Kart racing win modifications
Discussion
^^^^^ but avoid the banana skins.
I was carting last week, I can confirm that the wrong line causes understeer, which is fun. Slamming on brakes mid corner causes massive slides, which is fun, pushing too hard causes spin outs, which can be fun. I ended the race no where near the front, but with a massive grin. The laps I got right were faster, but the lighter guys just left everyone in a straight line.
TL:DR, feed your competition lots of pork pies, and keep it smooth and tidy.
I was carting last week, I can confirm that the wrong line causes understeer, which is fun. Slamming on brakes mid corner causes massive slides, which is fun, pushing too hard causes spin outs, which can be fun. I ended the race no where near the front, but with a massive grin. The laps I got right were faster, but the lighter guys just left everyone in a straight line.
TL:DR, feed your competition lots of pork pies, and keep it smooth and tidy.
David87 said:
Don’t be tall or fat. I recommend being a 12-year-old boy.
This, when I was that age my dad took me to a few of his works karting events and we won 2 of them. I weighed about the same as a packet of rizla at the time. His work mates were proper units so it was like they were going backwards at most points. Try getting a head transplant with a capuchin monkey and you'll be on the podium in no time.Grab it by the scruff of the neck and go flat out just about everywhere, Karts can always corner faster than most think they can and approach it like driving a road car, get to that level of wrestling it round and then try and develop some finesse once there.
Dont be polite. I lost out in the last one I did being polite for a lady colleague on one who had spun despite setting the fastest lap by some margin I didnt win, I got stuck behind a chap out of the office as well, slow but made that cart very wide and not slow enough to pick off easily but was backing off, very frustrating.
Being light helps but if you carry plenty of speed by not backing off all the time you can mitigate it a bit, but not as much as someone light doing the same thing.
At the end of the day, enjoy it, its a bit of fun but take no prisoners !
Dont be polite. I lost out in the last one I did being polite for a lady colleague on one who had spun despite setting the fastest lap by some margin I didnt win, I got stuck behind a chap out of the office as well, slow but made that cart very wide and not slow enough to pick off easily but was backing off, very frustrating.
Being light helps but if you carry plenty of speed by not backing off all the time you can mitigate it a bit, but not as much as someone light doing the same thing.
At the end of the day, enjoy it, its a bit of fun but take no prisoners !
Lean back when you need grip on the rears (long flat out bends) and lean forward when you need grip on the front (hard braking/hairpins), when pulling up to the grid accidentally miss your spot and do a hot lap to warm your tyres a little more than others, keep smooth, if you're faster get past don't let a slower driver hold you back for more than 1/4 lap or you're being soft (a bit of bumping is to be expected and they'll move over next time).
And finally don't be really competitive if most people are there for fun, I am a horrible
when racing because I'm focused on one thing but very chilled when out with work colleagues/family etc. After a race I can laugh at bruised ribs as can the other guys, your IT manger probably wont find it as funny.
And finally don't be really competitive if most people are there for fun, I am a horrible
when racing because I'm focused on one thing but very chilled when out with work colleagues/family etc. After a race I can laugh at bruised ribs as can the other guys, your IT manger probably wont find it as funny.
tejr said:
I found weight can help with better cornering traction, but lighter guys pull away on the straights. So being heavier isn't necessarily as big a handicap as it sounds. Think Nissan GT-R 
Weight is weight. I used to race at Buckmore primarily and won several heavyweight titles and team titles. In the team races my team mate was one of the top lightweights and we were always exactly 0.9 seconds apart on our best dry laps which was the 30kg in weight difference at the time.In arrive and drive there is a big difference in abilities so it may appear that cornering is better but a lightweight driver who knows what he's doing will have an advantage everywhere. The mid corner phase is where it's at its smallest so a good heavyweight will make up ground on an average lightweight at that point.
To get faster in equal karts the only way is to lose weight and practise.
I'm guessing British 24hr at Teesside?
Video below is me doing the same course you'll be doing on a damp cold day in the SG Petch Sprint Championship, they've banned helmet cams now so this footage is quite old and my driving is far from perfect, but you'll get an idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABTyhPw3JmI&t=281s
Benrad's mini track guide to Teesside international (assuming dry conditions, also I race in the lightweight class at 70kg, for the 24hr you ballast up to 85kg so that might change some of this)
Pit straight approaching the first chicane (or 'D' as it's known)
Smoothly over to the right, slow steering input to the left with a short lift to about half throttle. Back to full power as you leave the apex on your left and let it run the right hand two wheels up onto the right hand kerb slightly. It's faster to take quite a chunk of the right hand kerb, but in a 24hr race you'll risk kart damage.
