How to Excel at Kart Racing
Familiarize yourself with the course., Plan your driving lines., Take your initial track notes., Sit correctly in your cart., Maintain a consistent hold on the steering wheel., Use controlled acceleration., Steer as little as possible., Brake before...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Familiarize yourself with the course.
You'll first want to look over the track so that nothing will surprise you.
You don't want to be unaware of a blind hairpin turn after a straightaway! Make a plan.
By familiarizing yourself with the basic layout of the track you'll save yourself from nasty surprises and eliminate mistakes., By looking over the track, you'll have an idea of its layout and start to develop a plan of attack.In general, your first approach to the track should be one that you are confident you can pull off with ease.
You can become more aggressive once you have experience handling the track and have a better sense of you vehicle's limits. , Write down your impressions on the course and your plans for handling its challenges in a log book.
Not only will writing it down help you remember your plan during the stress of racing, but you'll be able to compare track notes before and after your run in order to help aid your learning. , Your seating position and center of gravity make a huge difference in how the kart handles.
Sit back in the seat and try to relax your body.
Don't lean forward or bounce the kart by fidgeting or jumping in the seat.
Leaning forward pushes weight towards the front of the kart, slowing it.
Bouncing the cart shifts weight and can cause the wheels to lose contact with the ground.
No contact, no power! , You should hold the steering wheel near where 9 and 3 appear on a clock face.
Some prefer higher or lower (as high as 10 and 2 or as low as 8 and 4).
Make sure your hands are symmetrically placed on the kart steering wheel.
Don't grip the wheel too tight.
Firm and steady is the way to go to keep your wrists flexible and quick.
Try to consistently use the same hand placement.
Familiar positioning will help yourself react instinctively and stay in the zone. , Once you receive the signal to go it may be tempting to mash down on the accelerator, but this isn't always best.
Jamming the accelerator from a standstill can cause the wheels to spin rather than effectively grip the surface.
You'll need to get the feel for your kart.
If your kart wheels spin when you jam the accelerator, ease back and try to learn the sweet spot of maximum acceleration.
Weather, track, and tire conditions have a major effect too.
Be sure to adjust.
If your kart can tolerate jamming the accelerator without losing traction, go for it! , It almost sounds counter intuitive to steer less, but any deviation from a straight line compromises acceleration.
Try to plot your driving and turning to involve as little steering and braking as possible.
The straighter your overall course and the smoother your turns are, the faster you'll go!, Apply the minimum amount of brake pressure to stay on course through your curve.
Then as you coast through the curve and come out of it you are ready to accelerate again.It's not how fast you get into a corner, but rather how fast you exit it. , As you get used to a course and the limits of your kart you'll find places where you can push the limits and go even faster.
If turns are too easy
- and slow
- try braking and turning later and later.
See how far you can push the speed envelope while still making a turn. , After your race, take notes on the course, your kart, and what you felt went both well and poorly.
This may seem boring, but is one of the most important things you can do to improve in the future.
Just ask any pro and they'll tell you the same thing.
Even if you just had your best-ever run, you can always improve! -
Step 2: Plan your driving lines.
-
Step 3: Take your initial track notes.
-
Step 4: Sit correctly in your cart.
-
Step 5: Maintain a consistent hold on the steering wheel.
-
Step 6: Use controlled acceleration.
-
Step 7: Steer as little as possible.
-
Step 8: Brake before corners.Ideally you want to brake as little as possible
-
Step 9: and want to be accelerating out of turns.As such
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Step 10: brake before you approach a corner.
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Step 11: Experiment with different lines.While you'll have a general idea of the lines you want to take from evaluating the course prior to racing
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Step 12: sometimes you need to switch things up.
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Step 13: Take track notes.
Detailed Guide
You'll first want to look over the track so that nothing will surprise you.
You don't want to be unaware of a blind hairpin turn after a straightaway! Make a plan.
By familiarizing yourself with the basic layout of the track you'll save yourself from nasty surprises and eliminate mistakes., By looking over the track, you'll have an idea of its layout and start to develop a plan of attack.In general, your first approach to the track should be one that you are confident you can pull off with ease.
You can become more aggressive once you have experience handling the track and have a better sense of you vehicle's limits. , Write down your impressions on the course and your plans for handling its challenges in a log book.
Not only will writing it down help you remember your plan during the stress of racing, but you'll be able to compare track notes before and after your run in order to help aid your learning. , Your seating position and center of gravity make a huge difference in how the kart handles.
Sit back in the seat and try to relax your body.
Don't lean forward or bounce the kart by fidgeting or jumping in the seat.
Leaning forward pushes weight towards the front of the kart, slowing it.
Bouncing the cart shifts weight and can cause the wheels to lose contact with the ground.
No contact, no power! , You should hold the steering wheel near where 9 and 3 appear on a clock face.
Some prefer higher or lower (as high as 10 and 2 or as low as 8 and 4).
Make sure your hands are symmetrically placed on the kart steering wheel.
Don't grip the wheel too tight.
Firm and steady is the way to go to keep your wrists flexible and quick.
Try to consistently use the same hand placement.
Familiar positioning will help yourself react instinctively and stay in the zone. , Once you receive the signal to go it may be tempting to mash down on the accelerator, but this isn't always best.
Jamming the accelerator from a standstill can cause the wheels to spin rather than effectively grip the surface.
You'll need to get the feel for your kart.
If your kart wheels spin when you jam the accelerator, ease back and try to learn the sweet spot of maximum acceleration.
Weather, track, and tire conditions have a major effect too.
Be sure to adjust.
If your kart can tolerate jamming the accelerator without losing traction, go for it! , It almost sounds counter intuitive to steer less, but any deviation from a straight line compromises acceleration.
Try to plot your driving and turning to involve as little steering and braking as possible.
The straighter your overall course and the smoother your turns are, the faster you'll go!, Apply the minimum amount of brake pressure to stay on course through your curve.
Then as you coast through the curve and come out of it you are ready to accelerate again.It's not how fast you get into a corner, but rather how fast you exit it. , As you get used to a course and the limits of your kart you'll find places where you can push the limits and go even faster.
If turns are too easy
- and slow
- try braking and turning later and later.
See how far you can push the speed envelope while still making a turn. , After your race, take notes on the course, your kart, and what you felt went both well and poorly.
This may seem boring, but is one of the most important things you can do to improve in the future.
Just ask any pro and they'll tell you the same thing.
Even if you just had your best-ever run, you can always improve!
About the Author
Walter Thompson
Walter Thompson specializes in educational content and has been creating helpful content for over 11 years. Walter is committed to helping readers learn new skills and improve their lives.
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