This was a weekend of trial and error. From the iDube test race (07 June 2009), we could see that we lacked some development of the Super Rok engine, although that test race went really well, it was not enough, as some more settings need to be changed due to the new 30mm Carburetor we now have to use from 2009 onwards.
It was a long, long weekend as we tried all sorts of different settings on the engine… We started off 6 tenths slower than the pole sitter. We only qualified 5th. I felt like I was in a Rotax Mini Max and the others in a 250 kart…My kart just felt like a lawn mower…I think it feels worse than it actually was… We have to start somewhere…
So we adjusted the carburetor for the 1st heat and it went a lot better. We finished 4th and we were 4 tenths off the fastest lap time. I could feel that we were making progress. It was baby steps at a time. The aim was to close down the gap to the quickest guy. So everything was looking positive… 
So the 2nd heat went better again. We finished 3rd and were 2 tenths off the quickest time. This heat was quite a battle as I was 4th initially and could not overtake the 3rd guy quick enough and the gap between us and the first two grew too big for me to catch up to them. I overtook the 3rd driver in about the 4th lap and then drove the kart to its maximum potential at the time to try and close the gap, I almost bent that gas pedal I was pushing it so hard…:-) , but their pace was just that fraction better and I finished 3rd.
In the last heat we did a drastic change to the engine and tried it as I had nothing to loose anyway as this race is not one that scores for the championship… At first I thought that this change was totally the wrong as in the warm up lap I could feel that it has no torque…I had a good start and overtook the 2nd driver and was in 2nd position. I was on the leader’s bumper and had very good bottom end. I could feel that this change was definitely the right thing to do; it just needed some tweaking now. The engine lacked top end at this stage, so the leader would drive a little away from me down the straight and I would catch him under breaking, through the corner and out of it…The only thing was, that he pulled a little more away than what I could catch in again, so the gap grew bit by bit. Eventually the 3rd guy overtook me again and I finished 3rd. We were just 1 tenth off the fastest driver now and that was good… A little tweaking to the engine and we will be right there!!!
All in all it was a very good test weekend. I want to go testing this weekend again as the 3rd round of the Vortex Super Rok National Series is on the 3rd and 4th of July and I do not have much time left to make sure I find that extra little bit of time….
That is all from me now…
Thanx for reading my Blog!!!
Fabienne
The weekend started upside down as we struggled to get to pace. We were about half a second off the pace. I tell you, I do not think I have ever changed so many sprockets in one weekend…We must have tried 6 different ratios and tried some of them a couple of times as we struggled our butt off to try and get up that massive of a gradient of a HILL. But we never got the combination right.
Just as we thought we were doomed, my engineer tried a different combination of sprocket and jet and BOOM we were just 1 tenth off the pace!
The handling of the kart changes with the performance of the engine. So the handling was a hole lot better as well.
We qualified 2nd and finished 2nd in the first heat. The leader pulled a gap on me though as his kart looked more consistent than mine. So we adjusted the tyre pressures and the 2nd heat was a whole lot closer, but just not enough and I finished 2nd again. We were quite chuffed with that as we were making progress! So we adjusted the kart for the last heat and I was looking forward to it as I knew if we crack it now, our testing was successful and we will look good for the National on the 4th of July.
I started the kart on the grid to make sure it starts and it was fine. Then the green flag came out for us to start our warm up lap for the last heat. My heart dropped….The kart did not start! The battery went faulty and drew all the power and went flat. So there I was standing on the grid watching the race….
I immediately thought, ” Better now than at the National!”
So the Test Race went quite well. we got our engine performance to a good basic. We might have to change the jet according to the weather etc.
All in all it was good that we went there as I feel more confident for the National.
Thank you for reading my blog and for your support!
Fabienne
We often try to go testing at a track before it closes for a National Event. My next National event in the Super Rok will be held there at iDube on the 3rd/4th of July 2009. So this weekend will be the very important test weekend for this National event as we want to get the gearing and carburation for this track, so when the national weekend comes, we can fine tune the kart and do not need to run the risk of having to try radical set up changes….
This track is a very tricky track, it is situated on a slope of a mountain and all the corners are angled and then you go up and down again, just like on a roller coaster! The one section of the track is called “Thunder Dome”….my stomach lifts every time I go through that section. It is very fast and very dicey…But I LOVE IT!!! It is a big thrill to go through there. The rest of the track is also very cool. The one corner is on the top of the hill and turns left. The kart actually lifts off the ground! I have attached a photo of the track and of the one race I did there for you to see how the track goes up and almost vertically down again, but it is so much more dramatic in real life…
The gearing for this track is very difficult as one needs a big sprocket for the steep hills and a small sprocket for the long straights….But that is what this weekend is for, to test the different ratios.
So I hope the weather stays dry in order for the testing to be successful….
Thank you for reading my blog and hope to write some more soon!
Fabienne
We had the 2nd round of the SARMC last saturday. It went really well. We finished 2nd for the day. We had a growing field of 17 competitors in the Max Challenge category.