Flat out through the left hander down the hill, keep the steering inputs as little as possible to keep the speed up.
Approaching the right hander at the bottom of the hill, brake near the pit exit, there's a HUGE bump on braking so don't try and brake super late, you'll be off. Bleed off the brake pressure as you approach the apex and then straight from brakes to full power just before the apex.
Keep to the left, but don't run your left hand wheels onto the entry kerb, it tends to drag you off. Lift and light brakes as you turn in, stay off the right hand kerb but get close to it, brake before the left hand and back on the power early to get up the hill (really important to maximise exit speed from that corner). Right hander at the top of the hill is flat, smooth slow steering inputs and lean your body to the outside (left) to 'jack' the rear axle and reduce oversteer. Loooooong straight.
The complex is flat out if you dare but lift if you need to to stay off the kerbs, particularly the last one on the left. Hit that and you'll never get it stopped for the hairpin.
Braking for first hairpin is just after the last apex of the complex, don't worry too much about braking super late or getting really far over to the right. Carry brakes into your turn in (keep the steering input slow and smooth) and back on the power as early as you can.
Make sure you get all the way over to the left (every single inch is worth time) before turning into the second hairpin. You might need a slight lift depending on the state of your tyres.
Approaching 'South Bank' corner, it's flat. If you find you're understeering wide then shift your weight to the outside (left) and you'll find the understeer stops.
For the third hairpin brake on the patch of new tarmac, carry brakes to the apex and power early. Get all the way over to the right before turning into the fourth hairpin. Might just about be flat out or a small lift, smoothness is key. Then it's flat all the way to the line!
Video below is me doing the same course you'll be doing on a damp cold day in the SG Petch Sprint Championship, they've banned helmet cams now so this footage is quite old and my driving is far from perfect, but you'll get an idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABTyhPw3JmI&t=281s
Benrad's mini track guide to Teesside international (assuming dry conditions, also I race in the lightweight class at 70kg, for the 24hr you ballast up to 85kg so that might change some of this)
Pit straight approaching the first chicane (or 'D' as it's known)
Smoothly over to the right, slow steering input to the left with a short lift to about half throttle. Back to full power as you leave the apex on your left and let it run the right hand two wheels up onto the right hand kerb slightly. It's faster to take quite a chunk of the right hand kerb, but in a 24hr race you'll risk kart damage.
Flat out through the left hander down the hill, keep the steering inputs as little as possible to keep the speed up.
Approaching the right hander at the bottom of the hill, brake near the pit exit, there's a HUGE bump on braking so don't try and brake super late, you'll be off. Bleed off the brake pressure as you approach the apex and then straight from brakes to full power just before the apex.
Keep to the left, but don't run your left hand wheels onto the entry kerb, it tends to drag you off. Lift and light brakes as you turn in, stay off the right hand kerb but get close to it, brake before the left hand and back on the power early to get up the hill (really important to maximise exit speed from that corner). Right hander at the top of the hill is flat, smooth slow steering inputs and lean your body to the outside (left) to 'jack' the rear axle and reduce oversteer. Loooooong straight.
The complex is flat out if you dare but lift if you need to to stay off the kerbs, particularly the last one on the left. Hit that and you'll never get it stopped for the hairpin.
Braking for first hairpin is just after the last apex of the complex, don't worry too much about braking super late or getting really far over to the right. Carry brakes into your turn in (keep the steering input slow and smooth) and back on the power as early as you can.
Make sure you get all the way over to the left (every single inch is worth time) before turning into the second hairpin. You might need a slight lift depending on the state of your tyres.
Approaching 'South Bank' corner, it's flat. If you find you're understeering wide then shift your weight to the outside (left) and you'll find the understeer stops.
For the third hairpin brake on the patch of new tarmac, carry brakes to the apex and power early. Get all the way over to the right before turning into the fourth hairpin. Might just about be flat out or a small lift, smoothness is key. Then it's flat all the way to the line!
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