2014 Race Preview - Round 2, Three Sisters (Wigan)

Coming up on Saturday 12th of April and Sunday 13th of April is the second race of the Easykart UK season, also the first time Easykart has been to Three Sisters for a race meeting - I think. From what I have read on the Easykart UK facebook page Three Sisters is an extremely fast track and "... corner speed is what it is all about." So unless you keep your momentum going it will be difficult to keep up with the people in front. At Three Sisters, like at Shenington, you can get a lot of toe at along the straights - like DRS, ish.

Unfortunately there isn't a Club 100 track guide for Three Sisters, or at least not one that I can find, so all the notes and comments about the track will be coming straight from the notes on the Easykart UK Facebook page or from karting1's track guide. According to the karting1 track guide "THE most important corner of the circuit is lunar" as it sets you up for the long start/finish straight, get this corner wrong and you are liable to be overtaken and lose time all along the straight - which nobody wants.
The kerbs seem pretty big - bent axles likely. After some spectacular fights at Buckmore, for example Sam Blower in the heat and James White in the pre-final, with people flying through the field Three Sisters should be a good race.

Three Sisters Club circuit (in red)

Andy's suggested set-up for Three Sisters (Junior)

Set up

• Carb setting start 50mins to 55mins low jet
• Main jet 83
• Exhaust Flex 65mm to 70mm
• Sprocket size 71 Teeth
• Recommended chain length 96 or 98 links (Must be a CZ chain!)

Dry set up

• 20mm or 25mm front spacers
• Rear track 138cm to 139.5cm Depending on your driving style
• Tyre pressures between 9 and 12 psi

Wet set up

• Full 30mm front spacers
• Rear track 134cm to 135cm
• Tyre pressures:

1. 11 psi grease
2. 14psi wet
3. 18psi MONSOON

Unfortunately I will not be at Three Sisters for the race weekend so it is unlikely that there will be a full race review, but if anything unexpected happens be sure to let me know and I might do a brief note about it. Next stop Shenington. 

2014 Race Preview - Round 1, Buckmore Park

Coming up on Saturday 22nd of March and Sunday 23rd of March is the first race of the Easykart UK 2014 calendar. This race is going to be held at Buckmore Park which appears to be not only a very technical track but also quite quick, if you get the lines right. I know people will say that if you get the lines right at any track it is quick but what I mean is there are some long sweeping corners at Buckmore that can be taken close to flat out if the kart is set up properly.
Club 100 do some very good track guides for all the tracks that they visit and, as club 100 run the Easykart races, they have one for most of the tracks that we go to. The layout of the track seems to be split into two sections. The "top half" ,as I think of it, being quite tight and technical; and the "bottom half" being quite open and fast flowing, but not without some tight corners. From having a quick look at the track and watching many videos of the BUKC, Club 100 races and the odd easykart driver going around Buckmore, I feel that probably the most crucial corner of the whole track is going to be Symes Sweep as it is "a very fast, down hill right hand corner" and can sometimes be "taken flat, although a small lift may be required" as it then sets you up for Pullmans and Paddock corner. If you miss your braking spot and turning point at Pullmans it sets you up wrong for Paddock and forces you to lose speed, increasing your lap time.

note: these quotes are from the Club 100 track guide for Buckmore Park.

"Buckmore Park" courtesy of Club 100

Andy's suggested set-up for Buckmore (Junior)

Set up

• Carb seting start 45mins to 55mins low jet : main jet 83
• Exhaust flex 80mm
• Designated sprocket size: 86t recommended chain length 108L 

Dry set up

• 25mm front spacers on inside/ rear track 138 to 139.5cms 
• Tyre pressure dry range guide 9 to 12 psi. Always use the same pressure in the fronts and rears- look for a working pressure gain of 2 psi

Wet set up

• Full spacers inside front wheels - rear track 134 to 135cm
• Tyre pressures 16 psi grease, 20 psi wet and for monsoon wet 22 psi or even higher if day temp is only 1 or 2 degrees c

From my recent practice at Whilton Mill I am in high hopes for a top 10 finish at Buckmore, which would not only be a great start to a new season, new kart and new year, but it would also be my highest finish to date at an Easykart event!
There is yet another new points system for this year, probably because the system last year was not only confusing but put people lower down the grid on the back foot, as if you gained many places in the heat you would still have to start near the back. This year however you get championship points for the heat, pre-final and the final, however the points available in the heat are only half the amount that are available in each of the final and pre-final.

A new beginning - The first steps

On Wednesday 20th February 2014 I went for a track/test day in my new Kart, #83. This new kart was provided by my chief sponsor who, after lengthy negotiations over the festive period, agreed that a new vehicle was needed to help my chances in the coming season. As this season will be my last season in the Junior class I will only get to use this kart this season, however it should provide the reliability we need.

We arrived at around 8:30 and were set up by 9:30. We signed on and went for a track walk and were glad that the track was dry and grippy. As this was to be the first time the kart had ever been driven I would need to run the engine in and bed in the brakes for the first two sessions, but that didn't bother me. As there were so many drivers there on the Wednesday the sessions were split into four; Cadets, TKM and Minimax, Junior followed by Seniors. We were classed as TKM so we went out in the first junior session.

Getting focused

In the first two sessions I took it easy, not too fast along the straights and not too hard on the brakes. It felt as if the TKM and Minimax drivers were very quick as I couldn't compare myself to them, so I was hoping that when it came to the third session I would be able to keep up.

A quick note about tyres. Last season in Easykart we were using Easykart specific tyres which, although they work, aren't the grippiest and therefore not the fastest. This season Easykart is switching to new Vega SL4s. We first got to use these at the E-plate last November, and they are much grippier but supposedly have a shorter life.

In the third session I went out on the old Easykart tyres and I was just about keeping up with the TKMs and Minimaxs, but not able to pass them very easily or catch up quickly. I also found that I didn't have much rear grip and was sliding through many corners at much slower speeds than I was used to.

In the zone

Come the fourth session we had switched the tyres and I was now on the SL4s that had only been used at the E-Plate. It was a revelation! I was going through corners much quicker than many of the TKMs and Minimaxs, and in straight line speed the Easykarts, there were four of us (Jordan Sanders, Mitchell White, Matthew Rainbow and Myself), were so much faster than the TKMs and Minimaxs. I was able to take at least 1 kart on the straight up to the top of the hill - I think I passed 3 at one point just along that straight. It was electrifying. I have never felt so quick in my whole karting career. I was beginning to think it is how people at the front of the Easykart grid feel during every race/practice session.

The next sessions all went perfectly and I was one of the fastest people out there, generally equaling Jordan's laps. Unfortunately the mychrons weren't working very well and didn't seem to pick up one of the mag strips, but when I set it to 2 rather than 3 mag strips it still didn't pick up the correct times, maybe only one was working? Fortunately I had my MyTach watch which allowed me to see my lap times. My fastest lap of the day was a 47.73 second lap. I don't think this is my fastest time around there but the track was not quick so on a good day who knows what time I'll get.

Cleaning the kart and sorting out the chain

If this practice day was anything to go by this season should be a good one, but I don't want to jinx myself too early on. There would have been some footage of my driving around, but the camera disappeared during the last session and had been playing up all day, so no camera. Hopefully we should have a new camera by mid-season. Any suggestions for on-board cameras are welcome but we are trying to keep costs down, so nothing too expensive.

This is where the camera was

Also follow me on twitter @EGoesKarting for regular updates throughout race weekends.