Forecasts of thunderstorms didn't deter a cut
down team of Paul and Toby taking kart 24 to Rye to see if it still drove
in a straight line.
In the event the rain never came and it was a beautiful day. The same could
not be said for the newly resurfaced Rye House which couldn't have been slippier
if it the job had been sub-contracted to Torvill and Dean.
We started the day with a mix match of tyres (Bridgestone YEQs front and MGs
on the rear). Toby took the first corner at normal speed and ended up far
closer to the tyre wall than he'd planned. Time for a rethink. After struggling
on with grip at the front but none to speak of at the back we decided to have
some of our "scrubbed" YEQs fitted to a spare set of rims.
Instantly the grip improved but was still way off what you'd expect. Was it
the tyres, repaired chassis or the new surface? After a day of trying various
tyre pressure tweaks we concluded one of latter the was to blame but will
have to wait until the race next week when we'll race the other kart to rule
out the chassis.
So, we have the prospect of a very slidey sideways race and hopefully one
where everyone struggles as much as us otherwise its tail-end-charlie time
again. Doh!
.
27 May 2003 - Post Accident Shakedown for Kart 24
