Fast Adjusters are a brand-new go kart seat adjustment system created by James Golding and John Schena that allows to find the fastest seat position for any kart, driver, and track combination.
17/05/22 - Focus
Author: Vroomkart International
The driver is half the weight of the vehicle so if their weight is out of position the kart will be unbalanced, difficult to drive and slow. Many kart manufacturers will supply a set of dimensions for the average seat position but that will not be specific to every driver. This system gives you the ability to adjust the seat position efficiently and accurately. Fast adjusters are an adjustable bracket made up of two CNC machined pieces of high-grade aluminium. They include a lower piece bolted to the chassis, an upper piece bolted to the seat and a connecting bolt for adjustment. These two brackets for the lower mounting of the seat work hand in hand with a stainless steel plate for each side seat bolts to pass through. The system has 60mm of longitudinal adjustment in 10mm increments.
How did the system come up?
«My chief mechanic and long-term friend John Schena came up with the idea after we were competing at the final round of the Australian Karting Championship in KZ2 back in 2019 – told us James Golding - We were well into the weekend and could not fix our handling issues with other setup changes. John wanted to move the seat position, but we did not have enough time to make such a big change before the final race. I also did not want to make the change because we were using a recommended seat position from the previous KZ2 Australian Champion driving the same brand kart. We went on to win the race, however John was not satisfied as the kart was still not handling perfectly. After the weekend, John came up with the idea of an adjustable seat system. This allowed us to not only adjust the position easily for track testing, but also gave us the opportunity to find the perfect position with a large range of adjustment in fine increments. We first tested it on the same track that we won the previous race. We moved the seat a total of 30mm from the original recommended position without making any other changes. Our lap times improved consistently by 0.4 seconds, tyre wear was reduced, and drivability improved.»
The first prototype was developed by John Schena in January 2020 and the first Fast Adjuster kit was developed and tested the following month. Fast Adjusters was founded in 2020, by James Golding who is a former Australian Karting Champion and V8 Supercar driver together with his chief karting mechanic John Schena. By combining both their mechanical backgrounds and motorsport experiences John (qualified auto body technician) and James (qualified motorsport mechanic) both from Gippsland, Victoria (AUS), have worked alongside each other to develop one of the best tuning tools for Karters all around the World. After John made the first prototype for Fast Adjusters, James continued the research and development with the support of a motorsport engineer. Together the trio improved and modified the designs to lighten, strengthen, and make each model of the Fast Adjuster universal for many different seats and positions.
The lower aluminium brackets are made using a 5 axis CNC machine and are coated with black hard anodising. The upper side plates are laser cut stainless steel. After lots of research, development, and track testing, we decided that aluminium (lower brackets) and stainless steel (side plates) were the materials required to cope with the forces of the kart that did not affect the rigidity or handling of the kart.
Fast Adjusters are designed for go karters at all levels. It can be used for performance or ergonomic benefits. It is a simple yet effective system that can unveil performance from any kart, track, and driver combination. It can also be beneficial for young, beginner drivers who are constantly growing and may require a different seat position to fit in the kart properly.
Fast Adjusters have been tested not to affect the flexibility or performance of the kart. This was tested by completing several on-track test sessions until the kart and driver reached a peak in lap time and consistency with standard seat mounts and fixings. We then fitted the Fast Adjusters system with the seat in the exact same position and achieved the exact same lap time, consistency, and kart handling. This change was also made within a short period of time without the change of weather or track conditions. Many people do not realise the importance of seat position. As stated yet, driver is half the weight of the vehicle so if their weight is out of position the kart will be unbalanced, more difficult to drive and slower. The kart manufacturers do supply measurements for an average seat position which will provide a good foundation, but may not be optimal to every kart, driver, and track combination. Additional factors that have proven to affect seat position are tyres, track grip, track layout & weather.
How did the system come up?
«My chief mechanic and long-term friend John Schena came up with the idea after we were competing at the final round of the Australian Karting Championship in KZ2 back in 2019 – told us James Golding - We were well into the weekend and could not fix our handling issues with other setup changes. John wanted to move the seat position, but we did not have enough time to make such a big change before the final race. I also did not want to make the change because we were using a recommended seat position from the previous KZ2 Australian Champion driving the same brand kart. We went on to win the race, however John was not satisfied as the kart was still not handling perfectly. After the weekend, John came up with the idea of an adjustable seat system. This allowed us to not only adjust the position easily for track testing, but also gave us the opportunity to find the perfect position with a large range of adjustment in fine increments. We first tested it on the same track that we won the previous race. We moved the seat a total of 30mm from the original recommended position without making any other changes. Our lap times improved consistently by 0.4 seconds, tyre wear was reduced, and drivability improved.»
The first prototype was developed by John Schena in January 2020 and the first Fast Adjuster kit was developed and tested the following month. Fast Adjusters was founded in 2020, by James Golding who is a former Australian Karting Champion and V8 Supercar driver together with his chief karting mechanic John Schena. By combining both their mechanical backgrounds and motorsport experiences John (qualified auto body technician) and James (qualified motorsport mechanic) both from Gippsland, Victoria (AUS), have worked alongside each other to develop one of the best tuning tools for Karters all around the World. After John made the first prototype for Fast Adjusters, James continued the research and development with the support of a motorsport engineer. Together the trio improved and modified the designs to lighten, strengthen, and make each model of the Fast Adjuster universal for many different seats and positions.
The lower aluminium brackets are made using a 5 axis CNC machine and are coated with black hard anodising. The upper side plates are laser cut stainless steel. After lots of research, development, and track testing, we decided that aluminium (lower brackets) and stainless steel (side plates) were the materials required to cope with the forces of the kart that did not affect the rigidity or handling of the kart.
Fast Adjusters are designed for go karters at all levels. It can be used for performance or ergonomic benefits. It is a simple yet effective system that can unveil performance from any kart, track, and driver combination. It can also be beneficial for young, beginner drivers who are constantly growing and may require a different seat position to fit in the kart properly.
Fast Adjusters have been tested not to affect the flexibility or performance of the kart. This was tested by completing several on-track test sessions until the kart and driver reached a peak in lap time and consistency with standard seat mounts and fixings. We then fitted the Fast Adjusters system with the seat in the exact same position and achieved the exact same lap time, consistency, and kart handling. This change was also made within a short period of time without the change of weather or track conditions. Many people do not realise the importance of seat position. As stated yet, driver is half the weight of the vehicle so if their weight is out of position the kart will be unbalanced, more difficult to drive and slower. The kart manufacturers do supply measurements for an average seat position which will provide a good foundation, but may not be optimal to every kart, driver, and track combination. Additional factors that have proven to affect seat position are tyres, track grip, track layout & weather.
For more information: https://fastadjusters.com.au/
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