Basic Driving Techniques

What is Apex? Apex is the "middle-inner part" of a turn or corner or bend. From the bottom left diagram, you can see the left red arrow pointing right at the Apex. In the proper racing track, the Apex typically made-up as a kerb painted with red and white paint. The idea is, racing drivers are able to see the apex from a distance and can work out the racing line.

You need to slow down by braking before you starting to perform your turn. If you come into the turn to fast and start to turn the steering into the turn, your kart will start to spin and you lose control.

Importantly, do not apply hard braking while your are already inside the bend, as you may lose control by sliding. However, advanced driver are able to apply "trailing braking" (soft control braking) while inside the bend.

The idea of braking before turning is " to reduce speed so you can adapt the cornering limit of the kart for that particular turn". Which means you can apply different cornering speed for different turn. The truth is you can go faster (accelerate) in turn as long as you kart is not sliding. Start to control the speed when you feel the kart is sliding.    

You must know and be able to feel the limit of your kart in cornering. Differential in tire pressure, chassis stiffness and tires performance can greatly affect the limit of your kart in cornering.

From the diagram above, you can start to accelerate once you have cleared the middle part of the turn and when the kart is pointing towards the right direction. The idea is "accelerate when you can".

If the kart your are driving is too slow for your kind of skill in cornering, you can use this trick. Drive the kart into turn full throttle. Adjust the speed by using just the brake. It will keep engine with richer fuel and the kart will accelerate out of the turn faster, once you release the brake.

Wide sweeping corner. This type of corner is typical in most track and easiest. From the diagram, you turn in, passes the apex and keep your line right through the corner. You should be very very smooth without any sudden movements to the steering wheel while applying almost full power during the cornering and flat-out on exit. Efficiency is the key work in working on this type of cornering.

For Tight hairpin turn, you must delay your "turn-in" by continuing to the outside line of the hairpin in order to create the widest possible angle. This way you can treat the remainder of turn as a fast corner. The key skill here is "get out as fast as possible" from the hairpin, once you pointed in the right direction. Prepare, Target and Shoot.

For Right-Angle Turn, your racing line very much rely on what follows after the turn. The left diagram shows the maximum constant radius line. You turn in much earlier and hit the apex sooner but unable to plant full-throttle until way beyond the apex because of your fast entry speed. This kind of racing line is smoother into the corner. Since you can do late braking here, lots of of overtaking into corners can be done here.

The right diagram shows a different technique in conquering this type of right-hander. You turn in relatively late in order to have a nice straighter line for immediate acceleration once you are passing the apex. For this technique, you must assure that nobody is following you from behind, or else you can be easily out brake and overtaken by your fellow competitor if you are not careful.   

Double Apex is a two bends linked by a short straight. It is always possible to make a fast short-cut line in the double apex bends. The idea is to find a perfect "curve" by rounding-up the two bend apex nicely as showed in the left diagram. The right diagram is another way of doing it, but the technique may give lots of opportunities for your competitor to out brake you.

Progressive Opening Corner. In the above diagram, the corner opens progressively after the apex. As shown in above diagram, you need to steer early into the apex and start to accelerate progressively taking wider line as much as the corner opening allows for maximum power. The trick is finding a balanced line between the turning-in and exit points in relation to the increasing radius of the corner.

Tightening Corner.

For this type of corner the trick is to stay on the outside line as long as possible before turning into the apex. If there is a long straight before this corner, then it is possible to delay the braking point in order to make the most of this type of corner. As usual accelerate as soon as you can, once you have passed the apex. 

From the above diagram, we can see that the racing line is planned so that quickest exit is possible out of second hairpin. The principle here is to take a wider line on the entry of the first bend in order to be in better position to tackle the second. In this case you definitely spend more time in adjusting the entry into first bend. However, right after the first bend apex you would be able to accelerate early and tackle the following straight at higher speed.

In this case the proven old principle of "Slow in - Fast out", is always true.

The above diagram is a chicane where the priority is in the exit as what follows the chicane is a fast bend. As usual you have to sacrifice the first right turn by turning into the apex very late. The logic is, you are in better position to attack the second left turn at higher speed.

The above is another example of "Slow in - Fast out" principle. In other words, you have to worry more on how you perform on your way out, rather than on your way in.

The above is the opposite of the previous mentioned chicane. In this chicane, you have to give more priority to the first part of the chicane because the first bend is the fast corner, while the second is slower. You have to hold the straight line until the second  apex, keep up the speed until the very last moment. Your braking point would be right before the second bend where you need to slow down to adjust the right speed in order to exit the tighter second bend. As usual accelerate as soon as you can, once you have pointed your kart into right direction.

In this case, it is more like "Fast in - Slow out" situation.

In tackling this chicane, you must sacrifice the entry so you can have a faster exit. This technique of driving is dictated by length of the straight before the entry and what follows after the chicane. In this type of chicane you will have to apply "Slow in - Fast out" technique, especially what follows after the second bend is a long straight.

The above illustrate a chicane which comes after a long straight. In this case you must compromise the second half of the chicane by braking as late as possible before starting to turn into the first bend. You must keep as close possible to the left hand bend, possible riding on the second bend apex. However on the exit you have to wait for the car to straighten up before you can start to accelerate again.         

Compiled by: Rosedi