Daytona Sandown Park ~ Sodi Karting Hot Lap! - Dante Dhillon

My fastest Sodi time at this circuit is a 48.785
This lap was set on a hot summers day in 2018, so laptimes weren't quick.
Dante
Facebook Page: / danteracingx

[@ryansedgwick-londoncycling9007]

Thank you for the video. I don't know how willing you are to share your secrets but I have a few questions. I did a Sodi D40 on Saturday and my best lap was a 52.0 at 95kg kitted up. I need to improve (and to lose weight 😉). My questions are: 1. T1, I tried lifting on entry but felt I was losing time, I tried a dab of brakes but that unsettled to kart, I tried flat but under-steered wide. What's your approach? 2. T5 onto the top straight. Similar question, are you flat between 4&5, lift or brake to get the nose in? 3. T7 down the hill towards the last corner back onto the start/finish straight, are you flat? I feel I should be but drift wide when I try leaving me compromised for the last corner. 4. I note your aggressive turn-in on slower corners, are you combining that with a small lock up of the rears to rotate the kart in the first phase of the corner? Thank you if you can help, no worries if not. Take care, Ryan

[@DanteDhillon]

Hahah I am more than happy to help out with any track! I'm sure you're more than aware that being 95kg makes it considerably difficult to be competitive (unless it's wet!) so individual goals and focusing on self improvement is key to helping you in comparison to comparing yourself against others when on track. I will address each question you have: 1) For Turn 1 (when kart is warmed up) I do take it flat out. Definitely never use the brakes at this corner (unless a wally has spun ahead). The key to this corner is your kart alignment and ensuring you do not turn in too early. Contrary to the Junior karts, you want to have a later turn in and be as smooth as possible on the wheel to prevent oversteer, you just want to ease the kart into the corner (and not hit the inside kerb as this causes the kart to hop). Turning in too early will cause understeering wide. 2) On a very hot and slow day (like the day in this video) you would expect to be able to take it flat out and not run too wide too early into the corner. However on a faster day, sometimes a very very brief lift is all that is required to keep the kart in a good position round the corner and on the grippy stuff. 3) Maybe not at the very start of the session but you should get to a point where you are flat round this corner. Again kart alignment is so key here so that you keep your kart to the inside so you don't drift out wide, taking controlled kerb will help with this if it's difficult. However, what usually affects drivers the most taking Turn 7 is how they come out of Turn 6. You want to exit turn 6 to find yourself in the middle of the track but it doesn't stop there, take a look at this screenshot: gyazo.com/48627f3fe0c9395cce172a69299d771a Notice how my steering wheel is still pointing right ever so slightly for a very brief moment, this helps set me up for Turn 7. A lot of drivers just straighten their wheel as soon as they are done with Turn 6, resulting with them either having to lift for Turn 7 or running out wide because they haven't opened up the corner enough. I will also say, some drivers do what I do here but more extreme (ie being nearly completely on the right hand side of the track after exiting Turn 6 ready to turn in for Turn 7). Do not do this, as overall you lose a lot of time as you haven't carried your momentum through from Turn 6. It really is finding the right balance. 4) With regard to kart turn in, getting the kart to rotate can help when locking up the rears. There's not really many corners where I use the brakes much here. However, Turn 2, using a very quick sharp burst of brakes while turning in really helps to rotate the kart nicely, this also goes with Turn 6. Turns 3, 4 and 8, I don't usually lock the rears here, as the turning helps slow the kart down a lot, and you are not really carrying much speed. However, Turn 8 is another corner where locking the rears could be useful - I have found it to be on many occasions - very much down to preference and what works for your weight! Hope this helps, do let me know if you have any more questions of course :) Dante

[@ryansedgwick-londoncycling9007]

