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Post by daSilva on Apr 17, 2003 8:49:41 GMT -5
Thx for the updates, I'm surprised you didn't already have split sprockets as they were a staple for us when I raced. Here's to more podiums.
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Post by Henrik on Apr 17, 2003 10:02:17 GMT -5
da Silva,
Why did you have split sprockets? On my previous kart, and really all other karts I know, the drive chain is on the outside of the engine, and so to change the sprocket you just remove the rear wheel. Problem on the Biland is that it is on the inside, so without the split sprocket I have to take of the entire rear axle...
In any case, I'll soon have them!
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Post by daSilva on Apr 17, 2003 10:23:03 GMT -5
Hen, Our chain was on the inside side of the Kart, we could obviously change the drive sprocket as well which gave us a wide range of ratios. The split sprocket was essential because otherwise you would have to remove the axle as you mentioned, and that is not fun or quick. I think in theory you got a more even distribution of torque through the axle, and of course the engine output shaft was located there. Something I had wanted to explore but never got the chance was to use a low friction plastic as a sprocket, something like UHMW-Polyethylene or even Teflon. Both materials are tough and could stand up to the rigours of Kart racing while reducing chain friction. Perhaps I should look into it as a business op.
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Post by Henrik on Apr 17, 2003 12:41:46 GMT -5
Okay got some great pics from the race!! Enjoy:
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Post by Henrik on Apr 28, 2003 6:49:17 GMT -5
So round three has come and gone, and I suppose I can say it was a good weekend, even if the results don't really show it.
We went to the track on Saturday afternoon, primarily to set up my things in the paddock, and to do some test laps if time permitted. As it was, neither time nor the weather permitted any testing. After a week of summer weather here, Saturday had turned cold and the rain was pouring down! I was thinking that we might have a wet race on Sunday, which although being fun, is in the end rather annoying as everything is all wet and dirty. To add to my concerns I still don’t have a solution for my airfilter in a wet race, and so I would have to figure out something quickly.
Sunday morning, 6:00, the sky is gray but it is not raining. As we get to the track, the wind is blowing a bit, but it really is cold. Still, the surface is mostly dry, although there is much humidity apparent all over, especially in the corners. Nevertheless, we will be starting on slicks, and so will have to be very careful with the grip.
My warm-up time is soon there. It’s amazing how fast time flies when you are preparing your kart and things, but my kart was in good shape with the exception of the fact that I still did not have my sprockets. So, it was off again on what was an incredibly slippery warm up! As it turns out, that was probably a good thing because I had not taped up my radiator, and so the engine temp was too low. Okay, four or five slow laps and back in to the paddock.
Qualifying was quickly approaching, and the weather was still just as cold. The track had dried up though, and the grip was much better, although still tricky. I thought I got some good lap times, but when I checked the results I was last! Yep, 7th out of 7…..A bit less than a second behind the quickest with my 52.3 seconds. By now I’m beginning to really wonder if it just is me who is simply no good. Not good for your confidence!
Race one is about to start, and I’m lined up on the grid as last. As we take off, I begin by losing a good 10 to 15 meters to everybody in the first corner, a sharp right turn. The second lap sees me lose about as much distance again, and I’m beginning to feel really demotivated. By lap three the grip is improving, and I notice that I’m not really losing much more time. The rest of the race goes on like this, me being a good 30 meters behind the pack but not losing any more ground. So, I finish 6th out of 7……(One guy broke his chain)
As I’m waiting for the next race, feeling down, the mechanic I bought the kart from comes up to me to tell me that I should widen the rear axle. He noticed that I was not getting any grip coming out of the first corner, and so it is there I lost all my time. So I do as he says, hoping for the best.
