6 replies to this topic

[Ogami musashi]

Hi all,

I was wondering if some karts (not superkarts) were built with ground effects on them? Here at my Club, for official competitions it is not allowed and thus nobody has ever built a kart with that, but was wondering if you saw one or not?

[tyrrellp346wheels]

I tried looking on google for evidence for one but i coudn't

[mariner]

I have actually put this in an earlier thread but many, many years ago there was a competition in the USA to find the fastest thing with four wheels round a skid pan.

The entry included an Indy Lola bu the fastest was the "G kart" put together by Paul Van Valkenburgh who was I beleive, involved with Chapparal and GM.

The kart was a standard kart with a plywood floor, skirts and a second engine to pull vacuum under the ply floor.

So it was not GE in the modern sense but it did use under body downforce. Obviously at the relatively low skid pan speeds this is likely to give better download than speed dependent venturis etc.

[jcbc3]

Danish former 250ccm European Champion Poul V. Petersen built one back in the early eighties. He was always inventing and experimenting. I don't remember if it was outlawed or he just didn't get this one to work. His company was called PVP Karts. But maybe that would be a 'superkart' in your terminology?

[Ogami musashi]

Danish former 250ccm European Champion Poul V. Petersen built one back in the early eighties. He was always inventing and experimenting. I don't remember if it was outlawed or he just didn't get this one to work. His company was called PVP Karts. But maybe that would be a 'superkart' in your terminology?

Well, superkarts do use downforce yes but i was simply curious, cause karts are so fast. At our track (Anneville in France) we have to longest straight of all kart tracks in the country and that straight ends up in a right hander. KZ karts take that turn at nearly 3g's and i was wondering if those karts had ground effects they would corner like hell.

The G-Kart is very interesting! I remember the same test being done for a magazine where they brougth a 1983 williams F1 but the fastest cornering one was again a Kart, a superkart i think.

[stuartbrs]

Well, superkarts do use downforce yes but i was simply curious, cause karts are so fast. At our track (Anneville in France) we have to longest straight of all kart tracks in the country and that straight ends up in a right hander. KZ karts take that turn at nearly 3g's and i was wondering if those karts had ground effects they would corner like hell.

The G-Kart is very interesting! I remember the same test being done for a magazine where they brougth a 1983 williams F1 but the fastest cornering one was again a Kart, a superkart i think.

I could only see ground effects working with Superkarts. I`d guess normal single speed karts just wouldnt have the power to make it worthwhile, certainly not in the class I race, which only has around 18HP. I could be very wrong though!!

[Ogami musashi]

OUr karts range from 29HP to 42hp; end of the straight we reach 140km/h in rotax max and 175km/h in KZ 125/KZ1-2.

Depends on the tracks of course but the examples cites with fans to blow the air is interesting.