Hello all, I have few experience on 6.5 HP karting and plenty on simulators. A lot of karting tutorials seem to stress on "use every control as smooth as possible - steering, brakes and throttle". They say start breaking smooth, start accelerating smooth. However, on low power karts i always push the throttle to the bottom straight away on corner exits, because the torque is anyway low and can not cause the kart to slip. Not to mention i feel a lag until actually delivering the power to the wheels (when in higher torque rpms), so i try to hit the throttle sooner and hard from the first touch. Do you have similar experiences? Is that advice still valid for 6.5 hp karts? Thank you!
Something that was a revelation to me, is that Smooth - refers to the output, the end result, not your inputs. Your inputs can be shaky, sudden, or at times slow and dampened, but its the end result of the what the kart/car does that matters. In indoor karting, the karts are heavier, harder to rotate, harder to set into the corner, and have less power. Combined with grooves from track changes over the years making vast differences in grip through corners, this can result in a lot of very sudden motions to keep the kart on edge. In general, when your inside rear tire is unloaded - right foot down results in some of that energy on the outside of your CG, being used to rotate your kart, so you can straighten the steering as you get on your right foot. Too much of this effect, and you kill your momentum counter steering, not enough power, you don't have to worry. Flatten the kart by countersteering, and the inside rear digs in and slows you down.
Thank you, i was using counter steering for like the split of a second, especially in high speed turns, but now i see the reasoning behind it.
I assume you are running a Briggs class or equivalent. Your assumptions about low hp versus higher hp carts is correct. You cannot hide a mistake in the corner by powering out on exit so you HAVE to be smooth on your steering inputs. The brake was used very sparingly and delicately when I raced 4 cycle carts. You have to view it like NASCAR cup cars at Daytona of Talladega......like restrictor plate racing; you have to keep your momentum up as much as possible. In regards to the racing line on the track diagram it is really hard to determine without seeing it in person, walking the track, and understanding where the best grip is on any particular corner. In general you want to focus on making the straights as "long as possible". By this I mean, since 4cycle carts are a momentum game, you want to set up the last corner before straights to be able to be full throttle as soon as possible while having the least amount of steering wheel input as possible so your motor can be pulling down the straight earlier.
You really should let us know what track(s) and kart(s) and engine(s). A slick indoor kart warehouse track surface with an extra heavy rental kart will involve a completely different driving style than a light weight out door rental-class kart on stickier tires with asphalt, and its yet again different to be in a full light weight racing chassis. The lighter your kart - the higher the CG(Your upper body, which is sitting up, becomes a MUCH larger % of the weight),this drastically changes things. In a 400lb sodi RX7, I want to lean out in the corners, and chuck the wheel HARD just to get a small lean into the kart. in a 180lb kart on soft compound tires and racing asphalt, the same motions would be disastrous. Climate is also a factor as well. End of June I'll be headed out to southern California for several days of racing. When some one dives in a pass and locks their breaks up beside me, the voice of Darth Vader comes into my head saying - "I have you now". When its 100F+ out, you're on racing asphalt, and soft tires, a move like that burns the surface bringing the temps beyond their ideal grip point - as they both provide power cornering and braking, the rears will never get a breather to cool down again. I can then out brake, out corner, and get a better exit off, and they will fall through the field. Indoor kart in the cold with super hard tires will be the opposite, with you struggling to get heat by being overly aggressive on entry.(think such a hard compound, use them as rental karts for 6months after doing a 24hr straight race on the tires with changing tires for the race +6 months of use) The general advice from rardoin of keeping your brakes under control, has applied no matter what I have driven. Even indoor karts where I want to slide it through a specific corner, I'm under control with the brakes, and use the steering/gas to initiate the slide, and not the brakes.
Exactly. I just ran california speedways track. I've don't the road coarse and this last weekend and oval. We ran almost 200 laps that day. The most important thing I learned was how important keeping your momentum is. That's the only way you can get back to the throttle quickly. Going 3 wide in turns and watching people overdrive into the corner and push through it killing all their exit speed. After gas karting, indoor electric feels silly. It's highly addicting.
