Cranking it UP !

1 Dec

What a Sunday it was on 29 Nov for 'Go 2 Race' for the
6 of us who turned up hoping to get a good race.
None of us were disappointed with plenty of good nature
racing action even though the number of drivers was
indeed small.

Like Tony mentioned, 'respect all round on the track,
but aggressive action without any soft yieldings!'

Adding to that, the weather was just great the entire day.
Cloudy skies with sun blazing through it, dry throughout
which provided us the almost perfect condition for a race.

But my day ended with a cramp to the stomach in lap 4 of
Heat 2. Too much food in the stomach? Or not enough hydration?
Probably a combination of both.
It was so bad that I had to rest and arch backwards in my seat
to prevent further cramps before I can get out of my seat.
One thing that put a tiny smile on my face when I was resting in
my seat is that fact that I had a good lap time of 45.7s in lap 3.
Now, I can only wonder what will it be if I can continue. Which
I hope the lap times continuing to fall if I got past Louis and Tony
who were just in front of me. Only can wonder now...

That was the end, now for the start.

We did not have qualifying since there's only a handful of us.
So in bid to save some 'cost' and time, we draw lots.
Starting grid is, if I recalled correctly, KP, me, Louis, Graeme,
Tony & Thaddeus.

Heat 1 started just after 11.30am.

We had a few rolling laps, which is more than we all wanted.
But the lot of us wanted to get it right.
Once we did, the race was on its way.

Just as I was flooring the throttle to try to get ahead of KP, I felt
a nudge from behind. It was a good nudge, as it assist me to get
ahead of KP for the hairpin and took the lead immediately.

The kart was feeling good. Very good, indeed.
During the testing of the kart before the race, I was about to get to
45.9s at the 3rd lap. With that I know the kart is ready for a
good race ahead.

Back to Heat 1 action. I was going in lap 1 trying to get a good
rhythm for the rest of the 20 laps while also trying to see where
the rest of the guys were. I was just ahead from KP by about 2-3
kart length at the end of lap 1.

Not to eager to go all crazy yet, I was controlling my own pace a bit
for lap 2. As I was accelerating out from the hairpin at the bottom of
the hill, I turned to see how far/ close is KP to me now.
No one.... strange...
And as I turned to face front again, I saw a cloud of dust cloud from
130R, and there was someone being thrown off from the kart!!
Darn!!!

I slowed, and waved to the pits to the incident!
At that point of the incident, being retold to me, Sherry seeing it happen
from the pits area, and yelled. Loud scream!
Initially, Jason thought that someone was trying to rob her or something.
It was that loud a scream!

Red flag waved!

I was drive gingerly back to the pits and ran to see if things are ok.
By the time I was there, the driver involved in the incident was slowly
sitting up, and then stand to his feet.
A good sign. Moments passed, and it seems the driver is ok, and the kart
had only damage its steering column. PHEW

Only completing 1 full lap, we were going for a restart after everyone
is ready again.
Which finally got underway at about 12.30pm.

The starting position will be similar again.

This time I got only a slightly better start than KP and managed to out
throttle him after the hairpin.
My lead did not last long as Louis snaked in front of me.
His KF2 engine indeed has a better mid to top power.

After that, I was desperately trying to get past him as I can see that he's
a tad slower in the corners. Because of that, me and Tony managed
have a contact with his front tyres and my side pod at the Spoon.
I was slightly frustrated as everytime I got very close to Louis he will
get a bit ahead at the end of the straight just enough to have a
overtaking opportunities disappeared.
At one point, I even whacked his rear bumpers.

With every lap gone, unable to get past I could have been patient and
see what happen. That was not an option though as Tony is breathing
down my neck.

Then a small mistake at the foot of the hill, Tony got past me.
aaarrrgggghhh !
Not good, as now the problem doubled.

Darn.

Followed them for 2 or 3 laps, and I can see that I was faster than
both of them in pits area, and determined to make my speed counts
there I plan to overtake both of them when there was a opportunity
after the start finish.

It happened when the pair of them line up side by side to the outside
of the track after the start finish.
I saw it, and gun for the tiny opening for the hairpin.
It was going to be tight and it will be a gamble... I lost. I spun.
It was the same spot that I spun on Friday practice. AGAIN..!
I was going in too hot. I lost my discipline.

The entire field went past me before I rejoined the race.
15 sec gone... !@#!@$@#!@@!!

After that I was just pushing and overtook Graeme within
2-3 laps. Then catching up to the threesome leading by KP,
Tony & Louis.
At the last lap, I was virtually just behind the three of them.
Just wish I had one more lap. Or that I had not been too rash,
since Thaddeus had won this heat from the back showing that
it pay to have a little patience. Just a little should do the trick.

To take the positives out from all these, it's that from the Heat 1
I think I can see that my lap times were quite consistently
throughout the race. Meaning, I'm getting back into my stride of
race pace and the kart is working at the track nicely... finally!!
Now I believed I will somewhat much nearer to the front runners
than before, probably about 0.5 sec off instead of a full second off.
Still much more to learn!

