Karting Starts - How to Stop Gifting So Many Positions Off the Line
Discover why seeking space is your worst enemy and how to fight the urge to back off at the start
This week's article is a free one, about race starts and how to make sure you don't drop positions. (Remember the audio isn’t a read through, there’s always a bit more so have a listen 👆).
We're focusing on how to hold your position here, because the standard of racing has gone up so much, there are very few suckers out there.
Everyone's got access to good information these days, and on a grid of 30 drivers, about 25 of them are really very good, especially at starts.
There aren’t the easy pickings it used to be!
If you really feel your plan is bomb-proof, then you have a very good chance of defeating the desire for space, hesitation and lifting. In fact, you will associate hesitation, lifting and ‘just a sec, I’ll wait to see…’ as actively inviting chaos.
The Slow Way vs. The Fast Way to Master Starts
There are two ways you can go about improving your starts:
1. The standard approach: Start karting when you're six and do hundreds of starts over years and years. Through repetition and learning, you'll slowly get there.
2. The fast way: Strategise. Build confidence in effective strategies by planning them out and running them through your mind. Starts can’t really be practised, because you only get a few real ones a month! So you have no choice but to make sure you understand how to do it, and can plan it out perfectly in your head.
Overcoming “I’ll just wait one second, just to see, then I’ll make my move”
It all comes down to overcoming the tendency to hesitate when the lights go green.
The moment everything goes berserk - which is how I'd characterise a start - if you have even the slightest thought of "I'll let this play out", you're done for. That split-second hesitation is enough to completely kill your start.
As soon as you take the millisecond to ‘let things play out’ you leave a gap, someone will sense it and dive in. And once someone's moved across you, if you're in that hesitant mindset, you'll have another moment of doubt, and hesitation.
It all snowballs from there, drivers will be all over you, diving inside you, hitting you and you become helpless. All you can do is wait for things to calm down.
You can go from leaving a small gap to losing 10 places in the blink of an eye. Then you've got to recover your mood, override the fear, and try to make those positions back.
The Adrenaline Factor - More Confidence, or More Escape Oriented
When you hit a start, you change. Usually, it's adrenaline. That adrenaline can switch you on - we've all felt that, I'm sure, where adrenaline plus confidence becomes an increase in performance and aggression and determination.
But adrenaline can also amplify the opposite. It can make you switch off, increase fear, increase the desire to escape. That kind of adrenaline is meant to help you get out of a dangerous situation - like being chased by a tiger. You're pre-programmed to react one way or the other when that adrenaline hits.
The idea here is to make sure you are pre-programmed for a good start!
The Deadly Desire for Space
Drivers who struggle with starts often have this urge to give themselves a little bit of space. If I quiz them about it, they'll admit they "just needed a bit of room". But that desire for space at the start is deadly. If you give into it, you're in trouble.
Just a moment of "I'll just wait" means "I'll just leave a gap". With that gap, you think you've got room to move and avoid a crash. But that gap gets filled by a more determined driver, and suddenly everything feels even more precarious.
It's one of those self-fulfilling prophecies. If you feel vulnerable, you make yourself even more vulnerable by lifting. Drivers behind will immediately attack if they see you've decided to leave a gap in front of you.
Building a Powerful Start Strategy - So Powerful it Defeats the Desire for Space
You need to create a strategy that you feel more confident in, and that has more power over you, than your tendency to lift. Your strategy has to be really, really good if you want to defeat that self-preservation instinct.
Here are some key ingredients for an effective strategy:
1. Focus on the rolling lap, especially the last two turns before the green flag.
2. Don't drop back from the driver in front. Stick to them as close as the rules (or officials) allow.
3. Anticipate the start. You have to be ahead of it, not waiting for the driver in front to go.
4. Use the out lap to get heat into the tyres. Forget about tyre preservation - your start problem has to be overcome.
5. Be on the bumper of the driver in front when you start. No gaps.
Executing Your Strategy
On the rolling lap, stay stuck to the driver in front through the last couple of turns. You can't allow them to drop you because as soon as there's a gap, there's trouble.
Anticipate the start - this is crucial. Don't wait for the driver in front to go; be ahead of it. Race starts are predictable and follow patterns. Study them in previous races. You might need to slightly push the driver in front, but that's better than leaving a gap.
When drivers try to anticipate the start, they often slightly underestimate how early everyone goes. This is far better than waiting and reacting. The tiny delay between seeing the kart ahead move and you responding is enough to create a gap. Treat waiting for the driver in front as bad as hesitating or lifting off.
