Please help with racing line.

[djones]

I'm very new to karting and find a particular set of corners very tricky to get right.

Here is the section:




And here is pretty much the line I take. The biggest problem I have is the area circled in blue and the main problem is getting a good speed out of the exit. At the blue cross, I find it very hard to carry speed and stop the back stepping out and killing my speed:




Any help is much appretieated!!

[Sawtooth-spike]

Your like looks good for Overtaking, But you will as you say lose alot of spead on the straight. I Assume your Karts have the problem with acceleration like most track karts do, so i would take a take advantage of the width of the track and go in deeper and faster there so almost ignore the tight line and push it in deeper and you should carry speed down the straight.But it does depend on the grip out there.

One of the tracks i go to alot has a odd line where there is alot of grip on the outside of the track. so u can take a odd line and carry much more speed around the outside and down the straight. Indoor karting tracks are odd like that.

[Ogami musashi]

First of all i invite you to go to karting1.co.uk they are really good, there're forums with coaches that will give you hints and on the site you have an item "driving tips" that teach the basics of kart driving.

They are basics but actually mastering them is the goal of a life..

[HKS]

Djones, I would suggest you this line.



Remember 3 things:
-Always cut the apex
-Keep your wheels as straight as possible
-While turning, your approach should always be slow in fast out and never the other way.

You can easily save half a second on the turn 1 itself

Maybe this can help you gain some time.

Cheers

[zac510]

HKS that is the line I would have taken but I judged from his drawing that it probably isn't to scale, because usually when the track management put a little cutout at the entrance to the corner it's cos it's fastest to use it

Also into the turn 2 with that line you'll be braking really hard while turning with tyres heavily loaded so you'll need to be very careful on the brakes.

Are you practicing left foot braking in your car to get the feel into your left leg? Braking is a different 'touch' to using the clutch

Disclaimer: Not a race karter but have done it a few times

[HKS]

HKS that is the line I would have taken but I judged from his drawing that it probably isn't to scale, because usually when the track management put a little cutout at the entrance to the corner it's cos it's fastest to use it

Also into the turn 2 with that line you'll be braking really hard while turning with tyres heavily loaded so you'll need to be very careful on the brakes.

Are you practicing left foot braking in your car to get the feel into your left leg? Braking is a different 'touch' to using the clutch

Disclaimer: Not a race karter but have done it a few times

Definitely, braking hard in the second turn. And I guess I know the difference between driving a kart and a car and I guess even brake of a kart and the clutch and brake of a normal car.

This year I would have been racing in the National karting championship if I didn't had to contnue with my studies and relocate.


If the track is as wide as it's shown, then the turn 2 should be something like this



Maybe this line is better than the previous line I suggested for turn 2.

[nae]

this is what one would call the massa line

not really any help to you but a mild distraction

[djones]

Thanks a lot for the input guys!

Here is the only pic of the track I can find. You can see the bit where the track goes in just before the corner. It is quite far forward so not sure how much use it would be.



One technique I found accidentaly was to jab the brakes quite hard going into T2. This brought the back out slightly, sharpening the angle but bizzarly not loosing any speed!

[HKS]

Thanks a lot for the input guys!

Here is the only pic of the track I can find. You can see the bit where the track goes in just before the corner. It is quite far forward so not sure how much use it would be.



One technique I found accidentaly was to jab the brakes quite hard going into T2. This brought the back out slightly, sharpening the angle but bizzarly not loosing any speed!

In karting/racing, one should always jab the brakes hard and never brake gradually. Racing is all about being quick.

[djones]

"In karting/racing, one should always jab the brakes hard and never brake gradually. Racing is all about being quick."

I would usually apply them firmly (and fast) trying not to lock the rear wheels. This technique I tried at T2 was to lock the rears on purpose.

Is that what I should be doing for every corner?

[HKS]

It depends whether it's a fast corner or slow. If it's a fast corner, initially (if your new) you can turn without braking and maybe lifting of your foot from the accelerator as well and as you progress on the turn accelerate. And later on you can throttle your way out if you have the confidence boosted in you.

Slow turns, jump on your brakes, you must be able to hear the sweet sound of braking.

1
Simple rule for turning: Slow into the corner and fast out. This would help you a lot. If anytime your kart starts to skid, steer in the opposite direction.

Try that racing line and let us know about the change in your lap timings.


Cheers

[Belatti]

Jajajaja the Massa line must be lots of fun to try!!!


About "jabbing the brakes hard" or any other "hard" maneuver, remember that your suspension has a natural frequency and a range of frequencies where it works and you better not get appart from there. Jab hard, but always progressively and not like an on/off movement.