rotax driving tips for a newbie

[Bjork Denil]

Hi folks,

I am new into the high performance karting scene having driven concession karts for  a while. I have a rotax on a top kart 32 mm chassis and weigh 155 lbs.

 

The track I race at has numerous hairpins and I am having great difficulty powering out of these. Some hairpins are really sharp – so I was told to completely lift going into the turn, complete the turn and then once my steering was straight – to start squeezing the throttle. This has worked for the very sharp hairpins – but is there a better way?

 

Then there are some double apex turns that make you reverse direction. I go through these much faster but again on exit my engine bogs down although I barely touch the throttle through the turn.

 

The behavior is very different from the concession karts I am used to – where having some amount of throttle mid-corner seems to settle the kart. Whereas in the rotax all it does is bog everything down.

 

Any tips here?

 

Thanks,

bd

[Bjork Denil]

Please note that I do not feel the rear of the kart “hopping” or having too much grip – although I am not sure I can read whats happening that well yet. It just seems that it takes a while for my engine to get upto speed (i.e., past 7k rpm where the power starts coming on)

[tony zambos]

Your kart maybe over stuck and dragging your rpm’s down or you’re using the wrong gear ratio. Other areas to look at is front and rear tire widths, tire pressures, caster, toe and weight placement. Sorry, nothing is easy.
Try calling Top kart in Indianapolis. And try asking your competitors. If you’re truly a newbie, you should get help. Most information will apply across many different types of chassis, but you seek out someone with another Top Kart.

LAD Specialties customer / tony kart / rotax / kt100

[Daniel White]

If you are off the throttle for any length of time in a Rotax, it will take a bit to get going. It stands to reason that if a Rotax spools up at 7K, and takes all day to get there, it’s better if you can keep the rpms up. And, as Tony suggested, you could be overstuck (especially with a 32mm kart on D2s), which will bog you down even more.

Everything else Tony said was spot on. If you are new, your fellow racers will be happy to help (until you start beating them).

[Walt Gifford]

When you jam it into a tight turn your engine is going to slow down.

Slow down BEFORE you get to the turn then accelerate through it.

FAA certified jet engine and aircraft technician,
Nicholson Speedway class champion 2001,
Yamaha KT100 Service Center,
41 years karting experience

[Daryle Redlin]

Sorry to disagree with Walt because I know he has been around awhile but if you try to enter a turn while under power you will have issues. Maybe what Walt meant to say is, approach the turn at full speed, hard on the brakes for as long as needed them get off the brakes and let the kart turn, DO NOT APPLY FULL THROTTLE AT THIS POINT, let the kart jack and crack the throttle open, as you pass the apex and can let the kart unwind you go to full throttle. The speed and timing at which you apply the throttle is directly related to the speed and timing that the unloaded inside wheel comes down, which usually is related to the speed at which you unwind the steering wheel. If you do it to early then you may pick up a “push”, if you do it to late you may slide off the turn. The best drivers know, or feel, when the kart can handle more throttle. Sometimes waiting just a millisecond longer makes all the difference, especially with Rotax. If you slide a Rotax or make the wheels chirp you will be slow. You cannot abuse the Mojo tire, smooth and deliberate driving is what you want. If your bogging badly off the turn if could just be the carb setting or the way you are applying the throttle. Rotax’s have a specific driving style that works the best, it does take some time to acquire. The new EVO package does make it a little easier.

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