@@DanteDhillon Thank you so much Dante for taking the time on this. Very comprehensive and has already given me lots of ideas to practice. T1 I definitely try to turn in early, so that's likely the source of my problems. I'll practice a later and smoother turn in so I can stay flat. T5 also. I feel I'm close to getting it correct on T7, so I'll practice setting it up better out of 6 as per you photo. Sounds like I'm using too much brake on some of the corners where I'm carrying less speed, losing too much momentum (like T3). So plenty for me to work on there. I've put on 10kg during lockdown as I've not been cycling to work plus have been visiting the fridge too often! I'm 6 foot 3 so there's a limit to how light I can get but currently there's a lot of lap time to be found in the kitchen! 😉 Thanks for the help, much appreciated. If I ever bump into you at Sandown you can have a soft drink on me! 👍

[@DanteDhillon]

@@ryansedgwick-londoncycling9007 Hahah I'm glad you've been able to find plenty of different things to try out! Always a great feeling looking forward to going out again knowing new ways of taking certain corners! I'm lucky in a way, I eat a lot and I never put on any weight! Have always remained constant these last 5 or 6 years! Doubt that will go on much longer though! And 6ft3 is very tall, can only do your best! I'm 5ft4 so am able to be quite flexible with these things! Haha I work at Sandown, I mean, I haven't worked a shift in half a year due to uni, but I might be put on shift soon! 😂

[@ryansedgwick-londoncycling9007]

@@DanteDhillon I must have seen you before at Sandown and not realised. I'll say hi next time. Just watch out as the weight gets harder as you get older! Good luck at Uni and have a great end to the week. I'm going to look to book up another Sodi D40 and see if I can beat that 52! 🙂👍

[@carlosmascarenhas4905]

Dante, quick question, I am trying to get a gauge for a good lap time in these Sodi karts at Sandown. I weigh 84kg and the previous two times I have been to the track, in summer, I have got 50.9s for my fastest laps. I'm still looking at areas to improve, but keen to know how much improvement I have to make. I follow a similar racing line to your video, but I guess I'm braking too early for some corners and still need to improve turn 8 as I'm not hitting the late apex. Thanks in advance for your help. Carlos

[@andersonrocha4410]

What was your lap time here? Better than your best from 5 years ago, 49.392 ??

[@DanteDhillon]

My best lap time is a 48.7 now!

[@andersonrocha4410]

@@DanteDhillon That's insane!! I went to a D40 sodi event today and finally managed to get it under 50. 49.9 is my PB now!!, 4 tenths quicker than my previous one. How much faster I can go with my weight being 80kg I don't know..

[@DanteDhillon]

@@andersonrocha4410 It was a good lap! Definitely very little left on the table and it was good conditions and kart, so got quite lucky. Yep getting 49s at 80kg is awesome! Well done :) like you i have no idea what is possible for 80kg, maybe mid 49 absolute maximum with all things being optimal, you need to get lucky with factors out of your control when it comes to setting the fastest times...

[@TimLoveguitar]

What effect does the weather play? In terms of temperature, not wet/dry

[@DanteDhillon]

The colder the air the faster the karts run :) in this video i did a 50.5 but in cold conditions low 49s can be achieved

[@TimLoveguitar]

@@DanteDhillon Ha! Never knew that. I went out at Sandown and did a pretty disapointing 48.4 in the Dmax having previously done a 46.5 last year.

[@DanteDhillon]

@@TimLoveguitar I wouldn't get bogged down on it as it was fairly hot and conditions are fairly different from a day to day basis :)

[@TimLoveguitar]

@@DanteDhillon Yes, just trying to be consistent

[@AdamSears45]

Cheers for the video

[@DanteDhillon]

No problem!

[@Jack-sy8hs]

Sound like a leaf blower lol

[@DanteDhillon]

😂😂

[@Jack-sy8hs]

Dante Racing X I’m going here tomorrow haha can’t wait

[@DanteDhillon]

@@Jack-sy8hs I work at this track however I'm not working tomorrow so won't see you so have fun! You'll enjoy it :) I have another Sandown video that'll be uploaded by tomorrow morning :)

[@Jack-sy8hs]

Dante Racing X cool!,yeah it will he great