Parts4Karts

Driving a kart in the wet isn’t all about being super-smooth and being frightened that the kart will bite you for pushing it hard. In fact, I will say when driving in the wet you have to be much more physical, much more forceful and drive with flair. Wet karting gives you even more opportunity to let yourself go- more than the dry even!!
So before we start, forget about being ultra-delicate on the brakes and turning the steering wheel tentatively (save that for when you get into F3)….we are going to talk about stamping on the brakes to make tyres bite into the track, and snapping the steering wheel round like you want to bend the track rods!

The Wet Line

Is the fastest line around the track in the wet the same as in the dry? 99% of the time the answer is no. I can’t tell you the exact wet line for every track here, but I can give you a pretty good place to start.

Stay off the Rubber

In the dry the best grip is normally found on the normal racing line, and that is where all the tyre rubber gets laid down giving even more grip. But when it rains, rubber is super slippery- so you have to go and find a new line where there is no rubber. Normally its round the outside of the corner.

Take a look at your circuit before you drive and you can easily see the darker racing line covered in rubber, and where you can see a lighter colour there isn’t so much rubber….and in the wet that’s where you want your kart to be! Keep those observations in mind when driving in the wet. You will find you need to experiment using the wet line, and there will be more than one way round on a wet line. You have to go out there and feel where that grip is
That’s pretty much it with the wet line…not so mysterious really

Wet Driving Techniques- It Just Doesn’t Seem Right but it Works!!

Ok, for a kart to work and get you around a corner it needs to lift the rear wheel on the inside of the kart, and to do that it needs a certain amount of grip to get the chassis to roll over toward the outside front wheel.

Now, in the wet you find there just isn’t enough grip around to get a kart to do that easily…..so we have to force the kart to tip!

Here’s how we go about forcing the kart to work in the wet.

Lets say you are approaching a tight 90 degree left bend, like The Boot at Whilton.

1. When you brake hit the pedal in a short sharp motion, enough to get the rear tyres to lock almost and bite into the track. A nice gentle push on the brake just won’t do because it kills the kart. We want the kart to feel quite lively, and you need to get it working and biting so you can get a feel for what grip is available. Also, you want to reduce the amount of time on the brakes and braking needs to be out of the way before you turn in.

2. Remember we are taking a wet line away from the rubber. So we turn into the boot very very late. And when you turn the wheel you snap it into full lock…hard and fast.

Now, the kart doesn’t turn and spin….you turned the wheel so fast and it’s like you shocked it into a huge understeer. But, you are also getting maximum jacking effect from the front end and when the kart finds a bit of grip it will turn….and it will turn very sharp.

Also, since the front end is sliding, it is slowing you down too- acting like front brakes.

3.When you snap that steering wheel round, you will naturally need to lean forward a little because turning the wheel will extend your reach. That’s a good thing and you should lean forward and towards the outside of the kart. In doing that you are taking weight from the rear and putting it over the front, which helps the kart to lift that rear inside wheel.

4. When you get the timing right, you will find the kart turns quite hard and sharp, that’s when you need to get your weight back over the rear wheels, get the steering straight as possible and accelerate away, intoduce the power gradually feeling for traction…always being careful to get as much traction as possible.

So, next time you see a forecast for rain get the van loaded up and rush over to your local circuit, get out there and try all this out.That’s what Ayrton Senna used to do!

At first you will find it very difficult to put all these new ideas together, but stick at it because I promise you it will put you at the front when you work it out

Easy Start Wheels

Kart shops sell all sorts of easy starting tools from long handles levers with wheels to things that look like tall skinny roller skates. You use these to hold the kart off the ground while the pusher gets up to speed and then ‘drops’ the kart onto the track and carries on pushing. Of the two, I prefer the short roller skate type but, as a first choice, I’d go for the old-fashioned un-assisted lift and push even though I’m 50 years old (and fat)!

You can buy a device that bolts a single ‘additional wheel on a lever’ onto the underside of the kart. You lock it into position, push the kart and then release the lock, which collapses the wheel out of the way. These are great but they add weight. They also make one more thing that can go wrong on the kart! However, they do allow the driver to ‘trundle’ the kart back to the pits if it fails on the circuit.

DRIVER RUNNING

This is the MOST ‘professional’ way! Assuming there are two of you, the pusher does exactly as before but the driver stands on the RIGHT hand side of the kart with his LEFT hand on the rear of the seat and the RIGHT hand on the top of the wheel. The pusher does exactly the same as with the driver seated but he now has almost no weight to lift. Once the kart is ‘airborne’ and moving forwards, the pusher and the driver MUST push down to stop the wheels from skidding as it hits the ground. As before, the pusher KEEPS PUSHING!

