Karting Tips The Basics1. First things first: gear up. You'll need comfortable and correctly fitted racegear to focus on your driving with no distractions - and most importantly to keep you safe. Ask a member of the team if you're not sure about sizing.2. Don't break the rules! hey are there for a reason! and that is to keep you and everyone else safe. "ore often than not! making contact! sliding or driving erratically or aggressively will not only slow you down! but will risk you being removed from the track. his will not improve your laptimes.#. Be aware.$ther drivers may not drive predictably - so you'll always need to anticipate and look well ahead to spot %and react to& any obstacles! opportunities and signals from the marshals. Anticipate early! and you'll always have the advantage.'. Know your limits.(t may not look it! but karting is a physically demanding sport. (f you feel e)cessively tired or unwell! pull into the pits and let us know. You won't win any medals for finishing the race at the cost of your personal wellbeing. he same goes for ability - if you don't feel fully in control! turn the speed down a notch.*. Enjoy yourself."ost people perform at their best when they're en+oying what they do! so don't 'overthink'your driving - go out! en+oy it! improve your driving one step at a time and your speed and improvement in techni,ue will come to you naturally.Going Faster...Posture / Seating Position1. Seating-hen you climb into the kart! sit back and get comfortable. A good seating position will cause your legs to bend slightly at the knee with your feet +ust touching the pedals. .limmer drivers may need a padded insert to minimise movement in the seat. $ur karts have ad+ustable seats and pedals! so if you're unsure! ask a marshal to get you into the ideal position.2. Steering/eep your hands fi)ed at roughly the ',uarter to # position' %either side of the wheel&. his utilises the biggest muscles in your arms! and allows good pivoting from left to right - helping you to maintain precise control with minimum strain.#. Boy positioning/arts are rigid chassis with no suspension and a fi)ed a)le. A kart turns by the inside wheel lifting slightly which releases the grip on the inside rear enabling kart to turn. A fairly rela)ed and neutral stance will generally help the kart to perform well in most cases. 0on't lean into the bend like a biker - when you getto an advanced level! we can teach you how to use your body to further help cornering in various situations.Going Faster...Throttle Control1. Kart !hrottle-hen you press on the throttle pedal %on the right&! power is transmitted directly to the rear wheels. 1ear tyres also provide you with grip! so watch how much power you use - too much gas whilst cornering! and you'll lose grip and therefore speed.2. !hrottle "ontrol/art throttles are very simple - the more you press! the more power you get. .o you'll need to use the power carefully and smoothly - get a nice clean drive out of the bend to spend ma)imum time driving forwards! minimum time going sideways. (f you start to slide! release the power to let the rear wheels regain some grip.Going Faster...Braking1. Kart Brakes -hen you push on the brake pedal %on the left&! the kart brakes engage on the rear a)le. $nly the rear wheels will break! so - like the throttle - you'll need to be careful with the brakes. 2ush them too hard! and the rear tyres will lock up and the back of the kart will slide out.2. Brake "ontrol3ontrary to popular opinion! brakes help you go ,uicker4 Your aim is to slow the kart down to a speed that the kart can corner without losing grip - in the shortest possible time. his means 's,ueezing' on the brakes enough to slow the kart ,uickly! but not so hard that the back steps out. /art's don't have handbrakes! either...so when you're at a standstill! keep yourself stationary by keeping the brakes on.Going Faster...Corner Entry1. -hen approaching a corner! generally speaking you need to keep wide. his is to make the corner entry smooth and reduce the angle you need to turn. 2. (n a straight line! before turning in! lift off the power completely.#. $nce the power is off! start to s,ueeze on the brakes to reduce your speed.'. 5ift off the brakes! and turn in. he tighter the corner! the more you need to turn*. Aim towards the ape) - the centre-point of the turn on the inside - you want to be as closeas you can to this point in the middle of the turn.Going Faster...Corner Exit1. As you pass the ape)! start to straighten the wheel. 6enerally! you should start to aim towards the outside of the circuit again to let the kart run wide.2. .tart to feed the throttle back in as you straighten the wheel. As you get more advanced! you can 'get your foot down' earlier and earlier in the corner. 1emember - your kart will go ,uickest in a straight line! not whilst turning! so you want to get that kart pointing smoothly out of the bend to ma)imise speed.#. As you reach the outside of the track again! you can increase the power to full and get the steering straight. Going Faster...Things to remember #$ersteer...is when the rear of the kart loses grip resulting in the back 'stepping out'. hiscan happen if you accelerate or brake too hard! or turn the wheel too sharply. o correct the oversteer! gently lift off the pedals and steer into the slide. %nersteer...is when the front of the kart loses grip resulting in the kart failing to steer or'pushing on' into the corners. his is usually caused by a sharp steering action making the front loose traction. 