After all, your food is your fuel. When it comes to impressing the crowds and getting ahead of your competitors on the track, physical stamina and mental focus are everything. When competing, avoid sugary, fatty foods that are likely to send your insulin levels soaring, only to plunge back down again moments later. Instead, opt for slow release foods such as sweet potatoes, porridge oats, beans and pulses. Contrary to popular belief, porridge can be truly tasty. It’s also the perfect race day breakfast or snack.

Porridge is an unrivalled source of slow release energy and has a higher protein content than other breakfast cereals. As if that wasn’t enough, porridge oats also help the body to produce serotonin – a great feel-good chemical that you also get from chocolate, laughing and exercise. In fact, studies have shown that porridge can help to beat anxiety, so eat porridge for breakfast if you want to feel upbeat, relaxed and motivated when you hit the track. Cook your porridge with water on the stove or in the microwave, then pour a gulg of semi-skimmed milk on top. Get creative with toppings. Go for nuts and seeds for even more slow release energy.

Rather than opting for honey, sugar or syrups that are likely to cause your blood sugar to spike, sweeten your porridge by adding fresh fruits like strawberries, blueberries and bananas. Most fruits are slowly absorbed too, so they shouldn’t disrupt your blood sugar and insulin levels. A spoonful of peanut butter also makes a great topping. Beans and pulses such as lentils, chickpeas and butter beans have a low glycemic index (GI) – a measurement that shows how different foods effect your blood sugar and insulin levels. This makes them an ideal option when it comes to race day nutrition. As an added bonus, they’re also bursting with fibre and protein and are low in fat too.

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Don’t leave it too late though or you may not get chance to actually put in your ‘hot’ lap, especially if your lap is compromised by other competitors who are out on track at the same time. If you do encounter ‘traffic’, it’s best to step off the pace to put some added distance between you and kart in front as flat out racing against each other is likely to compromise both of your ‘hot’ laps.

Driving Styles

Contrary to popular opinion, an aggressive karting style isn’t always the best tactic for improving your qualifying times. The ‘right’ driving style will vary depending on the layout of the track, but you can often achieve the optimum lap times if you vary aggression with smooth handling of the kart to strike the perfect balance. This can be extremely difficult to do, and it’s a skill that will probably require a considerable amount of trial and error to get it right.

Karting experts suggest that if you make a point of paying close attention to the various elements that contribute to making a go kart travel fast (for example, the load that you’re putting through the kart), you will become a ‘smoother’ driver as a direct result. An aggressive karting style will often involve literally throwing the kart into and around corners but this can easily lose you valuable time and affect your overall grid position. Because of this, a ‘smooth’ karting style is more preferable but this also has its disadvantages as time can be lost by concentrating too much on this, especially when taking corners. Instead, try combining a predominantly ‘smooth’ karting style with an aggressive braking style to avoid losing time when cornering.

A ‘smooth’ karting style won’t necessarily be the same for everyone. Some karters may achieve it by steering predominantly with their shoulders instead of their arms, while others may get the same effect by braking more aggressively but backing off more quickly. In many cases, finding your ‘smooth’ driving style will take some practice to see what works best for you. Contrary to popular opinion, while your karting style may appear smooth to other people, it doesn’t automatically mean being very gentle on the steering wheel. Indeed, many ‘smooth’ karters are actually quite aggressive when steering.

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Whilst the principles of ‘practice makes perfect’ can be applied to a variety of karting techniques, such as driving in wet weather, the number of authentic race starts experienced by an individual driver is obviously limited. So how can the sensory overload often experienced at the start of a race be tackled? For many, visualisation is the key to a successful race start.

Visualising Your Successful Race Start

To make the most of visualisation techniques, try to find a relatively quiet place where you can relax both physically and mentally. Make a note of the position in which you are starting and who is preceding and following you. Think carefully about precisely how you want your start to go. Visualise yourself speeding across the line. Imagine yourself overtaking the driver in front of you and making the most of the first corner, or whatever the details of your race start strategy may be. In order for your plan to take shape and be of benefit to you in the race, it is important to visualise each ideal detail of your start. This will help you to make your projections a reality when seated in your kart. Be sure to imagine the rest of your first lap, too. Visualising the perfect lap in which you fly at breathtaking speed and overtake karts with ease will consolidate your race plan and invest you with pure confidence.

When sitting in your kart, play over your plan in your mind. Tell yourself that you are the most confident and prepared driver in the race. Concentrate on this advantage. Use the rolling lap as a chance to focus upon your plan and how you will put it into action. Stay as close as possible to the kart in front of you. When it comes to the actual start, experts highlight being sure to go first as the most important practical move to make: it is vital to accelerate before the kart in front of you. Experts advise that you try to touch the bumper of that kart, with no space between the two karts. This will minimise the risk of a crash whilst giving you the advantage you need to make a successful race start. Once your kart has crossed the line, your plan kicks in. Aim to make the ideal lap you visualised become a reality.

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