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First Karting Experience
2
(33 posts, started )
#26 - kidzer
That first pic keiran posted, the yellow kart with red number 16 - thats an awesome corner in a Rotax Max!

Not particularly hard, but its fun when you realise you've just gone through it flat for the last however many laps

btw Keiran, the newspaper cutout there says "Keiran Smart from Oldmeldrum" - where are you now?

Edit: I assume that yellow kart photo is running on the old circuit? If so, for the benifit of those who don't know boyndie (everyone except me and you I imagine ), then its coming from the right of the picture, wheras now thats a more pronounced straight that you come at from behind the tyre wall on the right of the pic.

And the award for a rubbish description goes to...
#27 - keiran
Quote from kidzer :That first pic keiran posted, the yellow kart with red number 16 - thats an awesome corner in a Rotax Max!

Not particularly hard, but its fun when you realise you've just gone through it flat for the last however many laps

btw Keiran, the newspaper cutout there says "Keiran Smart from Oldmeldrum" - where are you now?

Edit: I assume that yellow kart photo is running on the old circuit? If so, for the benifit of those who don't know boyndie (everyone except me and you I imagine), then its coming from the right of the picture, wheras now thats a more pronounced straight that you come at from behind the tyre wall on the right of the pic.

And the award for a rubbish description goes to...

Just back from Boyndie in pain but was a great days racing

I still stay where I did when I raced, on the outskirts of Oldmeldrum.

Yea all them old pictures were on the old circuit. Really enjoy the new circuit though, even in a pro kart it's still pretty quick. Me and my Dad were racing today against someone who races pro kart endurance races and someone who is always on the pro karts weekend after weekend when they do the hire kart meetings. He has seemingly done 100s of laps of the track and at the start of the day I'd only done like 10.

Practice went well but wet with slicks made it very interesting . 1st heat it was still damp, finished tbh a disappointing 3rd. Made a mistake and got sucked into the wet part of the track letting my Dad and the person who has done 100s of laps around the track past. From then I just picked away very small chunks from the leaders. My Dad took the victory in the end with a pass at the very last corner.

2nd heat was going great. Started 9th! and was up to 4th after T1 and then 3rd by T2. Dad had a great start around the outside but someone just came right across on him and bent the tracking bar over the chassis (damn bendy ones). I was all over the leader but his defending was crazy, cutting my nose off with his sudden movements. I was setting him up for a pass into the final corner when a back marker was going very slowly on the apex of the turn, I locked up trying to slow down but hit the backmarker and spun on the kerb Managed to regain a few places and finish 3rd taking the person who has done 100s of laps on the very final corner. Was so surprised to catch him so quickly, he had nearly half a straight on and within 2 laps I was on his case.

So for the 3rd heat I was starting mid-field, 5th. Me and my Dad had a great start going up to 1-2 within a few corners. Either the end of lap 1 or 2 I got him on the exit of the last turn as he understeered wide and from then I just ran off with it. My Dad said that kart he had was just rubbish and the tyres on it were some hard things of a TKM. So coming into the final few laps I had like the whole 3 quarters of the straight if not the whole thing. When suddenly I feel a large bang to my right hand side and the engine revs went through the roof. Was just exiting the sharper hairpin that joins you to the old track. Dived into the pits and took another kart, took 5th I think, maybe 6th. That killed my chance of a front row start for the final so I thought I'd have my work cut out beating the person who's on them things all the time

So for the finals I lined up 4 alongside my Dad. The 3 of us that have been battling it out all had the same tires. First task was to get pass the person who was 2nd as they were only really there because of the problems me and my Dad had. 4 a breast into T1 (as in the start T1), I backed out as I had two karts on my inside. Managed to take 3rd but my Dad took the lead and I just saw him vanishing as I tried to get past the person who is seemingly always there. Got him by lap 2 and started to make chase, was taking small chunks out of him but finally some good luck for me, a back marker compromised him letting me get to about 3/4 kart lengths and from there I really put the hammer down. Managed to take the time out of him but in the process had a huge moment in the middle of the second fast right hander, clipped the kerb which must have been slightly wet still and it just sent the rear of the kart well out, no way was I going to recover it. But to my surprise I did, hit the kerb on the outside which stopped the rear sliding and off I went again. Final 2-3 laps I was on my Dads tail and it was wheel to wheel stuff. My Dad said he wasn't going to give any room and I was the same. I had a few attempts but nothing that was going to stick, basically trying to catch him out. Second last lap I was right on his tail into the final corner when he made a mistake, I got him into the loop but he managed to get me into the second part as I bogged down. But because of my wide line for the second part of the loop I had great drive and was half way alongside his kart into T1 but backed out as I was right on the inside and even if I did make it pass he'd get me around the outside into the next fast corner. So I planned my next attempt into the final corner. Got a great chance but again the slow back marker I ran into in the heats was pissing about, my Dad got him just into the braking zone but I didn't, he hovered over to the racing line a bit so I just had to get off the brakes and get down the inside ASAP to make sure he didn't turn in anymore. Which of course I understeered wide and let my Dad off for the run to the chequered flag. So it was a Smart 1-2 in favour of the old man

Was a great battle and the first time me and my Dad have had the chance to race wheel to wheel. We've both raced karts and my Dad has done hill climb.

