I remember from my karting career in the direct drive categories, these were typically lower powered with either a Rotax Max or an IAME X30 engine ,that the last 2-3 tenths where always the hardest to find in a given track, driver field, and conditions combination.

These last 2 tenths are what separate the winner of the race or the champion of the series, versus the other drivers that you usually never hear about.

But why is it so hard to get close to that absolute limit? Which also hides another important question that I will not address here: is that limit absolute or is it a moving goalpost?

Lets address the first question, reaching the limits of the kart and equipment you are driving versus the track conditions and competitors.

A perfect example is a driver that is lapping a few tenths from the front runners pace. I have been in this position a few times in my career especially in competitions abroad in France and Italy.

What typically happens is that as the weekend builds up, you become faster and more comfortable with the track and kart, and hopefully the day before qualifying you are lapping a couple of tenths of the limit.

Now how could you gain those last few tenths that would propel you to the front? We are talking 2 tenths over a typically 50 second lap, that is 0.04% you are looking for.

A typical go kart track is around 1200 meters, and lets say the limit lap is 49 seconds. This example fits well the very well known track of Lonato in South Garda Italy.

A 49 seconds lap equals an average speed of 88.2km/h. A 49.2 seconds lap equals an average speed of 87.8km/h. The difference is only 0.4km/h on average, do you start to see why as things approach their physical limit it becomes so difficult?

If I am a driver in this situation, what I will typically start doing to try and go faster, is to overdrive. Which is a recipe for disaster, I will never go to the absolute limit, I will most probably become slower and I will for sure start making mistakes and lose all my consistency and psychology in the process…

If you came to read this and were hoping for an easy answer on how to find those last few tenths that will give you race wins, I hope you now realize that I dont have an easy answer for you.

The only thing I can say is that when you are stuck, you should return back to basics of fast and flowing driving.

That means to be smooth with your pedal inputs, avoid spiky and jerky motions with the steering wheel, and stay as consistent as possible.

With time and effort the last tenths will come to you, but this endeavour is by far the hardest, it will take the longest to find and will require all your mental and physical abilities.

This is what makes the sport of Karting so challenging and wonderful!

Hope you enjoyed this one,

Dimi

The definitive answer is more complicated than most people might think.

I used to believe more in the driving aspect and less in the equipment during my career. The main reason for that was that I always opted to race in one-make championships, whether it was single-seaters or go-karts. This way, I felt I eliminated the equipment aspect and could concentrate more on my driving.

But in some sense, I was misguided. What I found out the hard way was that even in one-make karting championships, with sealed engines, differences still exist.

The perfect example was the 2nd race of the IAME Series Greece in 2019. I was in prime condition, and I had won the 1st round in the Senior class, even though I was well into my mid-thirties. Not an easy achievement. So I was quite excited going into the 2nd round in the city of Patras, which is a circuit that really suits my driving style and where I had won in the past.

The whole weekend was simply terrible. I had no chance to fight at the front, even though I felt I was driving well.

My mechanic was doing everything you could imagine with the chassis. He even changed the tube for me, which takes a long time and is a big job to do during a race weekend.

The result never came, and we finished in 6th place, around three tenths off the front runners’ pace.

I couldn’t get my head around it, so I asked the kid who came 2nd — a very good driver and friend — if I could compare our telemetry data. I asked after the race, so he had nothing to lose anymore, and he gave me access.

You can see the telemetry readings below. I still have the picture on my phone as a reminder.

I am the red line, and he is the blue line. My best lap is 41 seconds, and his is 40.55 — a huge difference in our sport.

But if you examine it more closely, I am faster in every corner, equal under braking, and only lose time on the straights.

And then it hit me. Engine.

Since then, I have always made sure I have a strong engine for my races. People will tell you that in one-make series like Rotax and IAME, engines are equal.

Trust me, they are not — and the proof is in the telemetry graph below.

So if you are going racing and taking it seriously, focus mainly on your driving, as it will always make the biggest difference.

BUT

Don’t ignore the equipment. You need a top engine and a very good chassis in order to fight at the front and win in karting and all other forms of motorsport.

Hope you enjoyed this one. Leave me your comments below. Do you have similar stories to share?

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