Do you see any value in an app that forecasts the track moisture for race day compared to past?

Do you see any value in an app that forecasts the track moisture for race day compared to past?

  • Yes

    Votes: 5 31.3%
  • No

    Votes: 11 68.8%

  • Total voters
    16
I think dirt changes to much to forecast accurately, you can walk the track and gather all info needed in just a few minutes, I dont use a screwdriver I use my foot
Same here for karts moisture does not have to be deep, I can see if it's moist or not my foot tells me how solid it is, and if it's sealed over or has some grip.
 
Thanks all, great feedback here.

If you haven’t voted yet please do so. This is very helpful in my decision of what feature to focus on for the RaceDay IQ app.

So maybe a user friendly digital setup book (mobile app) would be more helpful? Just something to capture data and results?
 
i'd try it

I'd like an app which you could get an idea from about available grip. Some sort of input for what you see or find with the track, your tires and expected loading of tires maybe per g's and stuff like that
 
Thanks all, great feedback here.

If you haven’t voted yet please do so. This is very helpful in my decision of what feature to focus on for the RaceDay IQ app.

So maybe a user friendly digital setup book (mobile app) would be more helpful? Just something to capture data and results?
Yes accurate detailed notes, with weather and track conditions, lap times, gearing, as far as an app If track uses it Race Monitor tells you a lot.
 
My app never crashes, and cant be deleted, and for the most part free.......pen and paper, you know the lost art form of actually writing
Well you do have a point, there are some pros to pen and paper.

Do you ever want to do trending over time or lookup prior setup info by track condition?
 
Well you do have a point, there are some pros to pen and paper.

Do you ever want to do trending over time or lookup prior setup info by track condition?
My notes are in alphabetical order so its easy to find and look at past notes, we only run 3 maybe 4 tracks on the regular, and 1 home track and the majority of karters will always race at 1 track
Dirt changes so much from week to week but the setups for those tracks are basically the same, the only thing that changes is tires and the prep we will use.
But after 20 years in karting, if im going to a track I havent been to before( dont go to any new tracks now that we arent testing prototypes anymore), I do all the research I can, but once I get there and walk the track, I know where im going for setup and tires.
Dont care about trending.
 
Probably a little of a year ago someone asked about an app for scaling a kart.
Im note sure why they needed an app for that because the scales figure out the percentages for you.
Reading how much moisture on an app is only reading the moisture in the air, not the track. Like XXX 40 said walk the track to see how much grip is in the track.
The main thing is if I've lost my phone or some reason you dont have wifi. The app is useless. The best thing is to keep notes.
 
if I've lost my phone or some reason you dont have wifi. The app is useless.
Completely agree... I would not release an app to the public that stores data without it having an offline sync capability. So in the case of lost phone data is backed up and without cellular or WiFi it still works. When connection is available it syncs data.
 
Thanks all, great feedback here.

If you haven’t voted yet please do so. This is very helpful in my decision of what feature to focus on for the RaceDay IQ app.

So maybe a user friendly digital setup book (mobile app) would be more helpful? Just something to capture data and results?


I actually talked to a fellow at the PRI show maybe 3 years ago about specifically this. Don't know if anything ever became of it. Seemed like a good idea.

Again, most of us "old schoolers" use actual paper & pen notebooks, but there is a younger generation of racers coming up that are familiar with the new tech and would much more easily embrace it.
 
Just read through this again and folks keeping paper record had nothing at all to do with me changing my vote.

I'm now thinking an app which predicts track moisture would not be of any use because of how complex and likely wrong it would be.

It might give you some number much like Al's number for wedge that if you learned to use it could help but it would be a number or reference meaningful only to those who gained experience with it over many years. I also don't think it would gain acceptance and you could not discuss it with anyone. Ok I guess if you want to learn some little secret thing nobody else knows or cares about.

I think everyone could relate to an available grip number for tire selection and preparation if one was figured out and valid.

I came up with what I still think would be an easily used and workable mechanical tool design to measure track grip. I probably should make it and see for sure if it would work. If you came up with an app that could even pretty well predict total available grip it would be helpful in tire selection and preparation. But your asking about moisture and I don't see its worth?

I don't see how racers would be able to use an app unless they physically took unique readings needed for the app. Might special training be need to use an app for moisture so all would get similar results? It might end up the same as using your tire gauge being it doesn't matter what or how your gauge reads, so long as you always use the same gauge in the same way.

Fun to think about it but i'm now not seeing it differently. Maybe it's needed but I think your task of making it useful and needed is years of work away.
 
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Every year someone new coming in trying to make it EASIER to get over the learning curve, no such animal, it has to be done with hard work and studying.
Truth I havent taken a single note in 5 years, after you learn it becomes second nature to walk the track and know what adjustments to make to start on, and 96% of the time its our baseline setup that we know the kart likes, then its just making the right guess on tires, and if its the same track over and over that really takes more of the guess work out
 
Just read through this again and folks keeping paper record had nothing at all to do with me changing my vote.

I'm now thinking an app which predicts track moisture would not be of any use because of how complex and likely wrong it would be.

It might give you some number much like Al's number for wedge that if you learned to use it could help but it would be a number or reference meaningful only to those who gained experience with it over many years. I also don't think it would gain acceptance and you could not discuss it with anyone. Ok I guess if you want to learn some little secret thing nobody else knows or cares about.

I think everyone could relate to an available grip number for tire selection and preparation if one was figured out and valid.

I came up with what I still think would be an easily used and workable mechanical tool design to measure track grip. I probably should make it and see for sure if it would work. If you came up with an app that could even pretty well predict total available grip it would be helpful in tire selection and preparation. But your asking about moisture and I don't see its worth?

I don't see how racers would be able to use an app unless they physically took unique readings needed for the app. Might special training be need to use an app for moisture so all would get similar results? It might end up the same as using your tire gauge being it doesn't matter what or how your gauge reads, so long as you always use the same gauge in the same way.

Fun to think about it but i'm now not seeing it differently. Maybe it's needed but I think your task of making it useful and needed is years of work away.

"I think everyone could relate to an available grip number for tire selection and preparation" (y)

Let's throw the moisture part out... what I was trying to do was come up with some way for a racer that only has a couple sets of tires to get some estimate of what the track surface may be like on race day so they could adapt their tire strategy before getting to the track. IMO, if you have 10+ sets of tires you can tailor each for a condition and be ready for anything... but what if you only have two? As you point out " task of making it useful and needed is years of work away."

"If you came up with an app that could even pretty well predict total available grip it would be helpful in tire selection and preparation" This is really the end goal but only mentioned moisture [soil moisture estimate top 6"] because I felt there could be a correlation between soil moisture and grip... but maybe not... need some real data.

I'm curious about your idea to measure grip using a mechanical device.
 
what I was trying to do was come up with some way for a racer that only has a couple sets of tires to get some estimate of what the track surface may be like on race day

as XXX#40 explained, it's about experience more then some magic bullet or plan

I'm curious about your idea to measure grip using a mechanical device.

If I make it and it works i'll be happy to sell you one. ... :)
 
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