Kart techniques
03-06-2003, 08:43 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
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Kart techniques
Any good online sources explaining driving techniques for karts. I need to lower my laptimes and have plenty of practice time ahead. Our Formula SAE team is doing a run-off at the end of the month to see who are the fastest drivers... and I want to drive at the comp in Detroit!
03-06-2003, 08:53 PM
#2
Nordschleife Master
Hmmm. what kind of karting experience do you have?
Are you novice, intermediate or pro?
I'm intermediate, and would be pro if I actaully WENT more often, anyways...
The racing line is still pretty important, but I find that anticipating every corner and movement is pretty important too. Basically when you already do everything before you've needed to, and it all falls into place, corner after corner, and you seem like you're going really slow - you're actually setting a PB.
Now, when you're RACING, the racing lines almost always go to crap if you're trying to pass on a tight track. Now you have to rely on pressure and physcology to try to get the guy ahead to screw up, or give him a little bump and pass him!
But the biggest thing that holds me back is lack of concentration. If your mind wanders, you're not gonna get the fastest lap.
Are you novice, intermediate or pro?
I'm intermediate, and would be pro if I actaully WENT more often, anyways...
The racing line is still pretty important, but I find that anticipating every corner and movement is pretty important too. Basically when you already do everything before you've needed to, and it all falls into place, corner after corner, and you seem like you're going really slow - you're actually setting a PB.
Now, when you're RACING, the racing lines almost always go to crap if you're trying to pass on a tight track. Now you have to rely on pressure and physcology to try to get the guy ahead to screw up, or give him a little bump and pass him!
But the biggest thing that holds me back is lack of concentration. If your mind wanders, you're not gonna get the fastest lap.
03-06-2003, 09:42 PM
#4
Race Director
I'm not aware of any pro kart racing these days, but it might exist somewhere.
I find that the same things I keyed in on in kart racing are the same things I key in on racing cars (with some variation).
Basically I found if I managed primarily the front grip and the clutch, I could keep improving my times. Let me explain.
In a kart, as with a car, the more you scrub the front tires, the more you are slowing down - especially if you have passed the apex. Some of this can be managed through set-up and some of it must be managed through driving technique. When we go to the Davy Jones Kart Zone, I cannot manage the set-up, so I must manage my technique to keep from scrubbing after the apex. Sometimes this means keeping things tidy and sometimes it means muscling the kart through the corner. Don't think that muscling it and inducing oversteer is necessarily going to be quickest however. Only you can determine this. If you get some practice laps and get to drive the same kart for your timed runs, be sure to vary your technique some. You may use different techniques in different corners as well.
As for managing the clutch, you're probably going to be driving clutch kart. So, the more time you spend at the stall speed, the less accelerating you will be doing. You can tell when you are at the stall speed coming off a corner when the rpm stay fairly consistent for a while. The more momentum you carry through the corner and less time you spend scrubbing the front tires, the more accelerating you'll do and the more speed you'll have down the straight.
Now, if you are not terribly aware of these two things before your event, it will probably overload you and you should just try to keep it smooth and carry your momentum. If you have some time to practice, try to be aware of these two things. Once you find yourself being aware of them, try doing different things and see how they are affected by your techniques. If you can learn to manage these two things you will probably have a leg up on your competition.
That said, even if you have some practice time before your event, if you cannot relate to what I'm telling you, scrap it and be smooth. You'll probably find that you should brake a little earlier than you might think so you can get better turn-in and carry your momentum. One of the problems I have at public kart places is that it's always easy to brake deeper than someone faster than you, but that doesn't mean it's the faster way around the corner so I occasionally have to deal with some gorilla tapping my rear bumper going into corners. But, having raced karts for a number of years, I know how to deal with them and screw with them. I got the last guy who tried it DQ'd.
I find that the same things I keyed in on in kart racing are the same things I key in on racing cars (with some variation).
Basically I found if I managed primarily the front grip and the clutch, I could keep improving my times. Let me explain.
