Whether you’re looking to give your friends a run for their money the next time you go Karting or beat your dad to the finish line on your next family day out, these tips will drive you to Karting success this Easter and leave your mates baffled on the start line.
1. Hold the wheel correctly! As silly as it sounds, a lot of karters don’t hold the wheel in the best way to maximise their karting. Your hands must be symmetrical on the wheel to hold the wheel in the same place, so the lowest you should be holding the wheel is where 9 and 3 appear on a clock face. 2. Start slow and build up speed When karting, it’s unlikely that you will have the same kart every time you go. So before going for your best lap time, leave a few laps to get to know the kart and if it’s a new track, get to know the track as well. Most sessions last around 10 minutes which can mean that some karters can get up to 20 laps on the track and therefore the first few can only help you beat that personal best. 3. Don’t lean in on the bends With Karting, leaning in slows you down! Karts are built with the two back wheels locked together to create a solid rear axle. Kart’s steering geometry is also set up to lift one front wheel so the kart can lean onto the other front wheel and then allow the inside back wheel to lift off the tarmac to overcome the lack of rear differential. As a result, if you lean in you counter the design and make it more difficult to corner. 4. Enter slow, exit fast Maintaining momentum is the most important lesson in karting. When entering a bend or corner, the entrance speed normally dictates the exit speed, if you hit it too fast, you’ll come out too slow. If you sort your entry speed out, you have the best chance of exiting quickly to ensure that you are fast and ready for the next straight. 5. Relax! Make sure you relax and enjoy your karting experience, not only does this allow you to get the most out of your karting but it also helps your speed too. Karts rely on weight transfer to the outside rear wheel to provide traction in a turn and therefore by allowing your bodyweight to shift to the outside rear tyre whilst going through a corner, you’ll get the maximum traction available!