Karting at the edge of grip |
Why the last tenths are the most difficult to find
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