{"id":60,"date":"2010-08-12T14:07:37","date_gmt":"2010-08-12T13:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.kartingnation.co.uk\/?p=60"},"modified":"2014-10-17T13:32:06","modified_gmt":"2014-10-17T12:32:06","slug":"get-the-most-out-of-your-karting-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kartingnation.co.uk\/blog\/get-the-most-out-of-your-karting-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Get the most out of your Karting Experience."},"content":{"rendered":"

Go karting<\/a> is just about the most hair-raising, heart-pounding, blood-pumping, thrill ride that you\u2019ll ever experience, but if you\u2019re not doing it right you\u2019ll never know just how amazing it can be!<\/p>\n

And bad news people\u2026 most of you aren\u2019t doing it right!<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t hang up that helmet just yet, because I\u2019m here to turn you from a karting klutz into a karting king!<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t exactly Formula 1, but just because you\u2019re not borrowing Jenson Button\u2019s car keys doesn\u2019t mean this is easy. Karting, like most sports, is simple to pick up but challenging to master. I\u2019m going to tell you how to do it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll also be going over some important safety information because you\u2019ll have a hard time winning a race if your kart\u2019s upside down at the edge of the track!<\/p>\n

BASICS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics\u2026sitting in the kart! We all know how to sit down. I\u2019ve sat down pretty much every day of my life and so have you! Yet some kart racers aren\u2019t doing it right. The key to a smooth and controlled ride is to sit back comfortably in your seat and resist the temptation to lean forward as this will affect your handling of the kart. These are small, sensitive machines and the slightest imbalance could be the difference between getting around the track and getting around it faster than everybody else.<\/p>\n

STEERING<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maintaining stable control of the steering wheel is equally important. Keep those hands of yours at 10 and 2, or 9 and 3. And remember the secret to a great kart drive is keeping that wheel straight as often as possible.<\/p>\n

Ok, so we can\u2019t keep the wheel straight all the time (you\u2019re bound to find a wall before too long) but by mastering an efficient cornering technique, you\u2019ll find your lap times coming down and your excitement levels heading up and up.<\/p>\n

CORNERING<\/strong><\/p>\n

The key is not to get things too muddled up in your brain-box, and we do this by breaking the turn into separate stages and conquering them one at a time.<\/p>\n

Stage 1:<\/strong> Braking! We hit the brakes early and firmly, so that the rear wheels lock, and then we release the brake before we reach the apex of the turn.<\/p>\n

Stage 2: <\/strong>Steering! We steer into the corner with an even and controlled turn\u2026but we don\u2019t do it too early! This is really important. Too many racers jump into the turn too quickly and then they\u2019re forced to compensate in the other direction which makes the kart go a little crazy. We take an outside line around the corner and keep the wheel straight as long as possible before turning the wheel evenly into the bend and holding this position until the momentum of the kart has pulled it beyond the corner. At which point, we straighten as efficiently as we can.<\/p>\n

Stage 3:<\/strong> Accelerating! Once the weight of the kart is evenly distributed across all four wheels again, and we\u2019re straightened up with the next section of the course in front of us, we can hit the accelerator and power into the straight. If we hit the throttle while the weight of the vehicle is still leaning to one side we will unsettle it and make our exit slower and more awkward. We apply firm, even pressure to the pedal with our right foot and we build up as much momentum as we can until we reach the circuit\u2019s next braking zone. Then we repeat stages 1 to 3\u2026and before you know it, we\u2019re hosing down the competition with our celebratory bottle of bubbly, while they feign excitement and wish deep down that they could have cornered as well as we did!<\/p>\n

Go karting<\/a> is such a challenge to perfect because raw speed isn\u2019t enough to make you a great competitor. Flying into the turn will probably leave you flying off course! It\u2019s not how fast you get around it but how fast you blast out on the other side.<\/p>\n

Slow into the corner, fast out.<\/p>\n

Practice makes perfect (if you\u2019re practicing the right things) and while most karting venues require you to complete practice laps before your race, it is also possible to visit the track for a GP Experience session, in which you pay to hit the circuit for a designated period of time, in a non competitive format. These arrive and drive experiences give you the opportunity to experiment with different driving lines. Hitting the corners later and wider and then narrowing in the straights. You\u2019ll learn how to optimise the effect of the stages and you\u2019ll shave seconds off your time. If you\u2019re interested in a GP Experience drive our helpful Karting Nation <\/a>staff will be happy to make the necessary arrangement, so don\u2019t hesitate to give them a call.<\/p>\n

SAFETY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now that we\u2019re done with the fun stuff, let\u2019s talk about safety. This is crucial, not only so that we can avoid accidents, but also because the safer and smoother we drive, the better we drive too!<\/p>\n

Before we get down to business, it\u2019s time to don our helmets and the rest of our karting gear! This includes a helmet which covers the whole of the face, a set of fireproof overalls, and a pair of gloves, all of which should be provided by the karting facility. Your job is to bring the right footwear. Sorry guys, there\u2019s no room on the kart track for those killer heels! The preferred footwear for racing here is a comfortable training shoe, and it is recommended that the shoe have a thin sole, as this greatly improves the driver\u2019s control over the pedals. Kart pedals are extremely sensitive and the best way to master them is to have total appreciation of this fact\u2026which means no platforms either!<\/p>\n

Every karting session is preceded by a short safety briefing, conducted by venue officials. There seems to be a very little known fact about this tutorial\u2026it helps if you actually listen to it! Many of us are ignorant of race rules and procedures before we take the wheel and this information could well be the difference between a really fun and memorable experience and one that you remember for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n

During your race, venue officials will communicate to drivers using a series of coloured flags, and you\u2019re going to need to know what these flags mean. The flags colours and their meanings are as follows:<\/p>\n