Rotax Kart Test Set For Saturday 12th May
Having been postponed twice, Dave is finally gearing up for his test in a Rotax kart with 23 Racing. This Saturday we'll be heading to Wombwell Karting Circuit in Sheffield to take part in Saturday practice which forms part of the Northern Karting Federation's (NKF) Sprint Championship for owner drivers. This will serve as a real benchmark for Dave as he steps his racing up a level to compete with much more experienced drivers.
Stepping up to set times against more experienced drivers, both in terms of knowing the karts and the circuit, will be a challenge, but one that Dave is looking forwards to,
"It'll be a great opportunity to learn from those with more experience"
The test is scheduled to run for the full day in stints of 10-15 minutes per hour we'll be posting regular updates to the website and Facebook.
DO Racing 2.0
This weekend's test marks the start of Dave's progression through the 2017 race season as he works tirelessly towards the September round of the BRSCC Ford Fiesta Championship at Croft Circuit.
Using the test as a starting point, Dave continues to work towards securing funding for the rest of the season with 2 rounds of the NKF and the Croft race on the line.
So, What Happened?
After an early start and Dan getting lost in Wombwell we were in a position to get the kart ready for the second practice session of the NKF Sprint Championship. Lifting the kart out of the van and on to the trolley gave us an opportunity to test the engine which took a few minutes to get running. Beyond the starting issues, we had no idea about how far or hard the tyres had been run so we sorted it out as best we could a headed to the paddock for the next session.
There were 4 classes running, with each class having its own 10 minute session and sessions running back to back. This meant that between sessions we had 20 minutes to make changes as we needed to be in the paddock 10 minutes before we were due out on circuit.
Having never driven such a powerful kart I was unsure what to expect, heading out on track and accelerating for the first time, I very quickly realised that you were driving on a knife-edge. Flooring the throttle is not an option and puts you at risk of spearing off the track as I almost found out myself, pedal control and feeding in the power gave much more control.
The first session proved to be a massive learning curve, it’s amazing what can be learned by following others on track not least how late you can leave braking into the first hairpin. The other thing which became apparent in the first session was that you need to keep the revs up on the Rotax otherwise pick up can be slow off the corners.
With the first session over I had clocked a lap time in the 38’s, not great when those around you are putting in times in and around 34 seconds, but it was something to build on. Going into the second session I had chance to think about my racing line, staying off the aggressive kerbs and trying to be consistent. That session down there was no real time gains, but my laps were more consistent though not quick.
Heading into the third session, we had noticed some black marks on the front axle, thinking no more of it, this one was coming to an early end. Heading into the fast, downhill right hander, the front right wheel bearing decided it wasn’t having much fun anymore and let go. With the wheel half hanging off, I pitted so we could get sorted for the next session.
Back in the paddock, we set about trying to remove the old bearing sleeve which had clamped itself to the axle. Fortunately those around offered help not only to get the kart running again, but also with a more advanced set up. The previous owner of the kart (this was its first running with 23 Racing) had made the axle track too narrow, most likely as part of a wet race set up. In the wet I’m sure it made the kart better, but in the dry it meant the kart was more prone to understeer.
Working with the guys in the trailer next to us, we widened the track and headed back out on track. The improvement was immediately noticeable, the front end was sharper on turn in and more stable on corner exit making it much easier to get on the power. It was also having an effect on my lap times as I was now running in the high 36’s.
Speaking to the other drivers also gave some other insight. A great example of this was the tyres they were running compared to us. The NKF dictates that all entrants must run the same tyre and it turns out the tyre you have to run is worth about 1 second per lap.
As we continued to put in the laps, my knowledge of the kart and the track improved and while I continued to have my moments, my lap times were constantly improving. Coming into the last 2 sessions my confidence was at its peak and this showed, in the penultimate session I popped in a best lap of 35.43 seconds and was lapping consistently in the high 35s. Taking tyres and experiences into account, on the balance of things this would have put me right on the back of a pack of drivers who have been racing for significantly longer than I have.
All in it would have been amazing to race the full weekend to see how I stood up against the rest of the pack on equal terms. Not to be this time round but I took away some massive learnings’ which I can apply to future races. Below are some photos from the day and I should be back racing in round 4 of the SG Petch Sprint Championship in June.
