Discussion
Right a group of us from colege are going karting at the end of our course(nvq level 3 motor vehicle) the end of june. We are going to newport indoor kart track very tight and technical track around 30s per lap if anybody been.
When i went last year with the garage i work with this was a big turn out of people about 50 or so i was doing around the low 32s lap managed to do a 31 but the quicker guys were well into the 28s laps i finished 25 but had to bad heats where someone else punted me off.
We have gone for a 10 minute quali and half hour race about 50 laps and as always want to win as i won on a simulator contest we done a year ago there will be around 10 of us going. Im 6ft4 and 12st there are a couple off smaller guys going but am around the same weight as them So any tips and advice to get my lap times down and to win.
When i went last year with the garage i work with this was a big turn out of people about 50 or so i was doing around the low 32s lap managed to do a 31 but the quicker guys were well into the 28s laps i finished 25 but had to bad heats where someone else punted me off.
We have gone for a 10 minute quali and half hour race about 50 laps and as always want to win as i won on a simulator contest we done a year ago there will be around 10 of us going. Im 6ft4 and 12st there are a couple off smaller guys going but am around the same weight as them So any tips and advice to get my lap times down and to win.
Donatello said:
I have nothing really helpful to add but I think the key is in momentum, the smoother you are the quicker you will be! (IMO... this worked for me on indoor/outdoor karting fun days)
These karting centre cars have zero power, so huge Tokyo drifts will just slow you down over the course of a lap. That said, it's unlikely that there'll be more than one or two corners where a throttle lift is needed, let alone a brake.
Keep it neat and tidy, and keep the kart going in a forwards direction as much as possible.
If you're a bit "healthy" like me, then pulling yourself forwards will help prevent the kart going too sideways - See if they've got boost cusions maybe?
Drive a fast racing line throughout the qualifying. If you're in a pack, forget about battling and overtaking in qualifying. Get yourself the most clear track you can, and follow the fast neat drivers to learn their lines.
In the race, give as good as you get and most importantly, just have fun!
Don't lean into the corners, you want weight on the outside front tyre when cornering.
Relax and widen your line as much as possible. The tighter the radius you try to turn, the more speed that the rear axle will scrub off.
If you are able to comfortably make the turn with exit track width to spare, you went in too slow. Brake/decelerate less next time, of if it's a full throttle bend, look for more exit speed at the previous corner.
Don't get sin binned
if you have a kart problem, do not go to the pits. Stop on the track and put your hand up. This way, the other competitors will be slowed by yellow lights/flags.
P.S. I'm 15 stone and me/my team have won each of the three corporate kerting events I've entered
The last one I did was an enduro with teams of two and dispite my massive weight I won with fastest lap, and that was agaist <27 year old engineering colleagues. I'd have no hope against current kart racers though.
Relax and widen your line as much as possible. The tighter the radius you try to turn, the more speed that the rear axle will scrub off.
If you are able to comfortably make the turn with exit track width to spare, you went in too slow. Brake/decelerate less next time, of if it's a full throttle bend, look for more exit speed at the previous corner.
Don't get sin binned
if you have a kart problem, do not go to the pits. Stop on the track and put your hand up. This way, the other competitors will be slowed by yellow lights/flags.
P.S. I'm 15 stone and me/my team have won each of the three corporate kerting events I've entered
The last one I did was an enduro with teams of two and dispite my massive weight I won with fastest lap, and that was agaist <27 year old engineering colleagues. I'd have no hope against current kart racers though.Edited by HustleRussell on Wednesday 6th June 16:45
When I went recently with a friend from a racing background, I was on average .7 of a second slower then him. I went for the fast as you can, hard on the brakes approach. He dabbed the brakes once during the lap. Try to be smooth, more like him then me.
The guy running it said that my lap times would have won it on a normal corporate event.
The guy running it said that my lap times would have won it on a normal corporate event.
Oh and I will add this...
Trust the kart. Karts are so light and have such a low centre of gravity, you just need to trust it to grip at full pelt through most corners! (and if you lower the backseats, the centre of gravity will be lower, the kart will be lighter and you will go faster)
Trust the kart. Karts are so light and have such a low centre of gravity, you just need to trust it to grip at full pelt through most corners! (and if you lower the backseats, the centre of gravity will be lower, the kart will be lighter and you will go faster)
Dont eat alot before hand and go for a dump and wear your thinnest clothing to reduce your weight. and you should go faster. It could also be that the kart you had last time was a bit lethargic as I have noticed when karting that there can be a difference in power between some of the karts.
Major Fallout said:
Brake in a straight line and lean the wrong way in corners.
Trust me it works!
+1Trust me it works!
