Discussion
lrs777 said:
smaller the circuit the more advantage the kart has (obviously)
I don't think an F3 car could beat a Div 1 kart around Lydden Hill for example where a Superkart is only just over a second off the outright circuit lap record by a Lola LC88 with a 3.5 litre V8... 38.3 vs 39.7
That's 1.5 seconds, not 'just over a second' ;-)I don't think an F3 car could beat a Div 1 kart around Lydden Hill for example where a Superkart is only just over a second off the outright circuit lap record by a Lola LC88 with a 3.5 litre V8... 38.3 vs 39.7
You may be right though, yes, although Lydden's probably unique because it's just so tiny and the key advantage of the F3 car is the downforce they generate at high speed. I checked quite a number of UK circuits when researching the claim (which I've heard a number of times before), and couldn't find a circuit where the Superkarts were anywhere near F3. As I said before, most were about ten seconds slower.
Well at Laguna Seca, which in my opinion is a fairly typical circuit, decent length straights, varying corners etc. The superkarts seem to lap about the same as the ALSM GT2 cars, 1:23:XX ish from memory. Which sounds about right considering they have roughly the same bhp/tonne, and probably comparbale specific downforce. Anyway superkarts haven't changed much since about 1992, I think, so maybe back then they did lap comparable times to Formula 3, which is where I think that rumor may have come from.
Anyway here's a vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2o--m0wsu0
Anyway here's a vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2o--m0wsu0
intrepid44 said:
Well at Laguna Seca, which in my opinion is a fairly typical circuit, decent length straights, varying corners etc. The superkarts seem to lap about the same as the ALSM GT2 cars, 1:23:XX ish from memory. Which sounds about right considering they have roughly the same bhp/tonne, and probably comparbale specific downforce. Anyway superkarts haven't changed much since about 1992, I think, so maybe back then they did lap comparable times to Formula 3, which is where I think that rumor may have come from.
Anyway here's a vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2o--m0wsu0
Good point; F3 has come on since then. Any idea what a current F3 car does around Laguna? CART times are about 1:07/1:08 from what I can find out.Anyway here's a vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2o--m0wsu0
"This is super karts around the isle of man TT course, completely mental!"
'fraid not, it is the IoM but not the TT circuit, the kart would run out of fuel long before the lap ended, I think. That's a street race in Peel, I think, but still mental, what with kerbs, walls etc and as has been said, no rollover protection.
And it was Ryan Baptiste, I think he won the British GP at Silverstone back awhile in the 125cc class. I bought his kart later on, a Stratos Minerelli, with a full body but never got round to doing long circuit, too expensive......short circuit was expensive enough!
Back when I was racing, superkarts, or Formula E to give them their correct name, were mostly powered by 250cc Rotax in line twin engines, puttting out around 70bhp. They were damn fast but ever so expensive to run, I think a full long circuit season with a competitive outfit was more or less the same as a FF. 125s were probably down in the 30+ bhp bracket with 250 National somewhere in between. I think that a derivative of the latter is now the top class but superkarts are still going. Valentino Rossi tried one at Laguna Seca last year and looked on the pace from the off!
Karting in whatever form is brilliant. Still go to watch on occassion but recent outings have been confined to Le Mans Alain Prost circuit when the 24 hour car race is on.......not a patch on a real gearbox kart.
'fraid not, it is the IoM but not the TT circuit, the kart would run out of fuel long before the lap ended, I think. That's a street race in Peel, I think, but still mental, what with kerbs, walls etc and as has been said, no rollover protection.
And it was Ryan Baptiste, I think he won the British GP at Silverstone back awhile in the 125cc class. I bought his kart later on, a Stratos Minerelli, with a full body but never got round to doing long circuit, too expensive......short circuit was expensive enough!
Back when I was racing, superkarts, or Formula E to give them their correct name, were mostly powered by 250cc Rotax in line twin engines, puttting out around 70bhp. They were damn fast but ever so expensive to run, I think a full long circuit season with a competitive outfit was more or less the same as a FF. 125s were probably down in the 30+ bhp bracket with 250 National somewhere in between. I think that a derivative of the latter is now the top class but superkarts are still going. Valentino Rossi tried one at Laguna Seca last year and looked on the pace from the off!
Karting in whatever form is brilliant. Still go to watch on occassion but recent outings have been confined to Le Mans Alain Prost circuit when the 24 hour car race is on.......not a patch on a real gearbox kart.
timbo48 said:
"This is super karts around the isle of man TT course, completely mental!"
'fraid not, it is the IoM but not the TT circuit, the kart would run out of fuel long before the lap ended, I think. That's a street race in Peel, I think, but still mental, what with kerbs, walls etc and as has been said, no rollover protection.
And it was Ryan Baptiste, I think he won the British GP at Silverstone back awhile in the 125cc class. I bought his kart later on, a Stratos Minerelli, with a full body but never got round to doing long circuit, too expensive......short circuit was expensive enough!
Back when I was racing, superkarts, or Formula E to give them their correct name, were mostly powered by 250cc Rotax in line twin engines, puttting out around 70bhp. They were damn fast but ever so expensive to run, I think a full long circuit season with a competitive outfit was more or less the same as a FF. 125s were probably down in the 30+ bhp bracket with 250 National somewhere in between. I think that a derivative of the latter is now the top class but superkarts are still going. Valentino Rossi tried one at Laguna Seca last year and looked on the pace from the off!
Karting in whatever form is brilliant. Still go to watch on occassion but recent outings have been confined to Le Mans Alain Prost circuit when the 24 hour car race is on.......not a patch on a real gearbox kart.
Ryan Baptiste - I'm sure that was the name i was thinking of... wasn't he a motoring journalist? 'fraid not, it is the IoM but not the TT circuit, the kart would run out of fuel long before the lap ended, I think. That's a street race in Peel, I think, but still mental, what with kerbs, walls etc and as has been said, no rollover protection.
And it was Ryan Baptiste, I think he won the British GP at Silverstone back awhile in the 125cc class. I bought his kart later on, a Stratos Minerelli, with a full body but never got round to doing long circuit, too expensive......short circuit was expensive enough!
Back when I was racing, superkarts, or Formula E to give them their correct name, were mostly powered by 250cc Rotax in line twin engines, puttting out around 70bhp. They were damn fast but ever so expensive to run, I think a full long circuit season with a competitive outfit was more or less the same as a FF. 125s were probably down in the 30+ bhp bracket with 250 National somewhere in between. I think that a derivative of the latter is now the top class but superkarts are still going. Valentino Rossi tried one at Laguna Seca last year and looked on the pace from the off!
Karting in whatever form is brilliant. Still go to watch on occassion but recent outings have been confined to Le Mans Alain Prost circuit when the 24 hour car race is on.......not a patch on a real gearbox kart.
I also have enjoyed watching karting, but the top flight european stuff is the best imo. I urge anyone to take in a meeting somewhere if they can, and then you can get to see why the F1 drivers will jump into one at every opportunity.
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