[Doug Ring]

Wow, another great race weekend at Laguna Seca thanks to the Northern California Karters.  Here is some video from race 4 – stock moto classes with ~40 karts on the grid.

[Doug Ring]

Hi Jack,

Sorry I missed your original post.  I ran 17/22 on Saturday, and that ratio worked well for Race 1 but was a little short for race 2.  If the weather is good and no wind, I’d start at 18/23 or 19/24 (but watch out for chain clearance when using that ratio).

[Doug Ring]

Here’s a quick rough edit of my video from Group 2, Race 2 (Stock Moto and SKUSA 125’s).  I started in P19 due to noise infraction in Race 1 – needless to say, I had my work cut out…

[Doug Ring]

Hi all,

Here is a video from race 4 – really fun time racing with LaGrone and Korody.

Doug

[Doug Ring]

[quote quote=53695]Thank you NCK team for putting on a well run event again. I had I great time, this is my first season road racing. I find the people in NCK very welcoming, anyone wanting to try road racing this is a great group of people to help you get going this exciting form of karting. BTW Button Willow was my first ever class win in Tag/E. Again great people great track and lots of fun Thank you Jack Cook NCK #17 [/quote]

I am curious about the car times using this configuration and direction.  There were some MC’s setting up in the pits as we were leaving, I’m assuming they were going to run on Monday.  My times were OK, but Vince and Korody were the guys pedaling hard on Sunday!

[Doug Ring]

Big thanks to Roger and the NCK team, we had another great day of racing at Buttonwillow.  Thankfully, the weather was really mild, and turnout for stock moto classes was pretty good.

 

Randy, we ran the “13” configuration, going clockwise (down the main straight from sunset to sunrise).  The track is very smooth going in this direction – there is only one small section that I would consider a bit rough, and we take that at a low speed.  I ran an 18/22 all day with my ’99, and would probably start with the same next time we go to BW.

If you can arrange the time, you should try to make Thunderhill West in October – that track is like a 1.8 mile sprint track.  Physically very demanding, lots of blind corners, a real challenge.

[Doug Ring]

Leatt Brace.  Used a foam collar for years, changed to the Leatt a few years ago and I’d never go back.  The purpose of a neck support system should be to minimize hyperextension/hyperflexion if called upon.  The foam neck roll will just compress with the relatively sharp edge of the helmet digs into it; the Leatt has been tested and certified to meet the appropriate requirements.

Regarding cost, don’t let this be a factor.  The brace will last for many years – just like a well-serviced helmet.

[Doug Ring]

Jack,

MG yellows for this weekend – greens may be an option, if the weather starts to get above mid 70’s.  I treat LS just like it’s a big sprint track, so I use pressures very similar to my sprint setup.  Run used tires for the practice, and your new tires for the two heats.  Flipping tires side to side is an option between the races, for me it depends on how much wear I am getting on the front insides.

 

Doug Ring – Shifter #8

[Doug Ring]

To those who skipped the race – you missed a great racing day.  Yes, it did rain in the morning, and races 1 and 2 needed wet tires (no active rain, but the track was still damp), but after lunch the track was fully dry and fast – I think our (Super Stock 125) fastest lap was quicker than last year, when we ran in perfect weather.

[Doug Ring]

Yes, this is a learning experience that all transitioning drivers have to go through.  With rear brakes only (in my case, TAG), you can usually use the rear end much more to slide/rotate the kart on turn in, and trail braking is very common with rear brakes only.

On the shifter, the consensus seems to be that braking should be done hard and in a straight line – hence, we go into corners deeper that a TAG, also a much higher speed – then substantially or fully released when turning in.  The power of the shifter also lends itself slight powersliding at apex through exit, but you have to be careful with this, as it can quickly turn into an exit spin (very rare for me on the TAG) and/or front tire oversteer wear.

Try to find the better shifter drivers at your track and follow them and/or talk to them about their lines – almost all have come up through TAG or HPV/KT.

[Doug Ring]

My version of race 7:

https://vimeo.com/102982178

Another fun race with Mike, Joe, and Connor.

[Doug Ring]

Mike/Chris,

I took Mike Ray out in R1, as I tried an unsuccessful dive-bomb on the inside of T11 on L1.  He and his dad graciously accepted my apology afterward.

Interesting comments on MG’s and road racing.  Joe had a pretty bad separation by the end of R7, not sure if it was a front or rear.  I have never had this type of issue with MG yellows (in fact, by the end of R7 that particular set of yellows had four races on them – both races at Laguna and two full races at Thunderhill – and I still got second fastest lap), but I think that I tend to run a bit higher pressure than normal, and I flip the front tires between races.

