How would one go faster in Karting when they already hold the record?

Question

I do go karting as an hobby and I currently hold the track record at my local circuit. The average driver completes it in 37 to 38 seconds and my record is 33.13 seconds. The karts do a maximum of 40mph and I do an average of 34mph.

As I am obviously doing most things right, are there any advanced tips that a fast driver may not know? I am right on the limit and it is not possible to know that I have set the maximum possible time or not. My aim is to get a 32.9x or faster.

Since this is an arrive and drive, I do not have much competition when racing with other racers. I am more interested in tips to help me go faster in clean air when it is only myself on the track.

Answer 1

You may already be doing this anyway but the only real thing I can think of would be to ensure the kart is warmed up properly including the tyres, so try to do a few laps rather than just one or two. Warm tyres give more grip so you can corner more quickly. The other thing you can do is lose weight!

All you can do to know if a faster time is possible would be to try to take each corner slightly quicker until you begin to lose grip and slide or crash. Sliding a kart is usually sub-optimal depending on the kart and the corner involved.

Once you know the exact limit for each corner and you are on that limit for every corner in the same lap you can assume that you have set pretty much the optimal time. Of course if the track is outside the wind may play a small part in things, ie a tailwind down the main straight will be helpful, depending on the track characteristics etc.