Karting is FUN!!

"K-Roll-PorscheTamer" (k-roll390) 01/05/2017 at 15:55 • Filed to: Karting

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I just left Kart2Kart after karting for the first time. It’s the most heart pounding, adrenaline rushing racing fun I’ve ever had in such a confined space! It definitely requires strength and endurance too!

It’s nothing like driving a car. The steering is heavier than any manual steering system I’ve ever used. The steering is sharp and direct, you can feel every input. The rear braking is tricky too

(No Mustang hijinkery/plowing/crashing ensued either)

Here’s how I did on my very first lap ever:

Compared to my second run!

I shaved 3 seconds off! Not too shabby on a first go around. What do you lot think?

Either way, I’m super pumped for this weekend!!

S65 > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 16:00

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bump into ALL THE AUTHORS

diplodicus > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 16:03

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You got two runs all by yourself? Every time I’ve been to kart 2 kart it’s a full grid. And somehow every time theres someone who manages to run straight into the guard rail in the hairpin section.

Mercedes Streeter > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 16:05

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Karting is fun as hell! IMO, you did damn good!

Back in 2015, I was at a smart rally that decided to have a karting track day...it was way more fun than I expected. Every lap you want to shave a milisecond off, you learn something new about the kart, get better acquainted with the track and the kart’s geometry, you get more and more focused, and become more aware with your surroundings...it’s absolutely intoxicating. I can see why people love to race.

Ultimately I got 4th out of 15. The three guys ahead of me were locals, so they knew the track like the back of their hands.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 16:07

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I wish I didnt get pretty bad motion sickness while karting. I should probably wear one of the patches I use on boats for sea sickness. It usually gets to me during really tight autocross courses too but only if I do like 20+ runs. I think with karting its more the rapid succession of laps that gets me. By like the 10th lap I am usually feeling quite nauseous. So much fun though!  

Milky > diplodicus 01/05/2017 at 16:08

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This. Also if you’re new there it wouldn’t hurt to follow someone fast to learn the line better.

jimz > diplodicus 01/05/2017 at 16:08

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I would be that guy, which is why I don’t do these kinds of things ;)

diplodicus > Milky 01/05/2017 at 16:14

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I can’t figure out a good line through that last section. I either come in with too much speed and lose momentum sliding. Or I can’t keep the revs high enough to get a good exit. I wish the karts didn’t cut throttle if you press the brake and gas.

diplodicus > jimz 01/05/2017 at 16:15

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These people just literally stop turning the wheel. That’s only explanation I can think of, its two back to back hairpins and on the second hairpin they just don’t complete it. I don’t understand it. The karts are so easy to slide too.

bhtooefr > diplodicus 01/05/2017 at 16:21

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K2K’s karts, at least last time I went (a couple years ago), were kinda shitty and inconsistent, too, and that makes it that much harder to figure out what you need to do.

IIRC, the trick is that the last corner of that hairpin section is actually the critical one to get the line out of?

Milky > diplodicus 01/05/2017 at 16:40

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I don’t go too often but I feel like I finally got the line right though there, got 27s every lap. With that being said I haven’t even thought about keeping the revs up. Have noticed they cut power when you touch the brakes, which does suck. So yea, no clue. But I know what I’ll be thinking about the next time I go!

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > diplodicus 01/05/2017 at 16:42

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Yep! The whole track was mein!!! :)

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > S65 01/05/2017 at 16:43

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That’s not allowed...