Wow, thanks a lot tervuren and rardoin! Great advice! I tried to play the momentum game - no better word for it - and i improved my lap times from 1:33 to 1:30 with 0.1-0.3 difference between laps. I have to admit I slide more when hitting throttle .. i'm careful on brakes but i'm too anxious to exit the corner Once the engine hits the high torque rpm if i'm not in a straight line my back starts going sideways and lose momentum. Another thing i tried and worked miraculously was sliding my body weight to the outside of the corner, it really increased my grip, less tire squealing!
With a 4-stroke your onset of max torque is not immediate so momentum + smoothness + proper throttle onset should shave a few 1/10's off your lap time. I was a poster child of smoothness when I drove a 100cc kart but when I purchased my 80cc shifter I was the poster child for slow ie "Who let this guy on the track!!!".
Comparing K1 speed to CalSpeed just isn't fair. CalSpeed has a racing community that motivates the owners to keep the karts in far better equity and shape. My equivalent to CalSpeed is indoor, the owner races in the track's leagues and events, and really tries to foster a great racing experience, as if its poor, he's not gonna have a good time either. Will you be at calspeed for the SKGN or whatever they call it? I'm registered, and will be heading out there for it. I couldn't find calspeed exciting to practice/drive, as I'm too tall and disadvantaged severely outside of a good draft, but the racing events are very exciting to be in.
A lot of different Karts to adapt to. I used to be a regular for a few years at Chicago Indoor Racing with the gas powered Bowman chassis. Then they got bought out by K1 who use the electric karts. Both of those are worlds different from my 100cc Komet Sr class kart in which I've done the RT66 Midwest Sprint Series.
Just got this news from Blackhawk Farms raceway in IL. There was a kart racer taken away a few minutes ago by flight for life after he and another racer touched wheels on the front straight at speed. Everyone karting on here, be careful
If your rear grip is better in the first few laps and then degrades you may have rear tire pressures a bit on the high side; try dropping them a pound if this be the case. However, if you are having to "shift your weight" to get rear grip on corner exit/throttle application from the get go, you might try narrowing the rear end by bringing in your hubs 1/4" per side until you get the grip you need (this presumes your roll center is too low...you can also raise your center of gravity by raising the seat 1/2" or so but narrowing the rear is easier).
John...sad news from Blackhawk....hope the driver is OK. I got out of karting a little before I planned because of unnecessary accidents and a few broken bones. I ran 4-cycle Nationals for a few years but it seems some of the other drivers in my classes did not care if they made it to work on Monday! Driving my rig back from Michigan to Louisiana solo (I was laid up with a broken collarbone) was not fun for my ex-wife either. LOL. I moved into formula cars and sedans because I felt safer.
The OP did not differentiate between rental karts vs your own. With rental karts, you cannot make these changes without getting in SERIOUS trouble. With your own race chassis, you can also swap in different axle diameters, and bolt in different size cross members to effect stiffness, as well make a multitude of alignment changes with shims or different parts in the front axle area. The rear tire fade is 30minute+ races at calspeed with their rental fleet, and you only run into the problem if you are stupid and burn your tires locking up the brakes trying to divebomb someone into a corner. When I need to be leaning out it was Sodi RX-7, a very very heavy beast with an exo-chassis for chrash protection. I do not know its weight, but if I had to guess, near to 400lb. It also does not have extra thick axles to match its weight, which introduces an entirely different set of control, as your ideal corner speed may be limited by the flex in the rear axle, abuse it hard enough, and the rear wheels oscillating from axle flex can actually slame the outside front tire up and off the ground in a corner! @_@ *most* low HP adult kart racing is going to be with a rental fleet. I travel and race at several different rental tracks a year, so have driven many different chassis, engines, surfaces, and tire compounds. What works at one facility, won't always work at another.
