How to take a HAIRPIN in Karting (tutorial)

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A hairpin turn can be tricky to negotiate as a beginner in Go Karting. In this video we cover the fastest racing line and speed secrets behind perfect your line on a hairpin turn!
Background music credits:
• Koi

[@SemperMagnus]

In general, I drive with people that either have no clue how to take an hairpine turn, or people who master it. So when attacking, I often throw myself on the inside, and take a small lead. The good thing on my local track is that the following corners are fast corners , so if you have a small lead, you can try to keep it even if you are slower as you are automatically on the inside part of the track.

[@eugene4643]

I use to mess with people indoor karting ! Thankfully with outdoors we had pretty much same groups for rentals and as kart owners ! Get to learn a new track Saturday !!!! 6 hours to study it as a track Marshall for the race Saturday ! Seat time next month' ! This will be 18th year of karting ! The 1st three was indoors . Add Canadian winter with a good track and got to learn learn alot from local racers ! The 5 lap superstars always end up in tires with no help from me !! Even becoming a track marshal was unexpected ! Not once have I ever taken crap from a driver from a call I made against them It took 13 years to get a contact penalty ! Did ok for a washed up never was in mid 30's and now 54 and still enjoy it !

[@somethingwithmint]

I’m sorry, this advice only works for absolute beginners. If you have a bit of experience in karting and you’re looking to improve your time, you have to use a different method. 1. Start wide, this is universally important 2. As you approach the turn, start turning while slowly increasing the pressure on the brake pedal. 3. This should create a sensation of something “pulling” the kart into the turn. 4. Once you feel that acceleration won’t cause you to lose control and spin, you should switch from breaking to accelerating. 5. Getting out wide is, again, universally important. This approach doesn’t work for beginners, because it requires you to “feel” the kart, but this is absolutely faster than what’s described in the video. We’re talking at least a 2-second gain. Cheers!

[@ameen1358]

Thanks for the step by step guide😊

[@MrSamperkins]

very helpful, been racing 2 weeks ago and i suck haha, i will try that next time :) thank you

[@marcellans8713]

Fun fact, I bumped in a video of you, about 4 years ago, and (compliment warning) your vids improved really really well on all facts you ca nthink off. Well done sir

[@marcellans8713]

4 years ago should have been 4 months ago, sorry about that

[@jeremyharper3462]

I think i need to really concentrate on this late apex for hairpins you are talking about. I think i generally use a middle and maybe even slightly early apex. We'll see how that works out.

[@JFOT-FOREVA]

i in general do a harpin turn with a fast in slow out because then its better

[@marktrevarthen5017]

Good guide. Do you ever brake hard while steering to throw the kart a little sideways on entering a very sharp hairpin… or are you only ever braking hard in a straight line before steering?

[@SemperMagnus]

When you attack someone, you can do that. But to get a good lap time, you should not slide the kart too much in an hairpine, because your kart will have to re-create the speed you’ve lost by sliding. At least, that’s the theory 😉

[@roba730]

@marktrevarthen5017 You can brake as you are turning in, but you must be very careful not to exceed the level of grip the tire has because you could easily spin out. Both braking and turning require grip, you must be careful not to exceed the grip capability of the tire. Too much sliding will only scrub off speed and produce a slower lap. This technique is called trail braking and can help you squeeze that elusive extra 1/10 second out of your lap time. It is a more advanced driving technique and takes practice to master. Another technique that can be useful on tight turns is to stab the brakes very hard right after the turn in point to get the rear end to momentarily break loose and improve your turn radius so you can get back to the throttle earlier on the exit. If your go kart has enough power (which rental karts typically do not) you can also use extra throttle to steer the rear end of the kart which helps potentially improve lap time. Nothing helps more than seat time and following someone with more experience and pay attention to what they do. Hope this helps!

[@marktrevarthen5017]

@@roba730 thanks, that really does help! 100% agree on your seat time point and I do learn a lot from racing with faster drivers... the trouble is, whilst it's easy to see what lines they are taking and how much speed they're carrying into the turn, it's harder to see how much brake they're applying (and how hard they're applying it) going into a hairpin. Great tips there, thank you.

[@Beheiz]

Hey man found you from tiktok and i have question: How to understand at what point you should turn to corner because im strugling whit that ;( Sometimes i think i turn into corner to early

[@VadsGaming]

It’s all experimentation, ideally you can see someone who’s quick at a particular track and copy their lines, braking points etc, however if you have no one directly in front of you on track you just trial and error, if you think you turn too early, find a reference point so that you can ensure you’re now turning a little later, then carry on with this process from there

[@Thiendao97]

how long do you hold the brakes for?

[@Ppbbjj2023]

Secrets

[@moonlight9339]

And what do I do if I have a triple hairpin?

[@moonlight9339]

😰😰😰😰

[@parthnavale9376]

You have to show triple the bravery on braking late, I'd say so myself. Good luck!