Can You Drive On An Outdoor Go-Kart Track In The Winter?

In general, you can drive a go-kart in all weather, and as a rule, we only postpone karting if it cannot be done safely, even in winter. That said, a winter track is often more challenging than in any other weather, and you need to get used to the conditions.

Not every outdoor go-karting track will stay open during the winter, as the bitter cold can be felt quite sharply when taking turns at over 40 miles per hour, although suiting up beforehand will help with this and ensure you can keep a firm grip on the steering wheel.

Winter go-karting can be really exciting, exhilarating and truly puts your skills to the test, so to understand whether winter karting is right for you, here are the differences, top tips for great racing and when we would have to stop the fun.

How Is Go-Karting Different In Winter Compared To Summer?

The biggest difference between winter karting compared to the spring or summer is that there is a much greater chance that the track will be wet or even potentially icy.

This means that there is less grip and therefore less forgiveness for any mistakes or overly aggressive moves.

As well as this, the traditional racing line where other drivers have laid down strips of rubber to improve grip goes from being the best place to be on the track to the worst, as the combination of rubber, oil and rain becomes very slippery.

On ice or in the snow, this becomes even more of a factor, and many early laps will be spent getting used to the track and how it feels before progressively getting braver and braver.

How Should You Drive Your Go-Kart In Winter Compared To The Summer?

For many, wet racing is the ultimate test of skill, testing your focus, your ability to control your go-kart and how you adapt to changing racing conditions.

With that in mind, here are some of the changes you need to make to your driving style.

Brake Much Earlier And Much More Gently

In dry weather, there is a temptation to brake late and throw yourself into a corner. For the most part, the grippy tarmac will hold, and you’ll be able to get away with a daring move.

In the wet, the same kind of late-braking heroics will end with you in the barrier, so brake earlier and far more progressively. Ease off the throttle and onto the brake whilst navigating the corner.

Opt For A Late Apex

In general, you will want as late an apex as possible, slowing down hard on the outside of a corner and turning towards the inside completely before accelerating again. 

Early apexes where you clip the corner can lead to a loss of grip, which can cause you to either understeer or lose grip entirely.

Progressive Throttle Use

Ease on and off the throttle. If you are overly aggressive, you will very quickly feel the back of your kart spin out.

When Would Karting Be Postponed?

We will usually only postpone a karting session in conditions where it is dangerous to continue racing. This typically means:

• Thick Fog - This affects visibility to the point that it risks dangerous collisions.

• Lightning - Risking being struck by lightning is dangerous no matter what you do.

• Flooding - A flooded track has no grip entirely, and karts end up aquaplaning and sliding off the surface.

• Thick Snow - Go-karts will bump and slip around on snow without finding any traction.