Five Tips On How To Go Faster In Karting In 2024
2022 Rotax Grand Finals Review
December 12, 2022
Sting Ray Robb Is Now A Indy Car Driver
January 20, 20231) Hit Your Apex
Read this twice if you have to. #1 Is the most important rule to speed. It doesnt matter if you are indoor karting our outdoor. As a full time driving coach here at BBR Racing. We specialize in developing young karters to become some of the best drivers here in North America. There is a process and a technique that every driver follows. And it starts with apexes.
9 times out of 10 all problems are caused because you missed your apex. In karting you need to be as precise as .5 inch. If you miss your apex by just 2-3 inches that translates to tenths of seconds. If you miss it by a foot your now half a second plus.
Tips To Hit Apex. If you are struggling to hit apex. There are three solutions on how to hit your marks. First use your breaks more to have a slightly slower entrance speed into the corner. Second is turn the steering wheel more. Use the front tires to get you exactly where your going. Finally look to where you want to go. The further you look natuarally you will just end up there.
Now go back up to the top and read it again. If you are struggling as a driver its also a great time to invest in yourself and receive driver coaching. BBR specializes on 1 on 1 coaching with our students to develop the skills mentioned above. A deeper conversation that we wont cover is angle of apex.
2) Threshold Breaking
In racing situations if lines are identical between drivers all time is gained or lost under breaking. When we train drivers this is a area we focus heavily in data analysis comparing breaking.
What is threshold breaking? Threshold braking is a driving technique that involves braking as hard as possible up to the point where the wheels are about to lock up, or reach the threshold of grip. This is important in racing because it allows the driver to maximize the amount of deceleration they can achieve while still maintaining control of the car. If the wheels lock up, the car will lose grip and may skid or spin out of control. By braking hard up to the threshold, the driver can slow the car down as much as possible without losing control. This is particularly important when entering a corner, as it allows the driver to carry as much speed as possible through the turn.
3) Practice
Practice makes perfect. Nobody talks about this enough but the reason why we practice goes a lot deeper mentally. Experienced drivers are performing techniques and skills that are basically in their sub concious. They have to hardly think about what there doing. Where a brand new driver is thinking heavily about every task that is required. If you want to go faster it starts with seat time. My suggestion. Focus on consistancy first, speed second.
This is particularly important in karting where quick reactions, precision, and muscle coordination are critical. For example, in racing where a athlete needs to perform perfect technique in every corner X however many laps even under pressure. In these cases, muscle memory allows the athlete to execute the movement correctly and consistently, even if they are under stress or pressure from an opponent.
In addition, muscle memory also allow athletes to build more strength, power and endurance over time. Once the muscle have learned a movement, the muscle fibers will be recruited more efficiently, perform better, with less energy and fatigue.
Tips To Practice. Be consistant. The more consistant the better. Driving once a month is not going to get you a World Championship. I have a theory that I stick to with our karting team. For every race day, you should practice at least two days prior. So if its a 2 day race weekend, hit the tracks four days. Now if your a indoor karter wanting to compete against your friends. If I were you I would go a day or two before your event and get some extra seat time. Trust me, practice will pay off.
4) Passing
Passing is the difference between getting to the front of the field or staying mid pack. Now I see a lot of crashing. Why? because drivers do not complete high percentage passes. I want you to think back and evaluate each pass clean or contact and evaluate it out of 100%. Were you right besides the driver? Did you stick only your nose in, Was it a late pass?
Look at the end of the day you are responsible for bringing home your kart in a race. Nobody cares that you crashed out trying to make a pass (including your team mates). So make passes that stick (high percentage). Get besides the driver, hold them to the outside and then steal their line. If you throw it in late, or just stick your nose in a little, guess what you really risk the chances of making a low percentage pass and will find yourself standing out on track with a DNF.
5) Get A Coach
Having a driving coach that works with you or your child will make a world of difference. I have been coaching since 2006 and the amount of success I have seen with each driver is truly measurable. I think its also very important to find a good coach. Just because they can drive doesn't mean they know how to teach. You want a coach that can explain what the issue in in a way the child understands but more importantly teach them how to fix it and give them solutions. A coach is someone who always motivates them. A coach is someone who makes them feel like they understand where there driving ability is, and that they have a team mate (Coach) working alongside them. Good coaches that work with kids and drivers really have a knowledge about mindset and development and help kids improve in more aspects then just setting a fast lap. There is so much pressure on kids and that is just one example that can be worked on that drastically changes a course of weekend.
Ask around. Coaches should be watching video with the kids and looking at data. If there just pointing stuff out from the sidelines thats not good enough in my opinion (funny how its a picture of me pointing to Ziming). Video is such a vital tool. You need to give kids direction, explanation, Understanding so that they can grasp the concepts and make improvements.
Do I make a difference in the performance of the people I work with. 100% I do. When I watch the drivers, I once was there. I know exactly what they are doing or struggling with. So for me its very easy to spot driving errors. Now fast forward with coaching for 17 years I have worked with some of the best drivers through their whole karting career like Sting Ray Robb. That knwoledge and experience is so valuable to each racer I work with today.
