Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

Dave Seitz · Mega Poster

Pro Kart 1-22-11

Chris R · 2K+ Club

I probably wont. Im planning to hit the swap meet instead.

Derek69SS · Founding Member

Same here... swap meet. :)

BTW, ProKart opens at 11:00 on Saturdays... not sure if they have any Saturday leagues though.

bowtie · Secretary

swapping too.

Lost in the 60s · President

No time or money for that. Need to sell excess inventory to purchase yet needed parts for current project.

Derek69SS · Founding Member

Here's a helmet-cam video from last weekend there... not me driving, but some of the guys that you see passing him are in the league I run with.

Click here: http://vimeo.com/18688685

-- Edited by Derek69SS on Wednesday 12th of January 2011 09:08:47 PM

Chris R · 2K+ Club

I used to run there all the time when the prices were affordable (without a coupon). Now its just too spendy for me and I would rather buy car parts instead. But I always had a blast every time.

Derek69SS · Founding Member

It may seem expensive, but for someone like me who autocrosses a lot, it is the cheapest way out there to get "seat time" and work on being "smooth".

SteveS · Super Poster

If I recall last year I stuffed Derek into the tires when I didn't see him passing to my inside and I misjudged my corner exit speed and plowed into his brother.........twice. Yea, maybe I better stick to the swap meet too, before I hurt someone biggrin

.

Derek69SS · Founding Member

I've been stuffed in the tires in that same spot numerous times... it's one of the easiest places to pass (cleanly anyway), but if the other driver holds his line, you get pinched and can end up sideways parked against the wall. bleh

SteveS · Super Poster

Sad part was by the time they had you pulled out of the tires I was about to lap you and you still made the lap up and caught me by the end of the race.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Ive also realized early on that a guy my size and weight will never be able to really compete with the guys half my size because of the weight difference. Even if I were at my ideal weight. I still would be too heavy in the kart compared to someone even a few feet shorter. I would have to be anorexic. Some of these leagues have taken and made a lightweight class and heavyweight class now. I remember a guy at the Blaine track that has or held the track record and was a little skinny dude. You almost have to be in order to acclomplish that. Your body weight definetly will hold you back from being competive in kart racing. Its not like there is much to the kart to strip weight from. Just yourself.

Derek69SS · Founding Member

Chris, they have weight racks that hold I think 60lbs on them... the leagues do a weigh-in and use ballast to even things out. The league I'm in is weighted to 225lbs. There are a few guys over-ballast that still do quite well, and a few guys who can't put enough weight on to get up to 225, but their times are still very close.

The difference in cornering and braking isn't really that much... the biggest difference is the acceleration being slower for the heavy guys. Heavy guys are the toughest to pass though... can't really push them off the line as easily.

There are also some super-competitive leagues that you'd have to be extremely fast to compete in... I'm top-5 in my league, but I'd get eaten alive in the "Knotheads" league. Your competitiveness depends on the league, the level of talent in them varies a lot.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Intresting. When I was doing that. They didnt add weight to even out the competitors. I know that I was good enough and just couldnt quite improve my time much more. Almost as if I reached a plateau. But in the end. Pocketbook won over once the gas prices started climbing and it wasnt worth the expense to me anymore.

Derek69SS · Founding Member

I do think we should try to do a club meeting there... Jim Roy's son still works there, so I can talk to him about it if there's enough interest. He'll might give us "member pricing" so it would be a few bucks cheaper. They have a big meeting room there too.

We don't need to do anything "competitive"... just go out and have a good time driving as fast as the tires will let you for 8 minutes. smile

Compare times, BS, have some laughs and some friendly razzing after... and joke about who stuffed who in the wall. biggrin

SShink · 3K+ Club

Derek69SS wrote:

I do think we should try to do a club meeting there... Jim Roy's son still works there, so I can talk to him about it if there's enough interest. He'll might give us "member pricing" so it would be a few bucks cheaper. They have a big meeting room there too.

We don't need to do anything "competitive"... just go out and have a good time driving as fast as the tires will let you for 8 minutes. Compare times, BS, have some laughs and some friendly razzing after... and joke about who stuffed who in the wall.

Derek-Please check it out and let me know. We're still deciding on the Febr. meeting location and sounds like this might work out great. We'd like to find somewhere for the south guys (not just because I live southern metro biggrin

), and this would be perfect especially if they have a meeting room.

Dave Seitz · Mega Poster

So I have to wait untill Feb now for this Kart fix?

You guys know Kurts son is already getting into karts and in a few years the kid will put us in the wall?

SShink · 3K+ Club

Dave Seitz wrote:

So I have to wait untill Feb now for this Kart fix?

Nope. You're free to go anytime or before Karl's brunch next Sat. for the informal NCC karting. Otherwise, we'll check it out for Febr.

bowtie · Secretary

Another option could be Brunswick Zone right by Karls. They have meeting rooms and do special packages for groups. We did my company's x-mas party there this year (but up in Blaine location).

SShink · 3K+ Club

bowtie wrote:

Another option could be Brunswick Zone right by Karls. They have meeting rooms and do special packages for groups. We did my company's x-mas party there this year (but up in Blaine location).

I've got that one as an action item from the officers meeting. I'll check into it and will update.