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Is there a difference between these two? I noticed that it's a little more slippery in indoor gokart and u can use drifting to ur advantage but in outdoor gokart if u drift u lose time a lot and u have to make ur racing lines a little different than in outdoor. Is indoor more like rallying compared to outdoor?

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The closest you're going to get to rallying with go-karts is competing in dirt karts. I've been to a couple of races and it's a messy affair! It's also supposed to be a lot cheaper to compete in.

Indoor karts run on what usually appears to be a polished concrete (though it may take that appearance due to the number of times it's been driven over). It offers up grip to the driver, but it's super easy to slide on the surface. Because they slide so well, faster karts on an indoor circuit will do faster lap times by sliding into the corners. Because they're so light, go karts can maintain a lot of speed when sliding.

Outdoor tracks are run on tarmac, like you'd find on a regular race track. For the most part you can drive it like a normal race car (excluding a few extra tight corners, where it may be faster to slide). I'd also imagine that a kart run on an outdoor track would run higher off the ground, as the surface exposed to the elements is probably not going to be as flat as the concrete hidden indoors.

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No i'd say it depends on the indoor track, some are slippy, some are grippy

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I found indoor closer to outdoor karting than rallying, The circuits are generally colder because there is no sunlight and there are often materials other than tarmac used. Comparing surfaces only, I'd say that outdoor tracks on a dry day are going to offer the most grip but I don't know the relative conditions of the tyres of the karts. I raced indoor and outdoor, which is a huge variable. I also just did "Arrive and drive." I'm sure there are others on here who raced karts competitively for a few seasons who could offer an opinion from more experience.

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"Jean Alesi is using the Maginot Line policy-You shall not pass!"-Murray Walker

I guess it depends on what you're comparing with, my experience with hire karts is that on an indoor track the karts do little more than 30mph, on an outdoor track you're invarable going to be on a much bigger track and more powerful karts doing about 50 mph, so there is a speed difference. Also as far as grip is concerned indoor tracks do vary from slippy to very grippy, as do outdoor tracks from very grippy to slippy if it rains obviously, but i've also been on an outdoor track that has poorish grip even in the dry.

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Yes, can never rule out the weather. Outdoor tracks are particularly slippy if it is raining when you are out there at the same time but terrific fun I was only able to do that once, most operators in the UK won't run them in the rain, but it was the best experience I ever had on a kart.

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"Jean Alesi is using the Maginot Line policy-You shall not pass!"-Murray Walker

Actually drifting around any track isn't faster at all. In door tracks tend top be slippier and so it is easier to slide, but you'll get faster lap times by being smoother in the corners. Also indoor tracks tend to be smaller and twisty so you are generally going at slower speeds. Sliding will only cause you to lose more speed and Karts tend to bog down on power in the slow zones.

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Pathfinder

I'm surprised some tracks don't run in the rain, its not been my experience, i thought that would be commercial suicide?

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Health and safety regulations in the UK have put paid to wet weather running, too many people worried about getting pursued by the government in the event of an injury at the track.

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"Jean Alesi is using the Maginot Line policy-You shall not pass!"-Murray Walker

I don't get this... I've raced at plenty of circuits in the UK in hire karts, even in monsoon like conditions

Yes this isn't true at all

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Agreed, in 25+ years of Karting i've never known a track to close unless it's completely flooded, we've even cleared snow from the tracks to compete in the past.

I should have written in some cases, as I have driven on a wet track once, it was near Cornwall, but I have also been to more than one track which had less than monsoon rain, and the operators just sitting around doing nothing, shrugged shoulders and said, in summary "sorry, the tracks wet, can't go out today, not allowed to do it." It's heartening to read that you have raced at plenty of tracks in the rain though, I'll call and ask what they do if it rains next time. It feels miserable driving out to the circuit and having to drive back home empty handed.

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"Jean Alesi is using the Maginot Line policy-You shall not pass!"-Murray Walker

Maybe up north they are just more use to those conditions

That`s what your set of wets are for

All the indoor tracks I have driven have been quite slippery. If you`re into drift racing then i guess thats all well and good but personaly I hate not being able to get the power down out of the corners like on a `proper` out door track.

As a side note if anyone is interested, you can pick up a second hand pro-cart (twin engine, 4-stroke) for about £500. There are always scrubbed sets of tyres on e-bay for about £25, coupled with the fact that it is only about £30 to drive for a sesion (4 hours) as opposed to £30 for 15mins arrive and drive and you`ve got yourself a cheap and very enjoyable sport. Hope to see you all out there

Oi, don't give me that, I'm a Yorkshireman by birth!

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"Jean Alesi is using the Maginot Line policy-You shall not pass!"-Murray Walker

If there's standing water on the track then it can become hard to run the karts because the engines can start to cut out and even stop completely, i guess this could be a problem with a single engined kart getting stranded out on the track, with a twin engined kart it tends to be one engine that cuts out first and the driver can get back into the pits on one engine. I would think the operators would not run events more because of problems like these, which is a pain for the operators and frustarting for the drivers, there's no safety issues with running wet races.

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Its not practical to change tyres on corporate karts to suit weather conditions, it takes far to long for a start, then if the track dries you would have to go back onto slicks during the race to stop the wets from getting destroyed

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Yep tracks will do anything to save a meeting

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Agree with you for the arrive and drive lot but it doesn`t have to stop you taking your own Kart out. If you`ve got a set of extra wheels ready loaded with wets it doesn`t take too long to change them. You do get really flippin` wet realy flippin` quick though.

No of course not but you do need other karts around you as well so it doesn't get boring which is no guarantee on a practice day, plus racing is more of a thrill, if you get into the racing side of it you then want to be competitive which involves having new tyres on a regularly basis, engines serviced/rebult ever so often and paying out of you're own pocket for any damage done to your kart, plus hours spent doing a bit of work on your kart, cleaning mainly. This ends up taking up more of your time and money then just turning up at a racetrack and having a race on corporate karts with no worry of what damage or carnage you might make, then when the race is over just trundle off to the pub or whatever with no worries of packing all your gear away and loading the kart back into the trailer.

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It is a messy affair. I race winged dirt karts. This is my new kart and the black kart when I drove for another guy.
but boy is it fun.

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I have also had the good fortune to do this