Learning points for myself will be balancing both aggression and
patience during the race. Knowing when to push and overtake,
and when to hold steady.

Almost everyone had some fun, expect for Graeme having
his rib been really painful during both stages of the race.
He should be resting and get it healed soon, but he is determined
to see through the next one coming up on 13 Dec!
Cheers, mate!

Truly looking forward to the next race!

Before I end there will be many great pics coming!

Stay "tuned" !

Clear Blue Skies

27 Nov

Was in the track on Tue, 24 Nov.
Surpirsing it was a clear sky day, thank God!

However, it was not really a good day to go all crazy.
Tyres were all mostly shot... almost to pieces.

Then got some time to do some maintenance in replacing
the engine mount, which you will see it's cracked.

Yes, I wonder why too. But wear and tear is much expected from
this sports as we sometimes knowingly or unknowingly pushed
our equipment to the limits... and beyond.

So it is essential that equipment to be cleaned and checked for
any sign of failure and have them replaced asap.
It will prevent frustrations from poor results and injuries.


Part Deux

Today is Hari Raya, public holidays.
The causeway is jam up as when any public holidays combined
with school holidays.

Ivan and I crossed it in about 40mins at 7am while John took
150mins to clear from Tuas at 9.30am !!

Today I managed to clean my carb, and also had to replaced
clutch needle bearing. Another worn parts... tsk

Had some great fun with Ivan today. I'm just glad that he finally
repaired his kingpin, and able to take his kart on to the track!

Just had fun today, which is great.

Looking forward to race on Sunday, which promised more
interesting moments I'm sure.

Here or there

20 Nov

No real activities over the weekends, but I did went over
to Kartright at Arena Country Club again on 15 Nov
Saw Ah Sheng there with Ben and 2 others who are using
Tony Kart, hang out with them for the rest of the afternoon.

Speaking of Tony Kart chassis, the 1st person I saw was
James Lee. He was there taking a look too. We chatted briefly,
and I asked what's his expectation of the RedWhite race this
weekend at Sepang will be. 'Top 10' was his answer. He further
elaborated that it is because he flet he is not using the Tony
Kart this year. The TonyKart chassis he felt is easier to set and
possibly give him about a few tenth per lap of what he can do
now. Quite amazing.

Talking about settings, I think I back to square one on it.
Have to find some time to test the kart without the time
'pressure' of the race. Also, without the rain pouring incessantly
Have to remind myself to be patient this time, and sensitive.
I really hope I can understand the chassis more and make full
use of it in the next race.

Oh, this kartright track is gathering some people there...
There are 2 Ferraris in the carpark, and I saw the owners on
the track on their karts. Also present was Margaret Lee, a
local actress, there looking on as his man tried his hand on a
newly acquired kart. We spoke as we were in the Tony Kart
'section'. His man was visibly tired and battered in the ribs
areas towards the end of the day which says a lot of the track
kerbs one may have to ride over per lap.

I am keen to try this track some times. Not with my kart though
as it is much too troublesome to bring it in and out of the borders.
Probably I will get some kind soul to use their day for a day
sessions.

One of the interesting discussion there for awhile is about
the track in Plentong and here in Singapore.
Safe to travel to JB for karting? Silly stretch of dirt track,
and the traffic situation at the causeway is the among the few
main hindrances.
But to kart in Malaysia, still has one big advantage which is its
lower cost.

Kartright is definitely more accessible but the cost
of doing what I do at Plentong may easily be doubled. Easily
is the key word followed by doubled.

Well, food for thoughts for some who are thinking of karting either
here or there. And time to get it there for my kart and my drive!

go 2 race

13 Nov

Got some free time on hand today.
And went ahead to edit the 2009 Super Nationals XIII
for the Plentong 2 strokes engines racing.

Setting it Up

11 Nov

Had a race last Sunday, 8 Nov.

Had some practice on the Friday before the race, and had
proceeded to get some front end setting changed.
After it was done, it rained heavily and I had no chance to
test it out until Sunday itself.

And from the experience, I am very hesitate to adjust any
setting on the kart on race day itself. So I just continue to
drive on with a heavy front end kart, which surely had given
me a set of very strong shoulder & forearm muscle.

Qualifying was a below average affair which see me starting
at 10th.
Then come Heat 1, which saw a incident on Lap 1 which saw
Gary and Mark got into a tangle at the hairpin before the spoon.
Taking the opportunity, I moved up some positions.

After that I was following Mary, and managed overtook her
at the hairpin exit before the spoon.
Then I was stuck behind Tony for the rest of the Heat 1.
We even had some scuffles which left some tyre mark on my
front bumper. FUN !!
He was going extremely defensive... and to be honest I was
going limb with the front end being so darn heavy!

