You’ve had an accident, but now you need to work out whether your kart is bent. Kart manufacturers design their chassis’ a lot softer these days. That's to try and counter the softer tires racers use. A softer chassis absorbs a lot of that flex when drivers are cornering. Now we're seeing a lot of karts having accidents because drivers are going at higher speeds which is sometimes too fast for kids. So now suddenly, some of these seven to 10-year-old kids are driving as fast around the...

With more than 30 drivers on a race track that is less than one kilometer long, no matter how much we prepare there will always be a tussle or two in the opening corners. Sadly it may be the end of your race if you are directly caught up in this. It’s super important to be looking as far ahead as you can to see what is happening. If you’re starting in the mid-pack, look towards the front row. If there’s a skirmish there, it gives you time to take evasive action. Are karts starting to s...

Today I'm looking at how to check your chain tension. Now, when it comes to chains, I find they're wearing out a lot faster than what they previously were. That could be down to the quality of the chains, or it could be that we're now driving faster engines. With drivers being on the track for more practicing, a lot of these factors are wearing out chains a lot faster. If mechanics are not on top of the chain tension, we're going to find too much slack in the chain, and we might have m...

Over the last 12-18 months Kart Class has been working on a new feature to answer peoples questions (immediately!). Now if you're unsure of what setup adjustment to make at the race track, don't know what tyre pressure to use, or a certain sprocket for over 30 circuits, Kart Classes latest invention APEX will help! Simply type in your question & receive feedback in seconds on what to do. APEX has a waiting list with early subscribers gaining access next week. So don't miss out on the ...

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 the exit. We try providing tips and techniques to listeners to make efficient overtakes and stay a...

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 around the circuit and not using a shadow as this will change from lap-to-lap and session to sessio...

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 you are driving in. You might find if it's 15 degrees or it's 35 degrees, you might have to use a differen...

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 learn how to drive in all conditions so that we can be prepared for all weather conditions. When it comes...

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 second, and it's extremely hard to put it all together to get onto that front pack. Now, it can be tricky, but we want t...

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 be positive camber. What we see with racing cars is, they've got suspension, so you're going to notice t...

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 circuits. The first advantage is you can get stuck in a rut by just being at the one circuit. N...

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 position and risk factor. Let's dive into this episode of how to get a good race start. To learn more about what Home – Kart 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 what changes sometimes from a practice day to a race day? The first thing we're going to be discussing is pressu...

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 can give your driver more confidence in the rain, to improve their lap times, and move up a...

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, how we are thinking, what we're stressing about, what we're confident in, and the drivers that we might be nervous when ...

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, Alfano, Motech for racing cars, the amount of knowledge that that computer system can gain from your driving is incredib...

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 wear. The first thing we're going to try and look at with tire management is that drivers need to understand the...

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 shake! Hopefully this advice enables you to learn quicker and make good progress. If you're making th...

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, and thankfully from all reports all teams came out unscathed. We look at the event, how it was ...

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 the year. A little bit more expensive than most of the facilities that we'll be discussing on our as ...