Set Up for Ovals

[tyler440]

alright i know a few of you guys are running your 540's on ovals, and i plan to do so on jan 22...

obvisiously i want to have every advantage i have racing against more powerful sleds so what kind of tips can you give me to make this old iron scream....

the race is at sharon speedway in near hartford, oh the coordinates for the track are 41.305763,-80.549489 on google maps if anyone want to check it out.

from what i can measure via google maps the straight aways are 400 feet long.
how can i clutch/ gear for that? and still be "stock"

[Bob Vehring]

Depends WHO defines "STOCK: Most serious races follow ISR rules which clearly, well sort of clearly, define what you can and can't do. Most local races don't really follow a written rule set, so its more about what you can get by with.
I know, thats not the answer you wanted.
The lenght of the straight is only part ofthe picture. You can have, say a 1/8 mile track, one with big sweeping corners, almost a circle, or you can have a track like a paperclip with longer straights and short, tight corners. Either can still be an 1/8 mile long. What you need to know is the RPM loss in the corners, at that point you can figure out how to gear and clutch

[tyler440]

right i realize that bob thats why i posted the coodinates that way people could look at the track... i would consider them wide turns but i have never been there much less been on the track... heard back from the track tho, they are only looking at engine mods so looks like i can throw everything else i have at it hahaha

[chrisrider63]

IF you wanna go fast just ride harder and smarter then the other guys. It sounds like a smaller track im thinking tighten your secondary and run a bigger spring in primary so it winds up nice but not too much then youll just spin. Your also lighter then the newer stuff. Can you guys put a bar on your handle bar so you can lean over more??? If yyou can tyler take the handle bar off of an old 250/340 exciter and weld onto your vmax handle bar, this would help you wrap around the sled better and also helping to keep your weight shifted to the right in the corners. Alot more to flattrack racing then having a fast motor thats for sure. Just follow those big 600's and 500's into the corner hit the apex and show then that nice 540 vmax torque youll be fine.. That peppy little machine will eat the big stuff on a smaller track.

[tyler440]

its advertised as a 3/8mile... not sure if it is a "big" 3/8 or a "small" 3/8... not sure if you are going to be able to run any kind of handle bar hook but i think so... i dont want to go as far as to change the bars tho... i want something that is detachable in case it isnt allowed... "weight shifted to the right in the corners" dont you mean left???

[Bob Vehring]

If your hangin off the right side, remember to jump right befor it rolls over on you, should be in the first corner

( I'm sure he meant left)

[tyler440]

hahaha yeah i thought maybe i was missing something very important about oval racing haha... light, low and left... really im getting into this too deep for a 1 or 2 event schedule... but i dont want to leave anything on the table either... im hoping to see the newer guess shit when the mix matched 84 comes blazing by... (i plan an putting on the worst of the side panels and seats we have, so i dont smash my good stuff)

[Bob Vehring]

Traction is everything both front and rear
Depends how they prep it, and IF they do it through out the day, I could shave with the carbides off a race sled

[tyler440]

im doubting it will be ice... probably just packed snow

[DoubleClutch]

Yes it will start as packed snow but as the day goes on it will get slick. And as for a handel bar hook yes you can use them and it will help in the lean threw the corner. Is your track picked and are you running carbides? I have been chatting with a few guys on Vintagesled.com that are flat track ice racers and they run 8 to 10 inch carbides and have over 200 picks in the track and have most of them on the right side. I was told to set the sled up so the right side is tighter than the left and fine tune from there. Oh and the track is a 3/8 mile high bank so there wount be much drifting as there would be on a flat track. I am still trying to get the sled set up and I am needing picks and carides but other than that I ant going to go hog wild for the first time racing.

[tyler440]

yeah i have 96 woodys megabites and 6inch carbides... of course i could put 100 more studs in my track and but a longer set of carbides for the front, but really im not looking to get that into it unless it takes off... if it takes off like that you can be sure ill be be sinking way too much money into a race only sled for next year.... im mainly concerned with being able to clutch it for the short distance...

is sharon "high banked"? ive never been there, i've been to mercer, tri city, and lernerville, do you know how it compares to those track greg?

[DoubleClutch]

The track has a front and back strait away but the back is banked so from turn 1 threw 4. The turns are banked more than the back strech.
I have only been to Tri City Speedway and it is a 1/2 mile banked track and has 5 turns and is not as banked as Sharon is.
Here are some Pic's of Sharon Speedway.

[chrisrider63]

Yes i meant left not right, dont lean to the right Tyler!!!!! LOL. That wouldnt be good. Though my last ride last year we were running a 1/2 track in my field i was getting the v-max up to about 80mph and i was riding it like a stock car: go in high, square off come out high and drift inward down the straight and then back high again, so much fun i wish i could go to the race and ride im so jealous Tyler. Take some pics and if you win your class you owe us a beer! LOL.

[chrisrider63]

Like i said before Tyler just follow those big machines into the corner let them think your taking the same line then once you hit the apex get back on the trigger and cut up inside. those big tanks will have nothin on the MAX on a little track like that.

[tyler440]

yeah i dont think im going to take banking into consideration... it will just be an added bonus... it doesnt look like it has much banking, and its hard to say what it might be like with snow on it.... the first picture you posted shows a flat area inside the barrels and if you are allowed down there (at least on sleds) that will be the place to be....