Wrong can be Good

7 July 2010

Last Saturday, 3 July, KP was kind enough to give me a ride
to Plentong as I was still without four wheels ... and aircon.

He came to get me before 6.30am, and we managed to get to
the track before 8.30am.

We set about doing our individual maintenance, and prepare
the kart for the day's running.

It had been pouring the week, and it sure look set to rain that
morning. It did just before KP changed and getting into his kart!
I was also just about to get change then too..
Gees!
It was pretty heavy rain. I was ready to just do more
maintenance and not get on to the track.

But the heaven smiled at us.
The sun shone on the track for about 10mins and somehow dried
the track. It was great. The entire day that followed was just
overcast sky. Thinking back, I hardly broke a sweat.

I was just using the White Vega for practice since I reckon there
was no way it could last another race distance with its rear really
shot.

The entire day I was just doing some consistent times of mid
46sec. I think I understood more of some dynamics of the strut
bar by making some settings with it at the front end.

KP was complaining about some front end issues too.
So Jason suggested to him that he could narrowed his front.
He did and the kart did not get better and got worse instead!

I was 'tasked' to try and see if it was really that bad.
Out of the pits, I throttled and brake just to assess the karts
limits... and I found that the brakes wasn't really working!
Or at least, I was not used to it at all. I really have to depress
my left foot all the way down and wait... for it to S...T..O .... P !

I returned to the pits and jumped out of it (literally!)
Jason then bravely went out with it.
With a few laps, and my one 'not so fast' lap we felt it was
understeering.
So the right advice for him then was to widen the front end,
and not narrowing it.

Yes, he wasted some time there going the wrong way in search of
a better setup. However, I believed by going the wrong way he
managed to find a point to work with and from. Especially when
he seldom do some settings and even less time to kart mostly.

I had gone through a few occasions when new settings actually
put me backwards. Obviously I was frustrated. However, I now
see the benefits of it. I had accumulated those experience and
knowledge. Which I feel it will be useful. Also some of the things
will start to make more sense.

This is why go kart or sports is/ can be fun.

We can go wrong. We are human. But it is those who learned and
grow from it that will eventually come up tops.

So, do not be afraid to try and try and go wrong because it will only
get better if one persevere.

cheers