If you think that the chassis is bent and it has had a reasonable impact in an 'incident', you might just save yourself a lot of time and hassle by getting it checked by someone who has experience in doing this. Whilst you are learning to do this (using whatever method you find easier ), you will always have a nagging doubt that you haven't done it correctly !
Tracking lasers on the front of the chassis alone will not give a reliable indication as to whether there is any twist in the chassis comparing front to back and are only reliable if the front of the chassis and stub axles are not out of true themselves. Any method other than putting the chassis on a truly flat surface or the correct jig will be liable to a degree of observer bias.
Adrian at BRT is a whizz at straightening bits of bent metal. If you can take the chassis to be straightened, remove all the plastic bits and engine etc and take the rest intact. The whole thing can then be checked - including stub axles, chassis rear axle, pod bars - and straightened if necessary. This will give you an excellent starting point.
If you are getting to the point that you are starting to adjust such things as tracking and camber/castor, starting from something that is known to be straight will avoid you making adjustments to counteract other defects and inevitably introduce further problems.
My advice is to start with something that is known to be straight, using a standard setup. Get the driver to get in as much practice as possible on that one setup until they are consistently putting in reasonable lap times. Then, and only then, start to experiment with various adjustments. Whatever you do, only adjust one thing at a time and see what happens. Also, keep records of what you have done as well as weather conditions, track temperature etc. Bear in mind that these drivers are still very young and it is difficult for them to be on the ball every time that they go out - this can make getting the kart set up a nightmare in itself !
Learning to communicate effectively with the driver is vital - I still sometimes haven't got the foggiest idea what my son is on about when he is describing a problem with handling. However, you do have to learn to ask the right questions as well....
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