back yard bull ring Thanks TJ

ponytl

Member
Got invited to a back yard bull ring track today... son got more laps in today than all racing he's done this year.. we weren't set up for it... not geared for it... mostly flat maybe 1/20th mile almost round... but I think he learned more today than on any other day... was cool that he could run a couple laps... pull in change air pressure go right back out and see what HIS changes made... he ran with older and younger guys... big motors... guys that had a 1000 laps on this track ... raced hard... tore some stuff up... amazing what over 200 laps in a day will do... vs a normal race day he might get in 40 counting caution laps...
Just wanted to say Thanks to the great bunch of folks that made us feel welcome in arkansas today and to TJ for having us...
Thanks
 
Same thing we do here in S.W. Ohio.. My neighbor owns a Backyard track, we have an organized race in the evening/night(track has lighting, flagstand, a operating traffic light in turn 1 & 3 ) but can also run as many laps as we want to, until we start the racing.. Then after the racing run more laps, pack it all up about Midnight. Our group also has our own class at 2 local tracks all for fun :) ..
 
This was a sat. afternoon... not as elaborate as yours... but was cool... they tried to put "like karts" together... if someone had a problem... even after 5 karts were on the track... they'd just pull off and wait on someone... or you could just make laps... The atmosphere was fun... some showed up to watch... everyone helped... offered parts... ect... if you have a chance to partake in such a gathering it can be a great learning experience... this was a small bull ring... I've always thought if you can run well on a small tight track you can run well anywhere...
 
He has always/only run slicks... these guys had both... and they would switch theirs up... run a "slick" race then run a treads race... slicks could run with treads if you wanted... but treads could not run with slicks...
a very kind guy loaned us a set of rear treads... completely changed the set up of the kart... and he hated them... pushed like a dump truck... I ask him a ton of questions about "why" why do you think it pushed? what do you think is happening? what do you think will help it? why? we have run every race on the same set of tires this year (short season for us) only cleaning and prepping them and changing air pressure for changing conditions... we have been in the ball park and his worst finish is 3rd and only once was he not in sight of the leader... I have kept notes of everything we have done and he gave his input on what he thought we did, needed to have done, could have done, good & bad... I just want his to learn to think about why we would do this or that... before we started I made him find out/learn what caster/camber/toe/ackerman was and to be able to explain it like he was teaching a class on it... long rant i know.... but
I made him give me all the notes from sat. he ran really well when he was on the track with 1 or 2 other karts... nice line... in control... trying different lines... did not run as well in the races... was loose and pushing... very cool that we usually have an hour + ride home... so we get to discuss what we did... cause and effect... he was upset with his racing results... while i thought he did pretty well... anyway it was cool to hear his thoughts on his changes... why they helped or hurt... and I got to question him... why did you add air to the rt rear when you were loose? what did you envision was happening... did it work? out of an hour ride... I can usually engage him for about 30 of it if he is unhappy about how he ran... I can get the whole hour if he thought he ran great... how many dads get to spend this amount of time one on one with their kids... pretty sure i'm the winner no matter how we run
 
'pretty sure I'm the winner no matter how we run' - you're exactly right. Best of times are the trip to and from the race track.
 
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