Quebec Super Kart Tracks: Download
Often described as the most pure form of motor racing, Karts are the ideal entry platform into the world of motorsports. Accessible to everyone with a capable body and mind, they are also one of the few forms of motorsport anyone can experience.
Very early in the development of rFactor 2, we planned to bring karting to our product. Some of you may have seen the wallpaper images we released very early showing them. As we finally close in on their release, we thought this might be a nice time to help those unfamiliar with them.
The rFactor 2 karts will come in two different flavors at this time, the Junior and Kart F1. Don’t let the names fool you, the junior karts already provide a serious punch, producing 20hp in a vehicle weighing under 150kg (driver included). These represent a very competitive kart that require lightning fast reflexes. The Kart F1 steps this up, producing 40hp and weighing only slightly more. With such power, the front brakes on the ‘F1′ are a welcome addition.
For those unfamiliar with karting, the first thing you will notice driving one of these is just how quick the steering is. With the steering ratio approximating 1:5 (depending on setup), three times quicker than most conventional road cars, you may fall into the trap of too much steering input. Small and precise movements are best.
Karts are also forced to run a locked axle, which means the inside rear tire has to be unloaded to allow the vehicle to steer properly. Significant understeer results if you fail to do so. The primary mechanism for providing a means to overcome this issue is through the front end steering geometry. Cranking the steering is usually accompanied by oversteer. A common mistake of amateurs is both applying lock too early or using excessive steering lock which can result in sudden snap oversteer. Though sometimes that might be exactly what you want!
The wide sticky tires used in karting provide huge amounts of grip, able to exceed 2G’s without any downforce to speak of. The chassis is finely tuned to deal with these G-forces. In the rain, you may find that the chassis no longer works well with the default setup. Raising the CG height, narrowing the wheel tracks, and softening the kart are recommended to help overcome these problems and should return to a more neutral feeling chassis.
Tyres are a bias-ply construction. Peak temperatures approximate 60-80°C.
Diameter: 258mm front and 277mm rear.
Braking can be rather difficult in either category, the Junior kart, having only rear brakes, requires a constant watch for snap oversteer on account of locking rear wheels. Trail braking is of limited use, as this can lead to excessive oversteer upon corner entry, which on account of only having a single speed gearbox, with grippy tires, can bog you down right out of the power band. The ideal corner is to brake in a straight line, very limited trail braking on turn in, and then keep the kart in a shallow and consistent slide with high percentages of throttle input to ensure the engine does not bog down.
The engine in junior form, provides peak power just below 9000 RPM, however still sings on song until 12000 RPM before the power curve begins to fall away sharply. You will want to make sure the engine seldom sees RPM of below 6000.
In Kart F1 form, the engine produces peak torque and power at much higher RPM, peak torque is around 12000 and peak power around 13500 RPM, the curve doesn’t fall off too much until about 15500. Gearing is very important to extract the maximum performance out of your karts.
