Shifter kart (125cc) turn by turn guide for Willow Springs Kart Track

From Trackpedia

Turn 1

Turn 1 is preceded by the short front straight of the kart track. In a 125cc shifter kart you should be approaching in 3rd gear on the far right of the track. Tap the brakes hard, down shift to second and get the kart aimed so that your line is straight through turn 1 and aimed at an early apex for turn 2. As soon as you down shift and get the kart turned straight slam on the throttle until you reach the curb for turn 2.

Turn 2

Turn 2 is a 180 degree right hander taken in 2nd gear. This turn is deceiving at first in that most beginners to the track see it as a "throw away" turn, however, care should be taken through this turn as the low grip level could easily cause excess wheel spin OR over compensation for wheel spin can dramatically reduce corner speed. To effectively get through the turn you should be hugging the inside curb and slowly roll the throttle through the corner to get maximum acceleration and no wheel spin. Techincally the turn is taken as such: Hard on the brakes as soon as your front right wheel reaches the inside curb, off the brakes and immediately begin to roll the throttle while constantly hugging the inside curb, exit to the middle of the track inbetween turns 2 and 3.

Turn 3

Turn 3 is one of the most crucial turns on the track as it leads to the second longest straight, luckily the straight it leads to is extremely wide allowing for plenty of exit room. Once you come off turn 2 you should be in the middle of the track BUT heading towards the right side (in all honesty you do not have enough room to get to the far right of the track so don't worry if you dont). You should be in 2nd gear approaching turn 3, brake late and hard and turn the kart so that your left front wheel kisses the sharpest point of the inside curb, an early apex. The exit of this corner is more important than the entrance and takes a lot of practice to master so don't beat yourself up for "not getting it" right away. On exit, track the kart out extremely wide by un-winding the wheel faster than what feels "right" but do not mash the throttle as this can cause wheel spin, if you have done it correctly you will reach the outside edge of the track where there is a hump in the road. Accelerate to 5th gear on the straight.

Turn 4

Turn 4 is one of the more technical corners and requires a lot of turning and throttle finesse to take it correctly since it is slightly off camber. You should be approaching turn 4 in 5th gear on the far right of the track. The braking point is very late and is indicated by a large hump in the road, you should hit the brakes as soon as you get to the top of this hump. The turn in is crucial and is a late turn in, once you hit the brakes take the late turn in and while down shifting to 2nd trail brake to the apex which is in the middle of the corner and right up against the curbing. At this point you will feel the rear of the kart "falling" away from you, this is normal as the exit is slightly off camber so don't panick. You are now at the middle of the corner and ready to accelerate, roll the throttle from the apex until you have completely exited the turn after which you can mash the throttle and up-shift to 4th gear. When you exit you should be in the middle of the track to properly set-up for turn 5.

Turn 5

Turn 5 is a flat, sharp right hander that sets you up for the run to turn 7. Upon approach you should be on the far left side of the track. Brake hard, down shift to 3rd and rotate the kart so that it is almost perpendicular to the exit of turn 4. Now accelerate hard towards turn 6.

Turn 6

Turn 6 is the fastest turn on the track and as a result probably the most fun. You will be reaching this turn under full acceleration and will accelerate through it. Turn 6 has a sharp turn in but gradually softens on exit, because of this your apex for turn 6 is at the very beginning where the curbing starts, which is also about where you should be up-shifting to 4th gear. As soon as you reach that apex turn the kart while maintaing mid-throttle position. The reason for this is that the fastest way to take the turn is to "dirt-track" the car meaning you drift it through the corner, by maintaining mid-throttle you allow yourself room to either add or decrease throttle to maintain that drift. Once you exit turn 6, which will happen fast, you should be in the middle of the track upon approach to turn 7.

Turn 7

Turn 7 is your basic 180 degree right hander. Don't brake too late and don't brake too early, down-shift to 2nd, take a middle apex and accelerate out. An important note is to NOT hit the rumble strip on the exit, it will slow your acceleration.

Turn 8

Approaching turn 8 is a kinked "straight" so gradually move from the left of the track to the right while up-shifting to 4th. This is by far the most important turn on the track as it leads to the longest straightaway and the final braking zone (the site of many important passes) so practice, practice, practice! Besides the straightaway implications the turn is made even more difficult by being off-camber and low-grip so careful attention must be paid. One might think that this turn could be taken with late braking and still maintain early acceleration, however nothing could be further from the truth. Early braking is indeed necessary so that you can roll the throttle through the turn and take a late apex (about 3/4 of the way through the turn). On approach you will see 3 bumps in the track, brake immediately before them, down-shift to 2nd gear then turn the kart and let it coast for about half a second (you'll get the feel for this with enough practice), slowly roll the throttle and make sure you apex late, on exit you can let the right rear wheel go over the rumble strip. You are now accelerating down the longest, fastest straight on the track...get into 6th gear!

Turn 9

The approach to turn 9 is fast, luckily it is fairly simple. The brake zone starts before the outside curbing begins (there is usually a cone to mark the braking zone) but will take some practice to find your comfort zone. While braking down-shift to 2nd gear, take a semi-late turn in so that you apex 3/4 of the way through the short turn and CAREFULLY accelerate out of the turn. A fast acceleration should take your rear wheel almost off the right edge of the track which has a large dip.