If you’re racing to win in go-karting, there are several crucial things to do:
- Overtake when you see the opportunity
- Master your cornering
- Understand the racing line
Throughout all of this, the aim is to keep all four wheels in equal contact with the track, so they all have equal grip and the kart is completely stable. But what do you do when the wheels aren’t in equal contact?
When weight isn’t equally distributed throughout the kart - when you’re cornering in a tight hairpin, for example - professional racers use a go-kart leaning technique to fix it and even shave a few seconds off their lap times. But how does it work? What are the benefits? And most importantly, do we recommend doing it?
Here, we’re going to answer all your questions about leaning in go-karting.
At a glance: The Go-Kart Leaning Technique
Here is the technique in a nutshell, if you want to learn how to master leaning in a go kart:
- On straight areas of the track, make sure you’re completely in the centre of your seat (you want to keep your weight distributed evenly throughout the kart).
- When you enter the corner, lean to the outside of the corner and maintain that through the corner apex to prevent understeer by taking the weight off the inside wheels.
- Lean back as you reaccelerate to redistribute weight between the wheels and maintain your speed - if you’ve done this right, you should have just left the other racers in the dust!
How does leaning in go-karting work?
Okay, you’ve got the technique - but how does it work really? We’re going to explain the science of leaning in go-karting the best we can.
A go-kart has a solid axle that runs between the wheels, which makes sure that all four wheels are spinning at the same rate. This is great for straights - the axle prefers it when the kart is moving in a straight line - but it can cause problems with cornering.
When you’re cornering, the inner wheels have a shorter distance to travel than the outer wheels. With the axle forcing the kart to travel in a straight line, more and more weight is placed on the inside wheels, which can cause understeer and make corners a nightmare if you don’t do anything.
This is why you lean towards the outside of the kart - by loading up the outer wheels, you’re counteracting the weight put on the inner wheels by the turn, putting the kart back into balance. Doing this also lifts the inside wheels so they’re basically skimming the track, helping you slide through the corner faster! This technique goes hand-in-hand with the technique for drifting a go-kart.
If you return to the centre as you exit the corner, you can quickly redistribute the weight and grip equally to all four wheels and defend your position. Learn more about How to Corner in a Go Kart.
What are the benefits of the go-kart leaning technique?
Having a strong understanding of the physics of the kart in general is really powerful and will give you an edge over your competitors in the long term.
If you manage to master the go kart leaning technique, it will::
- Help with acceleration by letting the kart work at its best.
- Decrease braking distance, because you don’t have to slow down so far ahead to prevent understeer.
- Enhance traction to improve your control over the kart.
Make turns more stable (and less of a big deal)!
When should you lean in go-karting?
The go kart leaning technique is most useful, whether outdoors or indoors, around tight corners like hairpins.
It’s generally less necessary with good-quality modern karts, which are better made to handle the distribution of weight. Test yours out and notice that shifting your body weight improves your performance, then that’s the thing to do!
This technique is also useful with outdoor karting - if you’re racing in rainy conditions, and the grip between the wheels and the track is lessened, this improves the grip on the outer wheels to help you keep control.
Should you lean in or out when go-karting?
You should lean out when turning corners in a go-kart.
This may feel strange because this is opposite to when riding with bikes and motorbikes. Leaning in is counterproductive with go-karting as it places more weight on the inside wheels and makes the kart more unstable and difficult to turn.
Test Your Skills at TeamSport
As we’ve stated before in our Tips on How to Improve your Go Kart Lap Times blog, we don’t necessarily recommend the go kart leaning technique for beginners and intermediate racers.
If you’re fairly new to go-karting, you should sit square in your seat so your weight is always distributed evenly.
Shifting your bodyweight is best when you have a strong understanding of the physics of go karting and know how to apply it, so it might take some practice to master this.
If you want to learn more about go-karting techniques, head on down to your local TeamSport venue, where our team are ready and raring to send you to victory!