| Kart Driving Hints |
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| These are not hard and fast rules as there are exceptions in every case. They are intended for the more experienced driver who does karting on a regular basis and is trying to improve his times. Some of kart driving hints have been written by Gil Williamson in the UK and a more comprehensive list is available on his website at www.amazonsystems.co.uk |
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| The karts operate with a centrifugal clutch and one important rule is to KEEP THE REVS UP. If you lose revs, you spend a lot of time building them back up again.
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| Karting is a non-contact sport. Collisions are a bad idea, not only because you will be black flagged for it, but most drivers will make sure you didn't escape unscathed. If you have bumped someone you can be pretty sure they won't give way and you will end up in the barriers tyres or be T-boned. The time that is lost as a result of a collision can never be made up again on the track. In addition the Race Controller will deduct laps for a warning flag. |
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| If you bump someone from behind, he gets a little extra speed, and you get less. |
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| The FASTEST LINE around the track is a matter of experience. The fastest kart is the one with the fastest driver, don't use your size as an excuse. |
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| If you squeeze someone into the side barriers, you will almost certainly be involved when they hit the tyres, and the entire field will lap you before you are extricated. |
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| KEEP YOUR WHEELS STRAIGHT, the back wheels are on a solid axle, and the best acceleration is obtained by keeping the wheels in a neutral position as much as possible. If your wheels are at an angle you will be scrubbing off speed. |
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| A common kind of contact involves one kart hooking its front bumper into the back bumper of the kart in front - downtime delux. |
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| Do not wave at the crowd as you drive past, you will loose concentration and crash, and then be DISQUALIFIED |
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| Always be ready for stationary or slow moving karts in the racing line. It's no good blaming somebody else if you've rammed them. |
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| CAUTION : Beware of hot exhaust on karts. |
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| If you brake and accelerate at the same time the kart EXPLODES and the brakes will not work. |
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| DEFENDING YOUR RACING LINE is not always best and will cause you to put in a slower lap time. If you are in the lead close to the end of the race, where it is essential that faster drivers don't overtake you then hold off your opponent for the last few laps. However the best way to prevent people overtaking is to drive faster than them - try to leave a gap behind you. While you are defending your line you are not catching the karts in front of you, you will be losing ground to the whole field who will then start challenging you for position. |
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| Assuming you are DEFENDING try to take a tight line around the track, never leave more than a kart's width inside you for somebody to slip by. It is much more difficult to overtake on the outside of a bend than the inside. This means that you will only lose time to drivers who are MUCH faster than you, and who have the speed to take you on the outside, but someone who is only a LITTLE faster won't be able to get by. |
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| The race is in front of you and not behind you so DON'T look at who is BEHIND YOU, if you can hear them or feel them tailgating you, don't look at all. Looking over your shoulder means you aren't concentrating on the track ahead, it also gives the driver behind you the confidence to take a bigger risk in passing you than he would of if he was unsure if you were aware he was there. Knowing that a kart is behind you won't help you at all, time enough to worry when it draws alongside you. |
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| If a drivers front tyres are parallel to your shoulders then that driver has the RIGHT OF WAY, you may not close the door and push them into the tyres. |
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| The way to win a race is to STAY out of TROUBLE |
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| Accidents happen, of course, and you should always be looking ahead so that you DON'T GET INVOLVED in someone else's collision. If the track is partly blocked its generally a good idea to try and pass the kart to its rear if you can, as the next thing they will do is move forward. There is no reverse gear. |
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| If the Marshals are waving at you to let through a faster kart which is on a different lap, don't be tempted to drive wide, as the whole field can use the space, not just the one who has right of way. MAINTAIN A TIGHT LINE, and just slow down enough to let him by on the outside. |
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| Drive smoothly, don't jerk the kart around or weave all over the track. |
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| When trying to overtake, the best method is to get up the inside of your opponent, which is why the best defense is not to leave any room ON THE INSIDE. |
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| If you are struggling to OVERTAKE, decide which bend you have the best chance to overtake him on the inside. Then make an effort to threaten him on the outside at the approach to that bend. After you have done this for a couple of laps, he may be unable to resist driving a little wider to block you, leaving enough room on the inside for you to slip through. |
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| Tap off going into the corners and ACCELERATE out. |
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| NEVER drive in the opposite direction to the other karts, you can cause a serious head on collision and will be immediately DISQUALIFIED. |
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| Try not to break when cornering, the brake only operates on the rear axle, and you find not only will you KILL YOUR REVS, but unbalances the equilibrium you have achieved. In general, brake on the straight before the bend. |
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| DON'T put the kart in a slide, you loose time correcting and then accelerating out of the slide. |
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| The kart is a few inches wider at the back wheels than it is at the front, so be careful not to get too close to the barrier tyres - especially going around corners and in the pit lane. When you pass a stationery kart involved in an accident be CAREFUL that the back of you kart does not clip the stationery kart as it normally turns you 90 degrees into the tyres blocking the remaining track. |
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| TURN earlier than usual to avoid overshooting the corners. |
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Wear closed shoes, and for your own comfort pants
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