The driver runs with the kart for about 3 metres and then swings himself into position and this should be practiced first ON YOUR OWN with the kart stationary. The driver is trying to lift himself into the kart by supporting his weight on the top of the wheel and the back of the seat. The driver then swings himself into the kart so that his RIGHT foot lands just behind the throttle peddle and the LEFT foot lands in the centre of the seat AT THE SAME MOMENT! Bring the LEFT hand to the wheel and get your LEFT foot behind the brake pedal while sitting down. (The kart WILL start whether you have your foot near the brake pedal or not; it’s up to you how important this is to you. Think of the implications if the throttle is stuck wide open and you don’t have your foot near the brake!). Your RIGHT hand now goes to the ‘Hovering Choke’ position.

It all sounds REALLY complicated but it isn’t! Practice with a stationary kart until you can easily swing yourself in. Then try with it with your pusher but with the spark plug out (but ’strapped’ to the top of the engine). This will make sure it won’t start and there will be little or no rolling resistance. You can obviously do this on your driveway or down the pavement if the plug is out! You can even do this on your own (with the plug out) and you will be shocked how simple it all is! The first few times can be embarrassing as you accidentally turn the steering wheel and run over your foot but you’ll get the hang of it very quickly.

As I said, this is the professional method. If you master this technique, you don’t NEED a pusher because you can do it all on your own! It’s not so important IN the pits but it WILL get you going again out on the track once you have spun off! You’ll find you don’t need to LIFT the kart right off the ground, just slightly release the weight (by pulling the seat upward) and you can simply SLIDE it before you push it DOWN to turn the motor over. Once it’s moving along quickly, you can jump in but you must get to the throttle pedal quickly to get you going. The engine will probably be warm and should start without choke!

What to do if it doesn’t start after a ‘good’ push?

There are usually two possible reasons (assuming everything else checked out properly, earlier). Either, you have choked too little or you have chokes too MUCH!

If you can see fuel dripping out of the carburetor or air box, obviously, you’ve choked too much! However, it may not be visible. You can get over this by pushing it again with NO CHOKING BUT FULL THROTTLE! It may well start as the engine is, in effect, fully choked already! However, it may be too flooded (over choked) to start.

You can check if it’s flooded or not by removing the spark plug and looking at it. If it’s wet and/or oily, you’ve choked too much. If it’s dry, …. well do I need to tell you? Please do this checking IN YOUR PIT BAY! The reason is simply SAFETY. If you are on the side of the track with 1 or two pushers fiddling with the spark plugs, there is a GOOD chance someone will crash into you! A dry plug tells you try again but choke and push for longer! How far should you push? Until your pushers drop in a small heap! I have done well over 100 metres as a solo pusher and managed to get it going in the end!

A wet plug means that you need to dry it and get rid of the excess fuel in the engine. Firstly, put the kart back on the stand and clean and dry the plug. A spray can of ‘EASY START’ (yellow and black spray can of almost pure ether; any car spares shop sells it) does the job VERY well. This washes the oil out of the plug. A small wire brush will clean up the plug nicely. Plugs DO fail and it’s well worth buying the CORRECT plug for the weather conditions; ask your kart shop for the right plug for the conditions. A wrong plug on the wrong day can melt the piston so GET IT RIGHT!

If the plug was VERY wet and oily, the inside of the engine will also be very wet and it’s a good idea to dry it out as much as possible. You can do this by rapidly spinning the rear wheels with the plug out (but connected!) and the throttle fully open. If it’s very wet, you will see plumes of oil/petrol spray ejected from the plug hole; GOOD! Do use some sense about smoking near this little lot!

Now put the plug back and start again.

As a last resort before abandoning the project, try to borrow a spark plug that’s still HOT from being run in another kart. That little bit of heat can make the difference. Once it’s running (one or two laps), come back to the pits and change back to your own plug! Be careful when handling HOT plugs, they will burn if you’re not careful

That’s about it! Other problems may still prevent it starting but that will indicate a mechanical failure somewhere and that is probably going to need professional help.

Summary

Mechanic
Check Fuel and Spark before going to the track
Get fuel up to Carb before getting ready to push
Pushers
Do some back-warming exercises
Stand with one foot forward and one back while looking UP as high as you can
Right hand on bumper, left hand on seat back
Lift 5cms up and carry for 1 metre
Push down and KEEP PUSHING and KEEP LOOKING UP.
Don’t let the driver trap your hand in the seat
When the kart start, KEEP RUNNING and checking behind you until you get off the track

Drivers
Lean forward over the steering wheel
‘Hover’ your hand over inlet
Once rolling, sit back in the seat (but let pushers ‘escape’)
Until the engine fires
0-5 metres no choke, slight throttle setting
6-30 metres, full choke and FULL throttle
30+ metres, no choke but FULL throttle
Once it fires, REDUCE THROTTLE but ‘hover’ hand over the inlet!

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