But also remember that the karts will probably vary hugely in performance! Worry less about the qualifying and more about the race. Do everything in your power not to get black flagged and force people in to mistakes rather than firing it up the inside....you'll just slow yourselves down. Pressure them instead, make it look like you're going to overtake up the inside, then before the braking zone, dive to the outside of the track, take a wide line through the corner and do them on the exit.
Don't use the brakes! Seriously as others have stated the low centre of gravity and grip that a kart can generate means you can literally rip through most corners flat out on 90% of circuits even when your brain is telling you it's impossible.
Braking makes you loose momentum which is a very bad idea as it takes ages for you to get back up to speed again. Try to use the full width of the track to clip the apexes and power through and if you must use the brakes, a quick dab and back on the power. Do not press the brake and accelerator at the same time as you'll mostly likely slide the back out. While it is a huge amount of fun to slide a kart, especially in a wet it will slow you down massively.
Braking makes you loose momentum which is a very bad idea as it takes ages for you to get back up to speed again. Try to use the full width of the track to clip the apexes and power through and if you must use the brakes, a quick dab and back on the power. Do not press the brake and accelerator at the same time as you'll mostly likely slide the back out. While it is a huge amount of fun to slide a kart, especially in a wet it will slow you down massively.
Thanks for all the advice when i went last year is was known that there was 2 karts quicker than the other luckily on one heat i had it and won but the other 4 heats were mid pack if that was the kart, luck or in a heat with slow drivers it's up to discussion. But they have just got new karts and have hear'ed they are identical so that may not be a problem.
The advice for arms aching not a problem used to a car with heavy steering and lift some heavy objects in work. Try not to give to much away to the other racing with me plus when i went last year the start had lights and a man waving you of. During the heats i noticed if you go on the lights you would get a better start than the others who were reacting to the flag im defently keeping that one to myself.
And no none of them vist here.
The advice for arms aching not a problem used to a car with heavy steering and lift some heavy objects in work. Try not to give to much away to the other racing with me plus when i went last year the start had lights and a man waving you of. During the heats i noticed if you go on the lights you would get a better start than the others who were reacting to the flag im defently keeping that one to myself.
And no none of them vist here.
Major Fallout said:
Brake in a straight line and lean the wrong way in corners.
Trust me it works!
I understand the leaning thing as gives it more balance etc,but how braking in straight line hepls? details?Trust me it works!
I am going Karting tomorrow (indoor) surely how not braking or not lifting is the right way? they are a lot of hairpins,"snakey" turns in there
For indoor karting, there's normally one critical corner that you need to get right to maximise your lap time. This is typically the exit from a hairpin on to the fastest part of the track... identify the corner and make sure you always get your line through this corner perfect, concentrating on maximising your exit speed.
This will also help you with overtaking... often it's difficult to overtake indoors even if the other person is slower as the track is narrow and the karts quite evenly matched. Get your exit from the key corner right and you should be able to blast past the slower drivers on the fastest section.
This will also help you with overtaking... often it's difficult to overtake indoors even if the other person is slower as the track is narrow and the karts quite evenly matched. Get your exit from the key corner right and you should be able to blast past the slower drivers on the fastest section.
Hoygo said:
I understand the leaning thing as gives it more balance etc,but how braking in straight line hepls? details?
I am going Karting tomorrow (indoor) surely how not braking or not lifting is the right way? they are a lot of hairpins,"snakey" turns in there
not braking is the right way? you will be meeting the tyre wall early on then I am going Karting tomorrow (indoor) surely how not braking or not lifting is the right way? they are a lot of hairpins,"snakey" turns in there
Braking in a straight line, karts are braked on their rear axle so if you anchor up with some steering angle on odds are you will lock the back wheels and spin. If you lock the back wheels up under heavier braking and you are in a straight line you will not spin.
I've done that track back in the day when I was 18 stone 6'2" and I nearly got into the 27's I won the event too against 45-50 others. Some were 11 stone and thought they were good drivers.
Ditto Reading track oddly similar lap time but this one I've done the low 27's also won two tournaments outright.
The key is smoothness and the ability to carry speed through corners.
I initially found the bridge parts in Reading meant my weight was holding me back so I totally changed my line super wide totally different to everyone else but I was then able to carry so much speed up the bridge and overtake those faster ones.
Knowing the racing line is is key also knowing just when the grip is about to give up.
Sliding drifting braking makes you much slower it's better to ease off the throttle for a corner and feather it in during the and through the corner.
Final point you need to be so tight to the corners that your rears nearly touch the barrier - its a fine line get that wrong spin or turn you into the barrier or slow you down. This part should be the last bit of getting good the others bits will get you up to speed.