1emember - every corner is different! so you will need to adapt your racing line to different corners and especially to different se,uences of corners - sometimes you will need to compromise lines into the first bend in a se,uence to get the best drive out of the last one. Always identify the key corners - these will be the ones that lead onto a fast! 'flat out' partof the track. 6et these wrong! and the lost momentum is multiplied down the ne)t straight. 6et 'em right! and you'll be blasting past your opponents.acecra!t... "#ertaking1. he easiest place to pass is on the inside! before your opponent turns into the ne)t bend. .et the kart up to give yourself the best chance of passing cleanly - you may have to move off your normal racing line.2. 3hose the right corner. 7verybody takes corners differently! watch the driver in front! andwork out where you could be ,uick enough to pass. #. "omentum is key. You've got to build up the momentum needed to get past someone on track! this means distancing yourself slightly from the drivers in front to allow space to build that up.'. Anticipate others. 8alf the game is anticipating and e)ploiting other people's mistakes. 9e ready for them and you can make up some easy places.*. 7mploy tactics. (f you see the karts ahead battling for position! be prepared for any eventuality. You may need to bide your time and wait for a good chance to pass. urning a two kart race into a three kart race may end up with you all going slower4acecra!t... Things to remember1. 1ubbing is :$ racing! karting is non contact! so when starting a race! make sure youwatchthe spacearound you.0on'tthrowawayyourchancesofwinningbytryingtobully your way to the front in the first corner. 2. 9eawarethata kartbehind you!maybe overtaking.Always be sure togive a,uickglance to check it is safe before turning into a sharp corner. #. 0on't rush4 You'll run the risk of throwing away the race in the first few minutes. 2lanyour moves carefully for each corner.'. 0on't get too close. You run the risk of bumping them into a corner! and your kart willslow itself down. 5ook ahead! not at the bumper in front. (f you are fi)ated on it! chancesare you'll hit it.*. 3ommit in the right places. -hen overtaking into a corner! make sure you get past thembefore they turn. his means a little commitment is needed to get past safely. How to Successfully Drive a Go KartTwo Methods:Driving Faster Safely Picking a TrackIf you are just learning to drive a go kart or hoping to win your frst go kart race, this article will teach you the basics. Whether you want to start a hobby, drive better, or just get in frst, this is the ultimate guide to small scale go-karting!Method 1 of 2: Driving Faster Safely1.1Pick a fast kart (if you can). If you are selecting from seemingly identical karts, look for karts with fresher tires or from karts that have been winning previous races that day at the track. [1]Ad2.2Enter turns slow, exit turns fast. This single tip is the most important lesson of fast go-karting.Winning a go kart race is about maintaining momentum throughout the entire track.[2]3.3Be smooth. You may think you are cool slamming on the accelerator, but sliding and jerking actually slow you down. Accelerate smoothly, brake smoothly to retain momentum and be faster all around that track. [3]4.4Plan your drive path as "out-in-out", the wide path will help you maintain momentum. For example when you are entering left turn you stay at the right side, then cut in the apex. Then drive to the right again. For a right turn, vice versa.o When you are just learning, it can help to follow a fast driver to duplicate her race line as closely as possible.5Limit the sliding in your turns. Sliding and drifting may look cool, but they aren't actually fast techniques for the beginner or intermediate driver.o Brake at the end of the straightaways before you enter the turn. If you start breaking during the turn, you will slide.o Control your front tire grip. If your front tires stay in control, your kart will stay in the line you want. It can be OK to let the back tires slide a bit.6Time your passes carefully. Don't pass when there is risk that you will end up in the tires.7Do not crash into people, it may sound obvious know but out on a busy go kart track it is an easy mistake to make. Also, most go kart tracks will make you leave if you repetitively crashinto people.8Learn your way round the track and its history. If you go a lap without crashing then push a bit more and you might gain some seconds. If you crash, slow down a bit. Also learning about itshistory if it's quite old and quite big can help you "get into touch" with the track.AdMethod 2 of 2: Picking a Track1.1Find a style of go-karting that is right for you. If you are a beginner, try one of the smaller tracks without a lot of hairpin turns. As you get better you can move on. If you feel extremely confdent with handling, you could try slick-racing.2.2Try it out at frst. A small track, with only one or two karters, will help you start getting the feel of the kart. Drive cautiously.3.3Move on to larger, more complex tracks and slick tracks as your expertise grows. Even the best karters spin out on slick tracks and slippery ovals.