Kart Class

Motor Racing is all about driving fast and trying to beat your competition. But sometimes that means we need to overtake our competitors to get in-front and win the race. Nerves, confidence and choosing the right corners are all important when it comes to learning how to overtake other drivers. Setting up a pass so that the driver doesn't get you back the following turn or switch you back on...

Winning races comes down to being fast, but also being consistent. That might mean stringing 10 laps in a row within 1 tenth of a second. What this does is, by making less mistakes, chasing drivers will find it harder to overtake and beat you. Consistency means finding the same markings around the track and aiming to hit these points lap after lap. Drivers should be looking out for landmarks aroun...

Today we're discussing go-kart rear axles. When it comes to motor racing, cars have suspension. So karting is different because the rear axle acts like a suspension. It might flex a little bit here and there depending on the stiffness of the axle, but realistically it doesn't spring like suspension does.  So, it's important to use it as a tuning tool depending on the conditions that...

Today we're going to be discussing how to go-kart in the rain. Now, for most of us, we tend to want to drive as it’s easier. When you drive in the rain, things are going to wear out quicker; engines, tires, cleaning the kart, that takes more time. The chances of spinning out are more evident with the wet weather, but let's face it, motor racing is driven in all conditions. So, we need to...

Today we're going to be discussing how to find the last one second in kart racing. Now, it can be quite frustrating as you're starting out in karting and you're picking off one to two seconds at a time because you're just starting out and it all seems a little bit too easy. You're like, oh, how good's this going? My times are dropping. Then it comes down to that last...

Let’s look at when to use positive or negative camber in kart racing .   Now the first thing is what is camber? That's changing the angle of the tire. As you are looking at it from a top-down point of view, if you've got the tires pointing towards the inside of the kart, that's going to be negative camber.  If they're pointing towards the outside of the kart, it's going to...

Let’s look at why it’s so important to not just drive at the one circuit. For some people, they don't have the luxury of having a circuit close to them. So, they might have to travel one or two hours away and be forced to just drive at the one circuit. If you are fortunate enough to have a couple of circuits within a reasonable drive, we want to look at the key advantages of experiencing new...

Let's be honest. It's all good qualifying up the front, but if you aren't good at the race starts, then it's all a waste of time. There's different techniques drivers can use to get a better launch, this then gives the driver an opportunity to pass a few drivers. Then working out whether the inside, or outside (more risky) line is going to be best depending on your positio...

In motor racing, driving in the wet conditions can be more difficult than driving in the dry conditions.  Wheel spin, limited grip, understeer, are all factors that are exaggerated in the rain. For drivers though, they need to learn how to adapt to all conditions so that on race day, they are ready for whatever challenge is thrown at them. In this episode, we try explaining three basic tips that c...

Let’s discuss how some drivers can dominate on a practice day, but then can't translate that onto a race day. We see in practice sometimes, kids setting the fastest laps they've ever set. Two days later, or a couple of weeks later, get to race day and suddenly, they're 0.4, maybe even up to one second off the pace they were driving the weekend before.   How's that possible and...

We pay a lot of money for our race tires, and we pay a lot of money to get a good engine. We buy brand new go-karts, and we still find ourselves finishing in the middle of the pack. We're now wondering to ourselves, "Well, we've got all the equipment, we are getting coaching, and we still can't move up the pack. What can it be?" Well, a lot of it comes down to the mindset,...

Tire management is something drivers don’t always think about, but it plays a big role in the results. Now a lot is determined by how hard or how soft the compound of tire that you're driving on. It also has a lot to do with the track surface itself, so whether it's abrasive or it's a smooth surface and the temperature of the day does have a bit to play with how tires are going to w...

We discuss the pros and cons of data analysis in this podcast. Now, technologies improved a lot over the last five, 10 years, and when I was winning all my races in the 2005, 2015 era, we didn't really look a lot into data analysis. It just wasn't something that technology was up to scratch with. So nowadays when you're looking at, whether it's a Mychron unit, or Starline, Alfa...

When we’re starting out in karting, it’s daunting! We’ve got no idea what’s going on, what do we buy, what pressures do we use and how and where do we drive on the racetrack? I’ve covered the 3 biggest mistakes that beginners make when they enter karting. Time and time again, drivers don't realise they are making mistakes, so with bad repetition, these mistakes become habits and are hard to s...

The second round of the Australian Kart Championships took place at the Tiger Kart Club in Wanneroo, Western Australia this past weekend. It was the first time a Western Australian circuit has held a round of the AKC since it moved to a five-round championship, and the first at Tiger Kart Club since 2005. For a lot of competitors, the 6,000km + road trip was a new experience across the Nullabor, a...

The next circuit we’re looking at in our USA Track review is Atlanta Motor Sports Park in Dawson, Georgia. So the track itself is a private club and it shares the facility with a car racing track. So, it's not something that you can just rock up with your car in the back of a truck or a van and just go and drive the facility. You must be a member, which I think costs around $2,000 - 3,000 for...

We're going to try and do a miniseries & talk about some USA kart tracks that we recently toured on a road trip. How to get involved in some of these different facilities around the country, but also just giving it a review on what we thought it was like driving at these places, who we drove for when we leased the kart packages, and a general sense on what it's like to race at these...

The next track we are reviewing is the GoPro Motorplex Circuit in Charlotte, North Carolina. The facility is world-class with state-of-the-art lighting allowing this circuit to be used all day and into the evening. With motor racing being such a big part of the town, it’s common to see Indy Car, Nascar and Sprint Car drivers on track during the week honing their skills. Drivers such as Will Power,...

When it comes to Motor Racing, there is a lot of countries represented in all categories. But which countries produce the fastest drivers consistently? Formula 1 has drivers from North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, and we know Italy is the home to most of the major karting manufacturers. But what makes these racing drivers so good? Is it the conditions they drive in? The competition they&ap...

Any sporting competition entails dealing with pressure & karting is no different. But how drivers can cope when others are on their bumper and concentrate on their own driving is what sets apart the good & great drivers. It's all good and well having the best equipment, but it's your mindset that can propel you to the top constantly. The other challenge is handling your parents,...

In motor racing, engines play a big part to a drivers lap time. But the other area that's often overlooked, is the braking zone! How fast a driver can go from their maximum speed to their minimum speed, not over-slowing the kart and overtaking your opposition, means the braking zones are super important. In this episode we discuss a couple of techniques a drivers can test to see what works be...

As a parent or mechanic, seeing your driver constantly look over their shoulder is infuriating! You think to yourself, " just concentrate on what's in front of you, don't worry about what's behind you!". So in this episode, I wanted to chat about why drivers tend to look behind, what they can do to avoid it or at least give some tips & advice on when it's safe or...

To get the most potential from your kart, you need your engine on song. That's why understanding your carburettor and the correct settings can extract that last bit of potential. The first six letters in Motorsport spell Motor, so we know we need good performance to be competitive. This episode is trying to teach drivers and mechanics the understanding of a lean or rich carby and how to best...

When it comes to driving, does talent get you further up the grid, or will hard work prevail? Having coached over a 1000 different drivers in the past 12 years of my business, I have seen some extremely talented drivers. Whilst other drivers take longer to pick things up & as a result may take 12 months to get up to speed. So does having a natural talent make you better or can all drivers achi...

Motor Racing can be expensive, so working out where to best spend your money is important when starting out. On this podcast episode, we look at the pros & cons when it comes to buying a new or second hand kart. Is it better to save your budget & start second hand, or is it safer as you know what you're getting from a new package. I try enlighten both sides of the equation to give kar...