How to Find the Racing Line

A kart turns fastest when it turns least. The racing line is simply the path that makes a corner as gentle as possible, so you can hold more speed through it.

The basic shape

For a single corner, the classic line has three parts:

1. 1.Wide on the way in. Start from the outside edge of the track.
2. 2.Close to the inside at the middle. The point where you come closest to the inside kerb or wall is the apex.
3. 3.Wide on the way out. Let the kart run back out to the outside edge as you accelerate.

Wide, in, wide. That turns a tight corner into a wider, easier one.

Why it works

Your tyres have a limited amount of grip. Grip is shared between turning and accelerating. The straighter the kart is, the less grip is being used to turn, and the more is left for speed. A wider path means less steering, which means more speed.

How to actually find it on a new track

You will not get it right on lap one, and you do not need to.

• •Look far ahead. Look at where you want the kart to end up, not at the nose of the kart. Your hands follow your eyes more than you think.
• •Use the whole track. Most new drivers stay in the middle of the circuit. Using the full width is free lap time.
• •Try one corner at a time. Pick one corner per lap and experiment with turning in slightly later. Keep the rest of the lap the same so you can tell what changed.

The important caveat

The textbook line is a starting point, not a rule. What comes after the corner changes the right answer.

• •Corner leading onto a long straight: give up a little entry speed to get a better exit. That exit speed carries all the way down the straight.
• •Corner leading straight into another corner: the fastest path through the first one may be the one that sets up the second one, not the one that feels quickest on its own.

Start with wide-in, apex, wide-out. Then adjust corner by corner based on what follows.