As we reverse the starting grid from the results of the first race, I am now on a front row. As the flag drops, I brake really late for the first corner, and come on early with the gas, hoping the rear wont let go. It doesn’t!! I keep my second place, and for the rest of the lap I actually make up ground on the guy in front. Then we come to the long straight, and he gets a speed advantage over me. Still, nobody catches me, and so it goes for a few laps. I notice on the straight that I’m not as fast as the others, but now I know this is down to the wrong sprocket. Eventually, two guys manage to slip by at the end of the straight, but through the twisty portion I notice I’m actually faster than them. So the race ends, and my spirits are again high. Okay the result is not to good, but I know that the problem is not my driving, but rather my set-up.
Now I have three weeks until the next race. I must get my sprockets, and if time permits, perhaps another test session where I can work more on the set-up. I know that part of my problem is not being able to determine what needs to be done to the kart, so I’m planning on getting the mechanic to come with me to help out with the set-up.
I’ll get some pics up soon…….
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Post by El Sid on Apr 29, 2003 5:29:15 GMT -5
Henrik, This one's on you! Nice pics. Will you please remind me from time to time NOT to even think of competing against you. I'm a peace-loving guy and I (as Herr Schu), would just HATE losing out regularly.
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Post by Henrik on Apr 29, 2003 5:58:45 GMT -5
LOL @ ElSid!!
You know, I'm not really that good, as the previous post would tend to depict clearly enough!
But I agree the all black kart really does look intimidating!
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Post by Henrik on May 2, 2003 9:01:06 GMT -5
I still don't have the pictures from last race, but it could be because this week there was the May 1st holiday. As soon as they are ready I'll put some up though. In the meantime, I'll talk a bit about next race. First of all, the good news is that I should get my cut sprockets on Monday, so I should be able to have the proper gearing for the next race. Problem is that the track is a very physical one, with a good mixture of tight corners and fast straights. Makes it really difficult for the the set-up as you don't want to penalize too much the slow parts by putting a too small sprocket on. Well, I'll be on the track I hope on Saturday, and so should get some testing time. The track is actually a nice one, roughly 1'200 meters, situated in the middle of nowhere/France. Here's an aerial shot: You have a very long straight, followed by a 90° right hand corner. Normally this would be a good overtaking place, but the corner is taken flat (if you have the guts!). Actually it is difficult to overtake anywhere on the track, but really you need to be quick on the chicane prior to the straight so as to gain an advantage at the beginning. It will only be the second time I go to this track....(am I trying to find excuses already... )
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Post by CFF on May 2, 2003 12:45:07 GMT -5
Henrik - I'm not much of a CART guy ..... have driven fast ones for a few laps on a number of occasions (my brother owned a fast cart 10 years ago ... and let me do a few laps. Haven't a clue as to what make it was, but I recall it did have a 2 stroke Kawasaki 125 in it, and was a 6 speed shifter).
I have a question -- when you said the mechanic friend at the last event told you your rear axle wasn't wide enough, how exactly did you (fabricate) modify it (at the track)?? Are there off-the-shelf axles that you just happen to have access to at a race?
CFF
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Post by Henrik on May 2, 2003 17:05:35 GMT -5
CFF,
Actually it's very simple. You can slide the wheel mounts along the axle, thus modifying the width. Very basic stuff. Mind some of the more serious guys will have several different axles with them, changing it depending on the grip etc. They usually come in 2 or three different radius, and each of those then have like 5 different rigidity to them (often color coded). I stick to the same axle all the time.....
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Post by Henrik on May 15, 2003 10:04:22 GMT -5
Finally got some photos from the latest race: This particular corner is really tough on the neck!
