Okay desirable track features IMO: - Must be fncken fast!. I hate tracks that are simply not fast enough. There is a great little track in NZ called Manfield which is okay for racing as plenty of passing places, etc. but it lacks one really important thing to me, and that is it is not scary fast anywhere ... needs a 120+ mph corner where the car is dancing, etc. A great track is one where you get out of the car afterwards and your eyes are wide open and you have had to push your fear boundaries and you are thinking 'love that sequence, just love it'. - Undulations. Make the suspension work and the grip levels change ... heaps of fun - Must have a long straight into a very tight hairpin to promote passing. - Must also have a tight sequence into a tight hairpin so the cars that handle can slip up the inside of the fast in a straight line cars. - Must be techincally challenging, but a rythme can be found. - Must have nothing in common with the Melbourne GP track Pete
Brian, a few additional suggestions: -make hairpin in upper right with significant elevation change...on camber. THAT would be FUN! I dunno what your available elevation change is, however... -make pit in/out along a straightaway, not in a curve -regarding curbs: I vote YES...but make them small & progressive. I.E., 1/2" above track level where they join the track, and increasing in height as they go outward. (a) they will act as additional camber to catch wayward karts, and (b) they won't upset said karts on impact.
One thing I don't think I see enough of on cart tracks, or at least the ones I've been at, are the long straight and fast turns. Sure they aren't prone to aero as much as full size cars, but I love that feeling of being flat out. I'd like that feeling at least long enough to enjoy it before having to get on the brakes again. Elevation change is another good thing, I've only been on flat tracks and they are really boring, technical, but still boring. Sounds like a great idea though Brian. I'd maybe get a shifter cart on the side, something just for you, so you can play with later. It's fun to race others, but in 4 stroke carts you don't really get that sense of speed. A 2 stroke shifter might need maintenance occationally, but it's power and handling make it really fun to drive.
Agreed... just kind of a separate topic. By default, I'd get HotLap Timers for a couple of the karts for when you're driving for times rather than racing head-to-head. I'd prefer that over AMB transponders because I want to be able to see the times after each lap... not all at the end of the session. However, even better would be a variation on HotLap Timer that supported having multiple beacons setup to record segment times. But then the next step is to also record g's... at which point stepping up to a DL90/DL1 would be the ticket... borrowing the system from my Ferrari setup. Besides those options, any others that you all would suggest?
Fully agreed. The indoor karting track I went to gave you the times at the end, but that doesn't tell you much on whether you picked the right line in the previous lap. So instant feedback is the only way to go. That's why I suggested a monitor on the long straight after s/f line so each driver can read his last lap time. I like that because some folks might bring their karts that don't have the displays installed on their karts. Just a thought. I saw that once at "Malibu Grand Prix", a kart track in LA.
Yeah, we have that here at SpeedZone (aka Malibu)... but I always find it tough to spot my time out of the list, and that's when you basically come to a stop to re-run your card between each lap! I can't imagine trying to scan my last time out of a stack of 6-8 times while screaming down the long straight!!! I need all that time down the straight to think through what the time *means* and what I want to try next lap in response! I'll just tell people who bring their cars to bring a HotLap display (I'll provide the transmitter(s).)
Brian, should I start shopping for a cart now? Can I just come and go as I please, or will I need reservations?
