Optimum weight for karting?
Discussion
CraigyMc said:
Sandpit Steve said:
Is this thread really still going?
PH recently added a karting forum with some threads collected from elsewhere.CraigyMc said:
Can you explain further what you're asking?
If there was nobody in the seat of the kart, and the thing had automated servos to turn the steering wheel and push the brake and gas pedals, and those servos were "driving" as well as a good human, it'd be faster than any human.
It would accelerate faster than a similar kart with the mass of a human to accelerate and decelerate, it would have less inertia than the kart with more mass, it would have less aerodynamic and tyre drag than the kart with more mass in it.
Sorry missed this. In some series there is minimum weights for example have to be 76kg or over or disqualification .If there was nobody in the seat of the kart, and the thing had automated servos to turn the steering wheel and push the brake and gas pedals, and those servos were "driving" as well as a good human, it'd be faster than any human.
It would accelerate faster than a similar kart with the mass of a human to accelerate and decelerate, it would have less inertia than the kart with more mass, it would have less aerodynamic and tyre drag than the kart with more mass in it.
NoBrakesWC said:
Is there not a minimum weight?
When I raced Club100 endurance series there was a minimum weight limit of 80kg per driver. If you weighed less than that you had to add lead weights to the kart. If you had three people of different weights in your endurance team this could add to driver change times having to take off or add weights. The seat size used was XL so everyone fit, however slim people used their own seat insert and taped strips of lead to the insert to make driver changes quicker. A petite young lady in another team asked me to pass her seat insert, it was like Thor's hammer.
Edited by Cotty on Saturday 8th October 15:24
Cotty said:
NoBrakesWC said:
Is there not a minimum weight?
When I raced Club100 endurance series there was a minimum weight limit of 80kg per driver. If you weighed less than that you had to add lead weights to the kart. If you had three people of different weights in your endurance team this could add to driver change times having to take off or add weights. The seat size used was XL so everyone fit, however slim people used their own seat insert and taped strips of lead to the insert to make driver changes quicker. A petite young lady in another team asked me to pass her seat insert, it was like Thor's hammer.
Edited by Cotty on Saturday 8th October 15:24
NoBrakesWC said:
I race in club100 currently and minimum for us is 70 something kg. I'm lanky so even with an inner seat i still move about and knees banging the wheel hopefully the rib protector will help with this needed it for 24hr.
Just looked at the website. It appears that they have increased the weight limit to 85kg per driver https://club100.co.uk/championship/endurance-champ...
Cotty said:
NoBrakesWC said:
I race in club100 currently and minimum for us is 70 something kg. I'm lanky so even with an inner seat i still move about and knees banging the wheel hopefully the rib protector will help with this needed it for 24hr.
Just looked at the website. It appears that they have increased the weight limit to 85kg per driver https://club100.co.uk/championship/endurance-champ...
Cotty said:
CraigyMc said:
C100 has different weight limits for different race formats.
I was specifically talking about the endurance races that they organise. All three classes run a minimum racing weight of 85Kg.I was really writing the above because anyone who isn't into C100 will perhaps be thrown by it if they turn up for a sprint or an SP60 or something, only to find out that the limit is different for other rounds on the same day. I'm not sure if it is the same this year, but last year there was something like an 82kg limit for sprints and 85 for Enduro, which was odd for anyone doing both events.
It threw my teammate at Ellough Park, for example (only round I did -- and the only round he won that year).
CraigyMc said:
I was really writing the above because anyone who isn't into C100 will perhaps be thrown by it if they turn up for a sprint or an SP60 or something, only to find out that the limit is different for other rounds on the same day. I'm not sure if it is the same this year, but last year there was something like an 82kg limit for sprints and 85 for Enduro, which was odd for anyone doing both events.
They must have changed things around. When I raced they used to run the endurance and sprint races on different days. I notice that the endurance races are only 2 hours not the 3 hours that I used to race. 
This topic brings back memories. Years ago (many years ago) when I raced 100 National, I didn’t make the minimum weight and therefore had to add weight ballast to my kart. The disadvantage of this, for me, was when I spun out and I tried to bump start the kart, I was lifting the kart and the extra ballast. In those days I weighed 9st 2lbs and could easily loose 7lbs during a race meeting.
This brings back memories for me too.
12 or so years ago I qualified for a local karting competition. I must have been 10 years older than everyone else that qualified, 26 years old Vs 16. I could hold my own in the corners but was left for dead on the straights. All down to the extra weight.
12 or so years ago I qualified for a local karting competition. I must have been 10 years older than everyone else that qualified, 26 years old Vs 16. I could hold my own in the corners but was left for dead on the straights. All down to the extra weight.
Weight matters but when I used to take karting fairly seriously and be in local club championships I’d fast for a week or two before events. People complain about their weight being a handicap but many are carrying too much and could also make the effort to lose it.
It’s not a guarantee of winning though, I remember being the lightest in an 80kg group in my second year and not getting anywhere near pole positions or wins, you’ve got to get used to the karts too and find a driving style that works as well. I won quite a lot from then and that was my third year.
Being light matters most if you’re in a skilled group and you’re looking for advantages but a good heavy driver can still beat a light rubbish one on a twisty track or with more challenging karts
It’s not a guarantee of winning though, I remember being the lightest in an 80kg group in my second year and not getting anywhere near pole positions or wins, you’ve got to get used to the karts too and find a driving style that works as well. I won quite a lot from then and that was my third year.
Being light matters most if you’re in a skilled group and you’re looking for advantages but a good heavy driver can still beat a light rubbish one on a twisty track or with more challenging karts
I'm doing 6-8 indoor kart events a year and at 90kg you know you're not going to beat youngsters who weigh 60kg, or less. We come out of a corner and they just cruise past, nothing I can do. I just look at the times and tell myself that with a 30kg bag on the back of their karts they'd have trouble beating me 
At the local track even the main instructor who is 92.5kg said the same. Frustratingly even on low grip corners the lightweight drivers seem to have more grip than me! It could be my driving style but I like to think not!
At the local track even the main instructor who is 92.5kg said the same. Frustratingly even on low grip corners the lightweight drivers seem to have more grip than me! It could be my driving style but I like to think not!
Edited by Frimley111R on Saturday 28th October 09:17
Frimley111R said:
I'm doing 6-8 indoor kart events a year and at 90kg you know you're not going to beat youngsters who weigh 60kg, or less. We come out of a corner and they just cruise past, nothing I can do. I just look at the times and tell myself that with a 30kg bag on the back of their karts they'd have trouble beating me :hehe.
Try outdoor tracks. They don't have so many tight corners so you can carry speed though them. If it rains wave goodbye to the lightweights as they have no traction in the corners. Tip keep the power on to drive the front round. Gassing Station | Karting | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff