BASICS OF A QUALITY RACING LINE
One of the biggest factors in your ability to be a fast racer around our tracks here at MB2 Raceway is your ability to choose and stick to an optimal racing line. A “line” is what drivers call the path that you take around the track on each lap. Essentially, the track is a path itself, but there are still fast ways around it. On this blog, we offer a few tips for finding the fastest line around the track, which can improve your lap times and help you win more races.
YOUR LINE DEPENDS ON YOUR DRIVING STYLE
Before we get to the specific tips, there is one important thing you should know: everyone drives slightly different, and how you drive will influence what line is your best. If you are driving the same line as a friend but still feel as though they are faster, change up your strategy in areas where you are losing time and see if it helps you.
TAKING THE INSIDE OF CORNERS
All corners have an “inside” and an “outside.” The inside is the shortest distance around the corner and therefore usually (not always) the fastest way through it. Ideally, your ideal racing line on our tracks will shift from the inside of one corner to the inside of the next. This is the shortest possible distance around the track, which in theory should be the shortest lap time. But keep reading, there’s more to it.
THE INSIDE IS NOT ALWAYS THE FASTEST
As stated previously, the inside of a turn is not always the fastest. Getting down on the inside edge may be the shortest distance around a corner, but might force you to lose too much speed to maintain control. If you feel as though you’re losing too much speed in a corner, experiment with taking a wider line through it. The distance may be further, but you may not have to lose as much speed, so you may actually make it through faster. This is particularly true for wider-radius corners.
THE SHARPER YOU TURN, THE SLOWER YOU GO
You will need to lose speed in order to turn your kart while maintaining control, and the sharper you have to turn, the more speed you will have to lose. Part of being a great racing driver is losing as little speed as possible to make it through corners. This allows you to both make it through the corner faster as well as keep you as close to full-speed as possible for straightaways; the less time your car has to spend accelerating, the longer you spend at top speed and the faster your lap times will become.
The best racing drivers will choose a line that has them turning as little as possible. One of the best ways to do this is to start corners near the outside and brake as late as possible before shooting down to the inside of the track, getting to the very inside of the corner at what is called the “apex,” and then swinging back out wide again on the exit. This technique, called “apexing,” allows you to carry the most momentum and speed through your corners, lowering your lap times.
Are you ready to get out and practice your lap times? Head over to MB2 Raceway, the all-new Minneapolis indoor karting center. Our fully-electric European-style go-karts provide you with all of the thrill and action of wheel-to-wheel kart racing in a safe, sustainable, and environmentally friendly environment that is available all year-round. We offer daily drop-in races as well as birthday parties, corporate events, and other special group packages.
For more information about our brand new facility in Minneapolis, call MB2 Raceway today at 866-986-RACE.
