Track Tac

Dirt Track Preparation

Slack2014 said:
I see a lot of tracks going to calcium pellets, Rolling in with trucks ect then calcium at the right time i am hearing timing is everything letting it sit for a little roll that in and finish with a ALL kart ROLL in not a test and tune. Seems effective in the south.

Also tracks like Coleridge speedway will use a sheep's foot , also at Naugle speedway. I know at Coleridge the owner wont tear the track up but a couple of times a year until its cracking. Pretty much gets er smooth and rocks it out.

Charlotte dirt track had a thing posted about after the Last Call it was so dusty they sent soil samples out and found the balance was wrong. DUG it up DEEP and should result in better track conditions. I understand that local karting cannot invest what they did but. What I mean by it is that there is a science to it.
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Coleridge has a great surface once you get used to sounding like you’re on bubble wrap. 😂
 
I run a 1/10 th mile banked track in southern Ohio . Track was built some time ago , and is pretty sandy . Last year was my first time working the track . We run just about everything from karts to mowers . I get my water direct from the creek , via a 2 inch pump that can drown the place in about 1/2 hour . I work the track thru the week with an arena drag that has 2 rollers on the back with 1/2 inch spikes . Sometimes I will disc it up and grade it from bottom to top , then reverse and grade from top to bottom going clockwise , then use the arena drag going clockwise . The night before race day , I will soak it good . The morning of race day , I hit it with the drag again going clockwise , soak it again , let it set a spell , then run it in with my old pickup . I have 2 totes in the infield with a 1 inch pump that supplies 2 , 3/4 inch garden hoses with fire nozzles , that we use during the day to keep the track from drying up to much . We race on Sunday afternoons , so keeping it a little water on it from time to time keeps it in shape . Track has been smooth and fast considering the time of day we race . 2 Brothers Raceway
 
Ted Hamilton said:
I don't understand why nobody fabs up a packer of a solid axle with UNkeyed hubs and 7-8 rears all filled with water lined up next to each other, freewheeling so there's no skidding of the whole assembly....tow with a 4 wheeler that has flattrack tires on it. More effective than karts, cheaper than a packer car, light enough it doesn't get too far down into the track... If you use an old straightened axle that was bent and some garbage hubs donated from racers, it would almost be free...
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Have you ever saw a wobble wheel roller?
 
The guy that has a track close to me has one. I don't know exactly how he needs to use it. He is basically learning how to prep the track.
 
Ted Hamilton said:
I'd love to see some kart tracks do a wet/heavy prep for once down here in the South....
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Last Saturday our track owner soaked the track before hit laps and made a mud hole out of it and then had us get out and pack the track. A complete disaster. The mud flying up from the karts made the track so rough it beat you to death. This is the third year for this track and still not right. He uses a 800 tank on a trailer with plastic pvc pipe across the rear with holes drilled in it to spread the water. It does not do a food job. He has a water pump. I told him to mount it on the truck and spray the water with his fire hose so he can half way control the water. The track has a lot of bank. When he waters the track it just runs downhill. Need to figure it out. He is already losing karts and the track is why.
 
Ted Hamilton said:
Bob Evans said:
I don't expect to get a lot of posts or threads in this forum. Prepping a track, from my past experience, is usually a close guarded secret among individuals.
However, I believe it could become an area that contains some valuable information, if anyone participates
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Bob Evans said:
I don't expect to get a lot of posts or threads in this forum. Prepping a track, from my past experience, is usually a close guarded secret among individuals.
However, I believe it could become an area that contains some valuable information, if anyone participates.
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Contact the guy who runs beaver creek in Toney Alabama. Best dirt track there is in my opinion. Like riding on fresh asphalt every time we go. He has a crazy prep program but it works . Seriously . Google them and ask . He will tell you
 
Ted, you'd have to be there. The track isn't hard as asphalt, just smooth and has great grip is I think what they meant. Even when the UAS races at BeaverCreek it's generally got moisture and stays very smooth. During day races it will dry out and get hard but what track in the South East doesn't during a day race? At night it gets very good and moisture comes back up some.

