F1 car vs. Superkart?

[RRdawho?]

Say in a track like Laguna Seca where you don't have as many opportunities for top speed. How much margin (if any) would an F1 car have over a superkart given similar drivers?

[Stuntman]

250cc racing karts that feature semi-enclosed bodywork and rear wings and can reach speeds up to 140 mph around the 11-turn, 2.238-mile Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca road course.

"People look at these Super Karts and think they are cute little toys, but they haul butt around here," according to Lawson. The four-time world champion (1984, '86, '88, '89) set the Super Kart lap record at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2003 - 1 minute, 23.875 seconds, an average speed of 100.864 mph. (Troy Bayliss turned the fastest official lap on a motorcycle at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca when he road his Ducati around the circuit in 1 minute, 24.833 seconds during the 2002 World Superbike Championship event.)

Join Ricardo Zonta at the wheel of his Toyota TF106 Formula 1 car as he breaks the Laguna Seca track record with a 1m06.309s lap, then get his take on his record-breaking performance.

Recap:
Super Kart: 1.23.875 (Superkart Lap Record)
Super Bike: 1:24.833
F1 Car: 1:06.309 (Laguna Seca Track Record)

Eddie Lawson is probably the best superkart driver (on the best equipment), Troy Bayliss is one of the best riders in the country (on the best equipment), and Ricardo Zonta is a test driver for Toyota (not one of the top 3 teams) who had limited time at Laguna Seca for testing, and who did not use their stickier tire compound.

Best SuperKarter, One of the best riders, and mid-pack F1 driver/team/car =and the F1 car blows the other two out of the water.

http://www.toyota.com/montereyhistoric/videos.html


-Give Ferrari, McLaren, or Williams a full day or two of testing w/their #1 driver and you would probably see even faster times...

[RRdawho?]

Owned.

[fastfly]

F1 > * even on ice.....jk

[maritusE36]

yeah, considering an F1 car can do 0-120+ and back to zero in the time it takes most cars to do 0-60(under seven seconds), I would say it would be pretty tough to beat

[3.0 CSL]

Top speed isn't really makes an F1 car fast around a track either.

[Spencer]

yeah, considering an F1 car can do 0-120+ and back to zero in the time it takes most cars to do 0-60(under seven seconds), I would say it would be pretty tough to beat

Obviously said by someone with no experience in karts..... power to weight ratio...

You also have to consider the aerodynamics of F1 cars. Worlds better than any kart, even those with body work. Karts are relying entirely on mechanical grip vs. an F1 car which has so much aero grip.

Suspension sophistication is another issue. Kart suspensions are basically rigid chassis' that are put into a "3 wheelin'" state to allow it to turn. About as basic as it gets....

[GotBHP?]

Ah so those last 17 seconds only cost hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions?

[sjpgoalie]

Obviously said by someone with no experience in karts..... power to weight ratio...

You also have to consider the aerodynamics of F1 cars. Worlds better than any kart, even those with body work. Karts are relying entirely on mechanical grip vs. an F1 car which has so much aero grip.

Suspension sophistication is another issue. Kart suspensions are basically rigid chassis' that are put into a "3 wheelin'" state to allow it to turn. About as basic as it gets....

Period.

In a corner, aerodynamics is playing little to no role for a kart.

[325kid]

Well said good thread