or after the races are over.
When we first started out practicing today, the pits were still mostly empty. Since then, they have steadily been filling up. We already moved over several times to make room for more karts close to us. By now we were crammed in like sardines.
I thought being here this morning and selecting our choice pit spot early was be a good idea. But now think having to pit outside the fenced area was not such a bad thing.
We all suited up after taking turns checking over each others karts. Being out in the sun all day makes it easy to overlook things. Chris made mention about Steves chain being a little bit too loose, which it was. He didnt want to be the one blamed if driving Steves kart when it threw the chain.
So this time out, Steve gave Chris a long pep talk before proceeding on to the track. Almost to the point of Chris rolling his eyes. Steve just wanted to make sure his kart would return in the same condition as it left.
As like most times previously, I fired up the other two karts first then made sure they got out on the track before doing to same with mine. This has mostly eliminated problems in case another kart would not start.
Since Steve and Chris swapped karts and planned to run together, it wouldnt work out so well if I was already on the track and either of them had problems in the pits. If one of the karts did not fire right up, then take mine out instead while I would fix the problem.
Since the karts have all proven to be fast and reliable, todays primary focus was now getting Chris up to speed with his driving. Then hopefully if everything is still running come race time, we all get to race tonight.
It took a few laps before Chris and Steve managed to hook up. There was a lot of traffic out there on the track right now. With all of the classes running, You could see a big difference in speed too. It is very distracting when a dual engine kart comes buzzing by you right at the end of the long straight.
The guys running two engines are seriously fast in a straight line. One of them comes by an it feels like the pavement is being sucked up as they pass by. Then for a brief moment you are pulled forward in their draft. This is most noticeable right at the end of the long straight.
Unfortunately some of these guys slam on the brakes and cause us to loose all of the momentum we had going in to that turn. This gets very frustrating. I was surprised at first to find out that many of the faster drivers are not so much quicker in the turns than our slow karts.
We can maintain a lot of speed on the very tight sections, but have nothing on the straights. So we get passed every lap, just to get stuck behind that kart all the way until the long straight. Then they finally get enough distance for us not to catch back up to them.
The dual engine guys were complaining about the bushing engines slowing them down so much. They couldnt put down a good uninterrupted lap time with so many of us all over the track. So after an hour, the Race Director split up practice sessions.
There were enough juniors and some senior bushing class entrants to have a separate practice. So we had a ten minute session, then the other classes combined for a 20 minutes session.
This worked out decently enough. Now we had the opportunity to run against mostly the guys in our own class. We were also running against the faster junior class too, but they did not cause any trouble even with the speed differences.
By the time I made it on to the track, Steve and Chris were running together on the other side. With so much traffic coming and going, I was stuck there. So I took advantage of the moment and pushed my kart for all it was worth.
My focus was more on how many karts I could run down and make a clean pass than paying attention to what class they were entered in. The juniors running Macs in the faster class were easy to spot. The others not so much.
I was surprised the amount of juniors running Macs that were not so fast. Several of them were easy enough to pass without any problems. It was the long straight when they would usually pass my kart. Most of them had great speed in a straight line, but not so impressive on the rest of track.
We spent a lot of time swapping gears around to get the best overall speed. Not always focusing on fastest lap times. A super fast lap time by yourself is not the same as having to deal with traffic. You change that line you found fast and your lap times tanked. So one or two tooth more gear on rear axle slightly slowed down our times, but gaining some benefit if running in a lot of traffic.
This got me to thinking even more about fast lap times. When running in heavy traffic during practice today, I might still not have the right gear for the fastest possible lap with these other karts. So it might be hard to set up just perfect unless I was out on the track with only the guys in my class.
If we were running time trials out here, it would be smart to have a special engine just for that. Then you lay down a super fast lap time. Before the first heat you change engine and gear over to a better setup that will be more suitable in traffic.