BeaverCreek is my closest track, and everyone likes the way Morgan preps the track.
 
MO Predator Racer said:
I have a question. There is a track on youtube and I don't remember which it is but it has a lot of little holes like an aerator has been over it and the holes stay there but it doesn't seem to be a bumpy track at all. Whats that for? I think it is one that @FranksOutdoorLife films at.
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Hello! Yes as @Mconnell22 mentioned it’s Coleridge speedway located in ramseur nc. My understanding is that it is to slow the track speed down mostly.
 
ABR #69 said:
Ted, you'd have to be there. The track isn't hard as asphalt, just smooth and has great grip is I think what they meant. Even when the UAS races at BeaverCreek it's generally got moisture and stays very smooth. During day races it will dry out and get hard but what track in the South East doesn't during a day race? At night it gets very good and moisture comes back up some.

BeaverCreek is my closest track, and everyone likes the way Morgan preps the track.
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Man I love the commitment those guys put in. It's everyday they do some sort of prep. Am I right in saying I believe they put drag slicks on the roll in vehicles? Wide drag slicks on the track worker trucks.
 
MO Predator Racer said:
I have a question. There is a track on youtube and I don't remember which it is but it has a lot of little holes like an aerator has been over it and the holes stay there but it doesn't seem to be a bumpy track at all. Whats that for? I think it is one that @FranksOutdoorLife films at.
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Naugle in Pittsburgh uses a sheeps foot to get that finish. I’m pretty sure it’s to let the water soak in instead of just running off.
 

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Ted Hamilton said:
And that's the problem - THAT is not dirt racing.
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If your idea of dirt racing is beautiful slides and rooster tails of loomy dirt. You need to find something besides a kart. drifting is a slow way round the track for a low hp vehicle like a kart. if you want to slide in the dirt you need HP to get you down the strait. and a kart just don't have it. dirt karting is a great platform for nascar but not so great for something like sprints and modifieds. I's seen it too many times when awsome kart racers move to big dirt cars with lack luster results same goes for people who race big cars and try karting they just don't get it the sliding game doesn't work here. just look at the lap times for 50+ hp flat track bikes sliding vs the smooth line of the kart. the kart is able to generate equal or better lap times with a 1/4 of the hp of the bike by Not drifting.
 
J'-remy said:
If your idea of dirt racing is beautiful slides and rooster tails of loomy dirt. You need to find something besides a kart. drifting is a slow way round the track for a low hp vehicle like a kart. if you want to slide in the dirt you need HP to get you down the strait. and a kart just don't have it.
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Yes, and that's the problem with the current status quo in dirt karting. It's "dirtphalt" AKA asphalt racing with poor traction and a single line where frieght-training becomes the norm and only way to pass... And moving someone is deemed acceptable because it's the only way to pass in follow-the-leader racing. If you're going to prep a dirt track to have lots of traction, why not cut to the chase and simply have an asphalt track? At least then the water wouldn't ruin the track... If you want to teach car control and true dirt style driving, up the HP and lessen the traction.

Which goes to the original point of this post -- HOW do you want a dirt track prepped? Well, I guess that answer depends on whether you want REAL dirt racing, or simply a poor facsimile of asphalt racing with lots of cleanup afterwards. The current status quo takes everything that's bad about dirt racing and lumps it into the same experience. 30 years ago 13 year olds were racing with 3x the power of today's karts... This is what real dirt racing with KARTS used to be like. What we have now is a poor substitute, IMO:

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No, we simply just wanted to go faster. And, the way we race now is faster.

People can say what they want about dirt cars sliding, but most of the WoO lates and big late models don't slide NEARLY as much as most think they do. They're trying to hook them up and make them turn a lot more like we do karts. They have mechanical traction to assist in forward drive, we don't. It's two different animals. WE learned how to get faster.
 
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It's OK. The 12hp clones on "dirt" experience isn't going away. I don't think it's faster than 135cc reeds, though. To each their own.
 
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