Agreed. The general point I was trying to make is there really isn’t a correct answer and that a standard, normal position is what you should do.
Sometimes folks are told that it must be X way. Nah, not the case.
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@Terence_Dove book ‘Learn how to master the art of kart driving’. @Bryan_Krass i and I’m sure others can’t recommend enough that you get your hands on a copy. It’s a very easy read full of colloquially understandable stuff.
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Lawrence, I am pretty good at finding a racing line around most corners or at least I do when in rental karts. Where I have had issues in the past has been not identifying some corners as double apexes and trying to them into a single apex corner.
However, with my 206 kart I can identify the proper entry and exit points to a turn, but hitting them has been the issue. Part of this is the aforementioned problems with staying in my seat and the confidence issues I suffer in addition to not being able to control the kart through most of the turn.
I am also not used to tires that are this grippy, and the footage y’all have seen was from a cold day with not a lot of adhesion, so imagine how much worse my problems were when I went back to the track and found that my tires would grip, but my seat wouldn’t grip me.
As for my hand jumping to the top of the wheel… this happens on nearly every lap going into the same banked left hander. Other people have mentioned that I looked scrunched up in the seat, but I feel like the 12 o’clock position is all I can reach for at that point. I am going to have my wife take pics of me in my race gear in the kart from all angles with my current seat so I can have a better idea of how my body is positioned.
I’m excited to get my new seat so I can just stay in the kart and then actually focus on fixing all the things on I’m doing wrong.
Thanks for input, Lawrence!
I’m not sure why I do it, I even know it’s wrong as I’m doing it, but I feel like that’s the only way I can reach the wheel, especially on that left hander before the straight. This happens after all the corners where I feel like I’m getting tossed, so I am stressed and off balance (mentally and physically) when I make this mistake.
Dom, I’m going to try both the high and low methods once I get my seat sorted out. Definitely going to push on the wheel next time I go out! Thank you.
Aaron, Tj, and Dom… my hands are an issue that has to get sorted at some point, and I’d rather know now everything that I’m doing wrong! I am going to try both the high and low and compare my times with a less empirical “how confident/comfortable do I feel” to try and find the right placement for me.
So, please, critique away!
Richard, it’s on order! Thank you!
Don’t want to send you down the wrong path. Try standard 10-2. But don’t beat yourself up if you have to move your hands around to rest your arms.
One thing that’s pretty common initially is over-gripping the wheel. It’s a thing we do when we are new and it causes all sorts of tension and arm fatigue.
Dunno if you ever played golf but it’s kinda similar in that you don’t want to squeeze the club tightly. It hinders your swing. Same here in karts.
Terence’s book is really great, btw.
There’s a section about hand positioning, explaining how to use different positions to counter either over or under exuberance 
You’re getting it here. I don’t tug at the wheel with my arm, I almost load most of my body into the outside arm and push forward/up.
Like you say, I find it easier to use the lower position and have a more fine-tuned muscle control over the wheel.
Hands low to me becomes very finger-y.
I have the wheel held my my fingertips and am using very light strength intentionally. Palms facing wheel more or less.
From there I can scoot up and down the wheel.
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I try not to use my fingertips at all when I’m driving, mostly my palms as much as possible to push against the wheel. I found pushing on the base of my palm tends to be the most comfortable for me, and least tiring compared to trying to actually use my fingers
Hand position and steering technique can also be dependent upon wheel position, both height and tilt. I like the steering wheel higher up (usually column and steering hub in top position), and moderate tilt of the wheel. I feel like that setup helps me drive move with my shoulders and upper body, utilizing more of a “push” movement to turn and brace the wheel.
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It’s a habit from sim. I try to run with very light grip and often resort to fingertips to ensure I am placing very little input to the wheel.imagine using small “suggestion” inputs and then letting the karts energy dictate where it wants to go. You then influence it subtly and lightly.
It’s deffo not “correct” in that you have no leverage and if you were to bind up the kart or hit a kerb, the wheel would be ripped from your hands.
So, anticipating that I will move hands up and down, grasping wheel with fingers or pressing with palm on higher hand positions.
Palm sorta goes from facing towards wheel to semi inwards as well. Varies.
Real life the kart wheel has more kick and has more force but it still all applies (to me).
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Evan, the guy who built my kart also recommended that I try the same thing. My plan right now is the keep the height the same until I drive with the new seat and reevaluate my comfort and usage of my hands. If issues persist, raising the steering height is number one on my list.
Thanks man!
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Before I add my 2 Cents, this is a GREAT Forum, while many have never met in person, everybody is very supportive, this is what makes it such a good experience, kudos to All
The fuel tank looks smaller than most.
I got a used Rotax 125 & LO206 for my 22 y.o. son. I wanted to get back to motocross even at 60 but my son never rode MX. I found better control by squeezing my legs around the tank. We fit too snug thanks to Winter & COVID, but also when I rode my Harley Sportster I had better control squeezing the tank in turns.
But as most write, get out & enjoy both kart & track, I was all over, spun often, now I can stay on a line tighter & much faster. Good luck, race safe, have fun! Charter 1 Racing The Woodlands, TX
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Yeah I saw that! It’s tiny!
Very standard floor mount tank for American made karts. Small, but plenty adequate.
A lot of us run small tanks so we don’t have to run as much fuel (weight) to keep the pickup tube submerged.
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@Richard_Jacques , I received my copy of “Art of Kart Driving” today, going to dig into it tonight.
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