Track Tac

What’s your ideal dirt oval track?

U

uaplumber23

Member
I’m a 4 cycle sprint kart racer but I’m looking to put in a small 1/8th mile dirt high banked oval on our property for fun with family. Just curious on opinions of what your preferred track type is. We live in the middle of nowhere and have the land/equipment. Our soil is all clay so kind of a decent start with that.
 
I would build a track with two totally different corners. A track that’s not too big and requires the drivers to have to work the throttle and brake and actually have to drive the kart. I believe this is important for kids learning how to drive and also for adults to put on a good race. I don’t care for wide open all the way around racing. It’s boring to me and you have to move the guy in front of you to pass. I’m from the old school where you pass a guy clean and race him not move every guy you get to out the way. Just my opinion and y’all know what they say about opinions.
 
Hobbs said:
I would build a track with two totally different corners. A track that’s not too big and requires the drivers to have to work the throttle and brake and actually have to drive the kart. I believe this is important for kids learning how to drive and also for adults to put on a good race. I don’t care for wide open all the way around racing. It’s boring to me and you have to move the guy in front of you to pass. I’m from the old school where you pass a guy clean and race him not move every guy you get to out the way. Just my opinion and y’all know what they say about opinions.
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With some banking but not too much
 
We ran a RC track that was progressive banking, and it made for good racing. You could finesse it around the bottom or go flat out on the banking and they were pretty similar lap times.
 
Coming from both sprint and dirt I've always wanted to take both and make a track. You have a perfect opportunity to do so if you're into it. Take your land and design a sprint style course, but it'll be all dirt. It's big over in Australia and looks like an absolute blast.
Plus, depending on how you pack your dirt (or even leave it loose), you could take older strait rail chassis and put them back to use since you're taking so much flex out of the chassis with loose soil racing. Everyone around has old "farm karts" that are basically just old Margay's that aren't usable anymore.
Could possibly get a lot for cheap.
 
Hobbs said:
I would build a track with two totally different corners. A track that’s not too big and requires the drivers to have to work the throttle and brake and actually have to drive the kart. I believe this is important for kids learning how to drive and also for adults to put on a good race. I don’t care for wide open all the way around racing. It’s boring to me and you have to move the guy in front of you to pass. I’m from the old school where you pass a guy clean and race him not move every guy you get to out the way. Just my opinion and y’all know what they say about opinions.
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Model it after Millbridge if you have the room. It is not real long but the it is designed is great to me. I love watch the DNQ series run there. That is racing like you are talking about.
 
I like longer tracks. Shorter tracks just teaches to use my left panel as a wall.
I would like to see something like Martinsville.
 
Progressive banking is the key to multi-groove racing (that and proper track prep.)
It is certainly more difficult to work since you can't just drag a straight blade around the track.

Anymore, I'm satisfied if a kart track has 2 wide racing in the corners. Somehow, we all just sorta "accepted" this single file "get in line" kart racing that's become no longer "bump and run," but "dump and run," "8 tires are better than 4," etc. We've even accepted single file starts as a "good" thing! Some promoters have gone to treads, of all things, to try to get 2-wide kart racing back. Somewhere along the way, track prep has been forgotten.

I've run 100s of tracks (big and small) and each has their unique traits that make them enjoyable in their own way.

IF I had the chance again, I'd build an egg shaped track with a wide sweeping high bank corner with progressive banking on one end and a flatter/tighter corner at the other end. Very similar to the one that is now called the backyard on my dad's farm in PA.



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Mac_49 said:
Coming from both sprint and dirt I've always wanted to take both and make a track. You have a perfect opportunity to do so if you're into it. Take your land and design a sprint style course, but it'll be all dirt. It's big over in Australia and looks like an absolute blast.
Plus, depending on how you pack your dirt (or even leave it loose), you could take older strait rail chassis and put them back to use since you're taking so much flex out of the chassis with loose soil racing. Everyone around has old "farm karts" that are basically just old Margay's that aren't usable anymore.
Could possibly get a lot for cheap.
Click to expand...
Here is a pic of the dirt sprint track we race here in SW Ohio... Trying to find pics of the track hidden by the trees. Start finish line is by the blue canopy on left side of pic. Race down hill,slightly, down past the trees, a long sweeping left turn that finishes out on the top right part of pic. Then thru the turns to finish racing back up hill to the finish line...
 

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MaxxT Out said:
Here is a pic of the dirt sprint track we race here in SW Ohio... Trying to find pics of the track hidden by the trees. Start finish line is by the blue canopy on left side of pic. Race down hill,slightly, down past the trees, a long sweeping left turn that finishes out on the top right part of pic. Then thru the turns to finish racing back up hill to the finish line...
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Looks awesome! Is it sanctioned racing, or just friends?
 
MaxxT Out said:
Here is a pic of the dirt sprint track we race here in SW Ohio... Trying to find pics of the track hidden by the trees. Start finish line is by the blue canopy on left side of pic. Race down hill,slightly, down past the trees, a long sweeping left turn that finishes out on the top right part of pic. Then thru the turns to finish racing back up hill to the finish line...
Click to expand...
If you get a chance to catch some video send it over!
 
Mac_49 said:
If you get a chance to catch some video send it over!
Click to expand...
I have a few vids but cant get them to post on here... Check out Beyond the Karts on YouTube and go thru some of their videos and you will find this track and other backyard tracks we race... These guys race asphalt also so alot of the vids are asphalt too...
 
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