There is another thing to consider when running time trials. If fastest kart always starts in front, then a gear change might not be such a good strategy. You stick with the fastest lap time gear and hope you dont get stuck behind another driver.
When we first started practicing, I kept dropping down on teeth from how Mr Cates had my kart originally set up. We ended up going four teeth lower. This gave us decent lap times and still remaining strong in traffic. One less tooth could make for a better lap time, but seriously hurt us in the race.
Another thing I still have not factored in is that tuned exhaust my kart had on it originally. It didnt sound nearly quiet like a muffler. But so far I have not seen other karts equipped with anything like it. This is just one other thing we need to test out here one day. But just getting this far and finally being able to race has taken so much time already.
With the extra modifications done just on my engine, I needed to add one tooth more than Chris and Steve to make it really fast. Adding one more tooth on either of their karts just makes the engine run harder. Not even helping so much in heavy traffic. So they have the best gear choice.
I enjoyed this practice session running mostly with the junior drivers in other classes. My kart is not slow at all, even compared to some of the faster classes. But not all of those drivers are fast either. Plenty of juniors passing me and run away. But so far they were only running McCullochs.
Knowing this took all the fun out of passing any of the Mac powered karts. These karts would not be running anywhere near the front of their class. So far I have not seen the two brothers running Westbends. No idea of how we compare against them yet.
After our session was over, Steve and Chris had already pulled in and sitting there talking. I had just pushed up to our pits seeing Chris with a smile on his face. Hey Terry, I felt a lot better out there this time. Forget what I said about not racing tonight. I was not thinking straight.
Chris went on describing what he had figured out after driving Steves kart. When Chris was in front he didnt get to copy how Steve was driving on any part of the track. He was also following other drivers with different lines that didnt work so well for him.
But on Steves kart he figured out the problem. Chris copied Steve exactly. Meaning when Chris was following, would turn exactly the same time as when Steve did. Except Chris was behind Steve, so actually turning in or braking too soon.
Chris also realized when out front on Steves kart, he could almost close his eyes and copy Steves actions in his mind. The kart responded like it should because he was steering or braking where Steve had been doing instead of where he was following behind.
Chris was now more excited about taking his kart out there and just making laps following different drivers. He would try not to copy the guy ahead exactly the same way he had been doing. Then try to find that happy spot he was comfortable with on his kart.
After the explanation from him, Chris stopped speaking for a moment while catching up on his breathing. Does any of this even make sense?
Sure Chris it makes a lot of sense in a very confusing sort of way. So why dont you get ready to go out. The other practice session will be over shortly. Get your kart filled up with gas and look everything over really well. The closer to race time it gets the more distracted we are going to be since helping with the races tonight.
The next session, both me and Steve decided to sit tight for now. Chris showed a lot more confidence. He jumped out there and made laps the full session. His driving at first was very jerky. Then after about the third lap, he settled down and was looking more like his old self running deeper into the turns and driving out of them a lot faster.
On the last practice session for the juniors and senior bushing, we all went out together for a few laps then calling it quits until race time. So far the engines have been very reliable and no major issues along the way. We keep checking over the karts every time after running. This eliminates any chance of overlooking something before it turns into a big problem.
After we finished the few laps out there together, the karts were checked over again, topped off with gas and covered up. We had work to do before the races started. Chris would remain on the grid helping Paul with lining up each class and preparing the next one to follow. Paul was the Race Director. But would also be overseeing Chris as acting grid steward tonight.
Me and Steve were relegated to acting corner marshals. We get swapped out with others who would also be racing tonight. We were relieved one race before ours. But soon as we come off the track, then had to run back out to a designated corner.
Tonight is going to be very busy for us. Trying to race while helping out will not leave any free time to do anything else. I hope there is no problems with the karts or could be a disaster for one or all of us.
One concession is we did get our entry fees and pit passes waved. But this also includes all of the work we did this morning. There are several corner marshals that are only filling in so the three of us can race tonight. They will get a voucher for a free soda during intermission or after the races are over.