Home / Champions Club 6 Month Program / Wet Weather - Shifting Your Body Weight
The next stage from applying full steering lock, is to move your body weight around the kart so you can gain extra grip when required.
Considering that in some cases, your body weight can make up 40% of the total kart weight, it’s a vital factor that can drastically change the handling characteristics when used correctly. Typically to gain more grip, which is always helpful in the wet weather, drivers will shift their body weight towards the outside front tyre. So when steering a left hand turn, the driver will push their body towards the right hand front tyre, while steering full lock. Then the opposite would occur when turning a right hand corner, the driver would shift their weight towards the front left tyre.
What this does, is that it allows the inside rear tyre to lift off the ground easier, so the weight taken off the inside allows the kart to turn more. The next time shifting your body will come into effect is on the exit of a corner. Now we know that in the wet conditions, we lose rear traction due to the slippery surface, so shifting your weight towards the back of the seat helps place more weight over the rear wheels and enable more traction. This is more evide*nt in the higher performance classes where wheel spin occurs.
Once a driver has moved their body weight forward and applied full lock into a corner, they place the throttle down on the exit, it’s at his stage to shift your weight over the rear wheels.
Key Takeaways:
* Shift your body weight in the seat to gain more grip. This can be used upon entry and exit to your advantage when necessary
* By placing your body weight over the front more, this allows the inside rear tyre to lift and turn more efficiently.
Considering that in some cases, your body weight can make up 40% of the total kart weight, it’s a vital factor that can drastically change the handling characteristics when used correctly. Typically to gain more grip, which is always helpful in the wet weather, drivers will shift their body weight towards the outside front tyre. So when steering a left hand turn, the driver will push their body towards the right hand front tyre, while steering full lock. Then the opposite would occur when turning a right hand corner, the driver would shift their weight towards the front left tyre.
What this does, is that it allows the inside rear tyre to lift off the ground easier, so the weight taken off the inside allows the kart to turn more. The next time shifting your body will come into effect is on the exit of a corner. Now we know that in the wet conditions, we lose rear traction due to the slippery surface, so shifting your weight towards the back of the seat helps place more weight over the rear wheels and enable more traction. This is more evide*nt in the higher performance classes where wheel spin occurs.
Once a driver has moved their body weight forward and applied full lock into a corner, they place the throttle down on the exit, it’s at his stage to shift your weight over the rear wheels.
Key Takeaways:
* Shift your body weight in the seat to gain more grip. This can be used upon entry and exit to your advantage when necessary
* By placing your body weight over the front more, this allows the inside rear tyre to lift and turn more efficiently.