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Post by pabs on May 15, 2003 10:28:39 GMT -5
It certainly looks like it...look at the guy behind you Henrik: he looks like he's about to lose his head....right at the neck ;D
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Post by CFF on May 15, 2003 14:06:09 GMT -5
It certainly looks like it...look at the guy behind you Henrik: he looks like he's about to lose his head....right at the neck ;D Yeah ... the guy on your tail has the MASSIVE understeer going doesn't he CFF
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Post by Henrik on May 26, 2003 16:05:35 GMT -5
I just realized that I have not written about the results of my last race! I’m sure you all think this is because I had a bad result, and in a way you are right……
The race took place at Autoreille, a tiny village not too far from Besançon. That made for a good three hour drive from our home, and so we obviously went up on Saturday. Hoping to get there early so as to run some test laps, I was disappointed as things dragged out at out track, and so we were only able to get to Autoreille by 6:30. Oh well, no testing. I spoke with some of the guys who had made some runs during the day, and they all said it was going to be difficult. It seemed everybody had a different sprocket mounted, and I was not much wiser. Still, I decided to go for a smaller one than last time, to give me a bit more top speed, at the loss of some acceleration in the twisty parts.
Just to tell you a bit about the track. It is actually a really nice track, with a good grippy surface. The layout is tricky though, as it is a real mixture of some very difficult tight corners, and some long fast straights. No obvious over taking places either. Still, I had enjoyed it last year, benefiting from my physical fitness as it became obvious that that track was very demanding. Okay, I’m not in as good shape as I was last year, still I’m not far from it.
On Sunday morning we woke up to grey skies and rain. It was not too cold though. Arriving at the track, the rain had stopped, and the track didn’t look too wet. As did most of the others, I put on slicks for the warm up. It is a good chance to se how slippery the track is, and since the lap times don’t really count, you don’t have much to worry about. It was slippery!!! After two slow laps, we all pretty much went back to the pits to start putting on wets for the qualifying.
The problem we have is that back in the pits, there is not a team of 20 odd mechanics waiting to execute your orders. Instead we had to rush back to our plots in the paddock, and begin changing the tires. The rain was picking up again, and so there was no longer any doubt as to what tires to have. I just managed to finish in time, get the kart back on the pitlane, and the green flag fell for the qualies.
I felt great right away. The track was slippery, and given the configuration you really needed a smooth style. I noticed how I was the fastest on the track, and began dreaming of my first pole position. When I saw Greg signal to me that I was indeed the fastest I was ecstatic. Then the track began to dry, and there were two drivers that had slicks on…. In the last two laps they managed to get a better time than me, but at a high price. In the very last corner, as we were about to go back to the pits, one of the drivers with slicks passed me on the outside, spun in real Takagi style right in front of me. I tried to avoid him, but it was simply not possible given the slippery conditions. A fairly light crash with my right front wheel in his kart, left me with a bent steering bar! Damn, f**k! I was livid! Having finally achieved a good position, it looked like I wasn’t going to race at all, as I knew I didn’t have the pieces to repair.
Having vented my anger, I set about to find the pieces. I was successful, and began stressing as I set about to repair the kart and put slicks back on. Again I just finished in time, and was probably a bit too stressed for the first race.
At the start I lost positions right away. I just never seemed to be able to get the right line or anything, and I was getting frustrated. Then the engine temperature began to rise, and so I decided not to push it anymore. I finished the race last, and set about to find out what the problem with the cooling system was.
Bubbles had formed in the cooling system, and I purged them, cleaned the kart a bit, and then got out lunch for the gang.
Race two had me in pole as I had finished last in the previous one. The start was not much better, although I did manage to hold on to second position for a while. The engine wasn’t running well, and again it seemed as if I couldn’t get it right. Then suddenly the temperature started shooting up, going from 60° to over 100° in half a lap. I went straight for the pits, and turned off the engine. That’s when Greg came running telling me that if I would do just one more lap I would at least get full points rather than a DNF. I didn’t dare risk it, as there was obviously water missing in the radiator, but there was no apparent leak. I suspected an internal leak, with the water somehow going in to the cylinder. One more lap could prove to be very expensive!!!
So that’s how that ended. Last again…..
Just got news from the kart shop. I was right about the problem, but it has now been repaired. Luckily no serious damage resulted from it, but I certainly don’t regret stopping as I did.
