Kart Class

Kart Class

Kart Class is hosted by 18 x Australian Champion David Sera. With over 25 years' experience in the sport, Sera provides an insight into the latest news from the world of karting, expert tips that will see you improve your lap-times & kart setup information to make better adjustments to your kart.To learn more about kart racing check out our online digital courses at www.kartclass.com

  1. 24/10/2024

    Is my Chassis Bent?

    You’ve had an accident, but now you need to work out whether your kart is bent. Kart manufacturers design their chassis’ a lot softer these days. That's to try and counter the softer tires racers use. A softer chassis absorbs a lot of that flex when drivers are cornering. Now we're seeing a lot of karts having accidents because drivers are going at higher speeds which is sometimes too fast for kids.   So now suddenly, some of these seven to 10-year-old kids are driving as fast around the turns as what X30 is doing. The nature of the tire is so sticky, the kids are almost flat out around a lot of the corners. Now when it comes to having an accident, how do we know whether our chassis is bent or not?   The first way to try and assess whether your kart is bent is by putting it onto a kart jig. That's not always possible because there might not be anyone at the track that has a jig. But if there is someone there, whether it's a team or a shop, that's the best way to test it. It requires the front and rear wheels to be removed & possibly the rear hubs to come off the kart. Then place the kart into a jig, which is a level stationary platform, and then they check all the measurements. So, whether that's the rear rails, the c-sections, or just naturally whether it's up or down on one side of the kart. But it's a lot truer and easier way to assess the side to side whether everything's straight. Need more information now on kart setup, then we have a dedicated setup program there for you. To learn more about what Home – Kart Class has to offer be sure to visit our site. Want to watch the podcast episode instead? Follow us on Youtube here You can join us at Instagram here to see the latest tips.

    6 min
  2. 14/12/2023

    Go Kart Rear Axle Setup

    Today we're discussing go-kart rear axles. When it comes to motor racing, cars have suspension. So karting is different because the rear axle acts like a suspension. It might flex a little bit here and there depending on the stiffness of the axle, but realistically it doesn't spring like suspension does.  So, it's important to use it as a tuning tool depending on the conditions that you are driving in. You might find if it's 15 degrees or it's 35 degrees, you might have to use a different axle, or depending on the tire compound or the changing grip levels across a race weekend. Drivers & mechanics can also change the length of the axle. The different stiffnesses change how much the kart flexes in the rear. There are different size axles for cadet karts compared to a senior kart. It's important to know that most kart manufacturers send karts out with a neutral medium axle. Now, the reason why karts are designed around that neutral setup, is it gives you a bigger window to fine tune your setup of the kart. You're very limited with the changes you can make when you're at one end of the spectrum. That’s why kart manufacturers design karts around a neutral setup, and at least that way you can fine tune the chassis it if it's not quite right. You’re able to try a softer axle or to a different length axle. If you need to learn more information about how to setup your go kart, we have a dedicated Kart Setup Guide, to help you make informed decisions across a race weekend. Check it out here: Go Kart Setup Program (kartclass.com) To learn more about what Home – Kart Class has to offer be sure to visit our site. Want to watch the podcast episode instead? Follow us on Youtube here You can join us at Instagram here to see the latest tips.

    5 min
  3. 20/11/2023

    How to Kart in the Rain

    Today we're going to be discussing how to go-kart in the rain. Now, for most of us, we tend to want to drive as it’s easier. When you drive in the rain, things are going to wear out quicker; engines, tires, cleaning the kart, that takes more time. The chances of spinning out are more evident with the wet weather, but let's face it, motor racing is driven in all conditions. So, we need to learn how to drive in all conditions so that we can be prepared for all weather conditions. When it comes to driving in the wet, we want to choose the right tires and kart set up for the conditions. What we find sometimes is that if it's only a little bit wet, the fastest tire is still a slick tire. It's still a dry tire but you might have to adjust your driving style or your kart setup because there's just not enough water for the treaded wet tires to have enough grip. If there's not enough water on the track, they're going to wear out quickly, so we've got to make sure that we're choosing the right tires for the right conditions. As a rule, I would say that if you're on slick tires and the track is 10 seconds or more off, then usa a wet weather tire. Anything under 10 seconds, then it's probably going to still be a slick tire in the slippery conditions. Some of the quicker adjustments you can make on the grid or at the last moment, can be to widen the front track by spacing your front wheels out. That increases your front steer which helps in the slippery wet conditions. The other thing is to increase your tire pressures. It might mean if you're normally using 15 PSI, and there's a little bit of drizzle, you might run 20 PSI, so an extra 5 PSI, that might be sufficient to get temperature in the tire. With extra heat, hopefully you can get more grip. Another thing you might want to do is put an air box cover on so that your engine doesn't suck in too much water. If that's the case, then you might find that you have a mechanical. To learn more about what Home – Kart Class has to offer be sure to visit our site. Want to watch the podcast episode instead? Follow us on Youtube here You can join us at Instagram here to see the latest tips.

    5 min
5
out of 5
53 Ratings

About

Kart Class is hosted by 18 x Australian Champion David Sera. With over 25 years' experience in the sport, Sera provides an insight into the latest news from the world of karting, expert tips that will see you improve your lap-times & kart setup information to make better adjustments to your kart.To learn more about kart racing check out our online digital courses at www.kartclass.com