The electro-actuated gearshift reduces lap times by two tenths - TKart

THE ELECTRO-ACTUATED GEARSHIFT REDUCES LAP TIMES BY TWO TENTHS ”

Reply by

Arnaud Kozlinski

A works driver for the very top teams for years. 2009 World Champion, he is now part of CRG's technical staff. He was one of the first kart drivers to test the electro-actuated gearshift

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Well done! Wrong!

It's not true! Or, rather, when changing up performance is similar to a manual gearshift; perhaps ever so slightly quicker, although negligible. However, the problem is when changing down, because no system exists that can quickly change down the gears (unlike a carburettor actuator that does something similar to a quick “double declutching”). For example: it is very tiring to change down from fifth to second, especially for drivers who want to use the engine brake. However, the system does provide an advantage and that is that driving a KZ becomes far less physically demanding. It’s especially useful for those who go karting for fun and, perhaps, find it difficult to complete ten quick laps in a shifter kart.

IT’S BEST TO BALANCE BRAKING HALFWAY BETWEEN THE FRONT AND REAR IN THE WET ”

Reply by

TKART Staff

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The tarmac is very slippery in the wet and it’s easier to lock the front wheels. When that happens, the kart loses directionality and unbalancing braking towards the front axle would further accentuate the problem, making the rear axle lose stability and become difficult to control. Therefore, it’s best to maintain a braking balance of 50% on the front wheels and 50% on the rear axle. Then, if the track begins to dry as more laps are completed, you can use the distributor knob to alter the balance of braking towards the front axle.

KARTING IS A VERY PHYSICAL SPORT, IN WHICH THE MIND PLAYS A SECONDARY ROLE ”

Reply by

Riccardo Ceccarelli

The first doctor to be concerned about the health of drivers. His Formula Medicine is a reference point for the physical and mental preparation of drivers, from karts to formula 1

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Sports can be divided into three categories: the physical ones, such as cycling or the marathon, which require extreme muscle performance whereas the brain can be "put on hold" for long stretches. Predominantly mental ones, such as skeet shooting, in which physical performance is minimal, but the use of brain power is extremely elevated in terms of concentration, reflexes and controlling emotions. Then there are mixed ones, which combine muscle and concentration demands: Motorsport, including karting, is undoubtedly of the latter type. In particular, karting is a sport in which physical demands are high, but still lower than, for example, Formula 1, but it also has very short recovery times: it would be unthinkable, for example, to compete in a high-level race which lasted an hour and a half. The same can be said of the mental commitment: thanks to many years of studies and data collected by the Formula Medicine centre, we have seen that during laps in which the highest performance is required, for example in the qualifiers, the heart rates of drivers increase by 15 to 20 beats. The physical commitment is the same as in the previous laps, but what changes is the mental component, the true key to achieving the maximum possible performance. In karting, in which contact with opponents is close up and “pauses” are seldom, the mental effort is enormous, and that is also why having races that last longer is unthinkable.

Motorsport has underestimated the mental aspect for many years. Nowadays, we know it is a fundamental part of performance, as decisive as physical training. If not more so...