Dirty Kart Driving Tricks and How to Defeat Them

Learn the tactics drivers use to disrupt rivals on the track and how to counter them effectively.

Kart driving dirty tricks: when you’re the one using them, they’re tactics; when they’re used on you, they’re just dirty moves.

This isn’t a moral guide—it’s about knowing what’s really happening on track. I’m giving you six key tricks, some old-school, some more current, that drivers are using to get an edge.

These aren’t moves I endorse, but you need to know what your opponents are up to so you don’t get caught off guard or fall into their traps.

1. Super-Slow Running on a Rolling Lap

This one’s old school, but drivers still pull it off, especially from pole position.

Go as slow as you can on the rolling lap, dragging the pace right down, so everyone behind starts getting anxious, especially the driver in P2. If they’ve set their kart up for straight-line speed, maybe even taken a tooth off the axle sprocket, they’ll be tense, wondering if their setup can handle the painfully slow start.

Back in the day, this move was used to foul everyone’s spark plugs, and you’d see karts drop out before the race even began. Some would pinch the petrol pipe just enough to prevent fouling, and that trick still gets used now, even if it’s more about rattling everyone else.

How to Counter: Practise going as slow as possible in clear track conditions, managing your engine so you’re ready for a crisp take-off when it counts. Pinch the petrol pipe if bogging down’s a worry - maybe it still works!

With this prep, you’ll be the one to launch cleanly when others stumble. If someone tries this on you, they’ll be the ones in trouble if you’re prepared.

2. Loading

Loading was nearly the death of karting before the drop-down bumper penalties came in, and it’s on its way back now as drivers find clever ways around those rules. Loading’s not about firing someone straight off the track; it’s about using pressure from behind to create a chain reaction in the pack. When you push against the kart in front, that force carries through the train of karts, and the driver a couple of karts up is the one who gets shoved. They end up pushed off their line, missing the apex, or leaving just enough space for someone to slip by. It’s subtle, and it doesn’t look like much, but the effect on the race is immediate.

Years ago, loading was the norm, especially on the first lap. You were practically guaranteed to get shoved one way or another, and everyone joined in. It was a given, so much so that it was impossible to track who started it. Now, with bumper penalties in place, drivers aren’t used to it. They don’t expect that push from behind, and because of that, they’re more likely to be caught off guard.

One of my drivers, though, actually thrives on it. He loves getting loaded, sees it as part of the scrap, and it doesn’t faze him at all. When someone tries to push him off his line, he rolls with it, treats it like an extra bit of fight, and holds steady. He doesn’t get rattled, doesn’t waste time looking back or getting irritated. He actually finds it funny. That attitude keeps him laser-focused on his own driving, so he can control his line and stay sharp, while the one behind attracts attention to themselves out trying to shove him off.

How to Counter: Don’t let loading take you by surprise. If you treat it as just another part of the game, you won’t be knocked off balance when it happens. Like my driver, take it as part of the battle. The minute you let irritation or a sense of ‘injustice’ creep in, you lose focus, and that’s exactly what the driver behind is hoping for. Hold your line, stay steady, and let their effort be wasted. After the race, if you still feel it needs addressing, go for it. But on track, see it as part of the fight, and you’ll keep control.

3. Running Drivers Wide