Remember, if starts always follow the same pattern, there's no excuse for not anticipating them. This anticipation is your key to maintaining position and preventing gaps from the moment the race begins.Maintain that attachment to the driver ahead. When everybody goes, stick to them. Normally, this driver in front will go for the inside or squeeze the drivers who are on their inside, and you can follow. Stick to them. Disallow the formation of gaps.
That's it - you've done it. That's the start completed. If you've stayed with that driver, that's a safe, hold-my-position start done and dusted.
Its as simple as:
When you approach the first turn, stick to them.
When you're on the brakes for turn 1, stick to them.
Go through the first turn stuck to them.
The Inside Line is Attacking AND Defending all at Once
If you're going to the inside, be ready to fill any gaps. Quite often, someone will move to the outside of the first corner. Your priority should be to fill that gap - dive into it. Staying inside is both attacking and defending at the same time.
You can take a position by holding strictly to the inside and simply filling gaps in front, and your defensive position is very strong at the same time.
Navigating Complex First Corners
It's easy to simplify starts, but many tracks don't have a straightforward first corner. Sometimes, you're dealing with a left-right combination or other tricky configurations. For instance, if your first turn is a left that leads into a right, your strategy becomes more nuanced. You could be on the inside for the first left, which puts you on the outside for the right. Alternatively, you could start on the outside for the first left, setting you up for the inside of the right-hander.
In these situations, you need to strategise which of those turns you want to prioritize being on the inside for, and how you're going to get there. The key is to decide which position gives you the best territorial advantage and own it. Whatever you do, the kart in front will likely be forced into the same strategy, so attach yourself to them and go through in a train.
The principle remains the same – don't leave gaps!
This approach requires more thought and preparation, but it's crucial for maintaining your position through more complex start sequences. Visualize the entire combination and how you'll navigate it while sticking to the kart ahead.
The Outside Line - Either a Do Or Die, or a Sneaky Escape Plan
A lot of drivers think going to the outside is a good way to find space. But there's a massive difference between seeking comfort and what advanced drivers do on the outside.
Advanced drivers who go to the outside aren't looking for comfort - they're increasing the risk to get a big reward. They might need to gain 10 positions on the way into the corner because they know they'll lose at least 5 on the way out. It's a 50/50 chance of survival, but they're willing to take that chance.
If you're going to the outside to escape chaos rather than going all out, it's not a genuine outside brave run. It's just seeking space, and it won't work in your favour.
Putting It All Together in Your Head - It Simply Can’t Go Wrong
The key to a good start is not leaving gaps. Attach yourself to the driver in front and stay there. The only thing that can go wrong in those situations is if the chaos around you builds up, makes you lift, makes you surrender and leave a gap.
Replay your strategy through your mind over and over. Think through scenarios. If you really concentrate on it, you'll find there's really only one way things can go when you stick to the driver in front - maintaining your position or gaining some if someone messes up.
When it comes to doing the real start, you've got the steps and it will happen like that. You're attached to the driver in front, very little else can happen other than you get through the start maintaining your position. You're no longer losing loads of positions, and drivers around you understand you - they no longer panic, they don't need to hit you or give you any grief.
Things get really, really simple. From there, then you can start planning more radical starts. But first, master holding your ground. That's the foundation of great race starts.
The Key to Making this Work - Love Your Rock Solid Strategy
As you play this out in your mind, you have to get attached to how rock solid your strategy is. It can’t be a casual run through in your mind, it has to come with a cock sure confidence that it is absolutely bullet proof.
Fortunately, if you plan with the ingredients here, it really is rock solid.
If you really feel your plan is bomb-proof, then you have a very good chance of defeating the desire for space, hesitation and lifting. In fact, you will associate hesitation, lifting and ‘just a sec, I’ll wait to see…’ as actively inviting chaos.
Key Takeaways for Holding Position on Race Starts
Develop a powerful start strategy that overrides your instinct to create space.
Focus on the last two turns of the rolling lap, sticking close to the kart in front.
Anticipate the start - don't wait for the kart ahead to move. Study start patterns in previous races.
Use the formation lap to properly warm your tyres and gather data on track grip.
Stay glued to the bumper of the kart in front at the start. Eliminate all gaps.
Prioritize the inside line for Turn 1 - it's both defensive and potentially offensive.
For complex first corner sequences, decide which turn to prioritize and plan accordingly.
Visualize your start strategy repeatedly, reinforcing the one predictable outcome - maintaining or gaining position.
If using the outside line, commit fully. Don't use it as an escape route.
Remember: the only way your strategy fails is if you allow gaps to form. Stay committed to your plan.
Thanks for reading
Terence