We struggled a bit to get to pase in the first two heats as the engine’s performance was not up to scratch. the Rotax Dealer then checked the power valve and said it was faulty. He then fixed it and we went a lot better. We finished 2nd in all 3 heats, which gave me 2nd for the day. I was leading the 3rd heat twice, but made a mis judgement and lost the position again. It was very tricky as the third guy was right on my tail. So I had to sit behind the leader for a couple of laps to build a gap. I then passed the leader, he passed me back, I then passed him back, but we boogged a little coming out of the one corner and the third guy joined our pack again. i then ran out of laps and finished 2nd. The race was 18 laps and to me it was too short…. I love the long races. I seem to do much better in them….
Anyway. My team and myself are quite happy with the performance. The next Max Challenge race is only in July os something…. But the Super Rok is coming closer and I am looking forward to it!
See ya!
Fabienne
This weekend is the second round of the South African Rotax Max Challenge Series. I got a drive to compete this weekend… I am very excited, as I get to race more.. That is all I want to do…
The SBK Superbike was here last week and the president of the WIM panel could not get me a ticket to help at the stand, so I could not go… I watched it on TV though… It was quite good racing, as the guys were dicing a lot….
Anyway… back to this weekend…I have not driven the Max Challenge for a while, so I will have to get used to the different throttling quickly to get up to speed as the Vortex Super Rok is a totally different animal…. But I enjoy challenges very much, so everything should be fine…
So GTG….
Thanks for reading my blog!!!
Regards
Fabienne
The SBK Superbikes will be racing here in South Africa this weekend… I am looking forward to it as my friend and myself will be helping out at the Women in Motorsport stand this Sunday. The women in motorsport group is to help promote the women in Motorsport here in South Africa and the president, Wilmarie Janse van Rensburg organised a stand inside the track! It will be awesome as I always like to give back to the community some of the great experiences i have had.
Anyway…. Got to go…. I will let ya all know how it went!!!!
Enjoy!!!
Fabienne
Why do I call it a minestrone? Because it was a weekend with a mixture of everything! We had to pack in our wets and dry tyres as we were never sure in which condition the next race would be in… The weather was also warm at one stage and then cold again… this changes the carburation completely.
The kart performed different in every single heat, due to track and weather changes. Anyway, we finished 3rd in the first heat which was a battle of note as the three of us swopped and changed positions every lap! The rest of the day did not pan out as we hoped but I stayed out of trouble and finished 4th for the day… We studied the kart set up yesterday and got to some conclusions as to make the kart’s performance better for next time.
My next race is at the end of June. I hope it will go better as ther are only 2 round left of the National Championship and time is running out to be able to take the win for the year.
Thank you for reading my blog and hope you enjoyed it!
Write soon!!!
Fabienne
I got my hands dirty yesterday as my engineer and myself did some adjustments to my kart… I do not mind getting stuck into my kart… I sometimes strip the whole kart myself and check all the parts, clean them and put them back again. It gives me great pleasure and satisfaction!
We overalled the engine, which needed to be mounted back onto the kart… I also carry a lot of ballast to make up the minimum weight in the Super Rok Category… So we had to move the ballast around as the front of the kart was too heavy and the front washed away from the kerb and the rear inside wheel could not lift. This lead to massive tyre wear and we lost a lot of pace…
I am happy we got it done… I am looking forward to the next round of the South Africa National Championship in Cape Town…
I had my first National of 2009 in Port Elizabeth.
It was a tough one as the new Vortex Super Rok rules stipulate that we have to use a smaller diameter Carburettor. So this changes the settings from last year. Our aim was to bag as many points as possible as it is the opening round to the National Series of this year. The Kart and team set up turned out to be very competitive.
We qualified 3rd on the grid with a local star, Simon Moss on pole. The first Heat was good, we finished 3rd and got quickest lap, which gave us pole for the 2nd heat. My Engineer and I did some set up changes to the kart, adjusted the tyre pressure and the 2nd heat went better, we finished 2nd and had quickest lap again, which gave us pole for the last heat. The last heat did not go as planned as my tyres wore faster than I’d hoped. I fought all the way through that heat and managed to get 5th.
This gave us a tie for 2nd for the day. My team and I are very happy with this performance.
I would like to thank my Engineer and my team for all their hard work.
My next National is in Cape Town on the 2nd of May 2009.
Till then…..
Fabienne
Hey there everyone!
This is my first blog! I am very excited about this…
My name is Fabienne Lanz and I am Lady Karter from South Africa. I started racing Go-Karts when I was 9 years old. My dad, Peter Lanz, is a former Saloon car champion and out of 3 kids, one of them had to be a Racing Driver. I chose to do it and I love it! It really is my passion! I love the thril, the excitement before and during each event. My stomach always turns upside down when I do not know if the set up change, me and my team did, to the Kart will work or not! The best feeling is when everything comes together and the Kart performs like nothing else on this planet! The engine runs so free and smoothly and has the maximum power of all engines in the field and the handling is so good it is the next best thing to perfect.
I am now 22 now and am going strong! I am trying to make my way into the Single Seater League, it is a bit slow at the moment in getting there, but I am very determined to get it right!
Anyway…I am really excited to be writing on Driver Database!
See ya!
Fabienne Lanz
