Whether you are just there for fun with friends, or to improve your race craft and get on the leader boards – or a bit of both – karting is a great way to get time on track without a hefty bill. If you are a beginner, or intermediate, here’s a guide to help you!
Beginners
If you are fully new to karting, I’ve got some useful tips for you. First, the objective of karting especially the sort of ‘arrive and drive’ sessions you’ll likely be attending is to have fun. As long as you and everyone else on track with you are enjoying it, it’s all good.
Blindspots!
It seems dumb, but if you are on track alone or with a few friends, you’ll also be joined by other groups and there is a good chance there will be a few who will be faster than you. Getting overtaken doesn’t mean anything in these sessions, so don’t feel you need to fiercely defend your position like you’re Lewis Hamilton eeking out the last laps in first. The thing about karting tracks is they almost always have tight right angle or hairpin bends (the indoor ones anyway). If there are people faster than you on track, odds are they’ll move to overtake you and generally corners are where that happens. So, when turning into corners, especially tight ones that someone could say dive up the inside on, look over your shoulder quickly. It’ll save you from being spun into a wall, or smacked side on at full speed. Be aware there are others on track around you.
Let people by
The thing about being overtaken is, it’s an amazing opportunity. You can chase after someone who is faster than you, follow their lines, driving style, and go faster than you otherwise would be able to. If it’s a close battle, you don’t have to just give up, and if they are fast enough the can often glide past you without much difficulty, but still it’s good practice.
Intermediates
The tips detailed here still apply to beginners too, although they tend to focus their first trip or two on getting round in one piece. Who I’m aiming this at are the folk who’ve been a few times and now want to improve their lap times, move from getting ‘average’ times, to ‘decent’. Me, basically.
Momentum
Because karts tend to have very little power (relatively anyway), you generally want to keep momentum more than anything. Take a line round corners that lets you carry the most speed through, even if it isn’t the line you’d take in your car where you can ‘power out the corner’. The final 180° at the TeamSport Nottingham track I visit (detailed in the video) is a great example. Take a wide, parabolic arc, line through it, carrying as much speed as you can to help you power up the straight.
Grip
While momentum is key, so is grip. The karts do have some power, and without grip to the rear wheels, you can’t use any of it. Take corners slow enough to maintain grip so you can power out – this is more key for slower, tighter corners where most will jam the brakes on and drift round. Take it slower, and power through instead. You’ll be a load faster.
“Smoothness”
You’ll hear the word “smoothness” a lot when it comes to driving. ‘Be smooth on the throttle’, ‘gentle on the brakes’. What does that even mean? Well in short, it means don’t be an oaf and stomp on the pedal coming into a corner. Don’t snap the steering to full lock just to turn it in (and understeer…). Ease onto and off of the brakes, make steady moves with the wheel. Don’t always go full throttle around or out of a corner. Make as little movement as you can. Sounds weird, I know, but it’ll help.
The racing line
Depending on the corner, the ‘traditional’ racing line might make sense, or it might not. Going through a high speed no-lift corner? Yeah, clip the apex. Left-right-left it (for a right turn anyway…). But have a wide, slow hairpin? Take a wide line instead. Maybe turn in late so you can get more speed to fire up the straight. Take some time to consider what line is best around each corner, and try them out. Then, when you are happy, link them all together and smash you PB.
