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On Tuesday I'll be "competing" against fellow IT geeks on karts at F1 Boston thanks to a vendor event.

In June I'll be "competing" against random amateurs in NASCAR cars (not sure what series) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for a few laps thanks to my parents and Groupon.

Neither of these are real racing but I ought to bone up anyway, for maximal enjoyment. I've probably forgotten everything I knew since I abandoned my interest in racing over a decade ago. (That was partly because of other things in my life, and partly because it encouraged me to drive on public roads in ways that cost lots of money and sometimes compromised safety.)

Anyone care to share links or wisdom to jog my memory and add knowledge that I previously lacked entirely? I just read the Gary Sheehan thread and picked up a few useful insights.

Step one. Procure a sticker that says "I'm not speeding, I'm qualifying." Followed by a Confederate flag.

Accelerate out of turns. Make the apex.

Make sure you arent granny shifting not double clutching like you should.

Sticker: Good idea, better slap that bitch on the Buick so people can read it at the speed limit.

Accelerate out of turns and make the apex: Yup, I somehow managed to at least remember that one.

Granny shifting/double clutching: NAWZ!!!!



...they make the cow go faster.

Swiss cows?

Where did you think Swiss cheese comes from?

You're not tailgating, you're drafting.

watkins wrote:Where did you think Swiss cheese comes from?

A place similar to where whipped cream comes from?

Oops didn't have time to post before but if anyone else is looking for karting tips here's a video I made a while back:



I haven't been to F1 boston but I've been to their outdoor track, which has got to be one of the best kart tracks in the country.

For the stock cars, be smooth and note that they'll probably have the things gear limited to a modest speed and want you to brake at a cone significantly earlier then you really need to. Still should be fun. You might find the interior pretty cramped (or maybe not I dunno how they'd have their cars setup) and one thing that surprised me was how limited the viability is with the seating position and how the hood and cage are.

Gizmo should be able to tell you more he's done something similar at NHMS

The video looks great. You're 25 hours too late though. Was that done with a GoPro? I get the feeling that they wouldn't allow it at F1 Boston.

Those karts look like they're a little better than the ones at F1 Boston, seems like they accelerate better and lack the annoying flared-rear shape, though I think the track at F1 Boston was better than that track looks.

i've driven on nhms in a stock car. bouncing off the limiter most of the way i turned a 33.8 best lap (pros turn 28.x). call me if you want my advice

It is a gopro, I've never been to a kart track that didn't allow them.

The karts are Sodis, they are the most popular rental kart and if I were to guess probably what F1 boston uses. They might have older models though. at the time of the video the karts were pretty new. They also only have the 6HP honda motor, but since the tracks pretty sort they might have lower gearing then what you ran. Pretty much all modern karts have a wider rear then front, it's how the karts are set up to handle.

I recall from video that F1 boston is a two level track, which is pretty cool.

The karts at F1 Boston are Rimos and have 6.5hp Honda engines. A good lap time is under 22 seconds (for length comparison purposes).

The track is indeed two-level, it tucks under itself for a couple turns in a tunnel. The hill configuration for its two-leveledness handicaps heavy drivers; if it was run in the other direction it would benefit them. You go full throttle uphill, limited by acceleration available (so lighter drivers gain here), but have to brake for a turn on the downhill portion and discard all that stored potential energy (so nobody gains here). In the other direction the gravity boost downhill would be useful (clydesdales would gain), and the gravity braking uphill would be just part of braking you already need to do anyway (nobody would gain here).

So, had a good call with gizmo...he gave me a long brain dump, now I will process it all and then think about and practice it (in a simulator, and within the limits of safety and legality on the road). Thank you gizmo, you really know your stuff!