Heat 2 is not good for me personally I feel as I was not
able to feel as 'good' as Heat 1.
Likely I was tired. And the 2 races tyres are starting not
to give as much feel as I would like them to.
Started 6th for Heat 2 and finished 8th.

Basically, I was quite very sore in my forearm when the
race was done.

Oh, I started 6th for Heat 2 because Leo and Joey were
found to be under the minimum weight requirement...
To top it off, Leo was a mere 0.1 kg off the required 165kg !

Personally, I need to regain much of the strength and
stamina I lost during my 6 weeks breaks because of the rib
injury. Speaking of that, my right ribs area are also slightly
sore.
I felt that by the mid of Heat 2 I was drifting off mentally.

I do not know if it was due to been stuck behind Tony again,
or my lack of fitness.
I supposed it's a combination of both.

So there's another point for me to ponder about.
Get past your competitors asap, and be aggressive when
required.

Although this is the last of the races by the track owner,
we are going to have further racing.

So there will be more here for me to blah blah about.
Hopefully, I really hope and wish, I will be soon writing
about some good than just 'I should have....' 'I could have...'
I'm sick of writing along that line.
Which is part of the reason why there isn't much details on
the races. My apologies.

I'm just feeling that I had not been able to give what I think
I could have. It's just odd that although I had aches here and
there I still feel there is something more there which I had
not been able to dig out...

Hmmm another point for me to sleep on it.

Bar it or Not

4 Nov

Race day is on 8 Nov, this coming Sunday.

With the crazy weather lately, I wonder if it will be a wet track
to contemplate then.

No matter if it is wet or dry, I will j enjoy and learn more of
the chassis and improve my driving.
What better way to improve than it is to race, right?

Talking about learning, I am looking to understand more about
the removable torsion bar that come with the GP10 chassis.
What net effect will there be when it is use or remove, what is
the effect of it when it is mount with a different direction etc.

And I come upon this article, although it from a tonykart
perspective I would think the general principle applies too

The rear torsion bar, the bar which is transversely mounted between the two main rails, behind the axle bearing hangers.
There are a few different variations of the rear torsion bar. Basically, there is the fixed or welded in place bar.

Most commonly or versatile is the removable rear bar. With the removable rear bar, you have many options. Typically you see what would be described as a rear blade. The tube is flattened between each end creating a tube which can be attached with clamps. However, the character of the tube is changed when the middle has been flattened. When flattened the tube is now able to be flexible in the horizontal position. When positioned perpendicular to the ground, the bar becomes very strong and less capable of flexing like a normal tube, and strengthens the rear of the chassis. Other forms of the rear torsion bar can altered by using a conventional tube, however, changing the type of material, outside diameter, or, the wall thickness. I have even seen some manufacturers use alloy, or cast blades to arrive at a pre-determined characteristic.

Essentially, the rear torsion bars effect is as follows. When the track is low grip, or you have an oversteer condition, you can use the blade in it's most effective position, Perpendicular to the ground. This keeps the rear from lifting as easily, and sets the tire back down sooner, thus giving more rear grip. If you want a little less rear grip, you may consider just the installation of a standard tube, or even less, perhaps the blade in its least effective position, parallel to the ground. If you have an understeer condition, you would not install the rear bar. This would allow the chassis to function as normal and let the inside wheel travel its regular distance, thus creating a longer duration of lift and ultimately less drive, (or grip) off the corner.

Front removable axle, or torsion bar, or front transverse axle. Sometimes the front axle on chassis are removable. In most of the newer homologated for sure the front axle is removable. When the front axle was reintroduced, it was basically to make the front of the chassis stronger. At that time because of several factors, 40mm rear axles, tire compounds, and construction horsepower, etc... the chassis were suffering from a lack of front grip, generally producing an understeer condition. Some manufacturers utilize larger diameter front axles to strengthen the front of the chassis. However, this is still not enough. Then came the introduction or reintroduction of the transverse front axle. This made the chassis more positive on turn in and cured the problematic understeer. However, with every action, comes a reaction. The net was better when you have a severe understeer but, if you can work around the implementation of the front axle, the overall lap times are faster. It is just like the rear end of the chassis, if the front is too planted, you can loose lap speed just as if the rear end is too planted. Therefore, you will see most new chassis without a transverse axle, or with the front axle removable, or with the installation of clamps or some other variation of this system. Some manufacturers use different tubing diameters, or wall thickness in the front axle to vary the strength, as another part of refining the package, or tunability.

http://www.danskkartingcenter.dk/GoKart/Teknik_-_Siden/Torsion_Bars/torsion_bars.html

action @ Kartright

2 Nov

On 1 Nov, having not went to Plentong track, I went over
to Kartright track in Jurong.
Saw many familiar faces, and spoke to many good old friends.
It was a nice non sweating afternoon

The guys on race karts had a 'race' at about 4pm, and
another one nearing to 5pm. Here's some of the action: