Going Karting Tomorrow

[corollasr]

hey all,

i'm off karting at buckmore park in kent tomorro and its been a while since i've done it. i know the basics erc but its a corporate thing so kinda wanna give a good impression

any pointers to help me do that little bit better?

ed

[vmail]

yeah dont crash, slow down on bends otherwise the kart will spin and have fun

[corollasr]

vmail - i did say i knew the basics

ed

[BLOODUK]

Stick to the corners dont take them too wide otherwise you will be undertaken

[Richard K]

Where's Firthy when you need him?

Go to the loo to increase the power to weight ratio

[corollasr]

cheers for that rich.

should i avoid chocolate aswell?

ed

[Richard K]

cheers for that rich.

should i avoid chocolate aswell?

ed

WHOA, WHOA!!! let's not get too drastic now

[Moffmo]

this bloke give me good advice when i went karting, and my lap times improve considerabley.

When you come up to a sharp harpin, go wide, but then cut across, and dont brake at all DURING THE CORNER, brake just before and youll stick to the corner really well and youll have speed to start back up again

[PaulT]

I think the trick with karting is to scrub off speed at the entrance to a corner by skidding rather than using the brakes. Gets the car turned and slows you down at the same time.

However, once you are in the corner and accelerating out you must minimise the skidding in order to get a fast run onto the next straight.

Cheers

Paul.

[jaxx]

follow the basic principle of racing.

judge and utalise the racing line

brake into corners

power out of corners

powerslides look impressive and make you feel like a man. but in reality slow you down

[Fizz]

this bloke give me good advice when i went karting, and my lap times improve considerabley.

When you come up to a sharp harpin, go wide, but then cut across, and dont brake at all DURING THE CORNER, brake just before and youll stick to the corner really well and youll have speed to start back up again

i rememebr telling you that as well.. :P

[kalmr2]

be quiet...........what i mean is don't let your wheels squeal.....this just means your losing speed if you get a really loud squeal out of your tyres...

ricomr2 is the best person i've seen for this, never a sound outta his tyres and he's f**kin fast

[Moffmo]

this bloke give me good advice when i went karting, and my lap times improve considerabley.

When you come up to a sharp harpin, go wide, but then cut across, and dont brake at all DURING THE CORNER, brake just before and youll stick to the corner really well and youll have speed to start back up again

i rememebr telling you that as well.. :P

:P dont get cocky now!

[Boro Sera]

overtake everyone and go faster than them. That should do it !

Rich

[GIDDLEPIN]

Take your camera, drive onto a tyre wall and you can get some great action shots of people going by!

[ricomr2]

When you come up to a sharp harpin, go wide, but then cut across, and dont brake at all DURING THE CORNER, brake just before and youll stick to the corner really well and youll have speed to start back up again 

This is the best piece of info on this thread so far... just see if you can remember it

[Stu8]

Only been karting once before.

my advice is, dont get up the ***** of karts round corners.

I did and the kart in front braked well to early, sending my straight underneath him

I spent the rest of the race at the bar very bruised indeed :(

When you come up to a sharp harpin, go wide, but then cut across, and dont brake at all DURING THE CORNER, brake just before and youll stick to the corner really well and youll have speed to start back up again 

that's the general rule for all motorsports :)

but it is fun getting the kart to drift round corners

[Firthy]

Where's Firthy when you need him?

Sorry i was at uni yesterday...

Hmmm i wonder how hes doing??

[corollasr]

i aint done it yet. not til this evening

[Ryan1985]

be quiet...........what i mean is don't let your wheels squeal.....this just means your losing speed if you get a really loud squeal out of your tyres...

ricomr2 is the best person i've seen for this, never a sound outta his tyres and he's f**kin fast

And the best thing about this wos I wasn't far behind him - twice!

[Scottish_SR]

be quiet...........what i mean is don't let your wheels squeal.....this just means your losing speed if you get a really loud squeal out of your tyres...

ricomr2 is the best person i've seen for this, never a sound outta his tyres and he's f**kin fast

And the best thing about this wos I wasn't far behind him - twice!

But you both only weigh about 10 stone!! lol Featherweight division!! Going to have to introduce handicaps for weight differences next time!! Maybe I will win then!!.... lol

[Caz SR]

When you come up to a sharp harpin, go wide, but then cut across, and dont brake at all DURING THE CORNER, brake just before and youll stick to the corner really well and youll have speed to start back up again

Hiya,

This is by far the best piece of advice . Outdoor Karting used to be my hobby. From what I remember of Buckmore, it's an outdoor circuit... unless they've built an indoor one since.

What Moffmo is describing is called the Racing Line, which is the quickest and smoothest way around a corner of the circuit.

Brake before a bend, not during. This is normally just a quick tap on the brake (depending how soft they are) not a full on stamp - there's no ABS here so you will spin off out of control - but you probably know that already.

Power out of a corner, not during for the same reasons as above.

Flat on the pedal as soon as you hit the main straight to acheive the most power. Normally the bend after the main straight is ideal for overtaking, if you can draw no less than half way along side the person infront before it. By it's nature, the bend at the end will be wide and curving. If you have a power to weight advantage, this will be your sweet spot.

Beware of backmarkers - these will more than likey be unpredicatable and cut you up if lapping. Could cost you the race.

Take it easy on hairpin bends - these catch everyone out. Technically these are called "Double Apex" as they are two bends in one. Even when you master them, someone else more than likely hasn't, so this is the worst spot for overtaking and people spinning off.

If it's a static start and you are on the outside of the racing line, move inwards as soon as you can to defend your position (without taking anyone out). Remember, you're first corner is likely to be the widest so you need to drive defensively.

Oh well, better not write an essay... could go on forever... enjoy!!!

[corollasr]

cheers for all ur help guys. just thought i'd let u know how i got on

qualifying - our team did well, and managed 6th on the grid out of 22, i had to start the race, first corner got knocked back to 10th as was on the outside line. come up to the hairpin, shunted from the side twice, and then again from behind. so inevitably i spin and end up 21st.

cue red mist.

went a bit nuts and clawed my way back up to 15th, had a tussle with my boss and ended up putting him into a tyre wall

came in and changed driver. next driver was really good. got us up to 11th. guyb after him was ok, dropped back to 13th. fourth member was a nutter and got black flagged 4 times, so dropped to 15th

then came my crowning glory. went out on my 2nd stint and really got into my stride. managed 79mph at one point and got 3rd fastest lap of the night. came in in 8th place and handed over.

eventually finished in 7th overall which was quite good seeing as we came all the way from the back of the pack

thoroughly enjoyed myself

[Firthy]

Nice one mate sounds like a good day......79MPH :o

What were the karts twin engined???

[corollasr]

nah they were raced tuned things. they top out at 85