Also not a dig but being 4 seconds off on a 28 second lap if that was the best with a clear unheld up run is poor. That said good news is you can improve a lot quite quickly.
I tend to be a smooth driver on the road too carry seed through corners as overtaking rather than on off style driving.
Ditto Reading track oddly similar lap time but this one I've done the low 27's also won two tournaments outright.
The key is smoothness and the ability to carry speed through corners.
I initially found the bridge parts in Reading meant my weight was holding me back so I totally changed my line super wide totally different to everyone else but I was then able to carry so much speed up the bridge and overtake those faster ones.
Knowing the racing line is is key also knowing just when the grip is about to give up.
Sliding drifting braking makes you much slower it's better to ease off the throttle for a corner and feather it in during the and through the corner.
Final point you need to be so tight to the corners that your rears nearly touch the barrier - its a fine line get that wrong spin or turn you into the barrier or slow you down. This part should be the last bit of getting good the others bits will get you up to speed.
Also not a dig but being 4 seconds off on a 28 second lap if that was the best with a clear unheld up run is poor. That said good news is you can improve a lot quite quickly.
I tend to be a smooth driver on the road too carry seed through corners as overtaking rather than on off style driving.
Welshbeef said:
I've done that track back in the day when I was 18 stone 6'2" and I nearly got into the 27's I won the event too against 45-50 others. Some were 11 stone and thought they were good drivers.
Ditto Reading track oddly similar lap time but this one I've done the low 27's also won two tournaments outright.
The key is smoothness and the ability to carry speed through corners.
I initially found the bridge parts in Reading meant my weight was holding me back so I totally changed my line super wide totally different to everyone else but I was then able to carry so much speed up the bridge and overtake those faster ones.
Knowing the racing line is is key also knowing just when the grip is about to give up.
Sliding drifting braking makes you much slower it's better to ease off the throttle for a corner and feather it in during the and through the corner.
Final point you need to be so tight to the corners that your rears nearly touch the barrier - its a fine line get that wrong spin or turn you into the barrier or slow you down. This part should be the last bit of getting good the others bits will get you up to speed.
Also not a dig but being 4 seconds off on a 28 second lap if that was the best with a clear unheld up run is poor. That said good news is you can improve a lot quite quickly.
I tend to be a smooth driver on the road too carry seed through corners as overtaking rather than on off style driving.
Thanks you making me feel realy slow now haha only kidding. I hit a 31.7 in quali but during the race was lapping roughly 32.2 but was mostly in traffic. The hairpin at the bottom and the tight left on the top i think was my main problems so hopefully can improve on them. My aim is to get into the 30s even 29s if i can and i will be happy with that.Ditto Reading track oddly similar lap time but this one I've done the low 27's also won two tournaments outright.
The key is smoothness and the ability to carry speed through corners.
I initially found the bridge parts in Reading meant my weight was holding me back so I totally changed my line super wide totally different to everyone else but I was then able to carry so much speed up the bridge and overtake those faster ones.
Knowing the racing line is is key also knowing just when the grip is about to give up.
Sliding drifting braking makes you much slower it's better to ease off the throttle for a corner and feather it in during the and through the corner.
Final point you need to be so tight to the corners that your rears nearly touch the barrier - its a fine line get that wrong spin or turn you into the barrier or slow you down. This part should be the last bit of getting good the others bits will get you up to speed.
Also not a dig but being 4 seconds off on a 28 second lap if that was the best with a clear unheld up run is poor. That said good news is you can improve a lot quite quickly.
I tend to be a smooth driver on the road too carry seed through corners as overtaking rather than on off style driving.
Jandywa said:
not braking is the right way? you will be meeting the tyre wall early on then
Braking in a straight line, karts are braked on their rear axle so if you anchor up with some steering angle on odds are you will lock the back wheels and spin. If you lock the back wheels up under heavier braking and you are in a straight line you will not spin.
From personal experience, most indoor tracks have a single corner which needs actual braking, and two or so more which might require a small lift off the throttle, all other can be taken flatout.Braking in a straight line, karts are braked on their rear axle so if you anchor up with some steering angle on odds are you will lock the back wheels and spin. If you lock the back wheels up under heavier braking and you are in a straight line you will not spin.
The first time carting i did four heats. I started out doing perfect racing lines and cleanly braking into the apex as countless hours of racing games had thaught me, which easily cost me 4 seconds a lap, and threw a lot of my opponents for a loop, as they didnt expect anyone breaking. Second heat i caught on and that really helped my pace. By the time i had the track figured out (1 corner brake, 2 lifts) i was running laps .8 slower then the fastest guy on track (my boss incidently, who was close friends with the track owner and races in several classes and does regular nordschleiffe trips)
Karting really is different from driving a normal car, you can be much much more agressive.
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