I suppose the good news from this weekend is that I was doing well in the wet conditions. Given how well that was going, I have to assume that my set-up was on the flexible side, giving a clear advantage in the wet, but then penalizing me when the track had dried. If only I was a bit better at setting up my kart. Still so much to learn……
Now it will be on to Italy for round 5……..
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Post by Henrik on Jun 25, 2003 6:32:21 GMT -5
Sorry to those of you that read this thread, as I have totally forgotten to write about the last race! As I had mentioned earlier, the race was to take place in Viverone, a small village slightly north of Turin. Here's a pic of the track: Seeing that the race fell over a long weekend, I decided with my colleague to drive down on the Thursday, so as to spend all Friday practicing. Saturday would be busy as I had to drive to Monaco to pick up Greg, and then on Sunday it would be race time. On the Friday, I decided to begin the day by walking the track. It was a good exercise, helping in seeing all the tricky corners, and also a way of discovering that this was one bumpy track! In several places you could see how the tarmac had been cut by chains and disk scraping it. Also the rumble strips were well present, and fairly steep. It would be very important to keep a good line through all the corners, as a slight deviation would hurt you bad! I was soon out on the track, having a great time. In spite of the bumps and all, it proved to be a very physical track. Having a rather long straight, it also had a bunch of hairpins that really cut your rhythm. Finding the proper sprocket was difficult, and I wanted to put on a bigger one since I felt I did not have enough torque out of the tight corners. Problem was, I could only go up by one since my chassis blocked the motor from sliding back more! So, if I wanted a bigger sprocket, I would have to change the chain, which meant removing the entire rear axle. I decided to stick with the one I had, and in checking with the other Biland guys, it seemed we all had slightly different sprockets on, and I placed somewhere in the middle. As the day went by, the heat became oppressive! You would go out for 15 minutes, and come back soaked! Also, this heat was increasing the grip. Still, my times were okay, and there were no problems. Near the end of the day, I decided to let my colleague try out the Biland. Now he ways some 15kg more than me, and so after 4 laps, he went over a bump, and the chain hit and broke! So, as I had hoped only to pack up my stuff and be ready for Sunday, I now had to do a last minute chain replacement. A bit of a pain, but it was quickly done. On Sunday the weather was still perfect, and you could feel that it was going to be really hot. I went out in the qualifying with the same set up I had Friday, and improved my Friday time by a second and a half!! I was amazed, and felt great, and then found out I qualified second to last…. Still, I was happy, and looking forward to the race. Seeing as the temperature kept rising, I decided to widen the rear axle slightly, so as to help out with the grip. Once this done, I lined up for the first race… The start went well, and I gained one spot. Still, things didn’t feel right somehow. I had huge amounts of grip, and I could feel how the rear inner wheel was lifting in the corners. Then on lap 3, I was coming around a hairpin, getting back on the power, and my kart goes up on two wheels!! In trying to avoid flipping over, I ended up crashing hard in to the middle barrier. It took me a while to come to my senses, as I have to admit I was a bit shocked. I checked the kart out to see if anything was broken, and unfortunately I had bent one of the steering rods. End of race one…. For race two I had repaired the damage done before, and widened the axle even further. I also had increased the tyre pressure, hoping to reduce the grip a bit that way. Well, it didn’t help! As the race took off, with me in pole, I felt that there was still too much grip. In one 90° left hander, I felt the kart begin to go up on two wheels again, but managed to keep it on the track. Then two laps later, in the same hairpin as in the first race, I again went up on two wheels and crashed out! This time there was no serious damage, other than my front spoiler was all bent and scraping on the ground. Still, I decided to continue in order to get some points. It wasn’t easy as the kart really felt bad, and I realized after the race that I had actually broken the steering wheel. Anyway, after 9 laps the engine temperatuer shot up, just like it had in the race two weeks earlier. Feeling that I had done enough damage for one day, I pulled in to the pits, and called it a day….. So much for that! At least I had a good time, and there was a great atmosphere in the paddock all weekend. Now I have all summer to fix things up, and hope to get some good results in the remaining three races. Next race is in September.
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