hi all. i've just qualified for the quarter finals of the NKA championship (not bad considering i've only been to that track 4 or 5 times!) i was just wondering if anyone had any tips for me, as this is a total dream for me and i want more than anything to do well in this.

thanks,

Oli

This should help you out I'd imagine Also this will be very good for your exact needs - http://evenflow.co.uk/indoorkarting.htm

i qualified aswell 'wessex raceway'

just read the tips thing, and can't do much better than echo all that advice.

By far the most important things in indoor and outdoor corporate karts are:

1. be jenson button smooth
2. get on the throttle as early as possible especially in the hairpins, as these thing have ridiculous small amount of power at low revs.
3. i find the best way to overtake in these things, i to do a switch back, stay outside turn-in late and get on the power several meters before the other guy/girl and just drive past on the straight.

hope to see you in a latter

EDIT: give me a link to your track

Woo me too. I havent karted since i was 12 (18 now) managed to get 0.9 off the lap record which isn't a great time considering its a short track lap record. So i have been looking for some tips too hope to see you guys in the finals

Quote from JasonL220 :

1. be jenson button smooth
2. get on the throttle as early as possible especially in the hairpins, as these thing have ridiculous small amount of power at low revs.
3. i find the best way to overtake in these things, i to do a switch back, stay outside turn-in late and get on the power several meters before the other guy/girl and just drive past on the straight.
4. Ask the marshals for the best kart

fixed

lol, so true

are they likely to do that if you ask though?

no, they will probably say "ok", then completely ignore the request.
the main point was that the difference in karts can be huge

yup. I had one kart which was really good but it was my first time karting in a long time. My next session i set a PB which was a bit slower, just because the kart was completly rubish, then the session after that i had that same kart but the person who drove it before had a crash, this fixed the problem it had before and i beat my pb by a second

Oli17 did you use the link in my siggy to sign up?

bugger i didn't know about that, to late now :weeping::weeping::weeping::weeping:

Quote from Intrepid :

Oli17 did you use the link in my siggy to sign up?

nope, saw a poster at the local track when i went with a friend. coincidence though! also, i thought you only won the kart and a years paid entry into the championship, and did know you won all that other stuff (suit, helmet etc.) as well!

*premature excitement*

Quote from oli17 :

nope, saw a poster at the local track when i went with a friend. coincidence though! also, i thought you only won the kart and a years paid entry into the championship, and did know you won all that other stuff (suit, helmet etc.) as well!

*premature excitement*

As you didn't sign up through my link you missed out on the possibility of extra prizes of driving a Formula Jaguar, Palmer Jaguar JP1 and a Caterham Superlight for seniors good luck anyway man

eeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?!?!?

btw i take it i wouldn't be able to do that anyway due to not having a license?

Quote from oli17 :

eeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?!?!?

btw i take it i wouldn't be able to do that anyway due to not having a license?

pretty much this - http://www.palmersport.com/palmersport-formula.aspx - for the highest placed karting1 reader

Fear not! man who brake late. Fear! man who get on power early.

Good luck to you all.

Quote from JasonL220 :

3. i find the best way to overtake in these things, i to do a switch back, stay outside turn-in late and get on the power several meters before the other guy/girl and just drive past on the straight.

If only it was that simple for me. When you drive crappy hire karts and have a significant weight disadvantage to your competitors, moves like that just don't happen. You get half way alongside on the straight and then they just roar off .

That said, I did once do an awesome switchback on the last corner of a race... I went wide and turned in late, the two karts that took the normal line through the corner crashed into each other, and I sailed through from 4th to 2nd

Quote from JasonL220 :

lol, so true

Many a race I have done has been buggered by a crappy kart. Just last weekend I got landed with the one of the crappiest ones. Still managed to hold off 2 people behind me... despite being several stone heavier and having a kart that just wouldn't pull out of the corners .

Just missed out at Lakeside but apparently can take part at another track because they're under-subscribed. Can't be bothered really.

Probably the golden rule of karting (or any driving) is, go as fast as you can, carry as much MPH and brake as late as you can, but without countersteering! It's a locked differential so you should feel like you're drifting without countersteering. If you take the right line, with the right speed, and the right brake release you will go through the corner with zero steering input.

Quote from MadCat360 :

Probably the golden rule of karting (or any driving) is, go as fast as you can, carry as much MPH and brake as late as you can, but without countersteering! It's a locked differential so you should feel like you're drifting without countersteering. If you take the right line, with the right speed, and the right brake release you will go through the corner with zero steering input.

1. Braking as late as possible is not always the fastest way
2. I don't think a kart will turn without any steering input somehow

Is it too late to sign up now? Daytona, never been there thoough. Is there one at ppik in newcastle? i went there once wouldn't mind knowing the qually times.

EDIT: Leeds i think, not newcastle

yep, i think august 31st was the deadline, sorry

Quote from Intrepid :

1. Braking as late as possible is not always the fastest way
2. I don't think a kart will turn without any steering input somehow

1. only for the inept. In any given braking zone the distance is y with x speed. There is a maximum and it's up to the driver to know it based on rolling speed through the corner, it's geometry and how much speed he can enter versus apex with. If you brake too late you will enter the corner wrong and countersteer, or you will lock up and countersteer.

2. it is humanly impossible to take an entire track without any steering input, but it is physically the fastest way and you could make a supercomputer do it consistently with gentle weight and braking use. The goal of the driver is to get as close to this as possible. Also, the faster you go, the more the roles of the pedals and the steering wheel are reversed. On the limit, steering is a brake and a throttle, and the pedals are the steering aids. Thus, the faster you go, the more you use the pedals, the less you use the steering wheel.

Quote from MadCat360 :

1. only for the inept. In any given braking zone the distance is y with x speed. There is a maximum and it's up to the driver to know it based on rolling speed through the corner, it's geometry and how much speed he can enter versus apex with. If you brake too late you will enter the corner wrong and countersteer, or you will lock up and countersteer.

2. it is humanly impossible to take an entire track without any steering input, but it is physically the fastest way and you could make a supercomputer do it consistently with gentle weight and braking use. The goal of the driver is to get as close to this as possible. Also, the faster you go, the more the roles of the pedals and the steering wheel are reversed. On the limit, steering is a brake and a throttle, and the pedals are the steering aids. Thus, the faster you go, the more you use the pedals, the less you use the steering wheel.

I'd like to see you turn a tight hairpin!

The rear inside tyre has to lift, or unload to turn tight hairpins for example. It's pretty tricky to induce the castor effect of a chassis without turning the wheel. If you kart sits flat the engine bogs. This is especially the case with high grip karts.



^^ Currently leading British Junior Championship - one of the most competitive junior championships in the World ^^

Quote from Intrepid :

I'd like to see you turn a tight hairpin!

There's onboards on my blog.

I didn't say I could do it, zero steer is just the fastest way physically.