Most of the prokarts were running the Vegas for the Max on the front and TKM tyres on the rear so half way through the race there was a good bit of oversteer. God that new section of track is bumpy, hit the kerb really heavily on the hairpin that takes you back onto the old track and it hurt! Problem for me and my Dad was we were too slim for the seats and you just rattle in them. I'm all bruised around my lower back and sides. Also my knees from whacking them off the steering column bolts.

Will most likely be taking part in the final non MSA round . Only thing is it really makes me want to get back into it
#28 - kidzer
Awesome, I might end up having some money by then - might be able to enter the last round myself

Sounds like good fun, i'll have to dig up the email about it
#29 - z3r0c00l
Update!

So I booked a quiet session this morning, only person on the track, so 3 marshalls jumped on too....

I've knocked a second off my personal best and can consistantly keep it there so they've offered me a place in a winter championship they're trying to get together! Certainly put a smile on my face.

Need to start some weights tho, my arms are killing me....
#30 - keiran
Quote from z3r0c00l :Update!

So I booked a quiet session this morning, only person on the track, so 3 marshalls jumped on too....

I've knocked a second off my personal best and can consistantly keep it there so they've offered me a place in a winter championship they're trying to get together! Certainly put a smile on my face.

Need to start some weights tho, my arms are killing me....

Well done

Ya, I'm in pain after being in them prokarts yesterday. Got a big bruise on my lower back and sides and bruises on my knees from smacking them off the steering column bolt a few times. Those big heavy rental prokarts weigh a heck of a lot and add some very sticky slicks it just makes it hard going. You have to remember in a kart your not only steering the thing your effectively lifting your body weight as it wants to life the inside rear wheel. Quite surprised my arms are alright Thought I'd wake up all stiff after not doing anything for a few years but not too bad.

Much better when you can fit a seat that fits you and position it and the steering column where you prefer.
#31 - ayrton senna 87
whats with all the TKM cussing keiran lol!!

i bet u that i could beat u in my TKM if your MAX had 4 race old slicks on. The MAXs power advantage comes from only the power valve, and the huge weight slows it down alot. So they put really soft tyres on to fool people into thinking its a faster better class!
#32 - keiran
I didn't slag off TKM at all ... I just stated that one of the prokarts was using TKM tyres all round. Which are a lot harder than the sticky Rotax tyres that the rest were using on the fronts. All of them were using TKM tyres on the rear.

If I still had my Jnr Max I'd take you on. We were 2 seconds a lap quicker than the Snr TKM assuming the they are still the same as they were a few years ago. Even Mini max is about 1.5 seconds a lap quicker than Snr TKM.

Btw these times are not based on the fastest times they are bassed on times within 3% of the average lap.

The Rotax engine is still powerful without the power valve, the gain from the power valve is only 1 second between the Jnrs and Snrs. The Jnr Max to the Jnr TKM is only 16kgs of a difference. You have to take into consideration that the Maxs are carrying a radioatar, battery and starter motor so isn't all that much heavier.

Keiran
#33 - z3r0c00l
2 stroke powervalves, something I actually know about. My motorbike is an old yamaha 2 stroke, stunning the difference it makes with and without that powervalve turned. I want the kit that rotates the valve at 7000rpm so I get some sort of low down power as well as the 20 odd bhp from 7-10 thou rpm.

At the moment I either have a 5 second 0-60 by holding it on the clutch at 8000rpm, or, 8 second 0-60 and bogging out real quick. Embaressing stuff.

If you do end up racing eachother money where your mouth is style, make sure you video it! (I almost said make sure you get the .mpr...... lol)

I know what you mean about the wheel lifting, I tried shifting my weight to get more grip on the outside wheels round the hairpin because they slide real easy on solid tyres and a polished concrete track, the inside rear wheel tried to overtake me!

I ended up doing the whole track at full throttle for the middle 4 laps of my last practice session. Lost a lot of time, so much easier to drift round though, softened the tyres up a bit for my personal best lap too.

My girlfriend's covered in bruises where she got smashed into the pits by a right prat the other day, now she wont come anymore! lol
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First Karting Experience
(33 posts, started )
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