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 01/05/2017 at 16:45

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I must not get motion sickness then. It was such a mind-racing and visceral experience I wasn’t even thinking about how my body was doing; I only had my eye’s ahead of me planning approaches and turn-ins and apexing and when to throttle and brake. I forgot I wasn’t wearing gloves on my second run and when I stopped they were freezing!!

hike > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 16:46

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That’s pretty good first time! I’ll admit you’re faster than I am! The pic below is from the feature race, my qualifying time was in the 28 second range but I couldn’t find the sheet from that. I’m Pacifica SRT10. Started 3rd but got spun first lap.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > jimz 01/05/2017 at 16:47

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But it’s part of the fun!! How far will you go until you hit the brakes? That’s what I was trying to determine: when is the absolute last second at which I should hit the breaks in the hairpins. :p

Still didn’t crash. ^_^

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Milky 01/05/2017 at 16:48

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I am new. ;)

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > hike 01/05/2017 at 16:54

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What’s a feature race? I’m 95% new to karting! I also have no idea how to read the charts in the top left haha. I know I’m gonna have to set a qualifying time in order to continue racing at the event I think. I had some instances when I felt the rear losing grip, but it was rather easy to correct. But the brakes are really tricky!! It seems to cut off the throttle and the weight transfer is all rearward.

Jayhawk Jake > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 16:58

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Only to a point. I went with some friends to one of these places and we got away with quite a bit of bumping before the staff got angry

Milky > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 17:00

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29 your first day there is good imo. Make the jalop staff get #rekt this weekend.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jayhawk Jake 01/05/2017 at 17:08

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I mean accidental bumps happen, but purposeful bumping a la bumper cars is definitely a no no, I was told.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Milky 01/05/2017 at 17:09

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I will give maximum effort!

Urambo Tauro > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 17:25

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Nice! My times were all over the place last year. That was my first time doing timed runs.

Stapleface > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 17:25

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Being a smaller/lighter dude helps immensely when Karting. My fat ass can go flat out at all times and never break traction. There’s just too much weight in the cart. Lol

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Urambo Tauro 01/05/2017 at 17:28

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What were your best/avg times?

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Stapleface 01/05/2017 at 17:29

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Being lighter definitely helps! I’m 5'9 and about 160-170lbs.

Urambo Tauro > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 17:32

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I only bothered to pick up a sheet for the last of the 3 heats, but I do remember that my graph was bouncing up and down. I’ll see if I can find it.

Hot Takes Salesman > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 17:36

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Karting is fantastic, but the local place’s karts isn’t exactly designed for the 6'2" set.

Urambo Tauro > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 17:54

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Oh, wow! So I guess I managed to dip into the 28s after all. Best lap was 28.585. Looks like my average was somewhere around 30.5ish.

Too bad I didn’t pick up the timesheets for my earlier runs that night. I was having a hard time adjusting to how twitchy the steering felt.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 18:13

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AAAAHHH HAAAA!!!!

Now we know your real name and the area you live in Mr. K-Roll!!!

One day I’m gonna TRACK YOU DOWN...

...

...

...

and say hello.

And maybe challenge you to a Go Kart race...

:-)

hike > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 18:19

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The chart on the top left shows lap times. Mine goes off the chart because I spun twice. It’s the only time I had ever been actually Karting.

Think of the feature race like the main race in a Nascar weekend. We had like 20 people so we were 2 groups. The fastest 10 from the 2 qualifying rounds were in the feature race, whereas the slowest 10 were in a consolation race. It’s the close I’ve ever been to a real race. It was great fun.

jimz > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 18:19

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Put it this way- I describe my life as a 40 year endeavor to avoid publicly embarrassing myself :)

hike > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 18:20

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I’m also pretty sure the not bold lines on the graph are my other 2 runs. The higher one was my first run, which was pretty bad. My 2nd run went quite well though.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > jimz 01/05/2017 at 18:51

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Let me ask you this:

What’s the fun in that?!? ^_^

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/05/2017 at 21:45

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Oh yeah, I completely ignore my body too. I tend to get to the end of a heat and just feel like I had the life sucked out of me. Once I actually puked at the end of a Karting race but I was so excited still because I had my fastest lap of the day! That day was bad because it was unlimited races for $50. I lost track after the 6th race before even 2 hours went by. Haha I think I have a problem.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/06/2017 at 08:27

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How the hell have you never been karting before??? Kart 2 Kart is fun, there is also an electric one in Novi called JD’s. I’ve been going to K2K for years now.