Using your body weight can also help the kart “dig” or jack, in some corners, once you get used to the technique. (Helps that I’m a heavier guy too. 
)
With track time being so limited, reprogramming your driving process can be challenging. Maybe try a different (off track) approach to reprogramming by walking how you want to drive. I’ve had great success with a technique I call Race Walking.
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That or try new things during practice.
And sim. It’s the same motions and timings, basically. Sorta the difference between a waltz and a tango.
For using your bodyweight, you’re going to need to be in the kart for that. It’s important to feel what the kart is doing when you’re using bodyweight.
True! I was thinking more simply the act of driving being similar.
Oddly, I do lean an awful lot in sim. I find that my body is very active and I work up a sweat, actually. It doesn’t do anything, but I can’t help it.
You don’t feel loads but yet I lean into them nonetheless. I guess I feel them mentally or something. It’s odd.
this also comes with the driver being one with the kart, you can feel everything. I think I have automatically compensated for something I thought was going to happen also. Funky stuff
My seat cant be adjusted and I have long arms so my arms are pretty much stuck at almost 90 degrees
so pushing into the wheel and leaning to the outside can help rotate the kart on fast turns?
I write all this stuff down, and im the exact same, I get to the track and just try to drive like I normally do
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Just haven’t been able to make all the practices. With no races don’t have much tire life left. And refuse to put on stickers for practice.
But yes if we don’t race I’ll be at practice this weekend. I try to get in the kart any time I can.
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Think about it… it seems to me that if you leaned out you help the wheel jack, correct? Bu, if you simultaneously pushed hard enough against a specific heel stop while braced against center column, you could twist the frame at the waist, slightly. I’d think, under some situations, that might be useful to try. If I am not mistaken, this would seem to apply to tight, quick turns. @tjkoyen Correct?
I bet this is pretty specific to some turns. That being said, understanding it might help more subtle leaning too.
Until you accidentally do something different that works and you notice. You’ll do it again, maybe not intentionally at first, but it will make you think and hopefully understand something. And, if you are lucky, that new understanding has ripple effects across your driving.
I am looking forward to getting back on track and being able to use both hands all the way through corners. With the 80cc shifter I drove most corners essentially single handed, and rarely had much influence on the kart’s attitude beyond the steering and throttle. Oversteer was mainly only introduced by braking too late (spin) or using too much throttle out of a slow corner (immediate spin in the rain).
While I enjoy driving my manual shift sports car on a track where I can usually carry a gear though the entire corner, the shifter power band was just too narrow so I had to concentrate on gear changes and hitting the apex more than kart rotation, etc. I never even thought about using the heal stops to twist the kart.
Much to learn about these no suspension vehicles…
That’s a good point I hadn’t thought of. Shifter drivers are essentially one handed cause you guys have to shift every 5 seconds! I use auto shift in Kartkraft for that very reason. That being said, if you shift manually, the shift points are very important I bet. Since you have to lift to shift, your shifting needs to happen at certain points (might as well happen when you need to turn?) so I imagine gearing is key.
What I didn’t understand is why it is OK to allow racers to rent an expensive shifter engine, but not allow a paddle shift device.
Of course that will be a moot point with the new setup. If you can’t beat them, redefine the problem (Kobayashi Maru).
This thread has been really helpful in explaining rotation. I was racing on Sunday, I am not good at getting slide going and heading straight thru a corner. I drive it more like a car with well rounded turns and that is causing me to initiate my turns way to early. A guy I was talking with said I am going to have to get better with getting lift with a sharper quicker turn in much later. He also said I need to extend my vision, at entry I need to be looking toward exit and my kart will follow–made sense…now I have all off season to ponder, read and learn more.
try noting the apex at turn in and then ignoring it. Once noted look past and through apex. Look to run out. As you travel through the turn reference the near stuff peripherally if you need to, but try extending vision to where you want to be. It works.
It is NOT “looking ahead” all the time. You will get ahead of the kart that way. It’s active looking, busy and purposeful. Identify the important bits, note their location. Trust your brain and Keep the vision forwards overall.
Do NOT let your gaze linger for too long on anything. This results in you driving to it always. Also, if you focus on the apex, what happens when you get there? You have to change your vision, look ahead, and THEN do the turn. You’re late.
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That is helpful. Purposeful vision—I like it! Now to buy a comp, wheel and stand setup so I can play kartkraft with you guys!