So I’m sitting watching FIA karting Euro championship on YT.
After each heat the karts roll through a patch of tarmac that’s kept wet as they come off the track - just wondering why? Does it condition the tyres by cooling them quickly or something?
Nik G will know. Might to avoid karts getting stuck to the floor with the sticky tyres.
As Alan said, tires are so sticky and hot that they leave a bunch of rubber down in the pitlane and it’s next to impossible to push your kart, as it sticks to the ground. Spraying it down with water makes it less sticky and easier to push the kart.
Big races here do the same thing.
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Would this help tires last longer at all? I’m not sure how but I’ve seen people poor water on tires after coming in.
Heat cycling a tire by cooling it rapidly will harden it and could increase durability at the cost of outright softness and grip.
I specifically remember at Shawano, a track notorious for destroying tires, a few years ago at the USPKS event, some drivers were dunking their tires in water when they got back to their tents, trying to harden them up a bit after running hot on-track.
In the past (90’s) people would tilt their kart on it’s side… I can’t find a picture though…