THE DRIVING POSITION FOR VERY TALL OR SHORTER DRIVERS

In karting, perhaps more than in other motorsport, the driver’s position behind the wheel plays a crucial role in finding the right setup and the best performance possible. This is because the driver, with his own weight, has a significant impact on the total weight of the kart-driver as a whole more than in any other category of single-seater or covered-wheel vehicles. As in most automotive categories, even in karting, the ideal driving position should be found by keeping the seat fixed as much as possible in the position recommended by the manufacturer (for reasons of space and weight balance) and working on the adjustment and position of standard accessories (such as the footrest, pedals and steering column) or optional ones such as additional pedals and spacers on the steering wheel hub. Up to the use of an XL chassis to give further distance to the position of the pedals, to be used in the case of particularly taller drivers. Understanding how to place individual kart drivers in the kart without compromising its setup and balance, we turned to one of the most competent racing division in the history of karting, the CRG Racing Team. Here are the answers to our questions.

1 Let us start at the beginning. What advice would you give for choosing the correct seat size? In your opinion, what is the maximum space that there should be between the driver and the seat?

The choice of the correct seat is certainly one of the most important aspects regarding the driving position. This in addition to being one with the driver, must offer a considerable level of comfort, leaving a minimum amount of freedom of movement. In this way, the driver not only remains in a stable and stationary position, but is also able to drive the kart using his body as a whole, achieving the maximum performance needed to win. To understand which seat is right for us, we usually test it by sitting in it with our hands at the rib height so as to simulate the presence of a rib protector. In doing this test, besides evaluating the feeling in a subjective way, one must be careful not to force the seat and verify that there is always that minimum freedom of movement we mentioned earlier. In addition to the different sizes available, which vary according to the model and brand, the seats also differ in the types of shapes and their “opening”, that is, the angle between the seat and the backrest. For taller drivers, one usually opts for a more open seat, with a more reclined backrest. Between two models with different opening angles there can be even 4 or 5 cm of difference in the final seat height.