In a kart, as with a car, the more you scrub the front tires, the more you are slowing down - especially if you have passed the apex. Some of this can be managed through set-up and some of it must be managed through driving technique. When we go to the Davy Jones Kart Zone, I cannot manage the set-up, so I must manage my technique to keep from scrubbing after the apex. Sometimes this means keeping things tidy and sometimes it means muscling the kart through the corner. Don't think that muscling it and inducing oversteer is necessarily going to be quickest however. Only you can determine this. If you get some practice laps and get to drive the same kart for your timed runs, be sure to vary your technique some. You may use different techniques in different corners as well.
As for managing the clutch, you're probably going to be driving clutch kart. So, the more time you spend at the stall speed, the less accelerating you will be doing. You can tell when you are at the stall speed coming off a corner when the rpm stay fairly consistent for a while. The more momentum you carry through the corner and less time you spend scrubbing the front tires, the more accelerating you'll do and the more speed you'll have down the straight.
Now, if you are not terribly aware of these two things before your event, it will probably overload you and you should just try to keep it smooth and carry your momentum. If you have some time to practice, try to be aware of these two things. Once you find yourself being aware of them, try doing different things and see how they are affected by your techniques. If you can learn to manage these two things you will probably have a leg up on your competition.
That said, even if you have some practice time before your event, if you cannot relate to what I'm telling you, scrap it and be smooth. You'll probably find that you should brake a little earlier than you might think so you can get better turn-in and carry your momentum. One of the problems I have at public kart places is that it's always easy to brake deeper than someone faster than you, but that doesn't mean it's the faster way around the corner so I occasionally have to deal with some gorilla tapping my rear bumper going into corners. But, having raced karts for a number of years, I know how to deal with them and screw with them. I got the last guy who tried it DQ'd.
03-06-2003, 09:49 PM
#6
Three Wheelin'
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Rich, did you do any kart racing in Vancouver? I raced at Tradex a couple of times a few years ago and also raced in the 1999 Chemainus GP (street race on Vancouver Island).
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03-06-2003, 09:56 PM
#8
Nordschleife Master
Tradex rocks. 
well, if not at least for all the people that alway turn up at a race. It really fun watching all of them go around from up in the air when I'm flying over there.
The F-440 track in Tsswassen is great for practicing, albiet a bit expensive. Haven't been in a long time.
lately I've just been doing the amatuer indoor TBC stuff with friends because it's affordable, and easy to get group racing action. Although I always long for a real kart, and not the rental pieces of ****.
well, if not at least for all the people that alway turn up at a race. It really fun watching all of them go around from up in the air when I'm flying over there.The F-440 track in Tsswassen is great for practicing, albiet a bit expensive. Haven't been in a long time.
lately I've just been doing the amatuer indoor TBC stuff with friends because it's affordable, and easy to get group racing action. Although I always long for a real kart, and not the rental pieces of ****.
03-06-2003, 10:00 PM
#9
Nordschleife Master
Geo: "But, having raced karts for a number of years, I know how to deal with them and screw with them. I got the last guy who tried it DQ'd."
AMEN! That is the best part about racing others instead of just doing time trials. Dealing with the mental aspect of having another driver behind you, AND trying to keep a smooth line.
THAT's racing!
AMEN!
That is the best part about racing others instead of just doing time trials. Dealing with the mental aspect of having another driver behind you, AND trying to keep a smooth line.THAT's racing!
03-07-2003, 12:04 AM
#10
Burning Brakes
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I've had quite a bit of seat time in a kart, but not enough to dethrone the guys who have been doing it for while. Our fastest guy is a good 2 sec/lap faster than the rest of us... and 3 sec faster than me (i.e. i'm an intermediate and he OWNS a 100cc kart). I am conscious about grip, turn-in and the clutch... I must admit, I do remember some corners on the (indoor) track where I always lose momentum and spend quite a bit of time getting back up to speed... and one corner where almost everyone understeers. I think the latter is just a matter of running a different line.