[Doug Ring]

Also – FWIW – I don’t think that we had any significant issues with the noise guidelines in the 125cc shifter class.  I saw a variety of airboxes (blue Freeline box with two snorkels, black RLV boxes with four snorkels, even one guy who put 33mm snorkels in his RLV box!) and silencers, and I don’t think anyone got flagged.

So, the next time we go to LS, just get an airbox and your standard silencer (I was running my tried-and-true Swedetech unit) – it’s a great track for shifters!

[Doug Ring]

“Maximum power” and “maximum torque” are usually quite different for our motors, be they Rotaxes, CR125’s, or Leopards.  You should probably try to shift somewhere between max power and torque, and then gear the longest straight to reach just short (100-200rpm) short of your max power/redline (whichever is lower).

[Doug Ring]

Regarding fuel, Mark sent out an email a couple of days ago reporting that there were pump problems at the track location, and fuel may not be available on race day – his suggestion was to bring your own.  For a shifter, 4 gallons might suffice, but 5 or 6 would be better.  Oil is open, use what your builder recommends.

Tires are open, but most will probably be running MG yellows/whites or Hoosier R60’s.  Same tires must be used for the two races – late Saturday and Sunday.

 

Make sure you have an airbox – the consensus is that it would be highly unlikely that an open filter would pass 92db.

[Doug Ring]

Contact Aluminos – it looks like their chassis is a badge-engineered GP/CRG.  Right now, I have no idea where I would buy genuine “GP” parts for my GP10.

[Doug Ring]

Per the SKUSA rules, the camera must be mounted on the front (Nassau) panel.  I have absolutely no idea behind the logic of this dictate – I mount mine above the radiator, and I really like the view angle (I get the entire track, plus can see my steering wheel/brake/front wheel interaction).

[Doug Ring]

Hi Andrew,

You may have seen me at the SDKA race – I have GP #8 in the shifter class.

We don’t have a shop in SD right now, but there are many brands supported in the region – Acceleration Karting (LV) is a big CRG dealer, the Musgraves are doing really well with Tony Karts, Full Throttle in OC is supporting Arrows, etc.  Get a copy of Go Racing and you will see the ads.  Right now, you pretty much can’t go wrong with a new CRG or Tony, and I wouldn’t hesitate at looking at Intrepid or Arrow.  I’d suggest going to an LAKC race – you will see samples of all the major chassis, and there should be reps from the various shops.

WRT ceramic brakes, I have them and I’m very, very impressed with them.  Very little service so far (and I’m running both SDKA and the NCK road racing series), great stopping power, and light.  The major downside is price if you crack a rotor (I run skid rails on the rear underframe, to prevent this).

GP’s come out of the CRG factory (really, the only unique part of a GP is the frame), but right now there is little support in the western US; their distribution network seems to have fallen apart a bit.  In terms of resale value, CRG’s and Tony’s would probably be the best bets.

[Doug Ring]

Been a couple of years since I ran the Birel, but shimming is not at all unusual to close the gap. Birel dealers will have them, or you can make some yourself out of aluminum sheet. You may need to trim the retaining screw lengths, if the pads don’t have clearance holes bored through the friction material. IKP’s may be harder, hence less material on the pad?

[Doug Ring]

You can say that again, Ray!  Both Sears Point and Laguna Seca make great shifter kart tracks, with Buttonwillow close behind.  I’m ready for LS right now…

[Doug Ring]

Michael,

Race 1 is run as a standing start from the hot pit, while races 4 and 7 are rolling starts.  Starting positions for races 1 and 4 are based on time/date of entry, while starting positions for race 7 are based on finishing positions from race 4.

For races 4 and 7, you need to run the same set of tires.  For cost reasons, many of us use used tires for race 1, and a new set for race 4 and then carry over to race 7.  Having said that, new tires for race 1 is nice, as the tracks are usually cooler and lower grip.  However, if you try to run the same tires for all 3 races, it will be hairy by the end of R7 – particularly at SP and LS, which are just like big sprint tracks.

You can run the exact same kart in all three races – most of us do that.  Having said that, please check the IKF rule book, as classes 19 and 20 allow use of non-CIF front fairings (nose and sidepods must be CIK).  As a result, the front runners all use the larger, more aerodynamic Hegar front fairing.  If you want to stick with the CIK front fairing, enter classes 16 and 14 – these classes are designed for SKUSA-spec bodywork, and run at 385#.

I’ll be working on the GP this weekend, loading the trailer on Tuesday….

[Doug Ring]

Hi Bob,

 

Not to get too technical, but I shot my TH video using a Garmin VIRB camera.  I tried one of the early GoPro’s a long time ago, spent 2+ frustrating years using Contour cameras (worked about half the time…), but so far I’ve been very happy with the image quality and consistency of use with the VIRB.

[Author]

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