Race day

[Grumpy John]

Some images from last Sunday's Kart Championships at the Todd Road circuit.

#1 The mad scramble into the first corner after a rolling start.


#2 Because these karts run with a solid rear axle the drivers have to "bounce" the inside tyre on the tarmac otherwise the kart would just go straight. just a couple of mill off the ground is enough.


These three guys put on such a great race, you would be hard pressed to put a cigarette paper between them for the whole race.
#3


#4


#5

[Isac]

Nice work John. Good POV for all the shots. Your kit seems to be coping well with the action shots. Any panning photos?

[Grumpy John]

Yes, I did some panning, will post them up later.

[Grumpy John]

Two panning shots. Not the best to show a sense of speed, the shutter was at 1/800, a bit too fast and I was on a hill overlooking the main straight, not the best vantage point. On the plus side the karts are nice and sharp and there is definite wheel motion to be seen.

#1


#2

[Isac]

These appear to be displaying some motion John. Maybe they will let you into the infield to do some shots.

[Grumpy John]

I would have to be accredited for that to happen. That is a rather involved process requiring among other things a police check as there are children participating in club events. Don't think I'll bother.

[Isac]

Just a thought. How close can you get to the karts?

[Grumpy John]

Distance from track ranges from ~20 metres to ~50 metres. It's not so much the distance from the karts, but the two straights where the karts are going the fastest are elevated viewing positions.
Images 1 & 2 were taken through a hole in the fence at the end of the main straight. Images 3, 4, & 5 were taken at the top of the main straight. The two "panning" shots were taken in the main straight.

[Grumpy John]

The track layout with corners numbered.

[Isac]

Thanks John. Looks like it's not easy to get a good spot.

[petrochemist]

A nice set John looking better than my few efforts at karts.
The Todd circuit looks fairly similar in size & layout to the last one I worked at (but I bet the facilities were better at Todd) Scrutineering at my last one was a metal shipping container & my office was in a worse state than my shed at home...
The PFI circuit over hear is a bit bigger & very sophisticated. It may have given me a false impression of what to expect from the series.
Interesting to see it's exactly the same karting series as I've worked with in the UK

Good vantage points at karting circuits are always hard to come by