Thanks guys, keep it coming.
Andy
Thanks guys, keep it coming.
Andy
03-07-2003, 12:14 AM
#11
Burning Brakes
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BTW, here's the track we're going to race on: (200cc 4-stroke)
<img src="http://www.grandprixkarting.com/site/images/track2_en.gif" alt=" - " />
The banked corner is where everyone understeers because of a Laguna type chicane coming down from the overpass... and it's closer than they show in the pic. The next few corners can be taken WOT IF you have the right line coming out of the banked turn. Also, the backstraight can be taken WOT from before the corner on the complete right side...
<img src="http://www.grandprixkarting.com/site/images/track2_en.gif" alt=" - " />
The banked corner is where everyone understeers because of a Laguna type chicane coming down from the overpass... and it's closer than they show in the pic. The next few corners can be taken WOT IF you have the right line coming out of the banked turn. Also, the backstraight can be taken WOT from before the corner on the complete right side...
03-07-2003, 01:48 AM
#12
Race Director
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by 924Superwagen:
<strong>The next few corners can be taken WOT IF you have the right line coming out of the banked turn. Also, the backstraight can be taken WOT from before the corner on the complete right side...</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Just because you can go WOT through a series of corners doesn't mean it's the fastest way through.
I surprise a lot of people who come to the Davy Jones Kart Zone when I tell them all the places I use the brakes, or with a very well set up kart, just lift. While a lot of people will got WOT through most of the course, I use the brake to create load transfer to gain front grip and help reduce understeer or create oversteer.
Play around with it a little. At my home track I was fooling around one pratice day and was able to get my kart set up so that I could drive the entire track except the hairpin at WOT. It was also incredibly slow. Quite often when you run WOT, what you are actually doing is scrubbing speed through the corners and lowering your speeds down the straights. Often it's better to burn speed before the corner and get on the throttle sooner. If you do it right, the clutch should hook up and give you acceleration.
I'm not saying this is exactly the case with the track you're driving, but I know a lot of folks get sucked in.
Oh, another point..... Don't stay on the throttle to "keep the the revs up" while you're on the brakes. All you're doing is heating up the clutch and making grab less. You want to keep heat out of the clutch as much as possible. Be mindful of this so you don't heat it up needlessly. This may also be happening when you are going WOT through much of the course. You not only scrub speed through the apex, but your clutch heats up trying to accelerate and doesn't hook up as well. Again, this may not be the case, but if you have the opportunity, play with some of this.
<strong>The next few corners can be taken WOT IF you have the right line coming out of the banked turn. Also, the backstraight can be taken WOT from before the corner on the complete right side...</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Just because you can go WOT through a series of corners doesn't mean it's the fastest way through.
I surprise a lot of people who come to the Davy Jones Kart Zone when I tell them all the places I use the brakes, or with a very well set up kart, just lift. While a lot of people will got WOT through most of the course, I use the brake to create load transfer to gain front grip and help reduce understeer or create oversteer.
Play around with it a little. At my home track I was fooling around one pratice day and was able to get my kart set up so that I could drive the entire track except the hairpin at WOT. It was also incredibly slow. Quite often when you run WOT, what you are actually doing is scrubbing speed through the corners and lowering your speeds down the straights. Often it's better to burn speed before the corner and get on the throttle sooner. If you do it right, the clutch should hook up and give you acceleration.
I'm not saying this is exactly the case with the track you're driving, but I know a lot of folks get sucked in.
Oh, another point..... Don't stay on the throttle to "keep the the revs up" while you're on the brakes. All you're doing is heating up the clutch and making grab less. You want to keep heat out of the clutch as much as possible. Be mindful of this so you don't heat it up needlessly. This may also be happening when you are going WOT through much of the course. You not only scrub speed through the apex, but your clutch heats up trying to accelerate and doesn't hook up as well. Again, this may not be the case, but if you have the opportunity, play with some of this.
