Karting help - near Reading
Discussion
Frimley111R said:
NoBrakesWC said:
I'm not fan of the electric karts drive completely different. Speaking to the guy at Watford one he said they save money on tyres as they rarely have to change them.
We've driven the ones at Farnborough a lot and also the petrol ones at Reading. I honestly didn't find much difference at all. They seem just as quick and grippy to me.It's weird chatting in the pits and not noticing there are karts going round though!
I'm going to the Watford one again this week so can see if it is still slippy. Was nice that you could shout at your mates when you go past in the electric ones
So, went to Farnborough last night for 2 x 15 min sessions
Karts are nice. I didn't realise the previous ones had been used since 2015! The boost button can be pressed once a lap (actually every 40 secs) and does give a small boost but this is not going to give you the same effect as DRS in F1. The button is lit when ready and once you push it the little light goes out until 40 secs has elapsed. Fun but adds little to the lap time.
Karts also have brake lights which are interesting but pretty pointless. They have an RPM limiter and on the downslope you feel it slow the kart/limit its acceleration but apart from that you don't go fast enough to hit it.
Tyres, although the same as the old karts, were very very noisy/squeaky. You could not chat next to a session.
There was a members session at the same time and they get a higher power setting on their karts which saves around a second a lap.
The track is better. It runs the other way around and has 3 good passing places, The rest is fun but offers minimal overtaking unless someone lets you past. It is certainly better though and feels more physical to drive. A couple of sections are a bit rough (for a kart without any suspension) but once you're blasting around you don't notice/care. And a couple of tight corners are quite slippery and so hard to get right.
Also, on the corner at the end of the straight there is a camera which goes off every time a kart goes past. I don’t think it is fully operational but should provide some good pics.
Overall a good improvement apart from the fact I was only 4th fastest!
Karts are nice. I didn't realise the previous ones had been used since 2015! The boost button can be pressed once a lap (actually every 40 secs) and does give a small boost but this is not going to give you the same effect as DRS in F1. The button is lit when ready and once you push it the little light goes out until 40 secs has elapsed. Fun but adds little to the lap time.
Karts also have brake lights which are interesting but pretty pointless. They have an RPM limiter and on the downslope you feel it slow the kart/limit its acceleration but apart from that you don't go fast enough to hit it.
Tyres, although the same as the old karts, were very very noisy/squeaky. You could not chat next to a session.
There was a members session at the same time and they get a higher power setting on their karts which saves around a second a lap.
The track is better. It runs the other way around and has 3 good passing places, The rest is fun but offers minimal overtaking unless someone lets you past. It is certainly better though and feels more physical to drive. A couple of sections are a bit rough (for a kart without any suspension) but once you're blasting around you don't notice/care. And a couple of tight corners are quite slippery and so hard to get right.
Also, on the corner at the end of the straight there is a camera which goes off every time a kart goes past. I don’t think it is fully operational but should provide some good pics.
Overall a good improvement apart from the fact I was only 4th fastest!
Edited by Frimley111R on Friday 13th January 14:44
Interesting didn't know they had DRS and RPM limiter. I went to the Watford one last week good fun as there were 15 of us who all knew each other in some way. Not slippy at all now and on the 2 corners that were well known for, they have put some sort of mat down makes kart feel slow. No need to brake at all can do it all flat and flick the kart in bit boring not having to brake.
NoBrakesWC said:
Interesting didn't know they had DRS and RPM limiter. I went to the Watford one last week good fun as there were 15 of us who all knew each other in some way. Not slippy at all now and on the 2 corners that were well known for, they have put some sort of mat down makes kart feel slow. No need to brake at all can do it all flat and flick the kart in bit boring not having to brake.
Yes, we were talking to one of the staff yesterday who said exactly the same thing about Watford regarding the ultra grippy part of their track.Took the lad yesterday. Very much improved track layout, good fun.
New karts go well and the DRS is a mild kick when you are flat out, best place I found was once you had straightened out after the double upstairs hairpins before the ramp down. T2 (with the camera) was a tricky bugger, slippery so easy on the go-pedal on the way out. That dip before the upstairs hairpin caught me out a couple of times. Most people seemed to be cocking up the tight corners, coming in too hot and either trying to turn and brake (and spin) or lighting the tyres up and getting sideways. If you lost too much momentum they would bog down.
I think I finally need to admit he's now faster than me. I wonder what difference a 30kg weight advantage.
New karts go well and the DRS is a mild kick when you are flat out, best place I found was once you had straightened out after the double upstairs hairpins before the ramp down. T2 (with the camera) was a tricky bugger, slippery so easy on the go-pedal on the way out. That dip before the upstairs hairpin caught me out a couple of times. Most people seemed to be cocking up the tight corners, coming in too hot and either trying to turn and brake (and spin) or lighting the tyres up and getting sideways. If you lost too much momentum they would bog down.
I think I finally need to admit he's now faster than me. I wonder what difference a 30kg weight advantage.
Bullett said:
I think I finally need to admit he's now faster than me. I wonder what difference a 30kg weight advantage.
I have seen videos on YT showing that big weight differences can be mostly cancelled out if you're very very good but I am 90kg and watching some of the guys get into the same karts who must weight around 60-70kg I can't help thinking that it's a big advantage on indoor and relatively low powered karts.Kind of assumes I'm very good!
I guess the only way would be to set some times and then load up with weight and see what difference it makes. The impact probably isn't as much as on a race kart as these things are covered in plastic, the batteries are going to be heavy and the frame looked quite robust as well.
Going to try and get a go on club night see what they max power mode is like.
I guess the only way would be to set some times and then load up with weight and see what difference it makes. The impact probably isn't as much as on a race kart as these things are covered in plastic, the batteries are going to be heavy and the frame looked quite robust as well.
Going to try and get a go on club night see what they max power mode is like.
Frimley111R said:
NoBrakesWC said:
Interesting didn't know they had DRS and RPM limiter. I went to the Watford one last week good fun as there were 15 of us who all knew each other in some way. Not slippy at all now and on the 2 corners that were well known for, they have put some sort of mat down makes kart feel slow. No need to brake at all can do it all flat and flick the kart in bit boring not having to brake.
Yes, we were talking to one of the staff yesterday who said exactly the same thing about Watford regarding the ultra grippy part of their track.
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