How to time my Karting laps by myself?

[lusopiston]

Hi, recently started karting more regularly just for fun. Can someone give me some tip on a simple way to time myself ?

I have a good track very close and i can go there practice on the rentals with some races with friends once in a while.

I'm thinking the simplest way is to strap a big digital Chrono watch on my wrist which has big buttons? I just need something that can time each lap, i press a button when i cross the line, it shows the time freezed briefly and meanwhile is already timing the next lap and so on.

No need for hundreds of a second accuracy, just need to see if I'm improving and in a given second give or take a tenth or two!

Any tips?

[Poko]

You'll never get any sort of accuracy doing it that way IMO.

If you're really serious about doing it, buy a battery powered beacon and a lap timer. £150 for both IIRC and works well enough. Just ask the marshals etc if you can throw the beacon down at the start line and keep the timer in your pocket? (But I'm not sure if it'll pick up that way..)

[Bullett]

Everyplace I have been has a timing board up. I thought this was pretty standard.

[bicycleshorts]

Do you have a smart phone? Use this: Trackmaster App and fasten your phone to the steering wheel/keep it in a zipped pocket (ETA: obviously you won't be able to check it instantly though!)?

If you want higher accuracy, buy an external GPS device . Make sure it's compatible with your phone though!

Edited by bicycleshorts on Monday 5th May 12:02

[SonicShadow]

bicycleshorts said:

Do you have a smart phone? Use this: Trackmaster App and fasten your phone to the steering wheel/keep it in a zipped pocket?

If you want higher accuracy, buy an external GPS device . Make sure it's compatible with your phone though!

...And make sure the karting track is outdoors!

[okie592]

We own a karting business and we sell cronos about £150 used, they link with the tracks timing system so they are accurate.

Loads come up on eBay for cheaper than that though.

Also if your intrested we run non MSA racing days at llandow in South Wales so you can bring your own car

[Offendotron5000]

At risk of stating the obvious, ask a friend to do it for you?

[lusopiston]

Thanks for the feedback!

The track is outdoors and has it's own timing system. Trouble is timing gear is only used in group races and anyway it's only available at the end of the races. So no good for you to improve your lap times on your own, I think it's crucial you know at that exact lap the time so that you know what improved or worsen the time!

Friend or wife would be an option but it will be hard to drag them to the local track and spend 30 mins clicking a chrono :-) Even then the problem remains, I wouldn't know the time but by the next lap if at all possible.

Just looking for a simple solution to guide myself, but maybe just there isn't one! Why you think the chrono watch wouldn't work? The straight is long enough I can relax a bit, so clicking on a button and looking seems doable? When I'm down at a given second (I know the track record) then I could move up to fancier gear.

I'm in Portugal BTW! ;-)

[slipstream 1985]

lusopiston said:

Thanks for the feedback!

The track is outdoors and has it's own timing system. Trouble is timing gear is only used in group races and anyway it's only available at the end of the races. So no good for you to improve your lap times on your own, I think it's crucial you know at that exact lap the time so that you know what improved or worsen the time!

Friend or wife would be an option but it will be hard to drag them to the local track and spend 30 mins clicking a chrono :-) Even then the problem remains, I wouldn't know the time but by the next lap if at all possible.

Just looking for a simple solution to guide myself, but maybe just there isn't one! Why you think the chrono watch wouldn't work? The straight is long enough I can relax a bit, so clicking on a button and looking seems doable? When I'm down at a given second (I know the track record) then I could move up to fancier gear.

I'm in Portugal BTW! ;-)

your overthinking this. your thinking if i try x line this time what does that do to my time? but there are too many other variables. Ie tyres getting warmer so more grip, you settling into a rythm etc, a gust of wind when your on the stright. Some coaching from an experienced driver who can watch your lines will be worth far more than timing yourself.

[MonkeyRacing]

Have a look for an Alfano. This should work off the magnetic strips embedded in the tarmac. If not you can get a trackside beacon. Digital display steering wheel mounted giving various timing readings...... Current lap, best, previous, average etc. Various models available.

[lusopiston]

Yes, I understand the principle, already planning an incursion with a racer friend for some pointers :-) Anyway, when practicing it would be nice to have some idea of what's happening, once you get into a rhythm at least you know you're in given second range.

Alfano is too expensive for my "leisure" profile, at least for now.

[Rich_W]

It's been a while since I helped run a TonyKart Rotax so the details are a bit sketchy. I did the build and set up. Driver did the easy part

We had a steering wheel mounted Alfano display and there was a sensor we mounted to the floor which when it ran over the start finish line would trigger the start/stop of the timer. The start line had a magnetic wire running along it. Which would be detected by the sensor on the floor of the kart.

Very similar to this.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alfano-pro-lap-timer-rev...

HTH

[2stis]

Can you not just buy yourself a 2nd hand Alfano - they don't seem to cost that much on auction sites? As mentioned above, they pick up the start/finish line and so record your last 100 laps or so very accurately (to 0.01s) and most circuits also have more than one magnetic strip so you get sector times and +/- splits per sector versus your best lap which might be of some use to you in helping to understand where you can trim time.